Nick yawned as he strolled in to the ZPD break room and made a beeline for the coffee pot, nodding at Jackson and Delgato. Even after 6 months on the beat (to the day in fact), and being forced in to the strict routine by his training at the academy, he still was not a morning person. Some people argued that it was because foxes evolved as nocturnal creatures, but his mother was always up at ridiculous o'clock in the morning to make sure he was sent on his way to school (the fact he only arrived at school about 50% of the time was another matter entirely, hustling starts at an early age after all), so it was probably just him. Couple that with a 7am shift start, explained his less than enthusiastic mental state
He was also a little miffed that Judy had insisted on heading back to the precinct for their lunch rather than stopping off at a diner. True, the cafeteria food wasn't awful, but the coffee was, it was if he was the only one who remembered what a filter was. It annoyed him more that Carrots was very evasive when he asked why they had to head back. He assumed she had some paperwork to cover, since she headed to her desk. Fine by him, the less paperwork he had to do, the better. Not that she enjoyed it either mind you, she just accepted it as a necessary evil, and got it done as quickly as possible with all the enthusiasm she could muster while he just watched her, his tail wagging slightly. Admittedly that last part was because he has figured out a way to lean back just enough to get a decent view of her butt while she stood at their shared, way too big desk, without her seeing.
This memory explained why he was lost so deep in thought that Judy was able to sneak up behind him and shout "SURPRISE!" at the top of her lungs, causing him spray the coffee he was drinking all over the break room wall.
"Christ Carrots!" Nick said as he hopped on a nearby chair, grabbed a wad of paper towels from the counter and started mopping. "Give a guy a heart attack why don't ya?"
"Sorry sorry!" Judy cried setting down a package she was holding, and then jumping up on the actual counter to help.
"Hey feet off the counter!" Delgato chided from acroos the room, as he and Jackson watched the Nick and Judy show with enthusiasm.
"Get a lower counter then!" Judy snapped back as she helped Nick mop up the mess
"Hey maybe you should just get some stilts!" Jackson said, chuckling at the pair. Judy flipped him off, causing him to go in to mock offence. "Why Carrots, you wound me!" he chuckled…before realising the room had gone deadly silent. Judy was glaring at him, death in her eyes, while Nick and Delgato seemed to be engaged in a match of synchronised ceiling inspection. He stared as Judy hopped over from the counter to the table in one leap, landing inches from his face, causing him to jump in his seat. sending his fish sandwich to the floor.
"What did you call me?" Judy asked, in a low monotone, never blinking as she stared right in to the tiger's eyes.
"Huh, what?" Jackson replied, seeking help from his fellow offices, who had now switched to inspecting the cheap carpet
"I said. What. Did. You. Call. Me?" Judy repeated, poking the chest of a tiger ten times her size with every word for emphasis, and absolutely no fear. The same could not be said for Jackson, who found himself absolutely terrified of a mammal that he could swallow whole. Logic dictated that he should be growling and trying to make himself look bigger to cause the bunny to back down…but considering Hopps had taken down Francine and McHorn in a couple of recent sparring matche, that would be a good way to end up in the hospital.
"Uh…Carrots?" Jackson finally said after not taking a breath for almost 30 seconds.
"Don't call me Carrots." Judy replied in a low voice that threatened violence at a sub-sonic level.
"Huh, but Nick…" Jackson started to answer, before a thump from Judy's leg caused the entire table to shift over by several inches.
"Nick can call me that, you can't. Clear?" she said, her death glare intensifying." Jackson swallowed and answered "Yeah, yeah sure Jud…I MEAN OFFICER HOPPS!" he added hurriedly.
"Call me Judy," she said, her death glare gone and replaced with her normal enthusiastic demeanour. "Oh cheese and crackers!" she suddenly exclaimed, looking down at Jackson's destroyed lunch. "I'm so sorry Jackson! I seem to have knocked your lunch over. Here!" she said withdrawing and proferring a $10 bill from her wallet.
Jackson, stunned by the sudden change in tone, tried to decline. "Oh no way Judy I couldn't possblEURGH" he said as Judy shoved the bill in to his mouth.
"I insist," she said still smiling sweetly as she bounded off the desk back towards her partner, who was just staring at her in amazement. Delgato was trying to stifle a laughing fit as he helped his spluttering partner out of his seat. "C'mon mate, take it from someone who knows, don't mess with that badass bunny. Let's go get you some lunch before we're back on patrol. Later Nick, Judy," he said as he motioned his still coughing partner out of the break area. However Nick was too busy staring at Judy to acknowledge the goodbye. Delgato grinned knowingly and left the pair alone. Nick was still staring two minutes later when Judy turned to him with a quizzical look on her face.
"Nick everything OK?" she asked, as he finally snapped out of his thoughts. It was at this point he had also become aware that his trousers had gotten far too tight for him. He flicked his tail round his body covering his front, which in fact caused Judy to look exactly where he didn't want to.
