Chapter Text
Chief Bogo ushered Mrs. Otterton out the door and closed it. He turned to Judy, and his fake smile turned to a look of fury. "You're fired."
Judy looked up in shock. "What? Why?!"
"Insubordination. Now, I’m going to open this door and you’re going to tell that otter you’re a former meter maid with delusions of grandeur who will not be taking the case." He opened the door to reveal Mrs. Otterton, grinning in joy and anticipation that someone was finally going to find her beloved Emmitt.
Judy looked down at the picture in her paws. A happy, loving family whose father wasn't coming home, and the ZPD didn't care. Her ears drooped and her nose twitched as she fought back tears. Fired for trying to help a citizen in need? How could that happen? Isn't that what the police are supposed to do? "I'm sorry, Mrs. Otterton," Judy said sadly, "I can't take the case. I just got f-fired. I guess the ZPD doesn't want to help you." She held out the family picture. "You can have this back. I wish there was something I could do."
Mrs. Otterton took the picture with a trembling paw. Her eyes were already full of tears. "You can't really mean that? Can you?" Judy's look of shame and defeat showed her that it was the truth. She shuffled away, sobbing.
Judy wished there was some way to help, but she knew that it was hopeless. As much as it hurt to lose her job and her dream, seeing the pain on Mrs. Otterton's face hurt even more. She went to the locker room and silently changed into her civilian clothes, leaving her badge and uniform behind. She dragged her paws on the way out.
"Officer Hopps!" Clawhauser called out, "congratulations on your first arrest!"
"It's just Judy now," Judy said weakly, "I got fired."
The cheetah's enormous smile turned to a frown. "What? Why?!" Ben asked, "How could the chief do that? You're so c--cunning and capable!"
"It doesn't matter," Judy said with little energy, shaking her head slightly, "The ZPD isn't what I thought it was. Goodbye, Ben."
As she trudged out the door, Judy heard the ear-piercing squeal. "Chieeeeef, how could you?"
Judy made her way to her apartment. It was quiet for once. Bucky and Pronk must be out. She was alone, and she finally let her tears flow. Not only had she lost the job she'd worked so hard for, she had learned how little the ZPD really cared about the mammals they were supposed to serve and protect. "That annoying fox was right." Her voice sounded completely defeated. "I'll never be a real cop." She sniffled, looking down at her lap where the tears fell. "Nobody c-cares about me, or my dreams. The ZPD doesn't care about catching criminals, or finding missing mammals. They only wanted me as a token bunny to put tickets on parked cars. I wanted to make the world a better place, but this was never the way to do it. I've wasted my whole life." She had lost her dream and all her hard work. For years, Judy had fought against all odds to prove that a bunny could be a cop. In all that time she'd never stopped to think if she SHOULD be a cop. She'd just assumed the police would serve and protect the city, catch bad guys and help those in need. Now, she knew that the ZPD didn't care about those things. The chief was a bully only interested in money. "I don't belong here. It's time to go back to that carrot-choked Podunk with my fuzzy-wuzzy tail between my legs."
Judy pulled out her suitcase and began folding her clothes. She left the ZPD t-shirts in the closet. They would only remind her of her failure. She took a long look at her framed family pictures. Even with all their faults, she loved her parents, and they loved her. They loved all their children, and wanted them to be safe. They'd never understood her dream, never given her the support she'd craved, but they always wanted what they thought was best for her. She gently set the picture down on top of a shirt, and put another over it for padding on the ride home. Another family photo was stuck in her mind, a family of otters, with the dorky-looking loving father they would now have to accept wasn't coming home. It broke her heart to think of it.
She stuffed the contents of her drawers into the suitcase, and one item caught her eye. An old book called 'The Great Mouse Detective', one of the Basil of Baker Street books. After seeing the movie as a kit, she'd begged her parents to buy her the book. The stories were very different, but still exciting. Years ago, reading about an eccentric genius mouse who solved crimes had helped her believe that a bunny could do the same. She knew the stories weren't real, but they had still helped inspire her. Basil had never needed to join the police force, his clients had come to him. Even the police had begged him for help on cases they couldn't solve. If Basil had been here, he would have found Mr. Otterton. Basil wasn't here. But Judy Hopps was.
Her ears began to perk up, and a smile grew on her muzzle. "The ZPD doesn't want to help," she whispered, "but I'm not part of the ZPD anymore. I don't have to play by their rules. I don't have any authority, or equipment, or resources, but I still have everything I learned in the Academy." She dried her tears, smiling fully now. "If I can't make the world a better place for everyone, I can at least make it better for this one family."