It seemed like everyone who lived in Zootopia was gathered around their televisions, watching the live broadcast of the trial that had so much pressure on it.

Judy had not learned about how much controversy had truly arisen from the situation that had come from Trine's crazy plot until Nick told her. Not only were animals questioning the collar law, but they were now questioning PDT, too. Another major problem that had plagued Zootopia was the fact that prey and predator couples were strictly banished because of how it was unnatural and almost always described as 'disgusting.' This hadn't been questioned in recent years - everyone was too afraid to say boo about it. It was only natural for a prey and prey and predator and predator to be together, not a prey and predator. There had been one or two protests about it, though, resulting in everyone there being arrested, but at least they were trying.

It was unorthodox for a prey and predator to even attempt to conceive a child, for the fear of the new-born species being an abomination. There was rumors that this had happened before - a miracle where a prey and predator had a baby, but there was no one to prove it. Couples accused of this 'egregious act' either went into hiding or fled Zootopia. Judy wondered about them sometimes, but she was focused on the things happening around her now.

Riots were rising around Zootopia, and prey and predator joined together were finally speaking up about the injustices they had dealt with for so long. And while one issue was still being forced back into silence, not much could be done about the massive uproar of those who were tired of collars and parental laws. A chain reaction had started, and nothing could be done about it, and not even the police could stop any of it—not that they particularly wanted to, but it was near impossible to control these massive protests.

Judy had been so glad to hear about the PDT and collar laws now being brought into question. There would be a vote among the government officials on whether or not these laws should be allowed to stay sometime in the near future, but rumors had already started up that the court might end up intervening if the 'right thing isn't done.' Judy was praying what they considered the 'right thing' was to revoke the laws.

Judy felt like she had just been watching the news constantly. There had been quite a few prey, and even predators, found dead because of the circumstances they had been under, whether it was by starvation or being attacked by predators. It was an injustice to see that nearly fifty mammals were found dead due to Trine's sick plot. There might've even been more undiscovered, and that made Judy even more unhappy.

Everyone in the house was gathered around the television to watch the zebra's fate. Judy hated even watching this - she was too on edge, and her anxiety was eating away at her. She knew that the answer should be obvious—in her opinion, Trine didn't even deserve a hearing—but still, she worried. There was silence, even from her youngest siblings, as the judge started talking.

"I heard that no one wanted to be your lawyer." The judge said. Her keen wolf eyes narrowed as she stared down at the papers in front of her. "Yet, you've somehow found one. Tell me, Mr. Dab, what do you expect the outcome of this case to be today?"

A scan of the audience followed. Judy could only vaguely make out the shape of the mayor and his assistant, who sat in silence. The rabbit had wondered where he'd been since she'd last seen him at Mr. Big's house.

A moment later the camera focused on Trine, who was standing there in handcuffs. Judy thought that orange suited her well. The camera did a pan upwards as it attempted to capture the face of the 'lawyer' Trine had dug up, which was high up. Of course only a prey - more specifically, a giraffe - could be as dumb enough to support her schemes.

"My client pleads insanity." Was all he said. Though serious, there was almost a smile on his face.

The judge was staring, her not amused expression making it clear what she thought of all of this.

"Insanity? I didn't need a lawyer to conclude that Ms. Zeel isn't all there." The wolf said sternly.

"Her punishment should be reduced then. Her head wasn't all there when she did what she did."

"I'm afraid this isn't exactly up for debate." The judge said, frowning. "She kept someone hostage for years, put the entire state of Zootopia at risk, nearly murdered Judy Hopps, is responsible for over fifty mammals dead, and for what? It has nothing to do with my being a victim of her plot as well." She pointed to the collar that was around her neck. "Don't take me for an idiot, Mr. Dab, when anyone can see the crimes she has committed. The jury is full of prey and predators who know what is right."

"I'm sorry." There was a weak voice. But Judy knew that voice, and she instantly felt anger bubble up inside of her. The camera panned, and the zebra's face was clearly visible. "I was angry and sad for the injustices brought upon my family, and I wanted revenge for it. I've definitely made some wrong choices along the way. I feel terrible about what I have done. I want to apologize to Zootopia for what I have done. I put everyone in danger and I got some animals hurt. I can never forgive myself, so I don't expect to be forgiven either."

She said solemnly.

"Ms. Zeel, I am definitely not certain of how genuine your apology is, but there certainly are quite a few animals who deserve something more than a childish little 'sorry.'" The judge said in disdain. "If you plead insanity, then so be it, but the choice was already made long ago. Thirty-five years in prison to start. There may be a reduction or an expansion to that time frame, but for now, the court has made its decision."

"Your honor—"

"Case dismissed."

There was silence for a moment before there were cheers.

"Serves her right."

"I never doubted them to begin with!"

"Hah! That'll teach ya, ya dumb b—"

"Finnick, language!"

Crystal shoved a fist into Finnick's side, who retaliated with a frown.

"What? It was a good time to curse!"

The arguing was drowned out by other words that Judy could pick up through her shock.

"Thank goodness." April said in relief, staring at the television dreamily, a tear being brought to her eye. "It's not much, but at least it's something."

Judy was still in stun, but Nick was shaking her.

"We're free of the stripes for thirty-five years!"

Her eyes were wide as he hugged her tight. But a moment later she smiled, closing her eyes as a laugh came out of her.

"Yeah, we are."

After Trine's trial, things started to only go uphill from there.

The collar laws were being highly debated, and seeing that zebra behind bars made the rabbit incredibly happy. Judy was having a lot of anxiety about her first interview. She was antsy, but Nick and April would be with her. Judy really hated to entertain the news, especially after everything nasty had been said about her by the various media programs. However, she felt a bit better when she finally knew who would be interviewing them, and on a late night show, nonetheless.

"I'm so confused." April said, a perplexed look in her expression, backstage with Nick. "Why was Clawhauser crying when he dropped us off?"

"Because he's practically in love with Gazelle." Nick replied. "I think I even heard Bogo sob once he made sure we got back here and walked out."

"Okay. . . but who even is Gazelle?" April cocked her head as Nick adjusted his coat.

"You never listened to her music before?" Nick asked in surprise. "Oh, well. . . uh, yeah, that was an awkward question."

"Actually, Trine would blast music at ungodly hours of the night. It'd keep me up. So what songs does she sing?" April asked.

Judy watched them silently as they talked. Her sister, much like herself, was wearing formal attire. A nice red dress that showed off her figure, with exposed arms. There were countless scars running up and down them that made Judy's blood boil. On her legs, too—maybe on her thighs which weren't showing, but it showed how desperate Trine had been for blood, literally. There was even a noticeable scar from forehead to brow after she had gotten a nasty cut from the building collapse.

Judy couldn't help but feel an overwhelming guilt. She supposed her sister didn't really mind—what she really cared about was finally being free. But despite the two being twins, there was definitely some ways of telling them apart now. Judy could only sigh internally, thinking about all of the things troubling her as she turned around.

Her nose twitched a little as she stared at her own blue dress in a nearby mirror, form-fitting like her sister's and the same length, too. There was a glittery ribbon around the waist, but other than that it was simple. Judy found it weird to have her shoulders exposed after wearing uniforms for so long. It made her feel vulnerable. She was kind of surprised when she was told she would be wearing it to the interview, but she wasn't difficult about it like Nick who had to be bribed into a simple black jacket and pants. His way of protest was to wear his usual button up beneath it.

She was excited just thinking about meeting Gazelle, but her nerves were getting in the way of that. Judy decided to rejoin the other two who were simply waiting for their cue to go out. It hadn't been all that long ago that Gazelle's popularity had literally blown up so much that she was even hosting a late night show. She wasn't exactly the type of animal to have a lot of free time, after all. When she was busy with concerts, though, she had a co-host take over for her.

"Wait, you mean she's the one who sang Try Everything?" April's eyes were lit up.

"You'd better believe it. Maybe you should spend more time around Clawhauser." Nick responded. "Hey, don't you like that song, Carrots? Why're you so quiet?"

Judy's head snapped toward the fox.

"If you call me Carrots when we're live on air, I'm going to kill you."

"No, no you won't." Nick smirked. "You can't live without me."

"Nicholas Wilde. . ." Judy rubbed her temples.

"Hey, you three!" a rhino with a headset called. "It's almost time for you to get out there, you're on in two minutes."

Judy's heart-rate immediately quickened, but she felt a little determined.

"Alright. . . let's do this." She said.

"I don't think the cameras will be able to handle all this." Nick said, pulling a quick pose. Judy only shook her head, but then she glanced to see one of them was missing.

"Hey, where's. . ?" she trailed off when the question was answered, her violet eyes landing on her sister who was eagerly running ahead.

"Come on!" she called over her shoulder.

Nick and Judy began to follow, and the rabbit was perplexed.

"Nick, I don't get it. How is she so enthusiastic and not even nervous whatsoever? Shouldn't she be timid and scared of everything? I mean. . . all she knew was that house for so long."

Nick glanced at Judy, and he thought about it for a moment before responding.

"She kind of was like that at first, but she's barely stayed put indoors for long after she got out of the hospital. She has the desire to learn about new things even if it scares her."

Judy only smiled at the response. Maybe she shouldn't worry so much about her sister.

Finally they had caught up. Judy could feel her nerves putting even more pressure on her. There was laughter in the audience, as some sort of segment must've just ended. Once it stopped, a familiar and sweet voice spoke.

"With us tonight are three very special guests. I know many are waiting for them, and they've not spoken publicly yet, so this is the first time we'll be hearing from them. Everyone wants to know what's on the minds of the mammals who helped get Zootopia out of peril, and one of the victims of the situation."

"Sweet cheese and crackers, this is actually about to happen." Judy said, shutting her eyes. She didn't even want to imagine how many cameras would be on her.

"Are you gonna be alright? You know, with all the people out there and all."

Judy felt some comfort when a paw grasped onto hers, squeezing her gently. Her violet eyes rose up. Nick had some worry in his expression, but he was smiling regardless.

"I'll be fine." Judy promised, hoping she would be able to practice what she preached.

"Please help me welcome our guests tonight: Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps and April Hopps!"

