This was inspired by the Criminal Case games on Facebook, though the cases are mainly modeled after Seasons 1 and 2, since 3 and 4 are too varied and 5's only about a quarter done, as of when I started this. There may be a couple inspired by 5, though, since there are some interesting ones so far, and there will also be cases from games that aren't associated with CC, I just thought they'd be cool to include.

Case 1: Meet and Fear

"You can't be serious, Chief."

Judith Hopps crossed her arms, staring coldly at the huge male across from her, seated in a plush faux-leather chair as she stood stiffly on the hard plastic seat of hers, grossly oversized like all the other furniture in the building. His nostrils flared as he snorted, reaching for the bottom drawer of his desk to pull out several files, placing them on top with a loud enough slap to make even her flinch.

"I am being quite serious, Lieutenant," Chief Adrian Bogo returned tightly, shoving the folders toward her. She didn't have to read them, she knew perfectly well what they were, and she knew she would never forget them. "I refuse to have a loose cannon running solo on the streets, I've let you get away with it for too long already."

Her lip twitched in annoyance, her hand tightening on her arm as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. She'd always worked best on her own, there wasn't any reason for him to keep bogging her down.

"I've told you time and again that I don't need a partner," she voiced, leaning forward to slam her hands on the desk's edge. Her lip curled further in an icy sneer. "Especially some kid who's so green he might as well be a—"

"That's enough!" he stood sharply, looming over her. It took more than she'd ever admit to meet his glare, until he finally shoved out a breath, dropping back in his chair and rubbing a thick hand across his eyes. "As I've said before, I've let you skirt too many regulations already, I am not about to send you back into the streets without backup."

Judy scoffed, she had been stuck with administrative duties for the past month: assisting with dispatch, working the evidence check-out, painstakingly digitizing the mountains of reports crowding the records room. The one upside was it left her with plenty of time to keep her skills sharp, to prove she didn't need another mammal dragging her down. Her gut tightened just at the thought of it.

"I'm the best officer this place has seen in years," she returned smoothly, body rigid with indignation. "You've said that yourself, and you and I both know that a partner would just hold me back!"

Bogo snorted again, turning to the low shelf behind him to grab another file, shoving the others aside to drop it neatly between them. She didn't have to ask who this one belonged to, either, her eyes narrowing to slits as she glared at the name stuck on the tab. The cadet had performed exceptionally well at the academy, even better than her in some aspects, as loathe as she was to admit it.

"You being my best officer is exactly why I'm entrusting you with this," he tapped the folder with one thick finger. "He's one of our most promising cadets, and I know he'll become an exemplary officer with your mentorship."

She didn't care about the compliment, and she didn't have any qualms about telling him exactly where he could shove it.

"Sorry, Chief," she straightened, crossing her arms again. "But if I'd wanted to be a preschool teacher, then that's the job I would've gotten, so I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

She moved to leave, thinking that was the end of it, until his next words stopped her cold.

"Then you're fired."

He said it so calmly, sitting down and putting the files away. She gaped at him, her jaw working soundlessly before she could finally speak.

"Y-You can't do that to me, Chief!" she shouted. "Y-You just agreed I was—!"

"Exactly, you were," he returned her shocked stare evenly. "But seeing as you're no longer interested in doing your job, then you have no reason to keep your badge. You have an hour to clear out your desk."

She sputtered, gesturing uselessly with her hands as she tried and failed to form a coherent sentence. Finally, she threw them down, mentally saying goodbye to her pride.

"Fine, I'll do it!" those four short words took forever to say, and she was panting when she finished. She couldn't believe he'd pulled such a dirty trick. She leaned forward again, pressing her hands back on the desk. "I'll mentor the kid!"

If he were anyone else, she was sure he would've chuckled at just how quickly she'd changed her tune, but his lips didn't even twitch in the ghost of a smirk.

"You'll meet with him during roll call, I have you two assigned to parking duty."

She had to bite her tongue to keep back what she thought, instead pulling back from the desk and giving a sharp salute.

"Yes, sir."

He barely acknowledged her, already working on the stack of forms that never seemed to end. With that silent dismissal, she hopped to the floor and stalked out, her fists tight with fury as she stormed toward the staircase.

The least I can do is show that kid what he's in for, she thought, a hard smile coming to her lips. And I think I know just where to start.

Rookie Nicolas Erramun stood to the side of the massive, frosted glass doors, dragging in a breath to try and calm his scampering nerves. It was his first day on the job, and he'd promised himself he wouldn't screw it up, despite all the mammals that told him there was no way he could. He'd been preparing his whole life for this, had gone through almost a year of hell for it, he wasn't about to let his fear get the best of him.

