Repeat the Beat
Chapter 01

5:00 AM
…Wake me up before you go-go
'Cause I'm not plannin' on going solo
Wake me up before you go-go
Take me dancing tonight…
"Ah! What an upbeat song to start the day. Hello all you early risers! This is Phil Sowerby with today's forecast. We're looking at a pretty gloomy morning here, slightly overcast, but we'll be getting clear skies and high seventies by this afternoon. This has been Phil Sowerby with your early morning forecast."
Nick was stirred from his sleep by the sound of his radio alarm-clock. If there was one thing he hated about his job, it was that his partner insisted on the early wake-up before work. Regardless of her insistence though, the fox turned off his alarm and crept back under the covers of his bed.

6:32 AM
The sound of knocking at his door drove him awake.
"Nick! Are you still sleeping?" He heard Judy call from out in the hall.
The fox pulled himself up and towards the incessant noise that the bunny was making.
"Nick!" She called again just as he unlocked the door.
"Will you quit it Carrots?" He asked as he let her in. "You'll wake up the neighbours if you keep that up."
"Well I wouldn't have to if you got up yourself," she told him. "Didn't you set your alarm?"
"I did, and I heard it."
"But judging by the way you're dressed, you only just got out of bed," she smirked.
"What I wear in my apartment is my choice," the boxer-clad fox replied as he returned to his room.
"I'll be waiting in the kitchen, Slick," Judy grinned.

7:18 AM
"Here you go," the barista said as he offered the two their order. "One Carrot-crème Latte, one Americano, and two honey-glazed donuts."
"How is it that you can drink that, Nick?" Judy asked as she took a bite of her donut.
"I'm naturally nocturnal, Carrots," he replied as he took a sip. "I need all the caffeine I can get to do this job during the day."
"Huh, I guess I never thought about it that way," she admitted. "But how do you stand the taste?"
"I don't drink it because it tastes good. And really, you're asking me after ordering a coffee that is hardly coffee anymore?"
"Unlike you, I don't need the extra energy. I order this because I like it."
The bunny emphasized her point by taking a sip and letting out a sigh of satisfaction.
"Well if you're done making out with your "coffee" we're gonna be late for the subway," Nick joked, meriting a playful punch from his partner.

7:30 AM
The duo entered the car just in time, squeezing among the larger mammals that were already riding.
"Looks like we're standing again," Nick commented as he reached up for a pawhold.
Judy grumbled next to him, she was too short to reach up and had to resort to gripping the fox's arm. Nick didn't mind the contact, but he could tell that she felt a bit embarrassed by the gesture.

7:54 AM
Nick walked into the male's locker room and was immediately tackled by a half-naked Fangmeyer.
"Ha! Gotcha Wilde!" The white wolf laughed as he unpinned the fox.
"Yep, you got me," he smiled as he straightened his shirt.
"So, what do you think the chief has for us today?" Fangmeyer asked as he went back to dressing himself.
"Probably the same old stuff as usual," Nick replied as he opened up his locker and started putting his own uniform on. "Just as long as I don't get Parking Duty, I'm fine with anything."
"How can you be so sure that you wouldn't enjoy it?" The white wolf teased. "You've never even been assigned it since your first day."
"I know, but I've heard enough complaints from Carrots that have me thinking otherwise."
"Pfft. She's a female. Females complain about everything," Fangmeyer waved off.
"Oh sure, but they make better company than any male could," Nick smirked.
"Well if you think that, they why don't you go join them in their locker room?" The white wolf dared.
"Ha! That'd be suicide," the fox laughed. "If Francine caught me in there, I'm sure I'd be a pancake, at best."
The two friends laughed it off as they finished getting ready for roll call.

8:34 AM
Nick sat in his usual spot, Judy impatiently sitting right next to him. Bogo had called out the squads for the day and, as usual, had left their designation for last.
"Hopps. Wilde," the buffalo called as the last of the force left the room. "You'll be patrolling the lower-west side of Sahara Square and then the lower-east side of Savanna Central this afternoon."
"Any reason for the shift in patrol area, sir?" Judy asked.
"Just do your job, Hopps," Bogo grumbled. "And while you're at it, keep an eye on Wilde."
"I'm hurt, chief," the fox said in mock pain.
"Now get going."
The two got on their feet and walked out of the bull-pen.