Judy felt hesitation seize her, but she forced herself to walk out there. There was an immediate boom of energy from the audience, clapping and cheering as the three walked out. Judy mustered up a small smile as she gave a wave, then noticed Nick who was eating it up. His paws were up in the air as he scanned the audience, flashing a wink and a grin, the crowd only going more crazy. Judy only huffed, turning forward to see that her sister was already seated, shaking paw and hoof with Gazelle who was smiling in her own chair.

Judy had already blocked out most of the noise from the audience as she also headed over, reaching out her paw shakily to Gazelle, hoping she wouldn't notice how nervous she felt.

"It's so nice to finally meet you." Gazelle said, and the rabbit tuned out the audience's screams. Judy's eyes were the size of moons as she only slowly nodded.

"I-it's great to meet you!" she replied, beaming. Judy took her seat and saw Nick had finally settled next to her, and the audience grew quiet.

"I'm glad to have you three with me tonight. I think all of Zootopia has been wanting to hear from you." Gazelle started. "I just have to ask, what are your thoughts on the trial that took place last week?"

"It was great." Judy immediately blurted. Nick nodded in agreement.

"I still think she should have been locked up for life. I'm not so sure why she wasn't, considering all of what's happened due to her." April said, frowning. Judy looked at her sister uncertainly. It seemed that she was starting out pretty bold already.

"I think out of all of Zootopia, you're one of the few who has a much more personal issue with her. Do you think she should be locked up for life solely because of what happened between you two?" Gazelle asked.

April's eyes flitted down for only a moment, then she looked the singer in the eye.

"No. It's so much more than that. She used me, but with the intention of hurting others. I never had anything against predators, even when a predator was the one to kidnap me, so when I saw she wanted to hurt them by going through me, that was the worst. I don't hate her just because she kept me hostage. It's also because she made me the reason for all of this to happen." April said.

"If I may add some input?" Nick asked, and Gazelle nodded. "None of that was your fault. She was able to execute her plan through you, but against your will. You are not the reason for something that insane to happen."

April looked at Nick, appreciation clear in her eyes.

"April, you were able to escape because Nick found you, right? What was going through your head when you two first met?" Gazelle propped her head on one hoof.

"Um. . . well, I was pretty surprised since I hadn't seen many animals since I was a child. It was kind of awkward, because I'd just been sitting in the basement listening to the commotion upstairs. She threw him down the stairs and he was pretty beat up, but I just was glad I wasn't alone anymore."

Gazelle nodded, and there was some murmuring from the audience.

"And how did she treat you?"

There was a pause. April immediately began to shift uncomfortably.

"Um. . . well, we used to be good friends, at the start at least." She began to explain. "She's never been the. . . empathetic type. Despite knowing she was hurting me, she continued to do it and even though I didn't want her to, against my will, she kept going through with it. When I was younger, she would keep me company most of the time. I was very impressionable, considering that was the only other child around me."

She paused, a frown coming over her expression.

"For a while she was actually kind to me. Then the experiments on me got worse, and it seemed that she got worse and worse with them. She wants everyone to believe her father was this fantastic guy, but he wasn't. He was horrible to her, but nice to me, considering the circumstances, I guess. I. . ." she hesitated. "I can't entirely blame her for how she was toward me. He was extremely abusive to her, even toward me at times when I tired to resist the blood work."

An entire silence fell over the studio. Gazelle was only shaking her head in disgust, and disappointment. April took a breath as she continued.

"It was after my sixteenth birthday that she started to hate me. I think she was very disturbed, especially after her father killed someone right in front of us." Her eyes widened a bit at what she'd just said as there was an array of gasps from the audience. "I didn't mean—didn't mean to say something that violent sounding on the air."

"It's okay." Gazelle said, empathy clear in her eyes. April seemed so on edge, looking sick almost from what she'd talked about. Judy was a bit foolish to assume that she had recovered completely in the mental sense - she might not ever recover from that.

"Um. . . but she didn't treat me very well after that. But she enjoyed talking in my ear, telling me that what I was doing was right despite me knowing it was wrong. I never believed what she said. She was good at manipulating, but I knew better." The rabbit forced out.

"Something that the ZPD mentioned in their speech about recovering you was how malnourished you looked. Did she only give you enough food for survival? Was she truly that cruel?" Gazelle asked calmly, though she looked upset by what she'd already heard.

"She made sure to feed me enough to where I'd stay alive, that's for sure." April nodded. "But eventually, the point where I was at was pretty bad off because of how much blood I'd lost, as in I was too weak to eat. If it had gone on much longer, I don't know if I would still be here. I mean, she had stopped taking blood for me for a short while because I had become very anemic. I was really sick for a while because of it, but she refused to get me treatment. There was no getting me to eat, so I looked pretty ill after that whole ordeal went on. And once she was finally done with me and locked me in the basement once she had everything she needed, she didn't feed me as much after that."

Gazelle only looked out at the audience. There were mutters of disgust. Nick and Judy even looked appalled. Judy, more so, horrified. It should've been me. She thought to herself, and she felt her eyes beginning to sting.

"With all this torment, you really were living a life of misery, and I'm sorry that you had to go through that. But we're glad you're here now." Gazelle said, smiling despite the fire in her eyes. There was an array of claps from the audience.

"I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me." April replied. "It was no one's fault that this happened to me besides the ones responsible. I just wish I could have prevented all of this from happening."

Gazelle's smile seemed to waver. It was clear she was still sorry for the rabbit.

"Now I have to ask. . . what helped you get through that torture, exactly? The thought of your family and eventually returning to them? The hope that someone would rescue you?"

"A little bit of both." April responded. "I always thought about my family. Even in times where I thought I'd rather be dead than go on any longer." She seemed to realize what she said as her eyes darted away. "I knew I couldn't just sit by and wait for a knight in shining armor to appear, though. That's when I tried to do something, finally, right before she executed her plan. When I saw that she had supposedly killed our parents was the final straw for me. She came to me that day bragging about it. That's when I knew I couldn't continue to sit by idly."

April's nose twitched, and she looked down to see that a paw was grasping hers. It was Judy, who stared at her, sadness clear in her eyes.

"We weren't told much by the news how everything played out—like how you escaped. How exactly did you get out of there?" Gazelle asked, cocking her head.

"Well, all of us Hopps kids know sign language since we have a deaf sibling." April began, and she explained just how exactly she was able to communicate the message to Clawhauser. "If it wasn't for him, I think Nick and I would still be stuck down there."

"Wow, amazing!" Gazelle said, her smile so warm it could probably melt the whole set. "He sounds like a great guy."

"He's a huge fan of you, so is his boss." April went on eagerly, her eyes bright. "I think they're both in love with—"

"Alriiiight, on to the next topic!" Nick interrupted, and there was laughter from the audience, a light-heartedness returning from the darkness which was there only moments ago.

"It's just what Nick told me." April said, still smiling. Nick dragged his paw down his face, slumping in the seat.

"Uh huh, that's right." He sighed, knowing that later on he would most likely get chewed out by his boss and coworker later. Once the laughter died down, Gazelle looked at Nick.

"Nick, I think all of Zootopia wants to know how it feels to walk freely without a collar on."

The fox immediately sat back up. He felt around his neck, and a smile came to his face.

"It's one of the best feelings in the world. Prey don't appreciate the fact that they don't have those things around their neck constantly. Do you have any idea what it's like to have to suppress your emotions? To get hurt just for feeling upset or angry, or even too happy? It's sick." Nick frowned. "If I still had that thing on me, I'd have to pay attention to how I was feeling every single moment. We're literally trained to act a certain way. Sometimes I find myself unconsciously controlling my emotions when I know I don't have to."

"It's horrible." Gazelle agreed. "Anyone who agrees with that is supporting something unorthodox and cruel."

"My buddy and I Finnick grew up together. Long story, but to cut to the chase, all I can say is we're ruining perfectly good preds who are going to become bitter just like we nearly did because of what we've had to deal with. The law needs to be abolished. Sorry, I rambled."

Gazelle shook her head, still smiling.

"You're fine. It's good to hear your thoughts. Are you the only one who isn't wearing a collar currently? And why aren't you?"

"Am I the only one? Yeah, I am. It's because they trust me after what Judy and I have done, but they told me the second I tried to hurt anyone it would go right back on. I mean, it's a weird feeling to actually be semi-trusted considering what we have to go through just to get simple procedures done without the stupid things on."

"Procedures?" Gazelle prompted.

"Yeah, like going to the doctor. One time I screwed my neck up pretty bad, and they had to see if it was broken or not. They were literally lowering a cage around me and had a tranquilizer on paw. It was annoying."

There was murmuring from the audience. Gazelle's face reflected disappointment.

"It's sad that when someone comes looking for help, they are still treated like an enemy." She shifted in her chair. "I'm surprised they let you go anywhere without a collar. There's a lot of controversy about it. Many still don't trust you."

Nick immediately scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, because I'm definitely gonna jump into the audience right now to kill someone because I want to eat them." His eyelids drooped.

There was some laughter from the audience.

"Nick, did you ever get a feeling about Zeel? You know, before the fire?"

Nick blinked.

"I mean, I knew who she was from the tabloids. Obviously I wasn't a huge fan of someone who was making collars to control mammals with fangs. Did I ever think she was that insane enough to do something like that? No. Then again, I think she had almost everyone fooled."

Gazelle only nodded at the response.

Judy felt her pulse quicken a little when Gazelle looked at her. She knew her time was coming for the interview, and she had a bad feeling that she'd get asked plenty of questions.

"You've been pretty quiet, Judy. What's it like to be in the public eye again after everything that's happened?"

There was hesitation. Her paws were folded on her lap to prevent shaking, but on the inside that question had rocked her a bit.

"I. . . I don't know." She replied, glancing out at the audience. She could see it was many prey, and some predators mixed in as well. "Part of me is still living in the past."

"The past?"

"I, uh. . ." she trailed off, biting her tongue before she could spill her true thoughts. I feel like everyone hates me still, she thought uneasily. She realized how silent it was, and she knew she couldn't blow her chance to talk. She straightened in her seat.

"It's kind of traumatizing to first be accused of doing crimes like that, and then almost receiving the death penalty without a trial or anything like that. Sometimes I can't process that it actually happened, that I was so close to death. And then, trying to escape brainwashed predators at every turn, nearly dying again, and then coming back to the real world as if nothing happened? I still feel like I'm back there."

Judy said, eventually finding her full voice. April was staring at her, looking tense.

