The Long Game, A Zootopia Fanfiction

Grasshopper

Disclaimer: Zootopia and all related characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, and copyrights, belong to their respective owners.

.....

Judy was slowly walking out the door of the Midrats diner with Gunny Mulcaty when she heard Nick talking with Sarge.

"Sarge, do you guys need a lift home? It's not a big deal to drop you off, and I promise I won't let Miss Judy, Triple-X, Hopps drive, so you're guaranteed to survive the trip."

"You've got yourself quite the catch there, Judy," chuckled Mulcaty nodding toward Nick, who was showing his car off to Abby.

Rolling her eyes, Judy replied, "Yeah, I suppose. He's a pretty good partner, but he'd be a better one if I could figure out how to get him to do his paperwork on time."

"Of course, my mate's always on me about the paperwork too. I'm sure it's just something in the male DNA. Adapt, overcome, it's what all you females have to do. You just keep working on him, and I'm sure everything will be okay."

Judy turned and hugged Francis, "Thank you for everything. It helped to hear from someone who's gone through what you have."

"Gone through what we both have," whispered the lynx, "You've got my number. Anytime, day or night, give me a call.

"And Judy, I may be an old Marine, but I'm not a blind one. Nick cares very deeply about you. Talk to him, let him help you too."

"Can we Dad, can we? His car is so cool," gushed Abby.

"Sorry, girl. Your brothers will be back here any minute with the truck to pick us up. Remember, it was your idea to infiltrate the neighborhood from here so you could survey Derek's medical stores and add his order to ours without the wrong buns being any the wiser."

Nick did a double-take and then looked around to make sure there were no rabbits within ear-shot, which meant no tall ears clear to the horizon, and then whispered to Sarge, "You guys know about Doc Stoan?"

Abby chimed in, "Yeah, one of my brothers was working on one of our pumpkin launchers a few years ago when the drill driver he was using slipped and tore up the claw bed on his thumb. The dummy thought duct tape would fix it, but if it weren't for Doc Stoan, he would have lost his claw."

"Doc Livingston and his crew are good," added Sarge, "but paw surgery is delicate, and Derek's got the best paws this side of Zootopia."

"So, you do his supply runs for him?" asked Nick, still whispering, "What if the Town Council finds out you're helping a predator like that, won't you get in trouble?"

"Is Doc Stoan the one that operated on Andie's ear?"

Nick nodded at Judy's question as she and Gunny Mulcaty joined the small group. "Yeah, he runs a clinic on the down-low over by that park I pointed out earlier."

"He's good people, deserves better than he's getting around here. So, to your question Nick, yes, my warren helps him out as best we can, which means hiding some of his supply purchases in ours and maybe adding an extra bit from when the Bunnleys can afford it."

"And the Town Council?"

"To hell with 'em!"

"Dad!"

"Sorry, Abby's right. We do have to be careful, more for Derek's sake than for ours. Border Warrens are Old Law and have Original Rights from having been around since Bunnyburrow was established. So, yes, I worry Derek could lose his clinic, which would mightily piss me off, but no one has the right to interfere with a Border Warren involved in the defense of Bunnyburrow or the protection of her people."