9:02 AM
"Ugh, this weather is horrible," Nick commented as he rested his chin on the dashboard.
Outside, the dunes of Sahara Square were dully coloured from the lack of sun. As another drawback, the district was slightly chillier than normal, resulting in Judy shivering slightly in her seat behind the wheel.
"You know, you can raise the AC if you want," Nick commented without moving from his spot.
"Nick, I can handle a little cold," she protested. "And if I raise it, won't you be uncomfortable?"
"I can handle the heat, Carrots, I practically have my own climate with all this fur," he stated while straightening up and looking to his partner. "You, on the other paw, have pretty short fur, not to mention that your uniform is a little lacking in insulation, am I right?"
Judy's ears flushed a little pink at the comment.
"Maybe I'll raise it just a little," the bunny shyly said as she adjusted the AC.

11:27 AM
"Nick, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Judy asked as she perched herself on top of the steering wheel.
The fox followed her gaze and found a couple of mammals in ski masks running out of a gas station just a dozen yards away.
"Looks like a disturbance to me," Nick smirked as he donned his aviators. "Should we give them a head start? Or have them panic?"
"I vote panic," the bunny replied with a grin as she buckled up.
Nick switched on the sirens and chuckled as the two robbers jumped in shock before diving into a waiting car.

11:36 AM
"PULL OVER, NOW!" Nick's voice roared through the megaphone as they continued to chase the robbers.
The chase had proved to be a lot more troublesome than it was worth. They had led them through the cramped alleys of lower Slot Street before finally heading off onto the more open Big Dune Boulevard.
"Carrots! Can't you get us any closer!? Maybe attempt a PIT maneuver!?" Nick exclaimed in frustration.
"Not with all these civilians around, Nick!" Judy protested.
"Ugh! Fine! I'm calling backup, then," The fox said in defeat. "Hopefully, McHorn can set up a blockade before we reach his patrol area."
"Do it. I'll keep sticking to them."
Nick picked up the car transceiver and called up dispatch.
"Clawhauser! This is Wilde. Hopps and I are 10-80. Target is uncooperative. Requesting a 10-93."
"Officer Wilde, this is Dispatch," Clawhauser's voice chirped through the radio. "What's your 10-20?"
"Big Dune, heading east, just passing Aloe," Nick informed the cheetah.
"10-4."
"And now we wait," Judy quipped as she held the steering firm.
At that moment, Nick noticed one of the robbers leaning out the window.
"What the-"
Gunshots fired and a loud pop was heard. The cruiser lurched to the left just as Nick instinctively reached for the steering wheel and pulled it to the right. Judy hit the brakes not too soon afterwards.
"FUCK!" The bunny cursed as she hit the wheel with her fists.
"Hopps and Wilde! This is dispatch. We got that 10-93," Clawhauser's voice chirped again.
"Clawhauser, we're 10-7. Flat tire. Target is 10-32."
"10-4. I'll have another squad take over," Clawhauser replied. "Better luck next time, you guys."
Judy let her head fall on the steering, causing the horn to beep and scare a couple of passersby.
"I'll get the jack and spare," Nick declared as he proceeded to get out.

11:52 AM
"And there we go!" Nick exclaimed in exhaustion as he sank into his seat. "How's the chase going?"
Judy had been keeping contact with Clawhauser in regards to the escaped robbers; McHorn's team had taken the reins and had chased the thieves the length of Sahara Square.
"Still no word," the bunny simply said.
"Hey Judy, you still there?" Clawhauser's voice chirped from the radio.
"Still here, although Nick finished fixing the tire."
"Well McHorn finally caught them, so you can relax now."
"Thanks Ben," Judy replied with a smile.
"No problem. Good luck on the rest of your shift."
Judy sank back into her own seat, sighing in relief of the tension.
"Lunch break?" Nick offered.
"Lunch break."

12:31 PM
Nick sat down in the booth with a sour look on his face.
"How difficult is it to remove onions?" He asked to no one as he unwrapped his cicada burger.
"I'm guessing: not that difficult?" Judy hazarded as she finished up her salad.
"NOT AT ALL!" The fox exploded, meriting a few looks from other mammals. "It's nothing much, just a simple gesture, and yet it took them THREE tries to get it right!"
The bunny patiently sipped at her drink as her partner continued to rant.
"I would understand forgetting the first time. Heck, I would probably let it slip on the second. But THREE!? You've got to be kidding me! It's like they have the memory of a goldfish!"
Judy took the time to but in as Nick was drawing breath for another set of rants.
"You know. If you keep on yapping, your burger will get cold before you even start."
Nick stopped in his tracks.
"Sly bunny."
"Dumb fox."