"I can't really imagine what it was like." Gazelle said, shaking her head. "I never even left my house. I stayed there with friends and family hoping eventually things would get better. It wouldn't have if it weren't for your help."

Judy felt a smile come to her face upon hearing this, and there was some clapping from the audience as well. Gazelle was way less intimidating than Judy had previously imagined her being. But then, her face became serious.

"The death penalty was something that so many agreed with. Even while there was protesting or mammals saying you deserved a fair trial, it had already been decided. Do you forgive those who prosecuted you?"

Judy felt her heart sink a little as the smile left her face. She had thought about this for so long, contemplated it for ages. Eventually she mustered up an answer.

"It's hard. . . it's hard to forgive something like that, especially since I was seconds away from my death. I'm actively working toward forgiving, because I have to understand their point of view, too, but. . . it still haunts me at night."

Gazelle's face showed sympathy.

"I'm sure that most of the ordeal was traumatizing."

"You have no idea." Judy immediately responded.

Wanting to leave the darker topic, Gazelle quickly changed the subject.

"Judy, do you think that there's anyone out there still who has the same mindset of Zeel? Whether it's a prey or a predator?"

Judy tensed a little at this. The thought hadn't crossed her mind, and it made her uneasy.

"I don't know." She almost mumbled it. "I hope not. The last thing we need is another one of those running around."

"There are some animals who support Zeel. What do you think of them?" Gazelle said.

"Wait, what?" Judy arched a brow. "People support her? After what she did?"

Gazelle shrugged, "I wish I could tell you why, but I have no idea."

Judy defeatedly sat back in her chair. She had a lot on her mind—a lot she wanted to say.

She had covered up her true feelings about nearly being put to death pretty well, but inside she was festering. Because of Zeel, she had almost been killed with no proper trial. She realized she had all signs pointing to her being guilty because of her clear prejudice, but with Trine's clear disgusting crimes, Judy questioned why she hadn't been treated the same way.

It bothered her, even if she knew Bogo was remorseful for his split-second choice to agree with the idea of sending her to her death. She felt her paws gripping onto the armrests a little too tightly, and she let go as she exhaled, realizing Gazelle was asking another question.

"What will be done with Zeel's collars? Have the ZPD decided?" Gazelle asked.

"They're going to be destroyed, of course, so that nothing like this happens ever again." Judy replied.

"Everyone switched their collars out a few days after things started getting back to normal for a reason, after all." Nick shrugged.

Gazelle only nodded. She stared at Judy again, "So, Judy, you seem to come from a pretty huge family."

Judy blinked, her nose twitching, but she smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty big."

"Who's the oldest in the family? Is it you?"

"Well, I'm not the oldest, but April and I did were in our mother's second litter, so pretty close." She shrugged. "The oldest is my sister Lucille, then my brother Seth not so far behind. Oh, I could go on and on about the order of all of my siblings, but that would take up the entire rest of the show."

There was some laughter from the audience, but Judy's face kept the same look. She wasn't joking. Gazelle was smiling a little, but it seemed to fade as she looked down for a second. A perplexed look was on her face as she thought about what to ask next. She raised her head.

"Some are still not fully believing that you've changed so much. They still think you have the same morals as before, the same mindset as before. What do you have to say about that?"

"I know how I was before, and I know I made some mistakes and thought so wrongly. Yes, it's true that I hated predators in the past. . . but I promise you that I no longer feel that way. I know the past is going to haunt me, but I'm different now, and I promise that I am sincere. Nick is my best friend, and I really do mean it when I say that he's changed me. He showed me what I needed to see. . . that I was being ignorant. Without him, I'm not sure what I'd be doing right now."

She looked at him, eyes full to the brim with admiration.

"You're embarrassing me." Nick said, smiling. But then he raised his paw slightly, indicating he was going to say something else. "I honestly used to hate prey, too. Not all of them, because clearly there was the good mixed in with the bad, but she changed my mind about them too. Even though they can be hateful things, not all of them are so prejudiced."

Judy seemed a bit surprised to hear that, but she was smiling.

"Nick, why was it that you decided to assist Judy, despite knowing how she felt?" Gazelle pressed.

"Well. . ." he slowly looked back at Judy. "I could tell just from the look in her eyes that she was judging me, that she really despised me, almost, the day that we met. We argued the second we first talked to each other. Then again, it was fair, since I myself really had a thing against prey at the time." He continued, "I don't know what came over me. Just a feeling, you could say. I hadn't felt a single shred of kindness toward a prey in years, but something about Judy made me want to help her. I don't regret that decision, though. I wanted to help, maybe. . . because we were quite similar in that one hateful aspect."

"And you saved her life, too, didn't you?" Gazelle continued, her eyes bright.

"Yeah." He glanced at Judy. "It was. . . a pretty impulsive move on my part, if I do say so myself."

"Well, when I asked you, you just told me that even though I was dumb I didn't deserve to die." Judy shrugged. Nick cracked a grin.

"Did I really? Well, I still stick by those words."

The two of them were smiling.

"You guys really have gotten close." Gazelle observed.

The rabbit and fox still were looking at each other. Nick's paw slid onto Judy's.

"Have we really gotten close? Yes, yes we have." Nick responded.

"Well, it kind of happens when you're stuck saving Zootopia with the guy." Judy said, waiting for his response.

"Sure, but everyone knows I'm a charmer. The girls just can't stay away. I'm like a magnet." Nick shrugged, to which a whistle came out of the audience. The fox shrugged again, as though that had confirmed his statement.

It seemed like the whole place was laughing now, and once Gazelle finally stopped her own chuckling, she looked back at Judy.

"So Judy, what do you plan on doing next? Nick and you are both cops now, aren't you? What does the future hold?"

Judy thought for a moment before figuring out what she wanted to say.

"There's a lot that's going to come. I have many things I want to accomplish, lots of things need fixing that have been injustices going on for far too long. You'll see what I mean. Honestly, I joined the police force with one thought in mind: to protect prey from the danger of predators. But now, everyone is going to get the protection they deserve." She said confidently. Gazelle looked more than pleased.

"That's fantastic. I'm excited to see what will happen next." She said. "Judy, I heard that the mayor will be awarding you and Nick a badge of honor, and that you'll be given a pretty large amount of money. Any idea what you plan on doing with the money?"

"Vacation!" April, who had been silent for a while, spoke up. Judy and Nick both looked at her. "What?"

"I think we need a vacation too." Nick agreed.

"You haven't even started working yet." Judy glanced at him.

"Okay, and? We just drug Zootopia out of the depths of hell and we can't go lay by the beach somewhere?"

"Well, whatever, you can use your money on that." Judy continued the banter. "I have other ideas in mind for what I'll be using the money on, if possible to pull off. I want to help predators more and more. I'm thinking some of the money will definitely be going toward that."

"You're quite determined to change things around here, aren't you?" Gazelle asked, the endearment clear in her eyes.

"Oh, I am. I also heard about the discussions on PDT being questioned. And this is such a crucial time to get horrible laws like this reversed. I'm sorry, but predators cannot be taken from their parents just because they misbehave or act up. I've seen the brattiest of prey who get off just fine. It needs to stop." Judy replied, anger in her expression. "Either predators stop getting this unfair treatment, or we apply PDT to prey as well."

To her surprise, the audience gave a bit of a cheer at that. She wasn't saying any of it to win their attention - it was just the truth.

"You're right, Judy. It does need to stop." Gazelle agreed with a nod.

"We're always going to be trying to get these injustices taken care of. Everyone else should be trying to help, too. Every voice counts." Judy said. April was grinning at her, while Nick only voiced his agreement through his approving nods.

"What will you be doing for the next few weeks?" Gazelle asked.

"Well, I can't do much police work with this thing on." Judy motioned to her cast. "Once it's off, there'll be no stopping me, but for now. . . I'll be at home with my family."

She realized how much easier it had gotten to be in front of people, but the bright lights kept her on edge. She didn't know why she was so tense for that reason. Lately she felt so jumpy. Going out in public felt more difficult for her because for some reason, her mind would bring her back to fear and trying to keep out of harm's way. It made her incredibly antsy.

"What was the the thing that helped you two solve the case?" Gazelle's voice brought Judy out of her thoughts, and the rabbit looked up to see the singer's eyes flitting back and forth from her and Nick.

"It's kind of complicated. In the beginning we didn't know what she was doing, but what we did know is that Judy was being framed. So, we wanted to get to the bottom of it." Nick said, "We found out what she was doing when we found her journal. You think anyone would not be dumb enough to write down their evil schemes by now?" he gave a shrug.

"So that really did help us. It was our only alibi, too. I mean, no one was going to believe me or him." Judy motioned her paws toward Nick. "I also thought that Trine was framing me because I used to hate preds. Turns out that I was just unlucky to stumble upon her."

Gazelle only shook her head.

"Did anyone ever find out what else Trine Zeel was using in her. . . mixture to inject a good bit of Zootopia with?"

The three looked at each other.

"No. She never even told me what was in that godforsaken mix." April replied. "But they're working on figuring it out. They investigated her house not so long ago—found some strange things that can't really be mentioned, but nothing that could give the answer to that question."

"Well now you've just got us all curious as to what was found there." Gazelle sighed, but that good-natured look still remained on her features. "Let's wrap this up, though, and with one last question. How do all of you feel knowing that you're safe now?"

"Are we really all that safe, though?" April asked. Gazelle blinked.

"You don't think you are?"

April's face screwed up a little bit, and she looked out at the audience. They were on the edge of their seats waiting for a response. She stared back forward.

"I'm sorry, but I don't. I don't think many of us are." April's chest puffed a little as she took in a breath. "There's been a lot of irresponsibility on the ZPD's part—the law in general. You saw what they're like. You—you know what they almost did to Judy."

"Of course." Gazelle agreed. "We all know."

"So she nearly dies, but Trine gets a proper trial?" April spat. Judy noticed how tense she looked. Her eyes were wide, and she wanted to reach a paw out to her sister, but she wasn't done. "Listen, I've befriended a few of the officers—even the chief who was was almost responsible for killing Judy, so I'm not being biased. I know she was on a most wanted list, but Trine made everyone's lives a living hell, including mine for years, and she gets off with prison time?" April was shaking. "It's not right!"

Nick and Judy only stared at her. A silence seemed to cover the whole place like a smothering blanket. April's brows furrowed more.