"Yeah fine!" he shouted far louder than he intended. Smooth Nick, he thought to himself as his ears reddened for a split second before he quickly regained his cool composure. "Just amazed at how tough a rabbit can be Carrots. Not that I needed reminding seeing you in action almost every day this last six months!" he added quickly.
"Oh right that reminds me!" Judy exclaimed, her ears popping up. She jumped off the counter to the package she had been carrying which had somehow managed to avoid the debris of Jackson's lunch. "Here you go, happy six-month partnership anniversary!" she said as she spun round, proffering the box. Nick stared at it for a few moments before Judy shoved it into his stomach, causing him to grab it lest it dropped to the floor.
"What's this?" Nick coughed as he opened the box, and he saw the largest blueberry pie he had ever seen in his life. The smell reached his nostrils a second later, causing his mouth to water.
"One of Gideon's best. I said you'd have to try one. I got a courier to bring it from Bunnyburrow this morning, with the special insulated packaging so it'd still be warm," Judy said. "That's also why you couldn't smell it. It's been in the car all morning."
"Seriously Fluff? You got a pie from over 200 miles away?" Nick replied, his face a picture of astonishment. "I mean I wasn't expecting anything at all, but I would have been perfectly happy with a donut."
"Yeah well, that wouldn't be nearly enough," Judy said, as Nick noted her ears turning the slightest shade of red. "I mean after everything we've been through since we've met, the Night Howler case, the counterfeiting ring…"
"The clown car chase," Nick interjected, smirking as Judy's face took on the look of someone who was applying a brain bleach.
"THAT, yes…" Judy said, shuddering from the memories. "Well yeah, I just wanted to do something special" she finished, grinning. "After all, got to show the formerly loner fox he's appreciated."
"Yeah I think I get that from you every day," Nick replied ginning before his face became more sombre. "Seriously though Judy, thanks. I don't think anyone apart from my mother has given me such a thoughtful gift. Though it does make me a feel a bit unoriginal."
"Unoriginal?" Judy said, mentally filing away the little fact about the gift away.
"Yeah…cos I got you a gift too," Nick said as he set the pie down on the counter. He then pulled out a small parcel that he'd been keeping in his breast pocket all morning. "Was just thinking of the best time to give it." He handed over the small gift to Judy who took it shyly.
"Nick you didn't…"Judy started before Nick raised a paw. She took the hint and opened the present and found a pair of green and orange Lambsung headphones. But not just any headphones, these had been specifically designed for bunny ears. They were slightly bigger than the standard "one size fits no-one" buds, with an extra padding for a rabbit's more sensitive ears. But it also featured a curling, padded rubber head band, which contained a rigid but bendable wire inside, allowing a user to mould the band to their own head with maximum comfort while gripping their head, meaning they were very hard to drop out accidently. For even more convenience, they actually had the ability to take the wire that would normally fit in to a phone or mp3 player out completely and use them via YewTooth connection. And they were tough, an elephant could sit on them and they'd still work. Nick had seen how many headphones Jud went through in the last six months during their regular morning jogs.
They also cost about $300.
"NICK!" Judy squealed, incredulous. "You can't give me something this expensive!"
"Uh huh," Nick replied. "And how much did you spend on getting that pie here?"
"Mumble mumble."
"Sorry Carrots, didn't quite hear you."
"About $200!" Judy said, embarrassed. "But that's still less!"
"Eh it's not about the price, it's about the thought, and besides. I still have a little cash left from my hustling days stashed away, this is barely a scratch in it. You on the other hand, as far as I am aware, have the financial acumen of a headless chicken."
"I just wanted to get you something special…" Judy responded, glaring.
"And you did Judy. Really. Thank you," Nick said, bending down to kiss Judy lightly on the head as he was genuinely touched by her kindness. "I mean; I don't think that I've had a blueberry pie this size since I was a kit. And that was one of my mother's," he replied, as a thousand-yard stare came over his features. As many good qualities as his mother had, baking was not one of them. He was pretty sure "rock cakes" was a name, not a description. The dentist actually wrote a note…. then the thought was derailed by the fact that he just kissed Judy on the head. Alarms bells were ringing in between his ears along with the thought SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT! Meanwhile Judy's ears had gone from slightly pink to the colour of the klaxons he thought he could hear. He prepared himself for a kick to the gut…but when it didn't come he looked down and found her eyes wide and shining. Her mouth was covered by her paws as if she'd gasped…but by the way her cheeks were positioned he thought she may be smiling.
So…she liked it? Nick thought, his heart starting to race. He'd had feelings for Judy for a while now, but was unsure if she felt the same. Quick ask her out before you get too scared! AGAIN! This was a thought that had reverberated in his head more than once over the last 6 months. Look if you don't ask her out right now, I am going to make you recall that time you found Finnick's recently used fleshlight…
However, before Nick could say anything, a bellow of "WILDE! HOPPS! GET YOUR ARSES OUT HERE NOW!" caused them both to jump, and scramble out of the break room within 2 seconds. Being yelled at by Chief Bogo for 6 months does that to a mammal. Nick and Judy found their bodies had them standing in front of the buffalo in salute before their minds had even caught up to what was happening. Nick cursed himself, thinking they were about to be chewed out over the fraternization policy. He went to speak, but Bogo cut him off before he could get the first syllable out.
