The fox dashed down the stairs, nearly jumping over every flight, and bolted through the door leading into the carpark.

"Stop!" Judy yelled, chasing after the fox just as fast.

"You two are going to break your necks running down at that speed," Nick warned as he followed, sliding through the closing door. The suspect was already at her car. A pop echoed through the carpark as she pulled open her car door, and entered hastily. Judy ran even faster, and hurled herself toward the car, but the fox had already shut the door. The bunny broke the impact with her paws, bouncing off the car while the vehicle jerked violently and shot forwards. Soon, it was on a free run, but not before Judy latched onto the back.

"Hey! No! Carrots, let go!" Nick yelled, and pointed a dart gun at the car. After aiming briefly, he fired at a rear tire. The dart missed his target and was sliding off the car when Judy caught it. The car was already going at a reckless speed, with its driver desperate to escape. Holding onto a protruding part in the car's design, Judy used her free paw and jammed the dart into the car wheel. A hiss sounded as the wheel began to deflate. Much too slowly. Judy held onto the car tightly as it zoomed up the ramp to the exit. It slammed through a barrier, and broad daylight flashed down as it escaped the darkness of the car park. Nick fished out his walkie talkie, and called for backup while running after the car.

On the surface, Judy was still interested in catching the suspect, but she couldn't do it as she hung on for dear life on the swerving and jerking vehicle. A few gasping animals watched as the car shot past, not sure of what to do. The car slowed down as it hit a more congested area, and going at a more bearable speed. Taking her chance, Judy climbed onto the top of the car, and stretched toward the right side of it to get at the passenger seat's door. The fox inside caught her trying to do so, and locked the doors with a press of a button.

Too late.

The officer burst in, and slammed the door shut.

"Stop the car!" She yelled, an obviously futile effort as the fox continued. The car entered an open road, and immediately, it sped up, throwing Judy back against the passenger seat. Judy growled, and reached for her tranquilizer, but he driver spotted her action, and swerved right, and then left, throwing the officer against the doors. The latter grabbed on to the driver's seat, and plucked the dart out from its launcher, holding it tightly in one paw. In one swift action, Judy stuck the dart into the fox's neck with controlled force, and the predator hissed and slammed the brakes. The car screeched to a violent halt, throwing Judy against the back of the driver's seat. But the tranquilizer had done its work. The suspect was fast asleep. Sirens soon made themselves clear as police cruisers entered the scene, choking the car's only two logical exit routes. Judy opened the door at the driver's seat, and pushed out the sleeping fox.

"You're one crazy bunny," Nick greeted, lifting the fox up with a fireman's carry, heaving as he did so.

"And you need to run more often,"

Judy retorted, rubbing a bruise on her cheek. "Multiple places are hurting," she groaned as she flinched from the pain.

"Any broken bones?" Nick asked. When the rabbit shook her head, Nick snorted.

"Then you're fine, Carrots. Come on, let's take this bugger back."

"Ugh, I'll give you a broken bone..." Judy grumbled, following him to the nearest police cruiser. The surrounding officers took it as their cue, and returned to their cars.

Judy and Nick watched through the one-way glass panel as Bogo interrogated the suspect. Her name was Emma Scarlet. She was a sleek fox, with an unnaturally dull fur color, like as if she was placed in a computer and painted a shade grayer. Her eyes seemed restless and unsettling dark rings were present under them. She was caught for stealing hundreds and thousands from her company, and from her looks, Judy assumed that she had some sort of drug problem. Chief Bogo exited the interrogation room, slamming the door behind him.

"We have a problem," he announced. "She's a drug addict. And she is going to jail for multiple theft cases, and other charges."

"Okay, what's the problem?" Nick pressed.

"I am getting to it. She has a fourteen-year-old son."

Judy and Nick exchanged glances.

"Wha..what about the father?" Judy asked.

"More good news regarding that. He passed away before the kid was even born. Their relatives are all out of contact... We'd have to give the kid to social services."

"What? There has to be something else!"

"No, there isn't," Bogo replied plainly. As much as he was hiding it, Bogo wasn't okay with the whole situation either. Things like that could easily ruin a child's life, but what other choice was there? He snorted.

"There is one way for it. If someone miraculously appears and agrees to take care of him until his mother is released," he said, skeptical that it was going to happen anyway. "In my experience, it has never happened."

He turned to leave, but Judy stopped him.

"Well, actually, I could take care of him," she offered. Nick gaped at her from behind, while Bogo stared at her from the front.

"What? He's a fox. And I'm guessing he's possibly bigger than you," Bogo said, almost humored by Judy's offer.

"How bad can it get anyway? It's not permanent..."

"With the combined charges, I estimate that our dear Emma here will be jailed for maybe 5 years, and that's if the trial proceeds immediately. If not, it could take six to ten years, if the judge is strict."

"Well I can't just watch the kid go into social services like that," Judy argued.

"Fine. You can. I don't care. I can give you the paperwork for it af..."

"Mom!"

The officers looked up from their desks as the voice hit everyone like a ton of bricks.

"Kid! Kid! You're not supposed...to be...up there!" The distinct (and out of breath) voice of Benjamin Clawhauser echoed up the stairs.