"I know everyone thinks I must be pathetic considering my situation, where I grew up and all since I know not a lot about the outside world when I should know everything at this point, but I will remind you I'm not stupid. And neither are any of you! Not to mention Judy hasn't decided to press charges or anything like that, even though she's probably scarred from it. Anyone can see that it's. . . it's. . ." she looked at her paws as if to search for a better term than what curses were entering her mind, "bullroar!"

April came out of her tangent as Judy rested a paw on her shoulder. April's head snapped toward her for a brief moment—there was frustration in her face, and she looked at the ground.

Maybe Judy wasn't so right after all—maybe her sister wasn't in the best frame of mind. Of course, no one could blame her. The hush over the audience stayed for only a moment more.

"Should we all just turn cheek at it and act like nothing's wrong?" April demanded, looking up again.

"It's okay." Judy said, and April's eyes flashed.

"It's not. It's not okay," she went on, her voice growing shaky, "you were nearly killed—"

"Listen to me." Judy interrupted her. "I. . . forgave that—"

"No you didn't." April was the one interrupting her now, frowning. "It's so obvious you haven't."

Judy retracted her paw, and she looked away. Even Nick was quiet, but his mind was buzzing from the gruesome reminder of that day.

"I don't have anything against anyone, I truly don't." Judy wanted to make it clear, though she knew she was lying. "You're right. I won't forget that day, but. . . I have forgiven what was done to me. They did think I was a criminal who was a killer, after all."

April's eyes were trained on her sister, hurt flickering into them. Judy immediately regret going against her words, but this wasn't the time or the place to be trying to expose her real feelings, and she knew April didn't exactly understand that. Not everyone needed to know, even if Judy knew she was trying to bring the issue more into the spotlight.

"I don't care. It's still wrong." April muttered as she looked away.

"I agree." April's ears perked slightly at Nick's voice, but she didn't look back. "We all know that it's wrong. Whether or not Judy chooses to forgive what happened to her, though, is entirely her choice."

That seemed to end the bickering. April only scowled at the ground, while Judy's tense body language revealed just how awkward she felt.

Gazelle's voice broke the veil of discomfort, "That's all the time we have. I'm so happy that I got to talk to you three."

"Likewise." Nick said, the uneasiness still in his voice. April was still frowning, her paws gripping the armrests as though for dear life. "If you ever want to have us back, y'know, we'd love to come out. Plus, I think talk shows are my thing. Since, as Judy would say, I never shut up."

There seemed to be a halfhearted laugh at the attempt to lighten things up from the crowd.

"We'll have to see. I do have to tell you, though, that you three will be my guests to the red carpet premiere of Rhino Breaks the Internet."

Judy gasped in shock, "No way!"

"Yes way." Gazelle smiled. Judy's paws were tugging on Nick's jacket in excitement. He shared equal excitement, grinning dumbly with the rabbit. There was an abundance of clapping from the audience. Then, Gazelle turned to them. "I'll also be bringing all of you as well!"

The shouts seemed to grow more excited, while Judy and Nick were still freaking out.

"The red carpet? With Gazelle? And to that movie?" Judy asked, her eyes huge.

"I know!" Nick laughed. "Everyone's gonna be jealous."

"That's all we have for tonight. I thank you, my lovely guests, and have a good night!"

Judy and Nick rose from their seats, giving a wave as the roars from the crowd grew louder. The rabbit's head turned just for a moment to notice April had already turned to disappear, and for a moment Judy swore she saw a glimmer of darkness in her sister's eye.

"This is the place?" Judy asked hesitantly.

She was in the car with Nick. Her eyes flitted over toward him. His face revealed that she had guessed correctly, since it was screwed up with anger.

"Looks pretty run down. Just on the outskirts of town, too. If what happened to you is still going on today, Wilde, then this could be a huge uncovering."

A walkie-talkie had Bogo's voice coming through.

"I'm surprised it's even still up and running, but I guess that no one would really believe the side of a predator if they spoke up about this. It's why Finnick and I never did." Nick said, the underlying fury evident in his voice.

"We're going to need video evidence to prove that this is real." Bogo pointed out. "That hat I provided you with should help. Set the camera to record and that's it."

Nick's grip on the wheel tightened as he stared at the orphanage upon hearing this.

"Let me go in and I guarantee I'll get all the footage you'll ever need." The fox's eyes were still glued to the building, a hatred in his eyes.

"No, we can't send you in, Wilde. Especially if what you say is true, that she has a nasty vendetta against foxes."

"Yes, it's true." Nick replied, his frown not wavering. "I'm telling you, there were two other foxes who lived there with us, and we all got equal terrible treatment."

There was silence for a moment.

"Hopps, do you think you can handle this?" Bogo's voice cut, and Judy felt taken aback.

"I mean. . . yes, but why me?" Judy asked.

"They're going to recognize Wilde right away and think something's up."

"Wouldn't it be suspicious if I knew him?"

"Have you ever told some white lies, Judy?" her question was answered with a question. Judy seemed to immediately understand, and she slowly nodded to herself.

"Okay. . . I think I see what you're saying now."

"What? You can't send her alone in there. It's not safe. Send someone else in there." Nick immediately objected.

"I think she can handle it, she's fit for the job. There's not a serial killer in there, Wilde." Bogo replied curtly, and Nick only sighed in frustration.

"They might as well be." He muttered under his breath.

Judy was stuffing some equipment into her pockets, preparing herself accordingly. She was actually feeling nervous about this whole thing. On her mind, though, was the conversation she had had long ago with Finnick. How they didn't care—how abusive they were as 'caretakers' and other things that she probably hadn't been told. Nick hadn't even known that she knew about it, so when she suggested to him that they finally take down the place, he was pretty shocked.

Upon presenting the idea to Bogo, he agreed to checking it out, because if it was true, well, there would be quite a few animals getting in trouble. They were instructed to take a car that didn't have the police tattooed all over it. They were also told to be in casual clothing—with Nick in his regular outfit, and Judy in a plaid button up and jeans—and now the rabbit knew why. She had to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Alright, I'm heading inside now." Judy said, opening the door.

"Hold up, Carrots." Nick said, reaching toward her. He pulled out a baseball cap, activating the hidden camera inside, and then placed it on her head.

"That would have sucked if none of it was caught on tape." Judy said as he adjusted it.

"Wow, these things are great. You can't even tell there's a camera in there. I need to get myself one of these things for on the regular for when I'm being mobbed by preys who hate me so that I can get them in jail."

"Shut up, Wilde."

Nick opened his mouth to retort back to Bogo, but closed it instead.

Judy jumped out of the car, kicking the door shut behind her. She headed toward the building.

This side of town was pretty rough. The building was dark looking—it was a three story apartment building, being used as an 'orphanage.' If Judy was being real with herself, she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen an orphanage. Typically, they had been becoming less popular as the years went by, and only a few were still open.

She approached the stoop with increasing anxiety. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts.

"They didn't like predators, there weren't many of us. So normally, we were forced to wear muzzles." She could remember Finnick's past words, and immediately her blood began to boil.

"Can you hear us Hopps?"

Judy nearly jumped out of her skin before she realized it was Bogo talking to her from the earphone placed discreetly in her left ear.

"Copy that." She replied, heading up the stairs.

"Alright, good. We'll stay quiet unless instruction is needed. We have visual." Bogo said.

"Good luck, Judy." Nick's voice came through, and Judy smiled despite her nerves.

"Thanks, dumb fox." She whispered.

A few moments passed as she stared the building up and down.

She hesitated before she poked the doorbell.

Judy would have thought this place was abandoned until the door opened.

She was a little startled at first when a shadow towered over her, and she slowly looked up. Judy blinked up at the kangaroo who was looking around, but eventually looked down. Her eyes widened for a moment before she stepped back and slammed the door in Judy's face.

The rabbit immediately did a double take at this, confusion swamping her as she heard commotion inside. A frown suited her expression until it became quiet, and the door opened back up. It was a different prey this time.

A female koala stood in front of her, smiling at her kindly, albeit looking a bit flustered.

"You couldn't be Ms. Hopps, are you?"

She was pretty old, old enough to be Judy's mother, but a tad older. Even despite her clear age, she looked sprightly. Judy gave a laugh, trying to hide the discomfort she was feeling.

"Yeah, that's me."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked, blinking.

"I. . ." Judy thought about how she should put it for a moment. ". . . was just curious if I could meet the kids that live here? Um, I know it sounds a bit strange, but I'm going to be having an event soon that requires the presence of children. And I would love to see if any of the orphans here would be eligible. I've heard that this place is home to some pretty swell critters."

She immediately wanted to punch herself in the face for using the term 'swell.' She'd never said that in her life.

"Well, Ms. Hopps, it sounds very sweet of you. Our orphanage has kind of been struggling recently. Will we benefit in any way from this, or are you using children for money?"

Judy only blinked at that, and she had to hold back a retort of disgust.

"Oh, I was in no way using them! It was just supposed to be a fun time for them, and the whole orphanage would get publicity so that maybe some of the kids could be adopted."

I'm not entirely lying. Judy thought to herself, keeping a bright smile on her face.

The koala's eyes seemed to pierce through Judy, and she slowly nodded.

"Alright. . . what's the event then?"

Judy froze internally. She hadn't even thought up a lie to tell to her when she got to the door. Her panic began to swamp her, but she regained her calm quickly.

"It's a secret for now, but you'll know soon enough!" Judy continued to beam nervously. "Could I come inside, miss. . ?" she trailed off.

"Ludmila." Nick's voice said in her ear, his disgust clear.

"Doris Ludmila." She said stiffly.

"Uh, Ludmila! So, could I? I won't be very long, I have places to go pretty soon."

"Certainly." The owner of the orphanage responded, sounding tense as Judy walked past the threshold. "The children can be a bit rambunctious at times. I hope you'll be able to handle that."

Judy looked around, ignoring her in the moment. There was some paint peeling from the walls, and she noticed a flight of stairs led upstairs. She could spot what looked like a small living room. Finally she turned around, seeing the koala staring at her, her eyes narrowed.

"I grew up with over two hundred siblings. I can handle anything." She said enthusiastically. "So, where are they all?"

Her violet eyes were looking every which way, then back at Doris, who began to walk up the stairs.