He pushed away from the wall, taking another moment to straighten himself out before finally heading inside. He didn't think he'd ever get used to just how massive the atrium was, open and airy, sunlight pouring in through the ceiling windows. It was hard to believe only months had passed since he'd last been there, when he'd turned in his application for the police academy. The entrance exam had been three weeks later, several more dragging by as he'd waited for the letter that would determine his future.

It had been silly to think he would fail, he came from a long line of cops, after all, but the fear had still been there when he'd gotten the envelope. As much as he'd wanted to tear it open, he'd waited until he'd reached the apartment he'd still shared with his parents, nearly shaking from nerves as he'd finally let himself tear into it. Only to cheer like a kit when he'd read those words: 'you have been accepted'.

"Nick!"

He beamed when he saw the girl running toward him, a bright smile on her face that only got bigger when he swept her up, both of them laughing as he set her back on her feet. Skyler had been part of one of last year's classes, and was already well on her way to becoming Precinct One's top forensic analyst. She was a red fox like him, except with a mutation that left her fur a pale cream, her eyes blue as the sky she was named after. Their mom called it champagne.

"I almost can't believe it," she gushed before hugging him again. "My baby brother's finally a cop!"

He laughed, rolling his eyes good-naturedly as she started fussing over him, fixing the crisp new uniform she'd wrinkled when she'd tackled him, straightening his badge before stepping back to look at him.

"I know I've seen you in uniform before," she said, still smiling. "But I don't think I'll ever get over how perfect it looks on you."

"I know, right?" he huffed a breath over his claws before shining them on his shirt. His own red and cream coat complimented the navy fabric, his green eyes the perfect contrast. "It's like I was born to wear it!"

He laughed again when she jabbed his shoulder, letting himself be dragged along by the hand as she pulled him toward the front desk. The overweight cheetah behind it was staring dreamily at his phone, propped against the dispatch microphone, no doubt watching another of his Gazelle videos.

"Hey, Benny!" Skye practically sang it, stopping far enough back so he could see them past the edge of the desk. "Look who's here!"

Benjamin Clawhauser didn't look up until the video was over, his brown eyes getting as big as they could as he pressed his hands to his mouth, giving an excited squeal Nick was sure would always put his teeth on edge.

"O-M-Goodness, it's finally happened!" he clapped, caring as little as Skye that he was making a scene. Nick curled in on himself a bit as everyone else in the room turned toward them, several flashing their own smiles before giving a thumb's up. It had been crazy enough at his graduation ceremony, since he was only the second fox to graduate from the academy in the ZPD's history, and the first to make valedictorian. He gasped when Ben suddenly swiped him up, crushing him in a hug that left him lightheaded when he was finally released.

"Well, now that my ribs are broken," he coughed, holding his side. "I really wish you guys wouldn't make such a big deal out of it, I would've ended up here sooner or later."

"It would've been sooner," Skye spoke up. "If you hadn't almost shattered your arm."

Nick winced. He'd been going through one of his 'practice drills' for the academy: climbing a tree in two minutes or less, when the branch he'd just dug his claws into had suddenly broken off. He'd only been about six feet up, but the branch had landed on his left arm, that and the fall enough to break it in four places. He'd had no choice but to postpone submitting his application, setting his plans back a full year, but it had also meant Skye had been able to tell him exactly what he would be up against. And even that extra time to train hadn't been enough.

"As fun as it is reliving that memory," he cleared his throat, adjusting the tie that was already neat as a pin, if just slightly looser than it should've been. "I should really get to roll call, that's where Bogo said I'd meet my partner."

Skye shook her head.

"I don't get why you can't just call him 'Uncle Adrian'," she said. "I don't have a problem doing it!"

They'd been adopted by Bogo's younger brother and his wife when Skye had been three, Nick six weeks. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his tail starting to twitch in annoyance.

"I told you, it just sounds weird when he's acting as our boss, and I don't want anyone thinking I didn't get here on my own," he added. "Or that I'll be looking for special treatment because I'm the chief's nephew."

He wasn't surprised when she opened her mouth to argue, or when she shut it again, knowing she'd been subject to that same prejudice.

"I guess you're right," she agreed. "But I think I've at least been here long enough that mammals wouldn't think that, though I doubt anyone would think you would."

It was no small secret how hard he'd trained for this, putting aside almost anything that hadn't had to do with getting in the academy. He ran a hand between his ears, then rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'd like to think that," he dropped his hand and turned to Clawhauser, already back behind his desk with another Gazelle music video cued up on his phone.

"You wouldn't happen to know who Judy Hopps is, would you?"

He jumped when something crashed behind him, a polar bear he recognized as Kyle Snarlov having dropped the case of manuals he'd been carrying. Likely because he was laughing his ass off.

"So you're the sap who got stuck with Hopps?" he cracked up again, his chest heaving when he finally got control of himself again. Nick glanced at Skye before heading over, helping him pile the spilled books back in their box.

