Authors Note: Thank you to Richard Haigh for letting me use his photo for the cover of "To Walk the Fine Line." If you like what you see, visit his Deviantart page at richardah .deviantart .com.

6/24/16: Major overhaul to storyline happening during the next few days. It just wasn't going anywhere for me and the narratives were lacking. Anyways, most of what's already there is going to stay the same, just more character development, etc.

Chapter 1: A New Day

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...

A figure rustled underneath the covers, slapping his pillow over his ears to muffle the sound of his new life. He wasn't keen to wake up, due to being hungover from a graduation party the cadets had after the ZPD induction ceremony. His head felt like it was being squeezed between two rocks, pulsating every time the alarm rang. He felt the urge to throw it against the wall but decided otherwise. His arm extended out from under the covers and felt for the nightstand next to his bed to hit snooze.

Ugh…I need to lay off the Batcardi next time...

He rolled over to see what time it was.

6 o'clock in the morning? Oh man, I only got 5 hours of sleep…why did I go to that party last night? Why did I drink that much in the first place...?

A sigh of exasperation echoed through Nick's apartment as he rolled out of his covers and sat up on his bed. His apartment was messy; clothes strewn everywhere, unwashed plates and utensils littered the counter next to the sink. Even parts of his dress uniform from the ceremony were strewn all across the filth besieged room. The TV was on as well and he sure didn't remember watching anything last night. The only clean object in his room was the fox-sized ZPD uniform neatly hanging from the door handle of his closet, still in its dry cleaning bag.

Yeesh…need to clean up this place soon.

Nick was almost sloth-like from waking up this early. Dressed in nothing but boxers and a muscle shirt, he shuffled into his bathroom, tail dragging along the floor, and went about his morning routine. On his way, he picked up the uniform along with another white undershirt and hung them on the interior handle of the bathroom. He stripped off whatever clothing was left on his body and was reaching for the shower handle when a knock came from the door.

"I'll be right there!" Nick yelled through the bathroom doors.

He put on his bathrobe and walked casually towards the front door. He opened it and was greeted by the glowing face of his new partner.

Nick and Judy had been seeing each other every chance they had for the past five months, which wasn't much since leave from the academy was only once a month if the cadets were lucky. Granted, the first leave was mostly helping Judy around her hole-in-the-wall apartment while she recovered from their ordeal at the museum. She'd fractured her tibia and tore her leg open on a bronze elephant statue, prompting the doctors to stitch her up and put Judy in a leg cast. Although she was in a cast, it didn't stop her from continuing her police work as case files were strewn about her apartment, despite Bogo's specific orders for bed rest. Her dedication to the job was admired by Nick, but that didn't stop him from using a nickname at least once an hour. After she'd gotten her cast off, they explored the city together. In the time Judy had been in Zootopia, she'd never gone out on the town so Nick showed her the sights and the vibrancy of the night life.

"Hey Officer Fluff! What are you doing here?"

"Just came by to welcome my new partner to the ZPD and help him get ready for work on his first day."

"Aww…isn't that nice? A house call." Nick's signature smirk grew on his face like the buffalo grass in Savannah Square. "Come on in. Make yourself comfortable."

"I hope I'm not intruding. I mean after the party and that vixen you took home with you…" Judy was going to have a ball with her drowsy partner while it lasted. She knew she was going to get blasted by nicknames and Nick's sassy attitude but what's the harm if you strike first.

"No, no. The last animal who helped me get ready for something was my mom. It's nice to have someo– wait, what did say Carrots?" The smirk was wiped away from his face by the words Judy had just uttered from her mouth. The headache disappeared as his brain went into hyperdrive.

"I said 'You took a friend home last night.' Wow, for being a former hustler, you sure are hard of hearing. Is she still here? She left her jacket at the party and I was hoping to return it to her," she said as she presented a dark gray overcoat to the shocked fox.

A chill traveled down his back, prickling the hair as it moved to his tail and sent Nick into a state of shear panic, a cold sweat started to develop on his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Judy asked. She tried to keep a straight face but was dying. She could barely keep herself together, let alone keep herself from cracking up.

Oh my god. What the heck happened last night? All I remember is stumbling home and falling asleep on my bed.

Just stay calm Nick.

STAY CALM? I. BLACKED. OUT. I don't even know what I did after I left. For all I know I could have taken some strange vixen home from that party!

For all you know, the rabbit is probably trying to get you to freak out.

This thought seemed to calm him down and the coldness faded away. As he collected himself, he began to think back to his old conning days.