"I should warn you, Ms. Hopps, that the children may fight over who gets to go to this event."

Judy only frowned in irritation at this comment, but then got curious.

"Could you tell me about them?"

"Of course. We have many prey here, but some predators as well. The predators enjoy acting up despite their limitations." Doris answered.

"You mean their collars?"

"Yes. It seems to have been a struggle for some to keep themselves contained. They are simply too rowdy."

Judy felt her ear twitch, and had Doris looked back, she would've seen the look of disgust on the rabbit's face. They got to the top of the stairs.

"Have you ever thought about helping them with that?" Judy questioned.

"We have had methods in the past, but most failed. They do as they wish." Doris said curtly. Judy only nodded.

"How many kids live here?"

"Twenty-five. All of our prey children except for one are out on a trip that they earned themselves by raising money by selling pastries. They're a good bunch of kids. There's only seven left in house right now."

"What's the youngest and oldest age?" Judy went on.

"The youngest? Hmm. . . about six. The oldest is fifteen." She could hear a distant voice from another room on the second floor talking muffledly. Her eyes wandered until she noticed that the third floor was blocked off by a fallen bookshelf and some old boxes.

Judy felt a little anxious for some reason and she simply couldn't dismiss it.

"Where does that lead to?" Judy asked curiously.

"You ask too many questions, dear." Doris replied, eyes closed as she smiled.

"That is the most suspicious thing I've ever seen. This moron thinks she can outsmart—"

"Wilde, can you please shut up? I'm asking nicely this time."

"I'm not going to shut up. I can't stand even looking at that woman."

Judy tried to ignore the bickering in her ear as the door in front of her opened, and her ears flicked forward.

A kangaroo—different from the other one that had slammed the door in Judy's face earlier—was on the other side of the door as he watched as a moment later a small flood of animals came out of the room.

"Whoa! You weren't lying! It is Judy Hopps!" there was a collective gasp. Despite their clear excitement, they were standing pretty still. Judy quickly began to account for everyone in the room.

The first thing she noticed was the four predators, who were all standing together, excitement clear in their faces.

There was a raccoon, weasel, leopard, polar bear and wolf, all fairly young, some either being the same height as Judy or smaller than her. It was an odd bunch to her. A few of their collars were glowing, the repetitive beeping making it clear they had a lot of emotion going on the inside, but not so much the outside. The only prey, a female deer, who appeared to be the oldest out of them, stood beside her predator companions and was eye level with Judy, equating their shock.

However, Judy's suspicions had only doubled. Maybe her mind was a bit foggy today, but clearly Doris has told her there was seven in house while eighteen were out somewhere. She tried to brush it off, smiling at them.

"I hope this is okay. Now perhaps you can see why I had hesitance in letting you come in here." The koala said. Her tone only agitated Judy.

"I don't see anything wrong with them." Judy said, a snap clear in her voice.

However, the kids were still staring in shock.

"Did you really come here just to see us?" the weasel cocked his head.

Judy felt her heart ache a little at that.

"Yes, that's right. I came here to see you." Judy smiled as they began to gather around her.

"I saw you on the television the other night!" the raccoon said, her eyes twinkling.

"We all did!" the leopard added in, flashing a grin of sharp teeth.

"I'm glad that you were able to see me on the television, but now I'm here for real." Judy smiled. Her eyes averted up when she realized that the doe was staring at her. There was something about the look in her eyes that told Judy something was off, despite the happiness expressed in her face.

"How about you go downstairs to talk with them?" Doris asked. The rabbit only nodded uneasily.

"Okay, you heard her. Let's head down." Judy smiled. The group headed down and Judy let them lead her.

"This is going well." Bogo informed her.

"Yeah, but it's time to uncover the dark secrets of this place and get her out of there."

"Have some patience, Wilde."

"I've had patience for years now."

Judy's attention from the conversation going on in her ears as the weasel had grabbed onto her paw and was pulling her over to the couch, which was a bit torn up from so much use. Judy was feeling pretty uneasy if she was being honest with herself, but she had to keep up the inconspicuous persona.

"How come you came all this way to see us?" the wolf asked, tilting his head.

"I'll get to that later." Judy lied, her smile still vibrant. "What are all of your names?"

"Ooh! Me first!" the raccoon said, tugging Judy's arm. This resulted in a little zap from too much excitability. She let out a squawk of pain. Judy had felt it too, and she was taken a little off guard by it, but it didn't seem to be as severe as the shocks that adult predators would receive—she'd seen Nick go through worse, after all, but nonetheless no child should be zapped.

Immediately the raccoon's eyes went wide, and the fear in them took Judy even more off guard. In fact, she noticed the silence in the group.

"Hey, are you okay?" Judy asked, trying to swallow back her alarm at their response to that. The raccoon only nodded. Judy's smile started to come back. "Don't worry. I'm not mad. Now, tell me your name."

The raccoon seemed surprised by the reaction, looking up with round eyes.

"I'm Rosie."

Judy looked at the next one, the wolf, prompting his name.

"Oh, I'm Derrick."

The rabbit soon found out the leopard was Paul, the weasel was Bucky, the polar bear was Sam, and Judy finally looked onto the last with the same friendliness.

"Lana," the doe responded nervously.

"How's life here?" Judy decided to ask first when she realized she was alone with them.

"Um. . . it's good." Derrick shrugged, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Do they treat you well?" Judy tilted her head slightly.

A silence. Beeping. Some beeping grew a little faster, but they all seemed to keep their heads despite the orange or yellow lights on their collars.

"Yeah, Ms. Ludmila is nice." Derrick said stiffly.

All of them were wearing the same uniform, but the girls wore skirts. A blue polo top and beige pants and skirts. A group of round eyes only stared at each other, some hesitantly nodding and others shrugging.

"She seems like it." Judy said, just trying to see their reactions. Well, they didn't disappoint. Lana and Bucky's eyes were immediately cast away from Judy, a darker note seeming to appear on their faces. Paul and Sam stayed silent, hesitant to speak at all on the matter.

"You're still a cop, right?" Rosie asked.

Judy was glad that something had broken the tension a bit, when she noticed the doe's eyes had returned to her, expectantly waiting for an answer.

"That's right. I'm still a cop." She smiled down at the raccoon, whose face lit up.

"Are you gonna go on any secret missions?" the child went on excitedly.

"I'm a cop, not a spy," Judy laughed, despite knowing she technically was undergoing a secret investigation, "but you know what? If I ever do go on a secret mission, you can come with me."

There was some more conversation between her and the children, and Judy felt herself wanting to desperately get them out of this situation. It was clear they weren't being treated as well as they were saying—after all, adults were typically better at hiding things than children were, and they seemed to have almost no experience with other people coming into the orphanage to talk with them.

If one of them rang out a plea to escape, it could be all over for Doris and her orphanage, though none did. They just sat and talked with her, bright-eyed despite what seemed like a troubled life living in this orphanage.

"Alright, Hopps. Reel it in. We don't have all day."

Judy heard right in her ear, coming from an impatient Bogo. She was about to open her mouth when another did.

"Time to go outside and get some fresh air."

The kids all seemed to freeze at Doris's voice, and they slowly turned to see her standing there in the doorway. They looked back to Judy but then followed what she said in silence.

The kids all ran outside to the backyard just as they were told along with their kangaroo caretakers. Doris had disappeared outside just for a moment when the rabbit paused.

Judy's ear twitched and she turned around, seeing Lana standing behind her.

"You're a cop, so could you please help?" she asked, her voice shaking. Judy glanced back to make sure the door was shut, and she came closer to the doe.

"What's going on?"

"It's Carmen," she said, tearing up, "she's locked up on the third floor."

That was all Judy needed to hear. She knew she hadn't heard a simple mistake of a number in her mind—something was up. She was waiting for a cry of help, and finally she was receiving it.

"Why is she up there?" Judy asked, searching her face.

"Because she was sick, that's what we were told, but something doesn't feel right about that." Lana continued. "She was fine before I got home from school and saw that she was missing."

The door opened behind Judy, which scared her as she spun around.

"Are you coming?" Doris snapped at Lana. The doe only swallowed roughly as she swallowed back her tears quickly before shooting a glance at Judy one last time and then walking out to the yard. Doris still had eyes on Judy, however. "And you?"

"I was just going to get a glass of water first, but I should be heading out soon anyway." Judy smiled, trying to hide her impatience.

Doris nodded, "Certainly, but make it fast and come outside before you leave. I'd like to have a final word with you regarding choosing some of the children for your. . . event."

Judy only kept her smile up as Doris turned her back.

A second was all she needed. It took Judy only a moment to make a beeline for the stairs, running up them so fast that she was skipping stairs.

"Alright, Hopps, you need to get up there and see what's going on. Just remember that backup is ready." Bogo said in her ear.

"Don't need to tell me twice," the rabbit replied with some strain.

Her breathing had become a bit labored from running so fast up the flight of stairs that quickly.

Once she reached the top, she stopped, staring up at the bookshelf, wondering how anyone could even get up there after it was blocked off. If someone had been up there for a long time, they hadn't been visited in a while. This made Judy's anxiety grow worse.

She eyed the fallen bookshelf, feeling an uneasiness coming upon her—like she was being watched. A moment later, just as she turned her head, a paw aggressively clutched around her wrist, tugging her forward. Judy's eyes widened as she became face to face with Doris.

"I heard that rabbits are quite nosy, but I didn't want to think that to be true."

"Let go of me." Judy said sternly, trying to pull her wrist away. Though the older woman was not much bigger than her, she really was having an issue with trying to get away. "Is this what you do to kids? Grab them and try to control them?" the rabbit spat, immediately regretting losing that trustable persona she'd built up.

A look of rage sparked in the eyes of the koala, who only gripped her more tightly.

The free paw ended up slapping Judy across the face with such force that it took the hat straight off her head, which fell a bit away. It stung her a bit, and she felt herself grunt from the now aching skin.

"Hopps? We lost visual. What's happening?"

Judy could clearly pick up the ear piece that had fallen off along with her hat somewhere on the ground, but before she could turn to try and get to it, her other paw was apprehended. She could hear Nick's voice calling out to her just barely, and it only made her more desperate to get away. Only her acute hearing could pick it up, though, so thankfully Doris was not informed of its presence.

"I think it's time for you to leave." Doris's voice was threatening as she tried to take Judy back downstairs, but the officer's adrenaline was already through the roof.

