Zootopia Fanfiction: The Terrifying Yellers

Conclusion

Judy was released from the hospital a week later, a week of nights sitting beside her sleeping friend, only to be taken home to her sad, sad cubicle of an apartment.

She did her laundry absentmindedly, and then made her bed several times over.

Judy put on her uniform, polished the badge, and solemnly walked downstairs to her truck. She suddenly realized she hadn't called her parents about what had happened. They still had some of her stuff. And her iPuma.

With Fleetwood Yak and Rhine music on it.

Judy started the engine. She'd go back to her parents' and get her stuff. Soon. But now, she had to go to work.

Chief Bogo was surprised to see her arrive at roll call. He took off his glasses to stare at her, forgetting about the case files in his hand. "Hopps? I didn't expect you so soon. Shouldn't you be on leave?"

Sergeant Hopps stared straight ahead as she answered monotonously, "Ready to work, Chief. My duty is to serve and protect the city of Zootopia." She could feel the confused gazes from her coworkers.

Bogo looked as if he wanted to persuade her further, but decided not to. He put on his reading glasses and assigned all the duties for the day. Everyone got a duty except for Hopps.

"Why haven't you given me an assignment, sir?" asked Hopps, when everyone had left the room, leaving her and Bogo.

"Because I think that you're not ready," replied the chief. "You suffered a major case. I think you need to take a mental break."

"But I..." Judy's voice broke. "I don't know what to do."

"We're all hoping the best for Sergeant Wilde. He'll get better, I hope."

Judy sobbed, hanging her head over the table. "It seems like everything's falling apart. I trusted someone, but he turned his back on me."

Bogo stepped away from his podium to set a hand on the tiny bunny's shoulder. "You're the best officer I know, Hopps," he said. "I understand you're taking Nick's condition very hard. But I don't want to stress you. You suffered a major catastrophe. Basically. I need you in top condition to serve Zootopia. But now, I think you should come with me."

Bogo stood up straighter, and held the door open for Judy. The bunny hopped down from her chair, and followed the cape buffalo out of the room.

"I'm not sure that he will help conclude your situation, or it will make it worse. But I just think you should see him one more time." Bogo led Judy downstairs, where the temporary jail cells were. Prisoners brought there were waiting for trial, or had already gone through trial and were waiting to be picked up and taken to the big jail in Rainforest District.

Where Bellwether was. And was taken back in before she could do anything.

Judy remembered the time when she and Nick caught Bellwether sneaking behind an alley. She wasn't a fast runner and she didn't have her huge rams to protect her, so the two officers were able to catch her easily.

Agent Trixie hadn't been able to determine the cause of the liberation. The prisoners simply...broke out.

It had been the Terrifying Yellers' doing.

Bernie's doing.

Chief Bogo opened a door guarded by security. The moose let them in when Bogo flashed his badge. He held the door open for Judy.

A small jail cell with a cot took up the majority of the room. A foldout chair was the only thing in the room, occupied by another security guard.

Bogo dismissed the tiger, and Judy went in. The door shut behind her.

"You here to ask questions?"

Judy tried to avoid Bernie's gaze as she sat down in the chair. She focused on a fly buzzing on the jail bars.

Bernie stood up and paced around his cell. He wore the prisoner uniform, bright orange with a black number on his left breast. He kept averting his eyes at Judy, unsure of what to say.

"I loved you."

Bernie stopped abruptly, staring at her. "What?"

Judy forced herself to look at him, the one bunny she had dreamed of marrying. The one bunny she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. She hadn't realized this until the end, when Bernie told her that he really liked her.

Really liked her.

Not loved.

"Why?"

Bernie sighed deeply, and sat down on the cot. He pushed up his glasses. "It was a mistake. A horrible mistake," he said. "It was just a few years ago when I wanted to do illegal stuff. It gave me a thrill, I guess. Then I was caught by one of the Yellers. They offered me to join. Of course I said yes. Then their heists got bigger and badder...It wasn't until Wendy Hoofe decided to take over the city that I wanted out.

"Hoofe offered me the undercover job. To be a police officer, and to inject anyone I could with their genetically enhanced disease. The one that Nick has. The one that you had. I'm so sorry..."

"Don't. Just...go on." Judy felt tears come to her eyes.

Bernie cleared his throat, and continued. "Every time I asked Hoofe to leave the gang, she threatened me. She would kill me if I left. I would have been a personal target. So I did the undercover job. I injected those officers. Then I met you."

Judy swallowed.

"You seemed like the missing piece to my puzzle. If I could've escaped, I would be with you. But no. Here I am, in jail, so unworthy of you. I would never deserve you. Ever. So don't bother to have a relationship with me. Find someone else, be happy. For me."

Judy was reminded painfully of the event on the roof. When Bernie knocked her out, and injected her with the disease. When...

"What about Rin? You couldn't have just left him alone?" Judy demanded angrily.

"Rin was unplanned. I didn't mean to just push him off..."

"You didn't mean to join the Yellers," Judy yelled, standing up now. "You didn't mean to inject everyone. You didn't mean to break my heart..."

She collapsed on the chair, tears trickling down her face. When she had regained her breath, she added, "But I need to move on. I need to get past you. I need to make sure Nick recovers. I need to be there for him. So I..." She swallowed, hard. "I forgive you."

Bernie smiled weakly. "I'm unforgivable. But I thank you." Judy smiled back.

The two sat in silence.

"Can I kiss you?"

Judy was taken aback, but she nodded. She walked over to the door to ask the security guard to let the jail door open, just a crack. When the security guard had done so, Bernie and Judy hugged each other. Bernie was just a bit taller, but they both were still short, as the bunnies they were.

When they broke apart, Bernie and Judy leaned into each other into a passionate lip lock that Judy had always dreamed about.

Just one kiss, for the rest of my life, they were both thinking.