Chapter 5: Loss

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Sorry it's been so long, but I've been rewriting this chapter so many times that I've lost count, but I can officially say that I have finished it finally :P lol

(it might also be slightly underwritten, so if there's any mistakes, feel free to point them out too!)

Oh, and I might hire two to four translators for any of my fanfictions :) PM me for details, but as long as you have a decent translation for my work in your mind, I can see if you'd be up to the task of writing the translated versions :)

And without further ado...
ENJOY!! :D

Chief Bogo was sitting in the bullpen without his usual scowl for once, as receptionist Clawhauser and officers Allen McHorn, Francine Pennington, Jacob Delgato and Alicia Fangmeyer all sat there in the room with concerned looks towards the fox in the front row.  They were the only others who knew it's hard for Nick to accept that his cousin had died.

Any cracking jokes or puns were all off.  Even Nick was struggling to keep a straight face whilst his best and closest friend on the force sat beside him, stroking the fur on the back of his paw as she holds it her own.  Judy makes small motions with her thumbs across his paws as Chief Bogo quietly made the announcements for the day.

All the officers who had come into the room all sat there sensing the undertone of sadness coming from the front row.  Some of the officers even began to slightly fold theirs ears back as the chief lent forward into his podium, paws grabbing either side of it.

"Alright," Bogo states, as he then leans down onto his left elbow, resting his forehead into his paw to knead it momentarily.   Only Fangmeyer and Delgato notice this. "Now I suspect that most of you are wondering why I asked you all to stay behind afterwards."  After speaking, he first glances at Judy, then at Nick.

For a brief moment, Judy noticed a compassionate look on the chief's face, before he leans back up to compose himself a bit.  His voice getting a bit of his usual gruff back in it.

"There has been a bit of a crisis in the past few days." He looks around the room, checking the faces of all the officers, before he continues. "Now, unfortunately, some new developments have come to wake in the face of an officer's family." He looks directly at Nick for a good couple of seconds.  A few officers turn their heads towards Nick, who dips his head a little, but not enough to be noticed by the others.

"Sir, what's the problem?" Spoke out Officer Wolford, in a hushed tone as not to break the moment.  Only to not get a reply, but a stern look from the chief before he looks apologetic and looks down.  After a deep sigh, the chief looks down and places the documents in his paws on his podium.  

"It seems Nick didn't know he had a cousin." Judy continued rubbing the back of Nick's paws, as he really struggles keeping a straight face on.  

Keep it together.  Never let them see that it got to me. Nick chants in his head, focusing on Judy's touch, as a small number of the officers look a little confused.  Mostly because there's a sad atmosphere hanging in the air.  

"It turns out," Began the chief, after looking at Nick, then Judy for confirmation.  He watched Judy look back with a tear slightly hiding in her eyes as she nodded approval. "That his cousin had been murdered."

A heavy silence filled the room after the murmuring stops abruptly.  If anyone entered the room, they could have literally smelt the sadness, sympathy and respect towards Nick.  It all became a blur to Nick after this sentence, as he tried his best to hold back his emotions during the rest of the meeting.

After the last few minutes of the briefing, Nick felt glad that he hadn't broken down in front of the precinct as they managed to make their way to her father's pickup, which was no surprise to Nick after spotting it in her designated spot.   Officers Clawhauser, Pennington and Delgato offered their condolences, alongside the other officers, but offered him comfort in case he needed somebody, besides Judy, that he could talk to.

It had been a very hard moment for Nick to know that he had a long lost relative, a cousin nonetheless, who had been trying to escape the clutches of an evil crime world that had taken him in.  Before Judy started the pickup, she jumped into his lap carefully and hugged him comfortingly around his neck.

On the way home, Nick couldn't help but notice that they were heading not for his apartment, nor Judy's.  He was still a bit shaken from all the information about his cousin, Shawn Wilde, who looked identical to him, apart from the uniquely mixed red and black coloured eyes.  He focused hard on the image of him, as they continued to travel away from the city.

Watching the skyline slowly drop lower and lower, he found himself thinking about his life so far after they'd passed the border to the city.  Nick barely heard her mention something about time off to recuperate from this last couple of hours.  

"-ck, Nick.  Are you okay?" spoke Judy softly, slightly waking him from a deep daydream.  She'd pulled over into a gas station for a refuel, but hadn't left the car when she spotted Nick's reflection in the window.

Nick had been crying during his daydream, but he hadn't noticed it at all.  But he snapped out of it a little as she slowly made her way over to hug him again.  He wrapped his arms around her back, his head resting between her ears as he just let everything out.  They held each other together, with his racking sobs and her emotional hugging, for a long time, before she pulled her head away from his chest as his crying began to subside.

"Hey," She spoke softly, still hugging him around his chest. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling a lot better now, Judy. Thank you." He replies, planting a quick kiss on her head that did not go unnoticed. "Thank you for everything so far."

The sky slowly darkens as they continue to hold each other.  No awkwardness like before, just two very close friends holding each other.  Although, for a brief moment, Judy smiles and blushes for a brief moment as she leans into his chest.

A few minutes later, after getting up and paying for the fuel, they continue their journey to her home in the country.

BunnyBurrows.

**NOTES**

And for all you followers, please stay tuned, as the next 2-3 chapters or so are definitely longer in length, so expect longer delays between those ones... I'm really sorry I don't update much, but I have officially dedicated the next few years to writing now!

Secret Hint: got an original book series planned too - but only book one of that series will be free on here (and Amazon when it's finished) 😊

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