A/N: I do apologize for the last chapter being a bit shorter than the others but I had originally planned to have it longer. But instead of jumbling it up into one chapter I decided to go ahead and post what I had and save the rest for the next chapter.
"That's my boy!" Nick whooped, laughing and clapped with Judy and his mother at his side.
Sam's last badge that completed his second row was awarded to him for his medical help with a fellow scout suffering an allergic reaction. His friend in the scouts couldn't get to his allergy shots after being stung by a bee, which he was very deathly allergic to. But luckily Sam was around and was able to give a helping paw.
With pride, the kit puffed out his chest to show his full second row of badges, grinning with excitement as his family applauded him. He tried his best not to start crying at the thought, keeping his chin up and smiling widely. A family... a month had gone by and he had never felt happier. It all happened so quickly, it almost felt like yesterday.
The ceramony was over almost as quickly as it had begun, or rather, it was a blur due to Sam's excitement. The kit ran up and hugged both Nick and Judy, giggling and nuzzled into the pair. Letting go quickly, he gave one to grandma Marian too. It seemed like everything was going great!
"I'm so proud of you, Samhain." Nick smiled warmly, ruffling his son's head with fatherly pride.
"Thanks Dad!" Sam beamed.
He finally had a father to be proud of him, a grandmother to be proud of him. Sam's eyes fell on Judy for a moment to smile at her.
"It's what Oliver wanted."
"If I had a dollar for every time I heard that lame excuse. He could have waited a few more years... I would have been willing to wait."
"Vivian, believe me you, I wanted to keep him alive too. But his mind was made up."
"...You're right, doesn't mean I'm any less upset about it."
"I know how you feel."
"So... what do we do now that Nick has that drive of his?"
"We wait."
"I want chocolate!" Sam beamed, trying to contain himself as he bounced in his seat.
Nick could only grin as Marian served him up a slice of cake, this was his son's day after wall. And by George he was enjoying it, that was the important thing. After so long of being alone, the fox was sure his son was having the time of his life being with a true family.
"I'm so proud of you, Sam." Nick repeated with a smile that could match the sun, ruffling his kit's head.
"Thanks, Dad." the kit replied, smiling with nothing but frosting and cake coating his teeth.
Nick chuckled and hugged his son, ruffling his head who merely groaned in slight annoyance over having his fur messed up.
"Come on Dad, once is enough." Sam grumbled a bit, then started giggling as Nick tickled him.
Judy and Marian laughed at the scene as it unfolded, the older fox sighing a bit with a smirk as the father and son started getting cake everywhere.
"Alright you two, calm it down." Marian chided after a good hour and a half of watching them go at it. Sam reminded her of when Nick was a youngster, so full of energy and innocence, it was like a blast from the past. Going to the kitchen to get a wet towel and tossing it at Nick, it promptly slapped him in the face with a loud wet smack.
Sam could barely contain his giggles and even Judy herself was having a hard time holding it back, the fox grumbled and started to help clean the cake off the table and their chairs. Yet despite all of this, Judy could almost taste a sinking feeling that something was going to...
Ring!
Sometimes she should really stop thinking that kind of stuff, Judy sighed inwardly.
Nick continued to mutter to himself, and Judy had to lightly step on his tail when she heard him say a few undesirable things that Sam shouldn't hear. He glared at her softly when he saw the name flash across the screen and left to another room to take the call.
"...That was you guy's work, wasn't it?" Sam asked, frowning.
"Unfortunately, it was, kiddo." Judy sighed, giving the kit a hug. "But I doubt he'll be called in. It's pretty late, actually..."
She gently poked his nose, causing the kit to wriggle. "Getting kinda late, Sam. We can't have you staying up all night, can we?"
"Nonsense." Marian chimed in. "It's my duty as a grandmother to spoil him, remember?"
"Five more minutes, pleeeease?" Sam pleaded, giving the world famous 'Wilde Eyes'.
