Chapter Text
Now it’s time. Judy and Skippy arrive at the headquarter building of Gazelle Records. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” the buck asks. “Yea. Absolutely,” his girlfriend insists. “The worst they can say is no.” The uncertain lapine shakes his head. “That’s the point. I’m worried,” he complains. Judy stops, she turns to look into Skippy’s eyes. He returns the intimate glance.
“Maybe they say no, maybe they won’t respond,” the doe starts. “But that’s not the end of the world. To be honest, any outcome is great.” She smiles at her boyfriend. His expression isn’t changing, though. Judy leans in and briefly kisses her lover on the mouth. She takes his hand and together, they step through the doors. They confidently move past the lobby and the signs to the New Talent Division on the acting side of the label.
“Hey, you’re Stu’s kid, aren’t you?” a tall middle aged arctic hare inquires. “Yeah, I’m Judy,” she responds, recognising this particular lapine as one of her father’s childhood bullies. He was polite at the market, when he bought strawberries from the doe… before the whole chaos started.
“Nice,” he comments. “I knew you’d step up your game some time,” he encourages. The young bunny smiles but shakes her head. “I’m not gonna send anything in,” she says. “We’re here for my boyfriend.”
The hare furrows his eyes. “Him? Really?” he asks rather rudely. “I mean, no disrespect but last I heard you did anything artistic was over a decade ago, I think.” Judy shakes her head. “It’s never too late to try again,” she insists. “I suppose,” the arctic hare admits. “But how about you?” he continues. “My kid is waiting in line right now. If he were like you and didn’t try, I think I’d be a little disappointed. Not in him, of course, but in what he’s doing with his talent.”
The doe rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well I’ll try another time maybe. Now it’s Skippy’s turn,” she insists. “I’m not your dad or a psychologist but it sounds like you’re scared of trying, almost like a quitter or something.”
Judy’s ears shoot up while Skippy’s droop down. He gives his girlfriend a wary glance.
“Well, if you say so,” she responds with calm indifference.
A far younger arctic hare much closer in age to the doe herself, returns to his father, he looks very nervous. “How’d it go?” the older of the two asks, as they head off. “Next please,” a monotone voice calls out from the other room. Two young bunnies get up and take their chance.
“Oh gods, what did we do? What if this was the biggest mistake of my life? They will laugh at my miserable performance for sure.” Judy and Skippy are back in the doe’s relatively new car after leaving the aspiring actor’s audition tape at Gazelle Records for review. Music videos aren’t the only overlap between the sounds and the visuals. Sometimes, short movies need their own dedicated soundtrack for example.
Judy’s ears twitch in irritation from all the rambling coming out of her boyfriend’s mouth. They are now on their way back to the Hopps warren. “Skippy, hold your breath for a moment,” the doe requests sarcastically. “But Judy, what if they don’t like your music either?”
The bunny in the driver seat is defiant. “So be it,” she says. “They either like it or they don’t.” The doe smiles at the buck encouragingly. “We took our chances. I’m very proud of you.” She takes a turn to drive towards Rabbyt Estates.
“You’re right,” Skippy admits with a sigh. “I worry too much. But like, I don't want to fail. I don’t want to see you fail.” Those are valid concerns but Judy has another trick up her sleeve. “Remember what Nick said,” she interjects. “Try to make your future the best it can be.” The buck is nervous but at the same time hopeful and optimistic. “It hasn’t been written yet, yeah,” he remembers.
“Maybe one day, you’ll be good enough to play in some new adaptation of Pale Rabbit,” the doe continues, getting a huff and a smile out of her boyfriend. “Hey, let’s stay realistic now,” he insists. “You’ve seen how good this jackrabbit is on camera, those are some high standards. My acting is super messy in comparison.”
“I messed up a bunch too and look at me now,” encourages Judy. “You did?” asks Skippy with a humored huff. “What did you do, break a string? Blow out a speaker? Or maybe, if you mean changing things for the future, did you cause some street to have a different name?” The doe giggles. “I lost a stupid book because I let Gid get to me.”