"What is the meaning of this?" Bogo demanded, glaring at Clawhauser for failing to catch the boy. It was a young fox, dressed in a school uniform, probably about the age of fourteen.

"Is my mom here?" He asked, seemingly desperate to know. Judy, Nick, and Bogo exchanged worried glances.

"Is your mom Emma Scarlet?" Nick asked, bending down to reach the teen's height.

"She... She really is here?" He asked.

"I'm... I'm sorry kiddo..."

"Wha...what's gonna happen to her?"

His question put everyone at a loss for words. He already seemed upset enough, and it seemed as though anything could crack him. And nobody thought of anything at the moment to say. He looked down, sighing, and slumped as he stood there. The kid looked small and vulnerable the way he was. Judy couldn't feel anything but pity.

"It was only a matter of time," he murmured, shutting his eyes. Surprisingly, no tears emerged. He opened his eyes again, and this time, it was evident that he was frowning.

"It's going to be okay," Judy comforted, placing a paw gently on his shoulder. His frown deepened, and he turned away.

"What's gonna happen now?" He asked, seemingly bracing himself for a hard answer.

"While your mother is...away, you will be taken care of by Officer Hopps here," Bogo explained in the best comforting voice he had, gesturing at Judy. Like as if a button was pressed, the fox gaped at the rabbit with an extreme change in emotion so drastic that one would have thought something even more shocking happened.

A silent word escaped his mouth, caught by nobody but Judy.

"What?"

It was a scene when Emma Scarlet was escorted out of the interrogation room, and nobody had the heart to deny her one last look at her only child for a long time to come. The young fox was secretly blinking back tears as his mother was finally escorted out of sight. It was hard to feel any one emotion for him. His mother was not the most caring. Scarlet had spent way more time working and going on strange little trips on her own to really change much in his life. To him, she was probably the one that simply provided shelter, food and water, and nothing else. But yet, she was still his parent, and it pained him to see someone that he was with for so long, suddenly disappear...as good as permanently. He had always walked back from school. Although his mother had a car, she never seemed to have the time to pick him up or drop him off. And that was when he saw police cars surrounding his mother's car, along with another fox placing her motionless body in one of them. And so he followed, and traced them all the way back to the station. It had been a simple task to outrun the unfit receptionist at the counter. But now, he wondered if he would've felt better if he had simply listened to the cat and returned home instead.

"Come on," Judy said, desperate to take his mind off the situation. "Let's go to your place and pick up your stuff okay?"

He looked at her (because he was indeed just a tiny bit shorter), considered briefly, and then nodded slowly.

"Don't worry there champ, you're going to be alright," Nick comforted, following rabbit and the schoolboy out of the office.

The engine of Nick's car hummed as it drove through Zootopia. The silence was suffocating, and it seemed to absorb the air in the car as it thickened with awkwardness.

"What's your name?" Judy asked, looking back from the front seat. The young fox waited for a moment before replying.

"Isaac."

More awkward silence.

No other conversations took place until they reached their destination. It was a small apartment, probably with two small bedrooms, an excuse of a living room (or corridor) connecting the rooms together, and a toilet. It was probably about three times the size of Judy's old apartment, but even then, that was small for two people. The rabbit had saved up for a new apartment, and it was significantly larger than her last one. More than enough room to fit in another being. It didn't surprise Judy when Isaac took less than ten minutes to pack up his belongings.

"That's all?" Nick asked. The younger predator nodded, and headed back to the car. All he carried was a laptop, a box full of papers and dusty books, and a school bag. Judy held a separate box of clothing, while Nick gathered random bits and pieces that he'd thought a kid would want or need.

The journey back was more or less quiet. Nick and Judy were careful not to incite anything, and Isaac wasn't in any mood to get them to do otherwise. They had gotten dinner outside, and then Nick helped Judy unpack Isaac's belongings into a spare room.

"You sure that you're okay for now?" Nick asked once more. It was late, and he had to return home, but even then, he didn't want to leave Judy with anything big left to do.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Isaac had a long day, I'm sure he's tired," Judy replied.

"Good luck Carrots," Nick did a mock salute, and left.

"Why am I unpacking my stuff into an empty room, and sleeping in another one?" Isaac inquired as Judy showed him his sleeping quarters.

"Well, it's temporary, I'll move a bed into that room tomorrow."

Isaac looked around the room, noticing the details. Isaac grunted in reply, and got onto the bed, sitting up on it.

"All good?" The rabbit asked. Isaac lowered his head, hiding a frown, which Judy easily caught.

"What's wrong?" She pressed. If she knew anything about solving problems, she knew that talking about them helped.

"Everything is wrong..." He murmured. "My mom was arrested, I live somewhere else now... And the bunny that arrested her is taking care of me." His voice slowly became inaudible as he finished. Judy was speechless. Her mind voided itself of any ideas to comfort him. What he said, gave her the impression that she was the problem. His eyes met hers, and she felt a pang of guilt. He might as well have stabbed her with a stake.

"I...I'll give you some time alone for now," she finally said, and left the room, closing the door on her way out.

That night she had her night's sleep on the television couch. And though it was arguably comfortable enough to spend the night on, she didn't sleep well that night.

She simply couldn't.