"You should get a bath first, kiddo. You certainly broke up a sweat for school and everything today." Marian wrinkled her nose playfully, going to her closet in the hallway to retrieve a towel for him.
"Awww do I have to?" Sam whined, his ears folding back.
"If you wanna stay up an extra five minutes after your bath, then yes." Marian replied, shooting Judy a wink.
"Yeah, Sam. It's your weekend with your Grandma, she's gonna give you the royal treatment just for you. But only if you do as she says like a good boy." Judy pat his head, which immediately perked up.
"A quest for a Junior Ranger Scout, I'm on it!" Sam hopped up out of the chair, snagging the towel and literally ran down the hallway to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
"Sweetie, Grandma's bathtub is a bit old so please-" Marian was cut off by the sound of water flowing.
"Got it!" Sam's voice sounded from behind the bathroom door.
She chuckled and took a seat at the table, smoothing out her apron and dress.
"...I miss that sound." Marian spoke after a few minutes of silence, at Judy's questioning gaze she continued. "The sound of little paws scampering about. Nick was quite the atheletic one when he was a kit."
"He still is." Judy replied, smiling a bit. "Back when we were running for our lives from Manchas, he was able to keep up with me and even saved my life more times than I can count that night."
"Oh you're too modest." Marian chuckled. "Quite like he spoke of you, it takes two to tango. You two make quite the team."
"That we are, better than I could have hoped." Judy smiled to herself, her ears perking up when she heard Nick returning from his phonecall and tried to keep from frowning when she saw he was mildly upset.
"What's wrong?"
"...Bogo wants me to come down to the station at once." Nick said flatly, sighing and rubbed his face with a groan. "Needs me to help go through that blasted recording even though it's all right there in front of him."
"Do you need me to go with you?" Judy got up but the fox shook his head.
"He specifically asked for me, so uh..." He gave her a hug and a soft kiss between her ears. "I'll see you later tonight, Carrots."
Judy's ears flattened against her back as he kissed her only to shoot right back up the second his muzzle touched her head, feeling warm all over with a slight blush.
"Deal." She looked up into his eyes, giving a gentle punch to the arm. "Don't stay out too late, Slick Nick."
"Try not to. Take it up with Bogo if I do." Nick chuckled, playfully rubbing his arm, giving Marian a hug before gently knocking on the bathroom door.
"Hey Sam, I gotta go early, but we'll be back tomorrow to pick you up so you behave yourself for your grandma, okay?"
"I will, promise! Love you Dad!"
"Love you too, Sam. Goodnight and have a good time."
"You too."
Nick smiled and gave a small wave before leaving the apartment shortly after making sure he had everything. It was quiet for a while until Marian got up to head to the kitchen to take care of the dishes.
"..Need help?" Judy offered.
"I like you, Judy, so I'll be honest..." Marian spoke, shaking her paws free of water and turned to face the rabbit.
On the inside, Judy was screaming in terror from the look she was getting but on the outside she appeared as calm as ever, despite the fact that her ears were folding back.
"...I want you to take good care of Nick." Marian's expression softened, causing Judy to let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"I would rather go to jail than harm him." Judy replied, clenching her paws a bit. "I've... hurt him once before, I don't want to do it ever again. Has... he ever told you about the day we stopped talking?"
Marian nodded. "He asked me for advice on the subject a few days after you left Zootopia."
"Wait, you two talked?" Judy was surprised.
"It was a phone call, but it was the first step we needed to reconcile." Marian admitted, turning back to the sink and starting to wash the dishes. "I wash, you dry?"
The rabbit held up a paw, hearing the bathroom door open and close. "One second."
She left the kitchen and headed to Nick's old room, knocking lightly on the door and was greeted by the most adorable silver fox she had ever seen. He was dressed in a simple pair of dark blue pajama pants and a Keaton Fox t-shirt, he was popular tv character back in the day... One of the few tv shows she actually liked when she was quite younger, giggling and giving the kit a hug, she ruffled his head.
"Have a good bath?" She asked.
"Yup!" Sam beamed, his ears flicking the last bit of water as they twitched. She smoothed out his fur and chuckled.