He retorted, "Oh yeah! That vixen! I think her name was Zaria? I'm not too sure about her name but she was a wonder girl with a great personality. I can take that from you just in case she shows up here looking for it." Judy's look of amusement morphed into confusion as Nick took the jacket and hung it in his closet.

"So, how about yours?"

"My what?" Judy said as she was still trying to figure out what went wrong with the prank.

"Your date that you took home from the party. Yeah like I didn't see you in the corner mingling with that badger. What was his name again? Doug? Dave?...Damian?" A slight blush blew over her Judy's like the ice cold winds of Tundratown.

Gotcha…

"Yeah that's it, Damian. Sounds exotic, especially for a country bunny. Well then, tell me Officer Fluff, did he take you home or was it the other way around? Tell me…" He leaned in closer and whispered something in her ear.

"NICK!" She yelled as her face became red as the morning sun. "UGH! I-I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD ASK ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" She lifted her paw and slapped Nick square in the muzzle.

Nick's body did a full turn before falling to the floor, stunned by Judy's strength. He regained consciousness sprawled out on the floor as his partner stood over him. His face was pulsating and had a paw mark the size of Savannah Central from the rabbit's hand.

"Oh my god, Nick! Are you okay? Talk to me!" Judy exclaimed as she held his face, examining the paw mark she left on his face.

As he began to regain consciousness, a smile grew on Nick's face and proceeded to laugh his head off, slowly rolling back and forth on the floor with his bathrobe still on.

"I-I got knocked out! By a rabbit!" he roared with laughter.

She stood there bewildered by the fox, still shocked by her strength. Judy's expression softened after she realized what Nick had been doing all along: Conning the conman. It started with a soft giggle, then a chuckle, and then slowly progressed to a hard laugh. She knew she was going to get some flak but she didn't expect it that quick. A good five minutes passed before either one of them was calm enough to speak.

"Dumb fox," said a teary-eye Judy. "I thought I killed you, for Pete's sake."

"Oh, you bunnies. So emotional. You can't get rid of me that easily," replied Nick. "I'm sorry for that. I just wanted to see if I still had my charm."

"It's fine. 'Charm' is pushing it though," she said with a half-cry, half chuckle.

"Well it's good you recognized it Detective Fluff. I don't want to get a black eye from you slapping me again, let alone get knocked out."

Judy gave him her signature eye roll. "You really know how to make a girl feel special Nick."

"I try. Now make yourself comfortable while I take a shower. I'll be out and dressed in 20 minutes."

As Nick shut the door, Judy felt solace in that filth ridden room.

Detective? Hmm...Detective Judy Hopps. It's got a ring to it for sure. Now, can the detective find the remote?

Judy looked under the cloths strewn across the couch, folding each one with care and placing them in the laundry hamper outside Nick's door. She eventually found the remote in between the cushions of the couch and flipped the channel to Zootopia News Network. Nothing was really on at the moment, just celebrity news, international news, weather forecasts, etc. She was flipping through her text messages on her iCarrot when a news bulletin caught her eye.

"Sad news today as tragedy struck in Zootopia. Last night, a peace rally in Savannah Square was marred by violence when a lioness was stabbed by an unidentified gazelle. The lioness, 22 year old Savannah Mauler, is in critical condition at Zootopia Vanguard Hospital. Although we weren't able to get a full report from her attending physician, eye witness accounts state that she was stabbed at least 14 times before the gazelle ran off. If you have any information on this incident please call the ZPD tip hotli-" The TV seemed to fade away as Judy's mind began to work overtime. She began theorizing what had happened, just as she was trained to do at the Academy.

What made the gazelle stab that lioness? Why weren't more officers assigned security detail for this rally? Is there still more Night Howler Serum on the streets?

Her mind was racing through scenarios like a jackrabbit with a sports car. Her ears twitched as she came up with new scenarios and her foot started to tap on the table.

Maybe Bogo has some info on this. Yeah. Most likely situation. Bogo is going to brief us at muster this morning.

"-other news, former Mayor Bellweather's sentencing trial is set for next week. She was convicted yesterday for her involvement with the savage maulings that plagued the ci-"

Boring…Bellweather's guilty as charged. She tried to kill me and frame Nick for murder. We caught her dead-to-rights and so did half the precinct, including Bogo.

She began to settle down and surfed Nick's collection of five hundred plus channels until she settled on a show she use to watch with her parents, The Bunny Bunch.

