Hey guys Price here and welcome to the first part in a small story I'm starting. It'll be a few Chapters, likely no more than five at most, probably, and is an AU based slightly on the Mercy Verse by the author Raynos, so thank them for this story. I'll post a Reversal AU for this story later, switching the roles but otherwise leaving the story intact so I can give you basically the same story but with different routes and conclusions as to how that story unfolds. This AU also has grounds in the Nick and I Verse in that Lance and Nick are both on the ZPD, but they aren't in a relationship. Anyway, this is starting to go on long enough, I think it's time to get...onto the story!

Lance Whitney, a Red Fox Todd with a form fitting ocean green shirt that matched his eyes and a pair of blue sweatpants, sat on a stool in the Red Barrel, a popular watering hole for mammals of his size. The name came from both that and the fact it was run by a family of Red Foxes like himself. The door chimed and he turned his head, curiosity poking him like a hot fire poker. He saw a Red Fox Vixen walk in and turned his head again, ignoring her even as she sat down next to him. Her tail brushed his as she did and he moved it to the side, chalking the contact up to an accident.

A second glance to try and get a read on the Vixen turned into a prolonged look as he took in what she was wearing. A simple bright green shirt and dark green velvety vest adorned her upper half, matched well by a navy blue pair of dress pants that left little form to the imagination. Lance turned his head back to looking straight, satisfied he'd seen enough to know not to attempt more than light and polite conversation unless provoked. The Vixen leaked a combination of danger and approachability that that rare to see with almost even amounts like she possessed. It was impressive.

"So, you come here often?" The Vixen asked, turning to look at Lance with a polite demeanor.

"Not really. Just after a hard day at work, normally." Lance answered easily, the Vixen arching an eyebrow in intrigue.

"What is it you do, exactly?" She asked, Lance chuckling. He turned to face her.

"It'll come to you." He answered, the Vixen frowning in thought as she stared at him, looking him up and down in scrutiny for a long while before her eyes widened in recognition.

"You're Officer Lance Whitney!" She said, Lance chuckling again.

"There it is." He said, turning back to the counter.

"I am a huge fan of you, really. I mean, it takes a lot to get enough attention for a police officer already with a partner to work with somebody else." She said, Lance sucking a hiss of air into his mouth at the words. "Er, not like that, sorry. I just-"

"I know what you meant. I still don't like that you said it." Lance interrupted, the Vixen hunching her shoulders.

"Sorry, I tend to not think before I speak. Bad habits die slow and all that." She said, chuckling nervously. Lance eyed her out of the corner of his vision, the Vixen clearing her throat awkwardly and turning back to the counter. After a moment, she sighed and stood. "I should probably go. I only had a few minutes to take a break anyway." She said, Lance turning his head as she walked towards the door.

"Hey, before you go, what's your name?" He asked, the Vixen turning with an amused look.

"Laura. Laura Stone." She answered, turning and walking out the door and leaving Lance alone in the building save for the mammal behind the counter. They glanced at each other and nodded, Lance standing from his seat and paying his tab, then walking out the door and towards his home.

When the Todd stepped through the door and checked his pockets for any loose items, despite knowing he had nothing, he was surprised to find a piece of paper in his left pocket. He pulled it out and unfolded it, frowning in confusion until he saw what it was.

Lance laughed when he found a phone number on the paper, shaking his head. He set the paper down on the counter as he walked past it, still laughing, and entered his bedroom. He changed into a clean pair of pajamas, then laid down and closed his eyes, intent on getting as much sleep as possible.

Several weeks later found Lance walking down the street humming the tune to a song he liked, passing by an alley and pausing at the sound of pawsteps, turning his head in curiosity to see a familiar Vixen leaning against the wall, staring at him with a smirk on her muzzle.

"Got your message." Lance remarked, Laura chuckling as she pushed off from the wall. She was wearing a similar outfit to the one she'd had on when they first met, except the undershirt was navy blue and the pants were emerald green.

"Well that's good. I was starting to worry, seeing as you never responded." Laura said, Lance stepping into the alley so mammals didn't have to walk around him.

"Laura, we're Foxes. We don't do that kind of stuff." He said, Laura frowning. "Well, we can, but it's not something I'm gonna do." He corrected, Laura sighing and hanging her head.

"Will you at least eat with me? I mean, just to see if we could be friends, or something?" Laura asked, Lance smiling faintly.

"Sure, I can do that." He answered, Laura smiling thankfully as she glanced behind her.

"See you later?" She said, Lance nodding.

"Later. I need to finish my paw patrol." He confirmed, dipping his head in farewell as he turned and walked away, back onto the crowded sidewalk in his navy blue outfit.