"Alright need to get in bed, it's quiet time." She motioned to his bed, causing the kit to cross his arms to pout.
"You two said five more minutes."
"Yes well..."
"...pwease?"
"Nuh-uh, the Wilde eyes aren't going to work this time." Judy chuckled, patting his head. "How about a bedtime story?"
"Oooh, can I pick?" Sam's eyes lit up, and when the rabbit nodded, he eagerly crawled into bed without even a glance at the bookshelf next to him.
"Sure, what would you like?" Judy smiled, stepping up to the shelf and ran her paws over the old books in search of one she thought he would like.
"I want to hear about how you met my Dad, the whole story about your first case." His answer greatly surprised her.
"Aw that's no fun, didn't Nick already tell you?" Judy grinned at the kit, who merely shrugged.
"I want to hear your parts. He only told me how you dragged him into it, leaving out a lot. I think...?" Sam replied, tilting his head. He was a child so he was naturally curious, more so than any other she had met so far.
It was oddly pleasing, almost like the best parts of her and Nick... If she was being honest with herself, she could only hope that Martha was proud of him for being a well behaved child from growing up as he had so far.
"Alright, fair enough." Judy took a seat next to Sam, wrapping an arm around him to hold him close to stroke his head to help soothe him to sleep as she spoke.
"Well, it all started with me becoming the first ever rabbit police officer." Judy began, earning the kit's rapt attention, who immediately snuggled up into her side with a small yawn. "I was assigned to the center of the city after passing the academy- the police school- back in the edge of Zootopia."
"Dad told me that you uh... muscled him into helping out, right?"
"'Hustle' sweetie." Judy giggled, smoothing a bit of stubborn fur on his head.
"Right, I knew that." Sam nodded.
"After my first day of parking duty, that was when I had to put tickets for parked cars, I helped catch a mastermind thief stealing a bunch of moldy onions!" Judy told him, causing Sam to giggle when she tickled him a bit for extra effect. "And, I almost lost my job because of it."
"What?! But you caught the bad guy!" Sam protested.
"Yes well, don't worry Sammy. I still have my job." She chuckled warmly. "But back then, I was too excited to be a cop that I didn't listen to to reason, like what my boss was trying to explain to me. See Sam, no matter how you slice it, I should have taken my time to get used to the city. You know, making sure I knew my place around. Instead of ignoring my own problems and going off on my own."
She sighed, smiling sadly and Sam nodded in understanding. "I had more talk than actions backing me up, Sam. I could talk about what I COULD do as a cop, not about what I SHOULD do to start with. I thought that I would never be able to prove them I could be more than a simple bunny, you know?" He nodded again.
"So... with me being stubborn, I made myself known to the Chief for a pretty bad reason."
"It's okay, you're the best police officer I know." Sam hugged her, and she returned it to him with a soft giggle.
"Thanks, and your Dad too, I hope?" She replied, and he eagerly nodded.
"So what happened then?"
"I hustled your Dad into helping me." Judy laughed, getting comfortable again with the kit.
The rest of the story passed along with plenty of laughs and giggles here and there, tiring out the poor kit from busting a gut so hard. She dumbed it down at some of the partsso Sam wouldn't have any nightmares from the more frightening bits of the story, yet most of it was kept intact as kid friendly as she could. Maybe she had been a bit too descriptive at some parts, namely where she heard Nick's backstory and her apology to him after offending him at the press conference. Yet nostalgia ran through her as she recounted the events, almost as if she were on autopilot. During those parts, Sam held her tight and said it was okay. He was quite charming and warm for a child.
Sam yawned, snuggled into her side all curled up like a cute silver ball of fluff. She stroked his head, leaning down to kiss between his ears and gently eased herself off of him. Which of course caused soft whines and snuggled up into his pillow with his little plushie he had so dubbed 'Piiko'.
Gently turning out the lamp next to his bed, leaving only the soft glow of the small nightlight next to the door, she got up and started to leave.