Skippy perks his ears. “Gid? You mean that friendly baker your family works with? I heard he can’t make deliveries now because his van broke down or something.” The buck gets a nod in response. “Yeah, that guy. He was such a bully in the fifties. His great-grandfather actually challenged me to a duel and would have won if I didn’t pull a Jack Savage on him. There was that dirty oven door I used as a shield. If I had more time, I would have used some of that soot to paint black stripes over my ears and face for added effect.”
Now, Skippy’s ears shoot up tall, his eyes grow wide. “Holy sca…ttering of sunflower seeds… you didn’t pull a Jack Savage on him, you are Jack Savage!” It seems the buck’s shock is not because of the dangerous nature of Judy’s past decisions but rather thanks to some historical tale that supposedly involves his girlfriend. She is confused about this, though. The car turns and rolls past the feral rabbit statues that mark the entrance of Rabbyt Estates.
“Not the actor, but, like, that ravine guy!” Skippy exclaims. “Faulkner Ravine?” his girlfriend asks in confusion. Then, the doe remembers Nick saved Skye. The geographic feature had a different name back in 1885. Judy perks her ears up. “Wait, how is that ravine near Haraburrow called?” she asks. “Where we saw Nick and his family.”
“Savage Ravine,” the buck informs. “They say someone who stood up to a bully fell down there a hundred years ago. Kids in school wish he was still around because then, there wouldn’t be any more bullies today.” Judy can’t help but giggle at that. At least, she knows the actor Jack Savage remains unaffected by any time travel shenanigans, as evident by one of the latest movies she watched with her boyfriend.
The car pulls up in the driveway, right past the light blue farm truck and into the open barn. Meanwhile, there is a bit of silence in the vehicle. Skippy lets out a heavy sigh.
“The little fennec went to prison because of me, you shot a fox…” he summarises. “I mean… that’s crazy, no wonder you acted like you haven’t seen me in a week. We gotta sit down and talk about all those things some time. Maybe with some drinks.” He likely decides it’s best to keep his sanity for now and postpone this entire topic to another time. “Sure thing,” Judy replies with a smirk. “But for the record, I didn’t shoot anyone.
Two bunnies leave the vehicle. They are about to head out of the barn, when a high-pitched squeak that is a greeting derails their thought process.
“Hey, nice to see you two again,” calls out none other than a middle aged Officer Brie. She’s not wearing a uniform, though. “Hello,” says another mouse, this one’s only a few years older than Judy and Skippy. “Good afternoon, Officers,” the buck greets politely. “Blueberries, I didn’t expect to see you today,” says the doe. “Oh, come on, Petals, you’re acting like you haven’t seen me in thirty years,” chimes the happy rodent.
Judy’s ears shoot up. “Petals…? Wait, thirty years?” she asks in surprise. This prompts the older of the two mice to widen her eyes in awe and wonder. The next moment, a very high-pitched gasp and squeak can be heard. “Ooohhh, you’re back!” Officer Brie gushes. Judy and Skippy exchange looks.
“Back from…?” the doe starts questioningly. “You know from where,” the tiny member of Bunnyburrow’s law enforcement quickly insists, not revealing any specific information. “How did the thing go? How is Doc Wilde?”
The young bunnies both understand what the mouse is talking about, they smile. “Married, I think. Can you believe it?” The earlier happy squeak was apparently only the warm up, another one follows with far greater intensity. Officer Brie was very happy about the news. “He has three little pups now and two of them aren’t even Finnick,” she adds with a giggle. After another moment or two of light-hearted happiness, the older of the two mice perks up.
“Did you meet the guy I told you about?” the more experienced rodent asks. She can only be referring to her great-grandfather, who was the deputy back in 1885. “I saw him briefly but I didn’t have time to stop and talk to him,” Judy admits. “We needed to catch a train.” The mouse looks a tiny little bit disappointed about this. Not a moment later, her optimism bounces right back. “You have to tell me all about that adventure,” she insists. “We should have a get-together some time. I want to chat with Stu again as well.” The time traveller nods with a smile. “Laws don’t apply retroactively, do they?” she teases. This prompts Skippy to laugh, Officer Brie does the same.
“Oh!” she exclaims. “I have something for you, Petals!” The little rodent pulls out an exceptionally tiny wallet, she opens it up and gets out an even smaller piece of paper. The mouse unfolds it, making it just about big enough for someone the size of a bunny to handle. “Here, I think this belongs to you,” Officer Brie suggests, handing the tiny object to Judy.