"I don't think so!" Judy snapped, jumping just high enough to slam one foot right into the wide head of the older prey.

She was clearly taken off guard as she let go of the rabbit, falling back and releasing her. She knew that wouldn't last for long, so her eyes searched. There was another bookshelf just near a door that led to a bedroom on the second floor. Doris was attempting to get up just in front of it, but Judy couldn't let that happen. Quickly thinking, the rabbit squeezed herself between the bookshelf and the wall with its decaying paint, and then she shoved with all of her might.

It caused the bookshelf to fall and spill its contents everywhere landing right on top of the koala. There was a grunt of displeasure from the koala, but Judy was running to pick up her hat, finally being able to reach her ear piece as she fixed the camera.

"I'm here, I'm fine." She said as she watched Doris, who was still in a daze and attempting to get herself out from underneath the books.

"What happened?" Nick asked her, his voice sounding like he was on the edge of a heart attack.

"She slapped me and it knocked my hat off, that's why the visual was gone."

"She what?" Nick demanded.

"We're coming in." Bogo confirmed, and Judy felt a little calmer, but noticed that Doris had nearly gotten out from under the rubble.

Judy eyed her and then the stairs, noticing how easily she would be able to scale the banister.

"Get her!" there was a sudden shriek, and Judy paused just as she was going to leap.

She turned her head just fast enough to see the large male kangaroo who had swung the front door in her face jumping for her.

Just as feet slammed down where she'd previously been standing, she was already leaping away. She had to admit that all of this exercise she was getting was tiring her out fast since she'd been off of her feet for a while with her broken leg, but she hadn't lost her abilities, and she figured that these prey were undermining her abilities a bit.

She already had an idea in her mind on how to lose this new opponent of hers, who was planning on crushing her. If he got her, it was game over. She quickly ran toward the staircase, leaping and landing onto an side table that was suited right at the top of them.

She wobbled for a moment and had only gotten her bearings when the table shook as the kangaroo slammed his feet into the ground, shaking everything. He was right in front of her now as he threw his fist right where she had been, with her just quickly dodging the punch. The other fist nearly got her as well, but she quickly evaded it. The force was so powerful it left holes in the wall behind her.

She frowned, knowing that she couldn't keep this up for long, and then glanced to see that a vase was on the edge of the table, daring to tip over at any moment. Quickly thinking, she grabbed it and just as the next punch was thrown, she twisted her body and slammed the vase into her attacker's face, causing it to break.

This seemed to stun him as he let out a groan of pain and stumbled back. With no ground behind him, he fell down the flight of stairs with a bunch of thumps. She was breathing pretty hard and very disgruntled, but was satisfied with the result of that fight.

Judy quickly made a beeline for the banister to the third floor. She prepared herself as she jumped up, grabbing onto it and hopping over it, avoiding all obstacles in the way.

"Whatever you're hiding isn't going to stay hidden for much longer!" Judy snapped at Doris before running up the stairs. Immediately she looked around, noticing that there was quite a few rooms up on the floor, though it seemed to not be in use. She knew there was bedrooms on all of the floors, but the ones up here seemed unoccupied. There was two closed doors that Judy noticed that didn't appear to be bedrooms.

She knew her time was limited with being alone up here, but she felt better knowing that help would be on the way. Her paw went for the first door closest to her, the other being all the way down a stretch of a long hallway. It was so dark in the room that Judy couldn't see anything, despite it being daylight out. She flicked the light on, and her eyes immediately widened.

The window on the other side of the room was boarded up, which explained the darkness, but what she saw was met with was a wall full of muzzles. Varying from size to size. There was an abundance of other things like various tranquilizers, and even 'repellent' and sprays for specific predatory species (the ones housed in the orphanage) to punish them with.

It made her feel sick to her stomach, but as she approached she could see something was different about some of the muzzles. Judy had seen them on the Internet before and also television, but they were illegal to use and hard to find. They had a shocking device built inside of them, so any restraint on the muzzles would shock their victims.

She slowly backed away, shaking her head in disgust. She turned around, seeing that once again, Doris was watching her in silence.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked.

"How could you use these things? On children?" Judy demanded.

"Who said it was ever used on children?"

"Then why are they here?" Judy snapped, her blood boiling. "You're sick, you know that?"

Doris only shrugged.

"I do what I have to do to keep them under control."

Judy did a double-take at this, scoffing.

"They already have collars on that are hurting them, and you think you have to use stuff like this? They're practically babies!" Judy hissed. "What if it was you?"

The koala only laughed as Judy walked past her, staring at the other prey as she slowly closed the door to her 'torture' room.

"It isn't me. I don't have to care."

"You're evil." Judy spat. And then her eyes wandered to the door at the end of the hall. She turned, beginning to head toward it, but once again her wrist was apprehended.

"There's nothing more to see." She said, her voice giving a warning.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Judy couldn't shake this grip off.

"Stupid enough to mess with what I have going on here." her eyes narrowed.

"You said there was seven kids in this house, and I only saw six."

"I think you're just bad at counting." Doris replied, eyes growing a bit wild.

"I'm a rabbit. We're great at counting." Judy snapped at her, and Doris's eyes flashed.

They slowly rose up.

"You should've kept quiet about your little secret camera, dear." The other paw reached forward, pulling the hat off of Judy's head.

Judy immediately protested by trying to snatch it back, but Doris only shoved her back, to which she collapsed back on the floor.

Doris only chuckled, smiling at Judy. From her pocket, she pulled out what looked like a tranquilizer gun, immediately alarming the rabbit, whose heart beat a little quicker.

"How will you prove anything without any alibi? This was quite the failure for you, Ms. Hopps. Don't worry, Doris is no killer, but by the time you wake up, I'll make sure you aren't going to remember a thing. This will teach you a lesson: you should stick to minding your own business."

Judy tensed up when one digit was placed over the trigger of the tranq, and there was click of a dart being shot out.

But nothing hit Judy as the dart went up toward the ceiling instead of into her skin. A flash of red had come out of nowhere, slamming Doris into the wall and knocking the tranquilizer from her paw. Judy's eyes widened as she quickly recognized Nick, a scowl on his face.

Judy got onto her feet and ran over, taking her hat back with all of its proof. It was clear Nick hadn't underestimated her, especially with her giving a pretty good fight. She knocked him away from her and turned, trying to see her attacker.

"Nicholas Wilde?" she asked in shock. He didn't skip a beat, sticking a taser in her side. She jolted for a moment before collapsing on the floor. The fox huffed, and both Judy and him caught their breath.

"I've been waiting to do that for years. And she gave me such a great reason to as well, putting her dirty paws on an officer and all. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied as he leaned down to grab the tranq and then joined her side, and the two stared at the now silent koala together. "Did you use the most powerful setting?" Judy asked bewilderedly.

"Just about." He said, shaking his head. A moment later he was frowning as he examined the ammo. "This stuff doesn't look like a normal sleeping serum to me."

The rabbit's eyes narrowed as she laid eyes on the darts. From the ones she had seen before, the dart usually had a shiny, metal exterior that blocked any vision from the content inside. These, however, were transparent, a purple liquid inside.

"It's almost like they were made so that someone could tell that these aren't just your regular old darts." Judy said curiously. "Otherwise, why would they be see-through?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Fluff." Nick shrugged.

"Oh, where are the others?"

"Downstairs. Dealing with a couple of kangaroos and confused children, probably." He said idly, still eyeing the serum. Nick looked back at Judy, and his eyes widened. "Your face is bleeding."

Judy blinked in surprise, reaching up to feel her stinging cheek.

"I guess she really slapped me good." Judy mumbled.

She could hear the growl rising in Nick's throat as he moved, reaching for his taser again. Judy scolded him and pulled him back again.

Then she finally turned around, seeing that last door at the end of the hall.

"I'm going to check this out. Don't tase her again, okay?" Nick stared at her with disappointment and hesitantly nodded. The rabbit cautiously approached the door, but noticed it was locked. She felt frustration rise up on her. "Does she have keys?"

"Give me a second." Nick replied, and Judy watched as he checked her.

"Get out. . . my pockets. . ." Doris hoarsely demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to keep this?" Nick asked, pulling a key from her pocket. He threw it to Judy, who caught it.

"Nice." She grinned, and he only bowed. Then he redirected himself to the room Judy had previously been in, and she could've sworn she heard him curse as he laid eyes on it.

Judy quickly unlocked the door at the end of the hall, and she immediately felt weird.

There was one window letting in a bit of dim sunlight, but otherwise the room felt bleak. She could see there was some old broken furniture, and not much else. That was, until she heard something.

She'd almost forgotten that there was a child up here. It was a little peep—a little cry, almost. And that's when Judy's eyes redirected themselves.

On the wooden floor, with nothing, not even a blanket, was a little vixen, curled up in a ball and shaking.

Judy immediately felt her stomach twist as she ran over to the child's side. Her fur was tawny and disheveled. A rage infected Judy as she saw the muzzle on the child's face—it was one of those ones that would shock with resistance. She quickly unbuckled it, and then tried to survey the damage. There was some bruising, and to Judy's fury, even some cuts along her face from what she assumed was the infamous Doris slap full of claws.

Judy cautiously went to pick the child up, not sure how she would react to the touch. The vixen flinched, her eyes not even open, but she didn't cry out. Judy rose to her feet, now cradling the little fox. She was extremely young, maybe the youngest in the orphanage, but certainly the youngest out of the predators. Small paws clung onto Judy as though for dear life, and the rabbit smiled a bit despite the circumstances, wrapping an arm around the child protectively.

She left the cold room, and she saw that Nick had handcuffed the abuser, who had come to a bit more. Judy sighed through her nose, passing the threshold. Nick looked at her, then at the child in her arms, and his eyes widened.

Judy's lips pursed for a moment before she spoke.

"You know what, Nick? You can tase her again if you want to."

"Well, I'm glad that got taken care of."

Judy was standing next to Nick, who could only smile at the situation in front of him. They were watching a satisfying scene unfolding before them in an interrogation room. Four eyes were trained on two mammals as they watched the evil known as Doris denying any of her accusations, while an officer, quite unhappy to have been assigned to speaking with her by the look on his face, politely pushed forward various pictures taken at the orphanage showing all the proof he needed to show she was lying. The koala babbled like a madman, of course, but nothing could be heard through the thick walls.