Laura waited for a moment longer before turning and pulling her phone from her pocket, opening her contacts and selecting a well known name in Tundra Town. She waited for it to connect before she placed the device to her ear.

"Laura here. Officer Whitney has agreed to meeting for lunch." She reported, silence lasting for several uncomfortable moments.

"Good. Do what you need to in order to ensure as much cooperation as you can. We need the information the ZPD has." Her employer said, Laura sighing.

"I know. I'll do what I can, Silvano. Nothing more, nothing less. As is expected." Laura said, knowing her employer wouldn't mind her usage of his first name. She'd earned the right to use it, after all.

"As is expected." Silvano agreed, Laura disconnecting the call and pocketing the electronic, looking around. She sat down, leaning against the wall without a second thought. She had plently of spare suits, and she could always get this one cleaned. Soon, however, her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Later. After finishing his paw patrol, Lance sat in his cruiser with an indecisive expression. He reached for his radio, stopped, then extended his paw a bit further, and then stopped again. With a growl of determination he didn't really feel, he grabbed the radio and keyed it.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Whitney." He said, releasing the button and waiting for all of two seconds before he got a reply.

"This is Dispatch, Officer Clawhauser speaking, how may I help you, Lance?" The infectiously bubbly and cheerful voice of the rotund Cheetah, Benjamin Clawhauser, said. Lance smiled faintly.

"Hey there, buddy. Listen. I need a favor, if you can. There's a friend of mine in town right now that needs my assistance with some thingsm so I may be a bit. Think you can cover for me or something?" Lance said, Clawhauser remaining silent for a long moment.

"Sure thing. Just try to hurry, I don't know how long I'll keep you out of trouble." Clawhauser advised, Lance chuckling.

"Thanks, Ben. I owe you one." He said, hanging the radio back on the dash as the door to the passenger side door opened and Lance's partner, Nick Wilde, climbed into the cruiser.

"Hey Lance, you mind if I turn up the AC?" The clearly exhausted Todd asked, Lance inclining his head in answer. "Thanks." He said as he turned the air on, letting out a sigh of relief as the cool air washed over him.

"It isn't that hot out, Nick." Lance remarked, the other Todd shooting a glance at him. "Oh, by the way, I have a friend in town who needs my help. Ben said he'd cover, but do you think you could help him? I won't be more than an hour, hopefully." He added, Nick pausing before he turned to Lance with an arched eyebrow.

"What kind of 'friend' and what kind of 'help'?" Nick asked hesitantly, Lance shrugging.

"You know, moving some stuff, things like that. Nothing too difficult or time consuming." Lance answered easily, the lie startling him. He'd always been good at lying, sure, but that was probably the fastest he'd come up with a lie like that.

"...yeah, I guess I can. But you owe me." Nick said after a moment, Lance nodding in acceptance.

"Thank you, Nick. And yes, I'll make sure to cover for you for whatever." Lance said as he opened the door. "See you later." He quickly added as he hopped out of the crusier, shutting the door behind him as he turned and jogged off towards where he'd last seen Laura.

When he arrived back at the alley, he was quite surprised – and amused – to see Laura asleep on the ground a few feet back from the entrance. Her ear twitched as he approached, Laura opening her eyes and turning her head. Her eyes opened quickly when she saw him, her expression lighting up in excitement.

"Lance, there you are! God, I thought you'd never come back." She said, Lance chuckling in amusement at how excited she sounded.

"Well, here I am. Where did you have in mind?" He said, Laura pausing in surprise before her expression contorted in consideration. After a moment she shrugged.

"Don't really care where, just as long as it's good." She answered, Lance nodding as he thought about various places. "Oh! I know a place in Tundra Town that serves some mean fish, if that's okay." She suddenly said, Lance blinking in surprise. He considered the time table he had set.

"Uh, sure. Should have time for that." He said, Laura sending him a quizzical look but saying nothing. She began to walk towards the exit of the alley, but Lance stopped her. She turned, an eyebrow arched in questioning. "Perhaps you should dust yourself off?" Laura blinked in surprise then nodded, clearly embarrassed to have forgotten such a thing. She quickly brushed as much dirt as she could off, then turned, her head turned as well to look at Lance.

"Clean?" She asked, Lance flushing awkwardly as he hesitated in looking down. "Lance, come on, don't tell me you're too good to make sure I'm clean. You don't want me to embarrass myself, do you?" Lance knew she was baiting him, but he sighed in defeat nonetheless.

"Yeah. You're clean." He answered, shoulders hunched as Laura turned back around.