The doe leans down to receive the item. She has to squint, the handwritten text is rather difficult to decipher. Then, the doe spots numbers… and dates… and names of sports teams…
“You…” she stammers. “I have no need for it,” mentions the middle aged mouse. “Your instruments probably want new company in their ranks, don’t they?” Judy doesn’t know how to reply. Skippy leans in close to try and read the text too. “What’s that thing?” he inquires. “It’s… the last surviving evidence of a very dangerous book,” declares the doe.
Just then, a cargo bicycle pulls up in the driveway. The rider steps off and shifts his focus to the storage compartment of his vehicle. “Speak of the devil… Gideon Grey, what a character,” the mouse mentions without the addressed mammal hearing her. “He’s so sweet and kind… You know how he was back in the day.” The younger of the two mice tilts her head.
“I think Stu’s still a little too harsh on him sometimes,” her mother continues. “I can talk to him about it,” offers Judy. “Ever since his van broke down last week, he can’t make proper deliveries anymore. It’s a shame, those delicious pastries don’t all fit into that bike of his.”
The doe perks her ears, she has an idea. “You’re a good judge of character,” she starts, addressing the older rodent. “Well, I’m an officer, not a judge,” she giggles in response. “But I’ll still accept this compliment.” The mouse smiles. “Gid works with my family now, right?” Judy pushes. “He’s really changed through and through?” The doe remembers how the vulpine in question is highly invested in her boyfriend’s opinion about his baking, he also shows genuine interest in the lapine’s own achievements on a regular basis.
The mouse nods. “Absolutely,” comes a high-pitched response. “He even looked after my precious girl when she was little,” Officer Brie puts a hand around her daughter’s shoulders. “He’s fun,” the tiniest mammal in the group remembers.
Judy looks at the baker fox. He carries a box of tasty pastries to the front door of the Hopps warren to make a delivery. The door opens before he even gets a chance to ring the doorbell. It are Bonnie and Stu who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of whatever is within the cardboard box. The three mammals have a brief conversation, they all smile and laugh together. The door closes again, Judy’s parents haven’t seen the mammals at the barn yet. The heavy tod meanwhile heads back to his now empty bicycle.
The time traveller approaches the fox. “Gideon,” she starts. “Oh, hey there, Judy,” the happy vulpine chimes. “Didja bring that audition tape to th’ wrecking label?” The doe tilts her head. “Th’ re… cord… label.” The tod corrects himself with some difficulty and a sheepish smile. Judy likewise puts on a happy expression. “We did, yes,” she responds.
“Listen, I, uhm…” How should the bunny approach this topic? What words should she use? “I’ve been looking through some old drawers in the attic, and, uh, I found this tiny little note,” the time traveller lies. The friendly baker tilts his head curiously. Just like how Nick sometimes does it, he too now has one of his ears pointing upwards while the other one hangs off to the side. “I wanted to turn that thing into some extra pocket money for my music hobby but it’s not too important, really,” she says sheepishly while the baker simply stares at her.
Judy hands Gideon the tiny handwritten note, containing only very few sports results for a couple of upcoming football games.
“I figured with your delivery van broken down, you might have a better use for it. My hobby can wait.” The fox stares at the tiny piece of paper. He pulls out a pair of reading glasses from one of his pockets. With narrowed eyes, the tod tries to make out the miniature text, then his eyes grow wide. The baker stares at the time traveller incredulously. “Where didja git that from?” he asks. “Is there… more of that?”
Judy didn’t expect him to look not just hesitant but genuinely worried but that’s exactly how she would describe the fox right now. “Gideon, I…” the doe starts, though she pauses again, unsure how to continue her words exactly. “Please don’t gimme any of them other pages,” he requests. “Ah want nuth’n’ t’ do with that.”
Judy smiles. Officer Brie was right, he really did change. “Don’t worry,” she assures. “The rest is destroyed. It got burned, it’s gone forever. This is the last bit that remains.” Gideon stares at the bunny for another long while, ears alert and pointing forwards. The doe looks around to find a buck and two mice stare at her too. The oldest of them has a huge smile on her face and nods reassuringly.