"Me, too." Judy agreed, though the notes in her voice did not equate to Nick's cheeriness.

"Hey, what's wrong? You just helped get an abusive rat off the street, and now those kids are gonna get rehoused in a better place, and the hurt ones will get medical treatment." He said pointedly. She could sense his eyes on her, but she only stared through the glass, keeping her eyes trained on the scene through the window.

She crossed her arms, heaving a sigh.

"I just. . . feel weird."

"And why's that?" Nick pressed, and her nose wrinkled in irritation.

"Life's supposed to feel normal now, isn't it?" she asked, her vision blurring a bit as her eyes unfocused. "Then why doesn't it feel that way?"

She felt a paw on her shoulder—gentle and cautious.

"I know. Things will get back to normal soon."

"No. No, I feel like it won't ever be that way." Judy said, a frown on her face. "And Nick, I know I did something good, but at the same time, I just feel so. . . I don't know. Almost like it's pointless."

"What?" Nick asked, flummoxed. "You're saying doing that was pointless?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Judy responded. "I know I'm not making sense, but. . ." she trailed off hesitantly.

She wasn't so sure why she felt the way she was. During the entire thing, she felt adrenaline and an incredible focus unlike anything else she'd experienced since she had woken up in that hospital bed. In fact, she felt okay again, even if for a short while. She felt like she was needed, a necessity, and not—

A slam broke her out of her thoughts and her pupils shot back into focus as she flinched, and she looked up to see familiar wild eyes pressed up against the glass.

"You!" there was a muffled cry from Doris. "You've got no right—no right to be ruining my life like this! You no good excuse of a prey, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you!"

Judy's eyes were wide, and her nose twitched as she recovered her bearings. She realized there was a protective paw on her shoulder still, and realized Nick himself looked ready to pounce in case of something. Doris was seething, though, and she wasn't done.

"They should have injected you, you know that? You sick little girl, I—"

At this, there was finally a tase from the officer in the room with her, and she jolted for a moment before finally sliding down to the ground.

"Sorry 'bout that." The officer said.

Judy wasn't listening, though. Her mind had zipped away, taking her to a place she didn't want to be. Her heartbeat went on a steady rise as she vividly remembered those moments of fear—how she struggled to try and get away, how she felt knowing the needle had stuck into her, how she realized if it wasn't for the timing of the arrival of her rescuers, she would have been as good as an empty body on the ground, dying a hated and worthless rabbit who never accomplished a thing. What a cruel reminder of how she wasn't needed. . . and that she, against all odds, shouldn't have even been alive.

How had she ever brushed it off so lightly? How, in the moments after an experience like that, had she been able to look Bogo in the eye and tell him she forgave him? She could never forgive that. EVER. The idea of forgiving something so horrible was out of the question. The thought of closing her eyes again and never reopening them again over a simple mistake on the part of some animals who didn't even know her, oh, it was horrible. She could feel the trembles she experienced then, the pain she felt in her throat and soul as she screamed in desperation to prove a point, the tiny bit of hope that had been vanquished like a candle snuffer to a flame—

"Earth to Judy!"

The rabbit's whole body felt like it was shaking—until she realized she was being shaken by the shoulders, and her mind came back to her. Her breath hitched in her throat for a moment as she took in a shaky breath. Her pupils began to grow again as she stared into Nick's eyes, which were intently focused on hers as he held onto her.

"Breathe with me, Judy. It's okay, you're okay."

She realized just how choked she was feeling, and she spluttered a bit as she tried to think about anything else other than that needle. . .

Then a paw comfortingly found its way to her unharmed cheek which rubbed along it softly, and she felt herself finally beginning to snap back to reality. Judy finally felt herself beginning to get her breaths under control—which, she realized, sounded as though she was hyperventilating at that point—and she sank into the touch.

"Are you alright?" Nick's voice was clearly concerned. Her paw clung onto his as though, if she let go, she'd sink back into her mind, and she only nodded slowly. She'd felt tears pricking at her eyes—just at that all too vivid memory of what she'd gone through—but she'd blinked them away. She had no idea what had gotten into her—to an extent.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I don't know what came over me."

"Me either, but let's get out of here." Nick said, and she finally let go of him as she felt stable again. "You just got really shaky, like you were having a heart attack."

"I think I almost did." She said uncomfortably, reaching one paw up and laying it against her chest. Still beating pretty fast, but beating nonetheless.

"Well. . . I know what she said really got to you, but what she said isn't true, okay?"

Judy looked up at him. And you seem to have no problems after the ordeal. She thought, jealous, and then looked back ahead.

"Yeah. . . I just. . . hate thinking about—"

"I know. You don't have to say it." Nick interrupted, "But if you get like that again, I'm really gonna get way more worried about you."

"Don't worry about me." Judy said. "I'm okay."

"Well, you better be, because I just got a celebration text from Finnick after I told him we got the crazy as coconuts koala, and he requests our presence at the the shake store down by Jumbeaux's."

The corners of Judy's mouth lifted as Nick's attempt to lighten the mood worked. She felt much better now, not so shaky, not like the world around her was slowly reeling away into a distorted reality.

"Before we do, I have to give you one more reason to celebrate."

The rabbit's usual spark had returned to her eye and she bounced in front of him as all her horrible, dreaded and negative feelings seemed to peel off her like a dried up band-aid.

"Oh yeah?" he raised a brow, matching her enthusiasm as he smiled.

"You know how we have that spare barn on my parents' property?" she went on excitedly. "I forgot to tell you, but we're going to renovate it!"

"So why am I excited again?" Nick asked. "I thought we were planning on having our own apartment here in the city."

"It's not for us, you dope, and we have my apartment." Judy teased. "It's for the kids!"

Nick paused for a moment, and then his eyes widened a little.

"You mean from the orphanage?"

"Yes! They'll finally get to be happy and live a good life together in proper conditions until someone adopts them." Judy grinned. "It's what I'm doing with some of the portion of my money that I got. Isn't it so exciting? I already worked out all the kinks, and the renovations will be started soon so that it can be like an actual home and it'll be huge."

Nick's eyes remained focused on her as his smile only grew bigger.

"That's amazing, Judy."

"Oh! And maybe we could even take them to the premiere of that movie!" Judy went on.

While Nick only shared her excitement, in the back of his mind a thought was lurking.

I'm still worried about what that was all about, Carrots.

"I kind of didn't expect this." Judy said loudly. On paw held a cup of carrot juice, the other was on her hip as she surveyed the darkness of the house, and the colorful lights danced across the walls. Pop music was blasting.

"Me either!" Nick practically shouted back. "But you know what? I like it."

Judy hadn't expected her parents to go through with having a full-blown party. Practically all of Bunnyburrow had been invited, and her parents weren't usually ones for many house guests with all of the commotion of having 276 kids to keep track of. After Judy and Nick were finally back to work and up for action again, though, Judy's parents insisted on a 'welcome back party.' Judy denied having one like that, though, and so after Nick and Judy's first official case had been taken care of, her parents decided to throw a 'first case in the bag (as her father had called it cheerily) party.' Finnick's alternative title was 'death to the witch celebration.' And, of course, who could resist a party?

Nick and Judy were pressed back against the nearest wall. It seemed like there was animals swarming every part of the house.

While most of the guests at the party were dressed casually, some had gone all out to look their best, which was a bit surprising to the rabbit and fox who thought it was merely going to be a college-esque type of party. Which, of course, it was.

"Nick! Come over here for a sec!" there was a shout, and the two turned their heads to see Finnick a little ways off, excitement clear in his expression. "Clawhauser's gonna eat twelve donuts in under a minute and says he won't throw up."

Judy only rolled her eyes good-naturedly, while the fox perked.

"Really? That's definitely getting taped." He was already pulling out his phone as he looked at Judy. "Wanna come?"

"I think I'll pass." Judy smiled at him, to which he hurried over to Finnick and disappeared behind a group of prey.

She was still leaned back against the wall behind her, drinking the last of her juice and sighing internally. Her legs moved forward as she went to get some more. She didn't particularly hate parties, but all of this over something she accomplished? It made her uncomfortable to be so fussed over like this. She had only done her job—it wasn't that huge of an accomplishment, heck, saving Zootopia was the biggest accomplishment she would probably ever pull off, and even then she felt—

Her thoughts began to derail as something banged into her and she let out a gasp of surprise, coming clean out of her thoughts as she fell back. Her paw let go of the little plastic cup she was holding, some discomfort coming to her as she hit her head on the wood panels. She came out of her shock as she rubbed her head, then realized that something—rather, someone—was laying on top of her. She forced her eyes to open as the other body scampered back and off of her.

"I'm real sorry, I didn't mean to knock you over."

The rabbit blinked in surprise as she stared up. In the dark she could see an equally surprised face staring back at her.

"Jack?" she asked uncertainly, just loud enough to hear over the commotion of those nearby. A paw had already been extended to her, which she reached forward and grabbed.

As she was pulled to her feet, she quickly recognized everything about him—the bright blue eyes, the black markings that ran across off-white cheeks, and long black-tipped ears that always made hers feel short in comparison.

"It's been a while, Judy," he said, blinking as he looked her up and down.

"You look surprised to see me," she said with a laugh, brushing herself off.

"I don't know, I didn't expect to run into you—literally." He shrugged. She laughed at this, and so did he, but then an awkward silence overcame the two.

Her shoulders were tense, and each digit on her paws twitched slightly as she thought of what to say to him. It had been a while since she'd actually seen Jack, and by a while, that translated to quite a few years.

"Were you okay during all of the, you know. . . stuff going on?" she asked.

"Yeah. I was busy on a boat off the coast of Canal District when everything happened and Zootopia began shutting down. Imagine our shock when we radioed in and got word that it wasn't safe to come back."

Judy raised a brow at this.

"That must've been crazy."

"Yeah," his piercing blue eyes kept staring at her, and a silence overtook them both. Judy was hoping that Nick would come back—she felt so awkward alone with him, although there was good reasoning for that. He tapped his foot against the ground for a moment before speaking up once more, "I knew you didn't do it."

Judy's ears perked a bit, "Huh?"

"I know you, Judy. You don't seem like the killer type."

"Ah—oh. . ." she said uneasily, and her eyes flitted down.

