A/N: Well, it's official. This movie has completely taken over my mind. So, here, have the product of that takeover. This was inspired by a comic by lenmue, here's the source: lenmue . tumblr post / 141364064815 , an english translation can be found here: imgur gallery / ArgFy

Some light spoilers, so if you don't want any, stop now!
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Good, now this is set between the end of the case and before Nick graduates the academy, so kinda in the middle of the end of the movie.

Nick wasn't sure how he'd ended up still having the Nighthowler pellet. It just sort of... happened. With all the chaos happening around him; the arrest of Bellwether, Judy being taken to the hospital for her injury and everything else, giving the pellet to police custody had slipped the fox's mind. He didn't even realize he still had the blue marble until some days later when he was doing late night laundry.

The pellet had fallen to the floor, thankfully NOT releasing the toxin inside, and rolled away. Nick, ever the one with a sweet tooth, followed after what he had ironically assumed was a blueberry. When he'd found the pellet instead, he nearly panicked at the sight, knowing what could have happened if the pellet had burst at any point. Scenarios where the toxin got into his clothes and infected him, causing him to go on a rampage plagued his mind. Sure, there was an antidote now, but how many people would get hurt before that was given to him? And what if, heaven forbid, he'd been infected when Judy was with him?

Being a glass-half-empty kind of guy, he was never any good at staying positive. The possibilities kept running through his mind, each one more and more gruesome than the last as he went about his morning routine and left for the Precinct. He'd resolved to turn in the pellet, give it over to evidence before he had to head to the police academy down the block, making sure the dangerous item was out of his hands. The fox would have come to the Police headquarters anyway, it wasn't like he would have to go out of his way to handle this problem. He'd made a habit of greeting his favorite police bunny before going to train, even going so far as to bring a donut or coffee on occasion, but with his mind elsewhere, he'd made the trip in a daze and come free of confectioneries. He hadn't even realized he'd arrived at Judy's desk until she greeted him.

The bunny glanced up as she noticed the bright red figure of Nick approaching, but didn't give more than a passing glance due to her workload. "Oh, hey Nick! You're here early, I thought you would have stayed in bed later since you were up so late. Don't deny it, I can tell. Sorry I can't chat, Bogo's got me writing reports..." Judy's smile dropped and her mile-a-minute talking stopped short when she noticed the expression on her friend's face. Her ears flopped down in worry, reports forgotten in an instant. "Nick, you OK?"

"Hmm?" Nick hummed barely listening to what his friend had said. He started when he finally realized where he was, shaking his head and covering his unease with a practiced easy smile, "Yeah, of course, I just didn't sleep last night, like you said, so I'm a bit tired."

Judy didn't believe that was the whole story, but she knew better than to ask right now. He'd share when he was ready. The rabbit shook her head with a fond smile, "You nocturnal mammals, always making bad sleeping choices."

"I think it's better than being such a bouncy morning person. I'm not the one who wakes up earlier than the sun and likes it." Nick teased. He would have made another comment about how morning mammals were the weird ones, but then something caught his eye, making his blood turn cold. "What happened to your shoulder?"

"This?" Judy glanced at her shoulder, seeing the gauze wrapped there. She shrugged with the other shoulder, playing off the situation as casual. "I got in a fight with a lynx yesterday. That's actually why I have so much paperwork. Can you believe it? I get a little cut and I have to fill out a molehill of paperwork. I'm pretty sure I'm getting more hurt from the papercuts than my injury."

Nick's ears swiveled flat against his skull, "You got hurt? By a lynx?"

"Well, yeah," Judy said slowly, not seeing the big deal, "Injuries happen, most perps don't want to be taken into custody, you know."

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right." Even though his words were in agreement, he was anything but. How dare some predator lay a claw on his friend?

"Did you want to say something?" Judy asked cautiously, noticing that he'd gone quiet and pensive again. She didn't like the dark look that had gone into her friend's eyes; something was eating at her soon-to-be partner, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Didn't he understand that cuts and bruises were just an occupational hazard? He had to know that they would get hurt... right?

Nick forced himself to lift his ears, but he could do nothing to lower the hackles that had raised in his anger. Thankfully, Judy couldn't see that from her shorter vantage point, and he knew it. All those years as a conman had its advantages in hiding his emotions effectively enough, and he was grateful for it. "I just wanted to tell you that I was ordering pizza tonight, if you wanted to join me."

Judy raised an eyebrow, debating whether she should raise the issue or not. On one hand, her curiosity burned right alongside her need to make sure Nick was OK, but next to that was the knowledge that he was avoiding the topic on purpose. She decided she'd ask him later, if he didn't say anything himself. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Meet me at my place at 7?"

"Sounds good to me," Nick gave a sly smile and turned to leave, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an academy to infiltrate."

"Nick!"

"Just kidding!" Nick laughed as he left the bullpen, but as soon as he was out of the door, his smile faded, the pellet all all but forgotten in his pocket. Judy had gotten hurt, probably because she was reckless, or alone, or just because she was Judy and the stubborn rabbit didn't back down from anything. Either way, the point was the same: she'd gotten hurt because he wasn't there to protect her. He still had at least another three and a half months until his training was over, and even then there was no guarantee that when he graduated (if he graduated) that he would be accepted into Precinct 1.

Doubts plagued his mind as the fox made his way to the academy and went through training, and then, those thoughts again turned darker. Even if he was allowed to be in Precinct 1, even if he was Judy's partner, who was to say that he could protect her at all? A lynx was larger than a fox, not to mention other predators and prey that easily dwarfed Nick. Standing at 4 feet, he was one of the least threatening predators around, not counting Finnick and his ilk. What if Nick and Judy had a run in with his own natural enemies like a coyote or a wolf? Mammals that had base instincts bred into their DNA to take him down as well as his partner? He'd been able to survive so long on the streets by avoiding confrontation altogether, but being a police officer entailed running to the danger, not away from it. All the terrible pictures that had run through his mind when he'd realized he had the serum were now put into a different light. Instead of Nick hurting Judy, he saw others hurting her just like she'd been hurt the day before, and him unable to do a thing about it. But, with the Nighthowler serum... maybe he could.

As the day progressed and Nick went through his training (nearly getting trampled by a rhino because he was only giving half his attention to his tasks), the idea of having an ace up his sleeve looked more and more appealing. If some criminal wanted to attack his partner, he'd be ready to defend her with his life. If he couldn't defeat the foe on his own, the serum would certainly level the playing field.

In the end, Nick would put the pellet into a small pill carrier, something that was about the size of his thumb with two separate slots intended for AM and PM use. He'd stuff it deep into his pocket everyday without fail. He would call some of his contacts and procure the cure for the serum as well, putting that into the empty space opposite the pellet with a sticky note taped to it. The fox resolved that if anything happened, he'd leave that with his partner, in the safest hands he could think of, while he did what was needed.

The note was short and simple, it didn't need to be anymore than a few words.

Sorry it came to this, Carrots. Bring me back, won't you?

-N

It was then, when he'd written the words in his large scrawl made small by tiny paper, that Nick realized that he would do anything to protect Judy, by any means necessary. Even if it meant giving in to his savage side to do so. That's what friends did, that's what partners were there for, to make sure that you made it home in one piece. Nick, the fiercely loyal mammal he was, was not above giving everything of himself to make sure that happened for Judy.

A/N: Well this was fun to write. Seriously, absolutely a blast. I'm not sure I'm happy with the ending though, can I have some feedback? If you like it, then I might see about adding to it later.

I own nothing.