1:13 PM
Nick turned the corner as he exited the coffee shop, a fresh cup of coffee in each paw for him and his partner. Judy had parked the cruiser just down the street, right in the shadow of the buildings so that it would get too hot with the rising temperature.
As Nick came closer to the vehicle however, he noticed that some small mammals were crowded around the passenger side of the vehicle; a couple of wolves, a lion and a weasel. He figured it to be a bit odd, and slowed his pace so that they wouldn't notice him. The fox deduced that the mammals were just teenagers hanging out, judging from the flashy clothing they were wearing. He could hear snickers coming from their direction and wondered what it was that was so funny. Nick found his answer as the teenagers backed away from the cruiser, revealing that they had spray-painted on the side. Were once it had been a sheer white background with ZPD emblazoned in black, there was now a blood red E in front of it, along with the P being blotted out and then added back at the end.
"HEY!" Nick shouted as he dropped the coffees and ran for the teenagers.
"RUN!" One of the wolves exclaimed before bolting, prompting his group to scatter.
The fox stood next to the defaced cruiser, fuming. How did Judy not notice them? He peered into the vehicle to find Judy alertly looking up and down the street while perched on the wheel. He rapped on the window, causing the bunny to jump and almost fall into her seat. She waved to him as he beckoned her outside without a word.
"Hey Nick," she greeted as she rounded the cruiser. "Where's our coffee?"
"Not why I called you out here, Carrots," the fox stated before stepping aside.
Judy's eyes widened at the sight of the red spray-paint.
"Wha- How?" She asked.
"I caught a bunch of teenagers doing this on my way back," Nick told her. "Unfortunately, they all ran off before I could grab them."
"We can't go riding around with that!" The bunny exclaimed, frantic.
"What I want to know is how come you didn't even notice them!" Nick scolded. "They were even laughing about the whole thing!"
"I-uh… I was… Uh…" Judy tried to explain with no success.
Nick sighed and held his face in his paw.
"Just find a way to get this off," he told her before rounding the vehicle and sitting in the driver's seat.

1:47 PM
Judy sat down in the passenger seat and gave out a heavy sigh. She had just spent the past half-hour or so wiping the cruiser clean of the offensive spray-paint.
"Well?" Nick asked.
"As if it never even happened," Judy replied.
"Except it did."
"They were in my blind spot!"
"You could have easily heard them!"
"I was trying to listen to other stuff!"
"Like what!? How the doe across the street got dumped by her boyfriend? How the giraffe is complaining about the height of the overpass? How the elephant is complaining about the portion of his meal being too small?"
"I don't eavesdrop on other mammals, Nick!" The bunny defended. "I was trying to listen to anything that might be suspicious."
"And the tell-tale sound of a spray-can isn't suspicious!?" Her partner retorted.
"I told you, they were in my blind spot!"
"You know what!? Forget it! This is going nowhere!"
"Consider it forgotten!"

2:46 PM
Nick walked up to the red sports car just as its driver was pulling down the window.
"Okay, Flash, what's the excuse this time?" He sighed as he looked at the sloth.
"Well… Nick… I was… Just… Coming… Back… From… My… Lunch… Break… And… Noticed… That I… Took… Too… Long… To eat," Flash slowly admitted.
"Okay, I can understand not wanting to be late, but you do understand that you were going twenty over the speed limit, right?" Nick told his friend.
"I… Was… Hoping… To not… Be… Caught… Again," the sloth moped.
"Well, I'm giving you one final warning," Nick said as he pulled out his pad and started writing a ticket, knocking off five of Flash's twenty exceeding miles per hour. "Just count yourself lucky that it was me and Carrots that caught you. Anyone else would've impounded your car by now."
Nick held out the written ticket for the sloth to take, an action that seemed to take forever for the fox. And as soon as the slip was firmly in Flash's grasp, the fox went back to his seat in the cruiser with Judy.
"So… How many does that make now?" He asked the bunny.
"That's three this past month," she announced as she set the vehicle in motion.
"Remind me to have his car impounded, the next time," Nick requested. "I can't keep letting him off the hook forever."
"Will do."