“Well, uhm…” the fox stammers. “Thank’s Judy… An’, uh… Whoever gave yew them notes, please tell them ah’m sorry fer everythin’.” The doe smiles warmly. “I will,” she promises. “So that note comes from yer attic, ‘s that whatcha said?” the baker asks, taking off his reading glasses again. “From the back of a dusty drawer,” the bunny elaborates. “Who put that thing there anyhow?” Gideon asks curiously. Judy figures he would have figured it out by now. “When it comes to this book, is there anyone you remember specifically? A bunny?”
The fox furrows his eyes, he looks to be very deep in thought. “There’s that one gal. Patricia Ross or sum’n’.” The doe at the scene is nervous. “Do you remember how she looked?” she questions carefully, a hint of a smile now forming on her lips. Judy shouldn’t reveal time travel to anyone who doesn’t already know about it, though her curiosity is simply too great right now. The predator ponders this question for another moment. “Naw, ah ent sure. Ah mean, ah’ll never gunnah fergit her but ah’m not shore anymore. Been a while.” Judy nods along subconsciously. It makes sense that Gideon wouldn’t remember her. Perhaps, a lack of fur dye on the doe’s ears further aids the tod’s obliviousness.
“Is she yer distant relative or sum’n’?” he asks. Then, a shrug apparently dismisses the idea. “Ah don’t see any resemblance.” The bunny is unsure how to respond. It might be the easiest solution to leave the topic at that. She smiles at the fox, he returns the gesture. “I wouldn’t worry about her these days,” the lapine says cryptically. “If yew say so,” Gideon chuckles. He pockets the tiny little handwritten note, then he gets back onto his cargo bike. “Thanks fer… uhm… that paper,” the fox says with gratitude. “Ah gotta git back t’ delivuhrin’ muh pies an’ stuff.” The lapine nods. “I don’t want to keep your customers waiting,” she makes more lighthearted comments. “Bye there, enjoy yer pies,” the fox greets with a smile, then he rides away.
Skippy, Officer Brie, and the rodent’s daughter step closer to Judy. “That was…” the older mouse starts, looking for the right word. “…Perfect.” She smiles at the doe. “I already have a bunch of instruments lying around,” the bunny mentions. “Gid needs his van for work but only has this tiny bicycle now, right?” This is a reasonable explanation to Judy. The rodent nods.
“It was great to catch up with you after such a long time,” Officer Brie says. “We gotta go now, though. I have an early shift tomorrow and the little one needs to do some more homework for the academy.” Judy smiles at the two mice, Skippy does the same. “All right, I won’t keep you away from your duty,” she says. “Bye there.”
Just then, the front door of the Hopps warren opens up again. Stu exits just in time to see the rodents head out. “Hey there, Jude the Dude, Skippy the Witty,” he greets his daughter with a tight hug. “Hey, Dad. Officer Brie just stopped by to chat,” she says. “I see…” the middle aged buck smiles. “She’s always been so kind and encouraging. Brie was the first to actually believe in my writing, believe it or not.” Judy perks her ears at that, she thinks back to the information the doe revealed to the mouse in 1955.
Bonnie steps through the open door, as everyone else outside approaches. “Hello Judy, hello Skippy!” the middle aged doe chimes happily. She greets the younger bunny with black-tipped ears with a kiss on the cheek, Skippy receives a warm hug. “On that topic,” Stu continues his earlier words. “How did it go, you two?” The young bunny couple look at each other with smiles. “We handed in the tape,” the doe reports. “Now, we just gotta wait and see.”
The older buck pats the shoulders of the less secure one. “Congrats, Skippy,” he says earnestly. “I’m sure you’ll be doing just fine.” Judy’s boyfriend smiles. “Thanks, Stu,” he responds. “Remember, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything,” Judy’s father teaches. “…because anyone can be anything.”
They talk so much about the future that it’s easy to forget the now. What are the plans for now? “Is lunch ready?” Judy asks. “I got it out of the oven a minute ago,” her mother responds matter-of-factly. “Millie is here too, everything’s ready. We were worried you might show up late.” The young doe nods.
“Yeah, we just about made it in the nick of time.”