"Did that make things uncomfortable, or was it just me getting that feeling?" Jack asked, cocking his head.

"Oh, it kind of did. It's all people seem to talk about to me nowadays." Judy was glad to see he still had a humor about him.

Normally, he had a fairly serious demeanor—well, he certainly did have that more when they were in high school together. Once getting to know him, he seemed to lighten up a lot. Judy's friends always called him the 'secretive quiet type' and that he was—but all it took was a little worming into his inner circle to understand the mammal he truly was.

"I didn't mean to mention it, but I just wanted you to know that I never believed the media even for a second."

The smaller rabbit's eyes stared up at him, a little taken-off-guard surprise in her expression. She felt her face pulling itself into a smile.

"Well, thank you, Jack."

It felt strange for her to act formal with him—this was, of course, someone who she was once very very close to. He even looked formal, donning a black suit.

"Hey Judy! You really missed how that played out, it was hilarious. But you're lucky I recorded it."

Her head turned as she saw Nick walking up to her, Finnick not far behind, who was laughing loudly.

"You've gotta show her the video, man." He said, wiping away a tear.

"You look like you're about to keel over." Judy said, amusement in her tone as she stared at Finnick, who was propped up against Nick.

"I nearly blacked out."

Nick was pulling up the video, when his eyes finally landed on Jack, who was still standing in close proximity to Judy. The rabbit seemed to sense a weird tension growing between them, as one of Nick's brows raised.

"Oh! Nick and Finnick, meet Jack Savage. We went to high school together." She cut the tension in half with that. Finnick sent a brief wave, and Jack waved back. Nick nodded. "Jack, this is—"

"Nick Wilde." He finished for her, wearing his own smile.

"Oh, so you've heard of me." Nick smirked, and he raised his cup slightly. Finnick rolled his eyes, while Judy only rubbed at a temple.

"You two are living legends around here after all. There's not a soul who doesn't know you." Jack said with a grin.

"I like this guy." Nick said with a gentle nudge to Judy, who looked up at him with a smile. He took a sip of his own punch, the smirk still apparent on his face.

"I'm not going to lie, when I was dating Judy, I never thought she would ever get super close to any predators." Jack's statement was so casual, it nearly slipped by all of them. It took just a mere moment before Nick realized what had come out of his mouth and he immediately spit out some punch, choking. Finnick only raised a brow at this, while Judy asked if he was okay. Nick brushed it off, focusing back on Jack as he wiped away the remnants of red juice from his mouth.

"You two dated?"

"Yeah, why's it so surprising?" Jack asked, a suspicious brow raised. Nick's mouth opened, and then he thought about what to say next, while Judy resisted wanting to punch him.

"Well, it's just shocking considering Judy here doesn't seem like the type to have the capability of picking up a boyfriend." His eyes veered toward her, and she gasped, though inaudible over the noise. He smirked at the rise out of her.

"If we're gonna talk, can we get the hell outta and go somewhere that won't require screamin' to talk normally?" Finnick shouted.

"Actually, I've gotta go anyhow," Jack said, "I'll see you around, okay Judy? It was nice meeting you, Nick."

"Oh, yeah, seeya!" Judy said as he disappeared into the crowd. She let out an exhale, but she gasped when she realized someone was pushing her from behind.

"Hey, where are you two goin'?" Finnick's voice was clear through the noise, but there was no response. Judy could practically imagine in her mind him rolling his eyes. Her feet slid easy against the wood floors as she was practically glided out of the house, zooming past tons of house guests.

Thankfully for her face's safety, the front door was being held open as she was zoomed out. The door swung closed and the blaring music became a bit muffled as her ears recovered from the loudness. Outside air greeted Judy's face as finally the sliding came to an end, and she turned on Nick immediately.

"What gives?" she snapped at him.

"I just wanted to get some air," Nick said as he walked across the porch, leaning against the wooden railing, "and talk about the ex b-word."

Judy's lids fell halfway as she followed him, hopping up onto the railing to look at him as he stared out at the acres in front of him.

"That's what has you frazzled? The ex b-word?"

"Yes, Judy, that's exactly it." Nick sighed, propping his head on one paw.

A nighttime breeze pulled through the rabbit's fur, who wasn't so sure what was going on in her boyfriend's mind. Her legs swung carelessly as she closed her eyes, breathing in. It made her desire to go back into the stuffy house diminish almost entirely—being outside in the (almost) quiet and open air was much nicer.

"So what's the deal? Who even is he?" Nick asked, and Judy's eyes opened again.

"Earth to Nick?" Judy cocked her head slightly. "You sound jealous or something."

"No, that's not it at all. I just want to know what I'm up against." Nick shrugged.

Judy blinked, but she placed a paw over her mouth as she snorted. Nick's head whipped toward her in an instant.

"Up—up against?" the rabbit laughed, kicking her feet.

"I'm serious Judy." Nick frowned, and Judy realized that he truly was being serious.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, but. . . Nick, honestly, it was in high school. I had puppy eyes for him after I got to know him, he surprisingly was interested in me as well, which I didn't expect since he used to be a person who mostly kept to himself. We broke up because, well, he was going away for college and neither of us really wanted to do long distance."

A hush took over. He just sighed, and she looked on expectantly.

"I guess I'm just paranoid that there's something still between you two."

"I haven't talked to him in eight years, Nick." She said pointedly.

"I guess you're right." Nick sighed again. "I'm sorry to assume like that."

"It's okay. Just don't worry about it." Judy smiled. "I promise that I have no feelings toward him whatsoever. I love you."

Nick looked at her, blinking. She stared back, wondering what he would say. He leaned in a bit closer, and she continued to wait for the response.

What she received wasn't a response, but rather a kiss that caught her fairly off guard. Her ears shot right up, but her eyes closed, and she relished the moment. She breathed out softly as they parted ways, and it lingered behind.

"I told you not to do this in public, idiot." Judy breathed, but she was smiling at him.

"Well, you left me no choice. I had to after what you said."

She only giggled, her cheeks feeling a bit warm.

"Judy, Nick! They're gonna be cutting the cake. Better get back in here before it's gone."

The two froze at Finnick's voice, and redirected their lines of vision to him. He raised a brow at their reactions, but only shook his head, disappearing back in the house.

"Wouldn't wanna miss out on cake, now would we, Carrots?" Nick asked.

"If you call me Carrots again, I'm gonna kill you."

"Like I've said many a time, you can't live without me."

The two headed back inside, and Judy felt happy. She felt like things were finally getting a bit better. Things felt more normal. Her and Nick were starting a life together, even if it was secret. She had many more friends than before, and she felt happy. Things were still rough between her and a few mammals, and she especially worried about April, but it would all work out, right?

But Judy could not help but be cautious in her state of positive thinking. After all, if she's learned anything over the years, it's that life isn't perfect and it never stays the same, and that there's always something around the corner. She would be fine, though.

Right?

She hesitated to go back inside, taking one glance back at the outside world around her which was shrouded in nighttime. Then, she only smiled as she headed back in, the door closing behind her.

Little did she know, a new door was opening to a whole new world of surprises.

. . . The end?

Heck no! This is just the beginning of an entirely new story with Judy and Nick, and I genuinely could not be more excited.

I've been really itching to get to this next story. To think that the idea just came to me out of nowhere kind of amazes me but I'm glad it did. This one's going to be fun to write, really fun.

Regarding the second story - yes, there will be one, and I have no idea when it'll be up. College is winding down now so a lot of things are at stake (also known as my grades) and I kind of have to put all my attention to that right now. I think that the first chapter should be up sometime in December, though. It's always the hardest to actually start a story when you know what you want to do with it in the long-run.

Also, this chapter is just short of eighteen thousand words and it took so long to write (and honestly, there was more I had written but decided to exclude). I hope that you guys enjoy it! I will also be posting one final update to this story, but it'll be a final's author update to let you guys know when the next story is officially posted. I'm pretty proud of how this story worked out, but now that I'm older and my writing skills have (hopefully) improved, I'll be putting tons of love and work into this story to make it the best that it can be.

I hope that everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving, and if I don't talk to you all again by Christmas (hopefully I will!) then Merry Christmas in advance! I also appreciate everyone's questions and I hope that you get to see yours in the story!

I also received a few questions toward me as well through PM and also through reviews so I'll answer those too!

Q: Do you ever put Easter eggs or references in the story?
A: Yes, I actually do! Some of them are a bit hard to seek out. There was quite a few in this chapter (some plainly obvious ones haha). I have too much fun putting little secretive things in here and there. Some characters have sort of obscure reference names as well. For example, Lana and Carmen's names are both references to singer Lana Del Rey. I've referenced Wreck-It Ralph a few times as well (especially in this chapter lol). Any number that has been mentioned (for example, 105) has a special meaning behind it, as in they're relevant numbers to my life.

I also like giving nods to the source material (for example, Jack Savage, and if you squint a little you can tell I was trying to reference what his movie was going to be about). I also made a pretty obscure Ice Age reference in this chapter, lol. Anyways, I'm rambling, but you get the point!

Q: Who is your favorite character from the movie?
A: This is always kind of a hard question to answer, because I honestly don't know who I like better - Judy or Nick. I love them both. I also really loved Finnick's character (you can expect more of him in the second story), even if he was in it just for a short time.

Q: What will the second story be about?
A: That will all be revealed in due time! I've honestly referenced it quite a bit (especially in the last 2 chapters). You probably know what I'm talking about, but don't worry, the second story isn't going to be all about that. But it's going to be kinda crazy, lol.

Q: Will you ever write a human-in-Zootopia story?
A: Uh, honestly? I have no idea. I'm not sure how I'd do it, I have no active ideas on a story with that sort of plot. It sounds fun, but like I said - no current ideas on it. Maybe sometime in the future? I'm not sure, lol.

Q: Will you post other fanfics on here?
A: I've been thinking about it. Aside from the sequel, I've been working on some other stuff that I might write too. I'm not sure if I really necessarily want to publish them since I mostly wrote them out of fun but they're not Zootopia themed (but still in the realm of Disney), so not sure anyone who liked this story would like those.

Alright guys, thanks so much again for all the support and love you've given this story. I really appreciate it so much. I started this story forever ago it feels like, and now, it's finally complete. Have a great holiday season, and I'll be back one last time to update you of Freedom's sequel being uploaded to this site. Thank you again for everything!