"Thank you. Now, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" She asked, Lance grumbling as he kept his head turned away. Laura frowned, then stepped up to him. Lance looked down at the short Vixen, who was at least a foot or so shorter than him, out of the corner of his eye. She was unnaturally small, making her seem like a younger Fox than she was. "Lance, look at me." She said, Lance hesitantly turning his head to look at her.

Laura was almost pressed right up against him now, and Lance took a compulsive step back. Laura followed him, Lance continuing to step back until he hit the wall behind him. Laura stopped only centimeters from touching him, staring up at him.

"Laura, back up, please." He said quietly, the Vixen blinking in surprise. His paws clenched, and it occurred to Laura he may have some kind of actual issue with being so close to somebody. She took a step back, Lance letting out a breath of relief as he shook himself ever so slightly. "Thank you."

"Lance, why are you so reserved about being close to somebody like that? I mean, I get that you barely know me, but that's not it...is it?" Laura asked, Lance opening his mouth to answer, pausing, then closing his mouth. He sighed.

"I'm...still recovering from something." He answered, Laura lowering her gaze to the ground in silence. "It was a long time ago, but it's haunted me to this day. I...I just don't know what I did wrong." His voice was choking up, and his eyes were wetting. "I did everything I could to be a good boyfriend, but I know I did something wrong, I just don't know what!" Lance had sank to his knees while he'd talked, and Laura felt genuine sadness at his words. She ignored her instincts, which told her that going near him was the complete opposite of good for her safety, and wrapped her arms around him. Lance locked up, eyes widening in shock, and weakly tried to pull away. His heart wasn't in it, however, and could only pull hard enough to budge Laura's arms an inch.

"Something tells me you did everything right, Lance." Laura said, the Todd remaining silent. He had no idea what to say to that.

"Thank you." Well, that was a fine place to start, he supposed. "We should probably go if we're gonna get there soon, huh?" He asked, Laura remaining still and silent for a long moment. "Laura?"

"Shut up." The Vixen ordered, Lance blinking in surprise. Of all the things he'd expected to hear out of her mouth, those two words were just about off the list.

"Um, okay-" Lance was cut off by Laura grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards her, rotating so he was on the ground under her. "Um, Laura-"

"We're not going anywhere. Not until you get everything out." She said, Lance looking down to where she sat atop him. He looked back at her.

"Um, okay, can you at least get off me?" He asked, Laura frowning. "I get aroused easily, and I don't want to make this any more awkward." He explained, Laura sighing

"Lance, you aren't going to make this awkward because of simple biology. It takes much more than a simple erection to faze me."

"Well that's a relief. At least now I can die of embarrassment knowing you aren't bothered." Lance remarked sarcastically, Laura frowning.

"You mean "won't be", right?" She asked, Lance opening his mouth to answer when she blinked. "Oh." She flushed. She'd expected it, sure, but...

"...Kill me now. Please." Lance said, clearly embarrassed beyond his ability to handle. Laura sighed.

"Just ignore it." Laura said, Lance staring straight at her in an obviously not amused fashion.

"Do you have any idea how tight these pants are?" Lance asked, Laura's expression taking on a look of consideration.

"...I'm guessing very." Laura remarked after a moment, Lance rolling his eyes. He glanced around, then rolled to the right and pinned her to the ground. Laura yipped in alarm.

"Apologies. But I was getting tired of being pinned. Not exactly my favorite position, in anything." Lance said, standing up and dusting his knees and back off. He smirked down at her, and Laura noted that he seemed to have calmed down rather quickly. She stood with a chuckle and dusted herself off as well, then crossed her arms as she stared at him in consideration. She leaned in, mouth next to his ear.

"Well, it is mine." She whispered, pulling away and taking a step back to see his reaction. Lance was flushing bright red, the blush clearly seen through his fur, and Laura laughed.

"Good to know." Lance squeaked, causing Laura to snort.

"Oh my god, that is so adorable I swear." She said, Lance hunching his shoulders as he averted his gaze. "No, seriously, Lance, that's seriously adorable." She said, the Todd's ears perking up from where they'd laid down against his skull, the Todd clearly surprised to hear that.

"R-really? You think so?" He asked, turning to look at her incredulously.

"Of course I think so. I wouldn't have said it otherwise, right?" Laura answered, Lance smiling faintly at the words.

"Thank you." He said, clearly genuinely glad she had said that. "I've always had a bit of a vocal range, so it's nice to meet somebody who likes it." He added, Laura blinking in surprise. She flushed.

"Of course. Who doesn't like to hear compliments, especially heartfelt ones?" Laura asked, Lance smiling in agreement.

There was silence for a long moment.

"So, I should probably go..." Lance said, Laura blinking.