"Going by your reaction, I'm guessing she has some kind of problem?"

Snarlov shook his head.

"That's an understatement, she's got a rod up her ass the size of Tundratown, and that's the good news."

Nick hesitated before picking up the last book, drumming his fingers on the faded paper cover.

"Then what's the bad news?"

He scoffed, getting to his feet and tucking the box under his arm.

"I wouldn't even know where to start with that," he said, taking the last manual when Nick held it out. "But let's just say you'll be lucky to last a month with her."

Nick swallowed. He'd heard rumors about Hopps, of course, there'd been no shortage of them at the academy, and thanks to her picture being on the wall of record-breakers, he knew exactly what she was capable of.

"She can't really be that bad, though," there was no hiding his nerves now. "Can she?"

The bear chuckled again, putting a massive hand on the fox's back.

"All I'll say is you'd better stay on your toes around her, and whatever you do, do not call her cute."

He shuddered, then took off, almost knocking over a plant in his rush. Nick swallowed, his tail frizzed as he went back to Skye and Ben.

"So, I should really get to roll call, then," he messed with his tie again. "Sounds like I shouldn't keep Hopps waiting."

Ben quickly shook his head. Nick was surprised he'd heard the conversation at all.

"Judy never shows up at roll call," he said. "She's always training downstairs at this time of day."

So, at least one of the rumors was true. She never stopped going, and now he wondered if she really did live in the precinct like that moose had said.

"Well, guess I'll just meet her down there then," Nick smoothed out his fur before heading for the stairs. "I'll see you guys later!"

It was easy to follow the sounds of grunting and blows landing. Nick peeked into the room, his jaw dropping when he saw the small figure on one of the sparring mats, her fists a blur as she beat the crap out of a training dummy. She leapt up for a kick that sent it toppling off its hook, catching herself on her hands and wrapping her thighs around its stuffed chest, finishing off with a suplex that almost ripped its head off.

Wow…he swallowed, putting up a cool facade as he stepped inside, unable to keep his eyes off of her. Her tall, black-tipped ears were tied back, her blue neoprene bodysuit clinging to the sweep of her narrow waist and the swell of her full hips. The short tuft of her tail twitched above the firm curve of her rear, his gaze drawn down the path of her long, lean legs. His mouth went dry when she turned, her pale gray and white fur damp with sweat, her head tipped back as she finished off a bottle of water. Her lilac eyes glimmered when the overhead lights hit them, her small pink tongue coming out to lick even pinker lips. He'd seen a lot of pictures of her at the academy, but none of them came close to doing her justice.

"Watch your own ass, rookie," she snapped suddenly. Her voice was light, but hard with anger. Her eyes narrowed, her thin dark brows drawing down in a scowl. "You might live longer."

"Uh…" he cleared his throat, his ears burning. "I-I'm sorry, it's just…that was awesome."

She continued to glower at him, twisting the empty water bottle before folding it over on itself.

"Uh-huh," she dropped it on the floor and crossed her arms. "You lost or something?"

He looked at her, then shook his head.

"I'm not lost," he managed firmly, not letting her see that she got to him. "Clawhauser said I could find you down here. I'm Nick Erramun, your new partner."

She rolled her eyes, snatched the ruined bottle and crushed it further.

"I hope you're not expecting me to say I'm happy to start working with you," she said coldly. "This mentoring shit's a waste of my time."

She turned and stalked away, slamming the bottle through the 'plastic' hole on the recycling bin next to the locker room door. She started to push it open, pausing to glare at him again.

"I'm stuck with you until you actually know how to do your job, rookie, so you better learn fast."

She turned away before he could speak, letting the door drop shut behind her, the sound echoing through the large, empty room. Nick could only stand there gaping, and it took a few minutes to regain his bearings. He'd asked about her at the academy, the teachers saying she was one of the brightest, peppiest cadets they'd ever seen, and that she had a heart the size of Zootopia. He'd heard she'd become a hard ass since then, Snarlov had confirmed that much, but he'd never thought it would be that bad. What the hell had happened to her?

Guess I'll just have to find out, he smoothed a hand over the frizzed fur on the back of his neck, feeling his heart pound behind the weight of his badge. He wasn't afraid, it would take a lot more than a doe with anger issues to do that, but he couldn't deny he was worried. His first day on the job, and his partner already hated him, and they still had the rest of the week to get through, plenty of time for something else to go wrong.

I'll just have to make sure it doesn't, then, he looked at the door one last time, then headed out, already making plans for the next morning. He would show Judy just how wrong she was about him, and that he wasn't about to let her give up, either.

Erramun means 'mighty defender' in Basque, but according to some other sites, can also mean 'protector' or 'advice'. I really wish they could all just pick a meaning and stick with it already…