A/N: Angst? Angst.
After working on the ZPD for a little more than a year Nick felt it was safe for him to say he was no longer a shady conman. He had fully made the change, and he enjoyed it. He enjoyed waking up every morning before the sun and heading out to get coffee for himself and Carrots. He enjoyed the stakeouts, the training, the interrogations and catching the bad guy. He had seen the worst of animals and the best of animals.
No matter how many sides of every animal he ran into he would never stop being surprised by Judy. She never failed to greet every day with a new dose of optimism and happiness he found spread easily to his demeanor. Nick found he had grown more and more fond of his partner. To a point he had started to become uncomfortable with it.
Nick noticed how she always savored her first sip of coffee in the morning. Closing her eyes together tight as the hot liquid enter her mouth. Always, always sighing right after. He noticed how her nose twitched when she was deep in thought, piles of paperwork around her. Amethyst eyes lit up by the light of her computer screen, editing and reediting statements from a recently solved case. He realized he watched the way her eyes could grow a fraction of an inch larger when she was surprised, or angry, or about to laugh.
Nick had fallen in love with his partner and he wasn't sure of when, or where or even how it had happened. He just knew that in the morning he was so excited to be around her for the day. He knew that at night all he wanted was to see her, even just hear her voice, before he closed his eyes.
Nick was sure Judy had never thought of him in a way that was similar to the feelings he carried in his heart for her. Though animals had made huge strides, predator and prey now lived and worked side by side, it was nearly unheard of for them to carry on relationships.
Day by day Nick lived with his growing feelings for the small grey bunny. Never once getting close to revealing the truth. Nick could have happily lived the rest of his life, never questioning the way things had turned out. He could watch Judy go on pointless dates with other bunnies, only to come home and complain to him about the jerk she had been out with.
Nick would have happily never changed their dynamic.
Until Judy got shot.
The day had started out normally enough. Judy and Nick were in the bullpen side by side sharing a chair, waiting for their assignment for the day. Chief Bogo had entered, quickly silencing the rambunctious crew and doled out assignments. Nick and Judy were given a red file, full of information on a small time thief who had been holding up mom and pop stores in the rainforest district. The drive out to the rainforest district was the same as every other morning drive they had ever taken. Nick gently teasing the small bunny over some insignificant detail of their lives, and Judy simply laughing it off. She was used to it by now.
An active robbery cut the morning routine short, as Nick noticed a group of young animals, they could have been wolves or foxes, running from a store just blocks down from where the last robbery occurred. Quickly putting together the pieces Judy called Clawhauser to tell him of the development and call for backup and Nick exited the vehicle and began his pursuit.
The young animals had run to a heavily wooded area of the district and hid. Nick was waiting for any signs of where they might be when Judy caught up to them.
"Clawhauser is dispatching backup. They're most likely twenty minutes out." Judy was panting, she probably ran all the way here. "Do you know where any of them are? I saw three?"
Nodding his head Nick agreed. "I saw three as well, but I can't tell you where they are now. I think we should wait for backup before pursuing."
Judy was nodding her head as her ears perked up. "Nick, I hear something. I think I know where they are. I think we should pursue them now." She looked confident in what she was hearing. Nick had learned that though Judy is willing to listen and compromise, when it came to catching the bad guy she would always put the job first.
"Okay Carrots. We can pursue, but we need a plan. We can't run into this guns blazing. We don't know if they have weapons and they have the advantage of knowing our position. So what's the plan?"
Judy's ears inched a bit higher and her nose twitched as she strained to better decipher what she was hearing.
"Okay, they aren't sure of where we are. I don't think they are armed. But I know they are about 300 feet in front of us and to the right. So I think we should both cut right, and find coverage. You cover me, because I'm smaller." Judy was locked and loaded, ready to spring into action, Nick wasn't as sure. Cautious about jumping into a situation he wasn't hundred percent sure about.
After a quiet minute of Nick's internal debate, he looked at Judy, and gave a nod to signal he was ready.
Nick heard the gunshot before he saw it. Judy's small frame blown backward several feet. Everything after that moved in slow motion. The three animals ran from the scene, dropping the gun just feet away from the body of his partner.
Nick saw red, everything he had grown to love and cherish was lying lifeless in front of him. In a way that was not at all evolved he pursued the shooters. He caught one young grey wolf. Slammed him against a tree, read him his rights and cuffed him. Nick dragged the teen back to the body of his partner before baring his teeth and letting the kid know just how close he was to being fish food. Nick turned his full attention to his partner.
Judy lay on the rainforest floor, looking pale. If possible she had shrunk two sizes. She was already so small.
"Carrots? Oh Carrots. Please, please talk to me Carrots. I can't lose you. Not now, we have so, so much left to do. Come on Carrots." Nick was shocked into silence by the small grey paw of his right hand lady.
"Nick, I know you're a dumb fox and all," Judy stated weakly "but I didn't think you'd be so dense."
"Oh what are you talking about Judy?" Nick tried to keep the fear from inching into his voice. He knew backup was on the way. How much longer? Five, ten minutes? Judy could make it that long, right?
"Nick, don't think I can't tell when something changes. I am a clever bunny after all. But don't worry. You don't have to say anything. Just know that I feel the same way. Nothing is going to change that."
Before Nick could say anything, Judy planted a soft kiss on his snout, and passed out. Holding her lifeless body in his paws Nick turned his attention, once again, to the young wolf.
"You. Hurt. My. Partner." He snarled. "You. Will. Regret. It."