!MUST READ!

Author's Note: !MUST READ!

Let me start by thanking everyone who has followed, favorited, and especially those who have reviewed this story thus far. It really motivates me to keep going.

I have gone back and edited some previous chapters. Most of the edits are just small things like fixing punctuation, spelling, and grammar or changing my word choice to make sentences snappier. However, there was a longer change back in Chapter 2 which I feel is important for the story later on. I've marked the beginning and end of the changes with this: #######. If you read that chapter before July 7th and haven't read it since, it's probably best you go back and at least read that section. Other than that, nothing too plot important has changed. I hope you all enjoy reading this next chapter!

"Nick," Judy began, trying her hardest to remain calm and patient but immediately failing. "This drink is one hundred percent alcohol."

Taking the glass from his lips, Nick gave her a grin and replied, "A hundred? Naaaah. More like thirty, maybe thirty-five percent, tops."

"You know what I mean. The whole thing is liquor. There isn't even ice in it."

"Well, yeah. It's not a Velvet Kilt if you put ice in it. You cool it-"

"By mixing it in a chilled mixer and serving it in a chilled glass," Judy interrupted with what she hoped was a scathing Nick Wilde imitation, complete with smug grin.

Nick merely raised an eyebrow and said flatly, "I do not sound like that," before lifting his glass back to his lips and taking another sip.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed that, because as long as I'm making your drinks, you're not getting another," she said, crossing her arms with a huff.

It was an idle threat, she knew, especially considering Nick seemed like the kind of guy to frequently enjoy a scotch on the rocks anyway, but Judy hoped it would draw attention away from her plan to water down all his drinks by at least a fourth. It seemed to work, as Nick merely chuckled lightheartedly and ruffled the fur between her ears.

"You're the boss, Carrots."

Judy took comfort in the gesture for a moment, seeing it as another sign that their friendship was back on track, even if there was some slight deception underpinning it. Speaking of which…

"We need to talk about when I'm coming over to your place to check for alcohol," she said soberly.

She wasn't happy to talk about such a serious subject so soon after enjoying their friendly back-and-forth, but it was something that needed to be addressed and sooner was better than later. Strangely, it didn't seem to darken Nick's mood in the slightest.

Which should've immediately set off alarm bells in my head.

Judy realized with a pant as she stood up from the floor and wiped the sweat from her brow, the next afternoon.

Nick had quickly suggested that she come over as soon as possible and as fate would have it, they both had the next day off and apparently Nick had been entirely serious about his offer to cook her dinner after. Feeling slightly guilty about her first smart-mouthed reply to the gesture, Judy stopped at a liquor store on her way over and bought a mildly expensive blueberry wine. However, after her arrival and a short discussion, she felt significantly less guilty about it, since what she had originally thought would be a simple task of checking his fridge, cupboards and maybe his dresser if she wanted to be thorough, had suddenly become a herculean trial.

It turned out that Nick knew a great deal about addictive behaviour and insisted she check anywhere and everywhere a bottle of liquor might fit. So while he had indeed been sincere about the dinner, he had been even more serious about her being "tuckered out" afterwards.

Admittedly, she had not expected to find a flask of whiskey in the pocket of one of his jackets in the closet in the first five minutes of her search. When Judy told him, Nick merely shrugged, saying he had completely forgotten it was in there before returning to his cooking and though Judy had no reason to doubt him, it made it clear that yes, it was probably necessary to search everywhere.

The subsequent two and a half hour search didn't turn up any more hidden bottles or flasks, which gave her a little comfort since it proved Nick was trying his best to be honest with her. However, she did find Lister-Rhino and rubbing alcohol under his bathroom sink. Choosing to give the fox the benefit of the doubt she scooped them up and put them on the table of Nick's dining/living room just as Nick exited the kitchen with a steaming dish in paw.

Seeing the two bottles, Nick raised an eyebrow, "You can drink that stuff?"

Author's Note:

Sorry about the short chapter this time, but I hope the update to the previous chapter would be enough to compensate for the length. Please leave reviews, it helps me hone my craft, even if you've already left one before. Any criticism is welcome! And thank you to those who have followed and faved and reviewed already! Look forward to more soon!