Only to hear something she thought she would never hear...
"...Mom?"
The bunny cop who could stare down tyrannical sheep and take on even the most hardened criminals with her quick wit, froze in her tracks mid step, her eyes widening. Turning back, she looked at Sam who simply looked at her with half lidded eyes.
"...I-I can call you that, can't I?" he said quietly.
It took Judy a few seconds to regain her voice enough to respond. "Of course you can, sweetie."
"Then um, they're having a mother's lunch at school on Monday, could you come to that? Pretty please?" Sam squirmed a bit in his bed, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I never asked before cuz... well, I didn't know how."
"I'd be happy to go." Judy smiled, she quickly stepped over to him and gave him a big hug, nuzzling him. "Get some sleep, honey, have a good tomorrow at Gradma's."
"I will, goodnight, Mom." Sam smiled widely.
Judy smiled back, quietly leaving the bedroom and left the door cracked open a little bit just in case he needed to quickly call out to Marian or leave the room.
"Hey, I left some medicine in my desk, could you grab it for me while you're down there, please? It's in the orange bottle in my second drawer. Thanks xoxo." She quickly sent Nick, while she still remembered. She looked back at the slightly ajar door, feeling a few tears come to her eyes before she wiped them away with a small sniff, things were really... she couldn't find the words, she just had a feeling. This was a life worth living.
"Just warms your heart, eh? Children." the older vixen was seated at the table, sipping on a fresh cup of tea. Offering a cup to Judy, who took a seat next to the vixen as she poured it.
"Yeah, he's certainly had a positive effect on me and Nick. I never knew that I would already be a mother at 27." Judy commented, swirling her tea with a spoon and taking a soft sip. "And to think... it pains me to think that this could have never happened if we never met."
"Never good to dwell on the 'what ifs' I always say. And already calling you 'Mama', eh? I couldn't think of anyone better to have the title from Sammy." Marian replied, sipping her own tea. Setting it down to look at the rabbit seriously. "So, back to what we were discussing before."
Judy nodded, taking another sip before setting her cup down. "I've admitted it to Sam and a friend of mine, I'm in love with Nick. I just can't seem to find the proper way to tell him, or if it's even right to dump this emotional stuff on him after all he's been through for the past month."
"Tell him outright." Marian replied simply, which Judy simply shook her head.
"Tried that, kept getting interrupted."
"Well he certainly has feelings for you. I've never seen any other couple more in love than you two are." Marian told her, causing Judy to realize Oliver basically said the same thing.
"By the way, what did you want to talk to Nick about?" Judy asked, causing Marian to suddenly grow a bit uncomfortable. "Is it about John?"
Her only answer was a nod. "I figured it be only fair to tell him the truth."
At her raised eyebrow, Marian continued and held up an old yellowed envelope. "The real reason why John left me and Nick, this was given to me by..."
Judy's jaw dropped as she read the address on the envelope.
"I'm very sorry, Officer Wilde. They couldn't wait until morning, wanted to go through the evidence while it was still fresh in our minds." Bogo grunted, opening the door to the evidence room, where he was greeted with a rabbit with black stripes on his fur and serious piercing icy blue eyes.
"Good evening, Officer Wilde." The rabbit spoke, his voice low yet deep, extending a paw with the other behind his back, exuding the aura of a gentlemammal. "Special Agent Jack Savage, F.B.I."
"Good to make your acquaintence." Nick gripped the paw with a firm shake, yet there was something off about him. Almost as if he were calculating his every move and expression, he himself had used the tactic on criminals in the past. But this was a bit unsettling, all the evidence was in the video, so why was he here?
"We just need your help ruling out all possible false leads in the death of Oliver Winston." Agent Savage cleared his throat, his eyes trained to the screen that had the bodycam footage on repeat.
"False leads? Like what?" Nick asked.
"Hitmen, serial killers, the like." Agent Savage waved a paw, scratching his chin.
"So... why am I here?" The fox asked, then crossed his arms in realization. "Wait, are you saying that I hired someone to kill him?"