"I don't have any time for your mouth Wilde," Bogo grunted, eyeing the pair. "At least not here. We have a hostage situation in Little Rodentia, and we need you down there."
"Uhm, sir?" Judy said, her mind starting to function slightly behind the confused fox. "I know that we're still the smallest mammals on the force, but we're beat cops, not hostage negotiators.
"You read my mind Hopps, but this isn't a typical hostage negotiation. The suspect asked for Wilde specifically. Apparently he's an old friend, of yours," Bogo said, turning to Wilde. "His name's Robin Locksley."
"Oh for God's sake," Nick said, bringing his hand up to cover his eyes.
"I take it you recognise the name," Bogo replied. "So Wilde, any idea why a fox with a handgun and two dozen rodent hostages would ask for you by name?"
Nick sighed, but answered, "Yes sir. So you know before I went straight and joined the force? Where I was a street hustler who, while I tip-toed on the edge of the law? I never crossed the line?" he asked. He was never 100% sure if Bogo was convinced of that. The buffalo just stood there impassive. "Well you know how I played to the stereotype of the shifty, cunning fox? And I was good at it?"
"I would say sly, myself, but yes," Bogo said, still as stoic as ever.
"Well Rob was like me, but more inclined to step on the wrong side of the law and a hell of a lot more stupid." Nick groaned, closing his eyes as the memories came flooding back. "And a crackhead, which probably explained both of those issues. Where I hustled, he lied. Where I convinced people to hand over their money, he just stole it. He was arrested for burglary a couple of times, but never robbery. He wasn't one for violence…at least I thought so." Nick's eyes fell to the floor.
"And how do you know him?" Bogo asked, his voice urgent, but calm.
"We grew up together, I helped him out a few times, gave him money to pay off his debts." Nick answered. He suddenly felt a warm spot on his arm, and turned to see Judy who had been listening intently and placed her paw there. She nodded, silently indicating it was OK to continue. Nick turned back to Bogo. "But that was it sir. I never helped him with anything else, he was, well a friend who was down on his luck."
"I believe you Wilde. And don't worry, we vet our applicants very carefully," Bogo said, smiling. Nick nodded. When they had first met that fateful night in the Rainforest District, the chief had made it very clear he trusted foxes about as far as he could throw them (which was a bit ironic considering their relative sizes). But since joining the force, while gruff, Bogo had been nothing but fair to Nick, even with the sarcastic remarks. He had a feeling a certain bunny had been more than responsible for Bogo's change of attitude. "Believe me, if there was even the slightest chance of anything above the petty frauds you did, you would be in the cells rather than putting people in them." Bogo paused before continuing. "Hell you remember that internal affairs agent that came to chat to me last month? The one that ended in me shouting them out of the office?"
"Uhm, no?" Nick replied confused.
"In fairness sir, you shout a lot of people out of your office," Judy cut in.
"Point taken," Bogo replied. "Let's just say she made some disparaging and bigoted remarks about a certain more than capable canine officer. I'm pretty sure they got the message when I dared her to present any evidence to their claims."
"And threatened to throw her out of the window," Judy added, chuckling. Say what you want about Bogo, but he cared for the officers in his precinct. He took accusations from internal affairs very seriously. Nick knew crooked cops happened, hell he'd even hustled a couple, but never from precinct one, at least from as from the time he worked out Bogo had been in charge.
"Anyway," Bogo said before more laughter started. "We're not exactly sure what happened, but we do know Locksley was caught stealing cars just outside the main highway entrance to Rodentia. Things didn't go as he planned. Someone called the police and officers Swinton and Wolford got called in. He panicked, grabbed a bus full of rodents and ran through the tunnel into the main park inside the district. It was about this time he started waving a gun around." Nick groaned audibly. Robin was always as dumb as a sack of hammers. But this? If he was going out of his way to prove foxes weren't as smart as everyone thought, he was doing a bang up job.
"Our negotiators have tried, but he said he only wants to speak to you. Seems you've become somewhat famous in the fox community Wilde," Bogo said. "Look I know you're not trained for this, but you're probably the only chance Locksley has. Apparently after the negotiator said he'd get you, he's calmed down a lot." Bogo took a deep breath. "But if you don't want to do this, we'll have to try something else, which unfortunately may end up being lethal for the hostages, Locksley, or both."
"Understood sir, let's get going," Nick said without any hesitation. He felt Judy's grip tighten slightly, and just realised she hadn't moved her hand during the entire conversation.
"Permission to join my partner sir!" Judy shouted.
"Sorry Hopps, Locksley asked for Nick, alone." Bogo said, sighing. "But you're coming anyway. You're the only other mammal who can get in to Rodentia quickly. I'm assuming you'll want her on the radio the entire time Wilde?" he asked as he turned to Nick, who nodded in response "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"One hundred percent sir."
"Good. Let's go."