4:52 PM
"… And then he walks up to the weasel and slugs him! And I'm not talking about a love-tap or anything, the guy literally rag-dolled from the punch!"
"Oh my god!" Judy laughed as she imagined the scene that Nick shared. "Was he okay after that?"
"Finnick? He was fine. Had his paw in a cast for about a week, though," the fox shared.
"I meant Weaselton."
"Oh him," Nick chuckled as he raised a couple of fingers. "Two weeks in the hospital, broken jaw. Had to eat through a straw."
Judy tried her best to cover her smile; the weasel had had it coming for him, according to Nick's story. Their banter was cut short by a call on the radio:
"This is Officer Trunkaby calling for assistance from all available squads. We have an emergency situation on Pack and Troop."
Nick looked at his partner with raised eyebrows.
"Emergency situation?" He asked.
"What could be on Pack and Troop?" Judy asked herself.
"A bank, that's what," Nick replied as he recalled the layout.
"Okay, then let's go," the bunny quipped as she began to fasten herself in.
"Hold on, Carrots, that's on the other side of the district!"
"So?"
"So no matter how fast you drive this thing, chances are it'll be all over by the time we get there," the fox reasoned. "And how would you explain that in a report? That we were late for an emergency situation."
Judy grumbled and slumped back into her seat.
"Fine."
"Look, if we were any closer beforehand, then I would've been all for it," Nick admitted.
"Except we're not," she pouted.

5:03 PM
"This is Officer Trunkaby, calling all units. Situation has been resolved, no longer requesting assistance."
"And time!" Nick joked as he glanced at his phone.
His partner merely grumbled at his attempt to cheer her up.
"Cheer up, Carrots, we couldn't have planned it," the fox assured her.

5:35 PM
Their patrol shift over, Judy had set a course for the precinct.
"Well today was pretty eventful," she sighed, still feeling down for not joining in the emergency.
"I'll say. What was your favourite part? Mine was changing the wheel after our mishap," Nick joked.
"Then I guess mine would have to be cleaning up the paint," the bunny chuckled as she joined the humor. "That was a doozy."
"Yep, but I think I wouldn't mind NOT having another day like this," the fox smirked.
"You and me both," Judy said as she parked the cruiser in the precinct lot.

5:51 PM
"I'm done with mine. How 'bout you, Carrots?" Nick asked as he pushed away from his desk towards Judy's.
"Not even close," she admitted.
From what Nick could see, she was still reporting on the failed chase from that morning.
"Carrots, you don't have to write every little detail. We chased them all the way past Salt Street before they shot our tire out, end of story."
"That wasn't all that happened!" Judy glared at him.
"I know that, I'm just saying that you tend to get a little… Obsessive with the little things," Nick tried to convey. "Let me see that."
Before the bunny could as much as give an answer, he had pushed her away from the computer to look at the detailed report that she had written.
"At exactly 11:27 AM, a pig and a porcupine wearing black ski masks robbed a gas station before taking off in a midnight blue sedan that was waiting for them, driven by an unknown third party," the fox recited. "Hmm, seems similar to what I wrote, except with a dozen more words in it."
"Well excuse me for being wordy," his partner fumed.
Nick skipped ahead to the point of the blow-out.
"As Officer Wilde finished calling for backup, the porcupine leaned out the window and fired its weapon at our vehicle, hitting our driver-side tire. The vehicle naturally steered to the left against my wishes and we were heading for a nearby palm tree. Officer Wilde intervened at the last moment and jerked the steering back towards the street before I brought the vehicle to a full stop."
That was the end of the report. Judy hadn't finished when Nick slipped by, but he was amazed by everything that she recalled; he hadn't even seen the tree, he just didn't want the cruiser to fall into incoming traffic.
"Just don't forget your unsavoury language afterwards," the fox smirked, causing the bunny to push him back to his own desk.