Nick proceeded to turn on his shower. It wasn't customary for long-haired mammals like him to take long showers. Just a simple soak would get most of the unwanted dirt off. His inner conscience fought with him as he stood in the hot shower and scrubbed the ruffles in his fur.

Well, you got the rabbit in your apartment. When you gonna get her in your room? His conscience sounded like a mishmash of voices he'd heard over the years. Out of the noise, he'd heard Finnick's voice as the most prominent.

Oh shut up, Finnick.

Come on. You know she likes it rough. She just knocked you out cold man. Don't that arouse you just a little? I know whatchu wanna do with that fuzzy little tail of her's…

Really? Who gave you permission to go into that part of my conscience? Sicko…she's my partner. MY PARTNER!

To answer the question, I am your conscience. I go wherever I please. Second: you're the sicko, stupid.

But you don't control these paws.

Oh those? I don't need those. You'll be doing all the work. I just feed yo thoughts.

You're hopeless.

And you're a hopeless romantic. When was the last time you consulted me for help in these 'matters'?

He got out of the shower and stood in front of his body dryer; the feud continued.

Hey, at least I have manners AND common sense. You're all animal my friend.

Whoa there. Let's back up here; who's the animal?

Touché.

He shook the last bit of water from his fur, walked over to the counter top, and examined his face. Nick didn't bruise easily but he could see a bit of blue coming from his left cheek.

Jeez. For a fluffball, she hits hard.

Like I said; don't that getchu a little…excited?

Nick ignored his Finnick conscience and proceeded to picked up his toothbrush and a tube labeled Cani-dyne.

Keep your canines looking shiny and white with every application.

Remember Nick, two minutes for each side.

Yes Finnick…

You know she's not all that bad lookin' man. Especially in that uniform of her's with the curves and the-

"OKAY FINNICK!" he screamed at his conscious with a mouthful of toothbrush.

"You say something Nick?" Judy yelled from the living room.

"No Carrotsh! I jush…almosh drop shomshing,"

"Clumsy fox!"

"Cute bunny!"

"Nick we already talked about that!"

"I know fruff!" he said as he spit the foam out of his mouth.

He stared at the uniform hanging on the bathroom door.

You finally made it buddy. You see what hard work can do for animals like us? Finnick conscience or his sarcastic comments were nowhere to be found.

A short time later, Nick was polishing up his appearance in his new ZPD uniform. He was ecstatic. He felt like a kid again; he remembered his mother, that Junior Ranger Scouts uniform, that exhilarating first-time-feeling. Except this was different. He knew that this time, he would be accepted into a pack. He puffed out his chest and stood with a stoic expression on his face in front of his oversized mirror. Even his tail was at attention

Damn, I look good. No, I MAKE this look good…there's a difference.

The door between the living room and Nick's bedroom squeaked open. Judy turned off the TV and looked back at a handsome fox dressed in blues slacks, a blue button up shirt, black tie, brass, and for a finishing touch, a new pair of silver Ray Birds with reflective, black lenses.

"How do I look, Carrots? Be honest, I look horrible."

"No you look just fine."

He's more than 'just fine' in that uniform, you know.

What am I thinking? He's a fox, I'm a rabbit. Our personalities don't mix.

Then why are you partners?

Oh shush voice of reason. Anyways he looks a lot more polished with that uniform instead of his usual gray slacks and puke green Hawaiian shirt.

Yeah you keep saying that Judy…I know your real feelings about him.

"Alright. If you're ready, I'm ready."

"You've got to be kidding me. Wilde, I was born ready. By the way, when are you going to clean your apartment? I saw at least ten safety and health code violations."

"Ah, don't pull that stuff on me Carrots. I'm not just some dumb elephant. Besides I haven't had the time to clean it, what with all the Night Howlers, and the Police Academy, and –"

"Alright, Alright I get your point…I do see your point though. You aren't a dumb elephant; you're just a dumb fox."

"Ha, ha, very funny."

"Well since the jig's up, you mind if I get my jacket back?"

"Oh so that's your jacket? Well then, you wouldn't mind if we stop off at my local coffee shop? They have a very nice Pumpkin-Pecan latte there and a Carrot Mocha that is just to die for. You in?"

She looked at the time on her phone. 6:43AM.

"Alright. We can stop off for a quick coffee but that's it. Muster starts at 7:30."

"Sounds good. I'll give you your jacket after work. We don't want to be late on our first day, do we mother."

As they walked out of Nick's apartment, a small chuckle broke the silence of the hallway.