"Wait, slow down," Judy said, holding her hands out in front of her. Nick didn't lower the gun, but instead took a step toward. "Why did you do it?" Judy asked. "Why did you kill Jon Fox?" Nick lowered the gun slightly a scoffed
"I didn't," he said. "I don't know who did, but it wasn't me!"
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Judy nearly yelled. "After everything you just did?"
"Yes. yes, I do," Nick shot back. "But that has nothing to do with this. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Nick dropped the gun and spun back toward his father. "Or maybe it was the right place at the right time. Right, old man?" Stewart didn't respond.
"What are you talking about?" Judy pressed as she started walking forward. With each step, the dizziness started to return.
"I had been looking for you for decades! Then you were thrown right into my lap." Nick barely seemed to acknowledge Judy's presence. He started to raise the gun again.
"I said I was sorry!" Stewart yelled back.
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Nick shouted as he leveled the gun at Stewart. "You left us! You left her! Did you really think I would just forgive you for that?"
"Who's 'her'?" Judy cut in, getting closer to the pair. Nick's head swung toward Judy. He shifted his feet to keep distance between himself and Judy.
"Go on. Tell her!" Nick shouted at Stewart. Stewart slowly turned his head toward Judy.
"His mom," he said quietly.
"She wasn't just my mom," Nick growled. "She was your wife! We were your family! But you apparently had more important things to do!"
"It was the worst mistake of my life!" Stewart blurted out, turning his attention back to Nick and trying to close the distance. Nick tightened his grip on the handgun.
"A mistake you had decades to fix, but didn't!" Nick shouted back. Judy looked back and forth between the two foxes. She needed to deescalate the situation, fast. First, Nick needed to drop the gun. The only problem with that was Nick wasn't thinking straight. He was tunnel-visioned. She needed to make him think of the big picture. If only the haze in her own brain would go away.
"Nick, just calm down," Judy said in as calm a voice as she could muster. Nick's eye's didn't shift from his father.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Nick growled back.
"Listen to her, Nicky," Stewart added. Nick bared his teeth in response.
"Mr. Wilde, not helping. Stay quiet," Judy barked. The last thing she needed was for Stewart to say something to set Nick off. The younger fox was on a hair trigger. "Nick, you haven't done anything yet you can't undo," she said, taking a step forward. "You can stop this before it gets any worse."
"He did things he can't undo," Nick snarled. He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Stewart by the collar, sticking the barrel of the gun in the older fox's face. "Do you know what that did to her?" Judy used Nick's distraction to move forward. Her headache was starting pound in her skull. She pushed through the pain as she tried to find a way to calm Nick down.
"Nick, think of the long term here." Nick's head snapped toward Judy.
"He didn't think of the long term," he turned his attention back to the frightened fox in his paws. "She worked herself to the bone for me! Three jobs! Because you were too much of a coward to stick around!"
"I was young and stupid, Nicky! It was the worst mistake of my life," Stewart cried, tears starting to well in his eyes.
"Stop calling me 'Nicky'! You haven't earned the right to call me that!" Nick yelled, grinding the barrel into Stewart's neck.
"I'm sorry," Stewart replied in a whisper. Nick suddenly pushed Stewart closer to the edge of the roof, still holding a gun to his head. Judy rushed forward, only to to stop as a strong sensation of lightheadedness overtook her. She pressed her hand to her head as she tried to regain her balance.
"Sorry doesn't make up for what you did to Mom!" Nick shouted, pushing the older fox closer to the edge.
"Nick, please," Judy called as loud a voice as she could. She kept walking toward the two foxes, though staying mindful of her distance. He didn't turn toward Judy, but there was a slight twitch in Nick's ear, which told Judy he had heard her. "You don't want to do this."
"Why don't I want to do this?" Nick whispered. The sudden shift in Nick's voice concerned Judy. There was a darkness to the tone. "I've dreamt of this day for decades; all the things I would say to you."
"Would your mom want you to do?" Judy asked. She hoped mention of his mother in a different context would snap Nick out of his tunnel vision. Nick froze, his brain obviously running. Judy took a slight step forward, only to feel a sharp pain in her brain. Judy retreated slightly as she closed her eyes and placed her paw against her head. "Ow."
Suddenly, the strength in her legs gave out. Judy dropped to her knees, a wave of drowsiness coming over her. She tried her best to open her eyes, but it turned out to require massive effort. She saw Nick start to look her way as she toppled over, landing hard on the ground.