6:02 PM
Nick walked into the male's locker room, exhausted from the day's events. He could have changed as soon as he was done, but he didn't want Judy to feel alone in their cubicle while doing her report. He was still thinking about the grey doe when Fangmeyer jumped him in surprise, causing the fox's fur to bristle.
"So! I heard you guys got the slip this morning!" The white wolf said as he went to his own locker.
"Yeah, but they still got caught," Nick relayed as he stripped his uniform and headed for the showers. "What about you, Harry? Anything crazy happen on your end?"
"I think I'm in love!" Fangmeyer dropped as he followed Nick.
Nick gave him a look of confusion.
"With who?"
"The new girl! Chelsea!" He explained, ecstatic.
Nick mulled through his memories of a new cop being introduced that morning.
"You mean the spotted hyena?" He asked in disbelief, not knowing that the imposing female was Fangmeyer's type.
"She's amazing! I'm so glad that I got paired with her today!" The wolf continued. "Sure, she's a bit rough around the edges, but that's what I love about her!"
"Well, Romeo, why don't you ask her out, then," Nick smirked.
"You know what? I think I will!"

6:13 AM
Nick watched as the hyena walked away from Fangmeyer with a smile on her face. The wolf, however, was slumped over where he stood.
"So, Romeo, how'd it go?" Nick asked him.
"She said that she wasn't sure," Fangmeyer admitted.
"And in female terms, that's a 'No'," the fox finished.
"I guess I'll just go now," the white wolf said as he made for the door. "Seeya tomorrow, Nick."
He waved off the forlorn wolf before noticing Judy standing next to him.
"Did something happen?" She asked.
"Harry's head-over heels for Chelsea, but she shot him down when he asked for a date," Nick told her.
"Oh…"
Judy's ears drooped at revelation.
"Speaking of," Nick said after clearing his throat. "Did YOU have any plans for tonight?"
"Nick Wilde, are you asking me out on a date?" The bunny smirked.
"Who, me? No. I was just wondering if you were free to join me for dinner," he reflected her smirk back.
She held the exchange in silence for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Sorry, Nick, but I'm not feeling up to it today," Judy sadly admitted as she started to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Nick's ears flattened in disappointment.
"Yeah… Sure…" He quietly replied as he followed her out the door.
As he stepped outside of the lobby, the fox caught the sight of Fangmeyer mopily walking away, a sadder reflection of his own feelings. Nick immediately decided to rectify this and caught up with the white wolf.
"Harry! Hey! You doing anything tonight?" He cheerily asked.
Fangmeyer shrugged as he continued staring at the sidewalk.
"Was thinking of heading home, maybe digging out that tub of ice cream I was saving and binging out on Game of Bones…"
"How 'bout this, I'll call up a friend and we can all go have drinks together, forget about this whole day," Nick offered.
Fangmeyer looked up at him, a sad look still in his eyes.
"Come on, Harry, nobody likes a lone wolf."
The wolf chuckled at the joke, which Nick took as a yes. He pulled out his phone and dialed a contact.
"Hey Big Guy! You up for some drinks? I'll see you at the usual place."
Nick hung up before he got a response.
"Don't worry, he'll be there," the fox assured his friend. "He's always up for a few beers."

6:46 PM
"Alright, who's this sad excuse for a rug?" Finnick jeered as he saw Nick and Fangmeyer.
The fennec was leaning against his van, already parked in front of their meeting place.
"Finnick, Harry. Harry, Finnick," Nick introduced them. "Harry works with me at the precinct, so he'd more than likely be able to make a rug out of you, Big Guy. And Finnick used to be my business partner before I joined the ZPD."
"You sure you're old enough to drink, little guy," Fangmeyer teased as he shook the fennec's paw.
"I'm old enough to kick your ass," he growled, strengthening his grip.
The wolf stared without flinching before laughing it off.
"You have a good taste in friends, Nick," he said as he walked off into the bar.
"So why'd you bring him?" Finnick asked as soon as the wolf was inside.
"He got shot down," the fox simply replied.
"Ouch. What about you?"
"Bad day in general, I could do with forgetting it."
"Whatever floats your boat," Finnick said as he followed the wolf.
Nick stared up at the building, the sign telling passersby that this was the location of the 'Tooth & Nail Bar'. It had been a pretty bad day, but it still wasn't his worst. The fox stepped inside to find his two friends alright chugging down a couple of beers, one mug already waiting for him.

10:59 PM
Nick stumbled into his apartment, still sloshed by all the alcohol that he had consumed. No matter how many times he went drinking with Finnick, it always amazed him how he was able to hold his liquor despite being half his size and drinking twice as much. Fangmeyer had also been in a happier mood the entire time, from what Nick could recall anyway.
The fox stripped down to his boxers as he made his way to his room, before crashing onto his bed. Nick quickly fell asleep due to a combination of alcohol and exhaustion.