"Are you speaking from the aftermath of making such a deal or hypothetically?" Agent Savage's eyes trained to the fox.
"No I'm speaking as Gazelle's agent." Nick spat back, trying to contain a growl from the accusation.
Bogo groaned, slapping a hoof to his face. "Please excuse Officer Wilde, he has a silver tongue and barely the restraint from using it."
"Duely noted." The rabbit nodded, going back to the screen and shook his head. "I meant no accusations by that, it is my job to take in all the facts and observe the chips falling where everything adds up, Officer Wilde."
"What are you hoping to find in the video? Everything is there that he had some kind of outside contact name 'Vivian'. And with all this evidence, plus what you guys found for the sniper's hideaway, it should point to an easy suspect. And what about that phone he had? Shouldn't there be any kind of evidence in it?" Nick shook his head, more than a bit agitated by the fact that he was dragged out just for a wild goose chase. He knew quite well that there was much more complicated steps to follow, but at the moment he was more annoyed they couldn't wait til morning.
"We're talking about a master hacker here. As soon as his vitals went flat, his phone auto formatted. There's not a trace of anything left, not even a single contact number or photo. As for that drive he gave you, we have not been able to hack into it yet. It may have belonged to your father, yet it was carefully encrypted by Oliver." Agent Savage sighed softly, his posture lightening a bit as he rubbed his face.
"Vivian was the name of a vixen that was in your father's group during his days as..." Agent Savage trailed off, shaking his head as if to banish some long forgotten memory. "But I digress, Officer Wilde, that was all the information I needed from you, thank you for your time."
"...That was it?" Nick raised an eyebrow. "You know something of John Wilde, don't you?"
He noticed Agent Savage purse his lips in a thin line, his expression hardening.
When he didn't speak, Nick replied. "He knew my Father, Agent Savage. It seemed like on a personal level too, I need to know what the hell he was up to after he left Zootopia."
"The F.B.I. is for apprehending high target criminals and terrorists, not for familial closure." Agent Savage replied coldly, giving a hard glare, infuriating Nick even more.
"EVERYONE knows something about my father BUT ME!" Nick shouted, baring his teeth. "Why is it such a damn secret that I can't know what the hell he was up to?!"
He grunted as Bogo held him back with a grunt. "Officer Wilde, enough."
"I would focus on getting your own house in order, Wilde. The F.B.I. will contact you if we require further assistance, for now remain on standby until notified." Agent Savage kept his eyes on the screen, not helping Nick's anger one bit.
"Understand? This is bigger than simple family. This 'Nighthowler' incident is much deeper than you realize." He looked at the fox with the same impassive expression.
"...Fine, I get it." Nick growled, turning and freed himself from Bogo and started toward the door. "Thank you for your time, Agent Savage."
"Have a good night, Officer Wilde." Nick heard before shutting the door behind himself with a sigh, frowning as he pulled out his phone, hearing the text tone go off.
"Hey, I left some medicine in my desk, could you grab it for me while you're down there, please? It's in the orange bottle in my second drawer. Thanks xoxo."
"Sure thing, Carrots. xoxoxo." He texted back, chuckling to himself.
"Xoxo, really?" He muttered to himself, feeling a little bit better from seeing the text yet still agitated as he walked to her desk, jimmying the handle and pulled the drawer out. Snagging the bottle of meds, he pocketed them but pulled them back out and shook them next to his ear.
"Empty..." he frowned, turning the bottle over and looked at the name. Something with way more vowels than the alphabet itself, he typed it into his phone as he left the Station.
"The only store that has it is..." Nick stopped cold in his tracks, realization dawning on him.
"Hormone suppresants for rabbits?" Nick repeated, his eyes widening.
Did this mean...?
A/N: I am SO sorry this took forever to get out, I had an extreme case of writers block, worse than the others I've had so far. Coupled with trying to find another job, since my current one isn't working out as well as it used to, as well as family commitments. I appreciate everyone for the patience, stay tuned for the next.