"Of course. I'll...see you soon?" She said, Lance smiling.

"Hopefully." He answered as he walked past her, Laura feeling warmth spread through her chest at the words.

Lance strolled through the doors to the ZPD's Precinct One almost fifteen minutes earlier than he'd expected, Clawhauser looking up in curiosity from something behind his desk. His expression lit up in joy when he saw Lance.

"Hey, Lance, you're back! You get done sooner than expected?" Ben asked, Lance nodding.

"Sure did. Turns out it was easier than I'd expected. Who'd have known, right?" He answered, Ben nodding in agreement.

"Right." He said. "Oh, by the way, Nick told me to tell you that he wanted to see you when you got back." Lance arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

"He say what it was about?" The Todd asked, Clawhauser shaking his head. "Huh. Odd." Lance made his way towards the office he shared with Nick, wondering what he might have wanted that was so urgent.

Stepping through the door and shutting it behind him, he turned and was surprised to see Nick sitting in his chair, clearly waiting.

"So, Lance, how'd the thing go?" He asked, Lance shrugging.

"Pretty good. Got done a bit quicker than expected, so that's good." Lance answered, shrugging as he sat down at his own chair.

"Oh, really? Well, that is pretty good." Nick said, Lance feeling unease settle inside him at Nick's tone.

"You say that like you know something I don't." Lance remarked, turning to face Nick with a tilted head.

"Perhaps I do. But don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you...eventually." Nick said, Lance blinking in surprise. He sighed, then turned back to his desk with a grumble.

Laura opened the door to her apartment in Tundra Town and made to close it when the door to the apartment across from her opened and she turned. An Arctic Fox Vixen and European Hare stepped out, saw her, and both froze as the three mammals stared at each other.

"Um...this is not being what it looks like-" Laura cut the Vixen off with a smile, the Vixen and Hare looking at each other.

"Oh don't worry. I couldn't care less who you love, as long as you love them." Laura said, turning and walking into her apartment. She shut the door behind her, leaving the Vixen and Hare alone.

In the middle of changing her clothes, Laura heard the crinkling of paper in her left pocket. She furrowed her brow in confusion, reaching into her pocket and pulling the paper out. She opened it, a frown on her muzzle.

Laura's eyes widened in shock as she read the paper, a breeze flowing through her window – she kept it open when she was home – stirring her naked upper body. Fur waved slowly as the wind breezed over and through it, Laura just standing there for a long moment. A smile slowly split her muzzle and she let out an excited yip, clutching the paper as she pulled her phone from her pocket hurriedly.

'He actually pulled the same trick I did back when we first met!' She thought in amusement, excitement coursing through her that she finally had Lance's number. She was that much closer to completing her mission!

Her expression fell at the realization, her paw freezing, digit hanging over her boss' number, as she considered if she really wanted to do something like this for the first time since she'd first done it, some five or so years ago. It was a strange feeling, but somehow she felt like it was wrong to do this to him. The weirdest part was that she wasn't even going to be physcially hurting him in any way.

With a deep breath to ease her fears, she lowered her digit...and pressed the 'home screen' button. She would report back later, when she'd gotten back her lost resolve. She thought back to the time in the alley, wondering if perhaps she was really falling in love. It was a stupid notion, of course, but it wasn't something she could strike off. As an Enforcer in Silvano Big's mafia, she had learned to leave all options on the table whenever possible.

And that does it for Chapter 1 of Whetstone: Mafia! I hope you guys like this little story, because it was just a random idea I got while reading Mercy by Raynos. Go give that guy a read, as he's definitely worth it. The title of 'Whetstone' is a clever little usage of Lance and Laura's ship name. The word Whetstone is used because, well, Laura's last name is Stone, and also because Lance is, at least how I characterize him personally, is kind of like a knife. He's sharp, he's good in close quarters, and he can either leave a simple cut o the top layer of skin or a fatal blow depending on how hard he's pressed. The third and final reasoning behind 'Whetstone' is because Laura keeps him sharp and focused, amonst other things, whereas he's usually a bit more whimsical and (only apparently) unfocused on anything he doesn't have any interest in (he actually notices more than he lets on and archives it for later processing). This is a bit shorter than I would like, but I felt like the ending was a perfect place for the first Chapter to end. The theme for this story would probably be Better Days by Hollow Point Heroes. I apologize I didn't publish Chapter 33 of Zootopian Assassins yesterday, I promise I will upload 2 Chapers next week. Also, last thing I swear, but I'll have Chapter 5 done before Chapter 2 so I have a definite goal to work towards and won't lose track of some things. The story may extend past it if people want more, but I make no promises. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I will see you guys...next update. Word Count: 3,934