Well everyone, I'm back. And here we begin the third entry into my Zootopia series. We finally get back into the groove of things by finally following Judy and Nick on their first major case since the Night Howler's incident. Now, I need you all to know, the previous two stories, I pretty much had those plotted out from the beginning. Here, I'm struggling with a bit of how to fill in the middle, since I know how I want to end this. As such, I need some more time to figure out what I want to do chapter-by-chapter, so with that, it would be for the best if you all expect there to be a bit more time to pass between the chapters I put up, instead of my once-a-week routine I had going.
Anyway, I don't want to cause any potential spoilers, so let's get started.
Zootopia and its characters do not belong to me, they belong to Disney.
"Officially marking the one year anniversary of Leodore Lionheart's reinstatement as mayor of Zootopia, the upcoming elections for City Senator are already well underway. In spite of his approval ratings with the city populace, Mayor Lionheart has declined any rumors that he will be pushing for the position, instead extending a wish of good luck to the major candidates; the most unexpected being former Zootopia Fire Department Superintendent and now current Minister of Public Safety, Viktor Bullba. A long time civil servant; highly decorated firefighting veteran and long-time advocate for public safety, Mr. Bullba has already started gaining considerable popularity among the general public for his oath to ensure Zootopia is a truly safe and sustainable city for all its citizens. With the primary nominations only a month away, many citizens are expressing their hopes that—"
The image of Peter Moosebridge on the living room TV cut to black as Nick Wilde tossed the remote to the table and collapsed tiredly onto the sofa, definitely less than willing to face yet another day of hard work as a beat cop.
"Wow, real mature, Nick. You know I was watching that," that familiar yet endlessly sweet-sounding voice of Judy Hopps rang pleasantly in his ears; instantly perking him right back up as he quickly sat himself up to look his favorite bunny in the eye.
Even after a whole year of being together as a couple, she never stopped looking nothing less than radiant and gorgeous when the early morning sun shone behind her like it did right now, and those loving violet eyes never lost their luster as she lay back casually opposite him while playfully trying to tickle his feet with her own; the big smile of amusement on her face making it hard for him to keep from even chuckling.
"Ah, watching the news is for the elderly, Carrots. Besides, you don't really care about all this political nonsense, do you?" he asked sarcastically as he tried to fight back; earning a pleasant laugh from his girlfriend as she happily hopped off the sofa; making a beeline for their shared bedroom, no doubt to get into uniform. She always was up before him no matter how early it was, so if she was already doing it, he realized he couldn't afford to be too far behind.
"Well, not personally, no. I just feel it pays to be informed. Besides, you can't deny the idea of someone who's primary concern is public safety being put somewhere so influential doesn't at least have SOME pleasant rings to it," Judy instinctively asked as Nick just rolled his eyes. She knew he wouldn't say no to that. Heck, the idea sounded like it would make their jobs as ZPD officers just a tiny bit less demanding, and the less time they had Chief Bogo breathing down their necks from being so tightly wound up, the better.
Of course, they both could feel that with such a huge change in the city hierarchy coming up, there were bound to be a few unpleasantries coming up. It was typical with these kinds of big upcoming events: ne'er-do-wells taking advantage of the city-wide distractions to go looting or whatnot. So if anything, just knowing it could all potentially go away within the month gave their future work a certain 'calm before the storm' kind of a feel.
"Well, no. It just doesn't seem like a former firefighter would have that much necessary government experience, at least as far as I'm concerned. But hey, better that than some reality show host or business-mammal, right?" he asked rhetorically while Judy had just finished getting her uniform on as well; both of them looking as professional as they did every day in the mirror before already making their way out to face yet another brand new day.
Later at the ZPD…
The atmosphere in the bullpen had been as it always was, as rowdy and jovial as a high school locker room, especially among the larger predators with their constant joking and arm wrestling. Thankfully there hadn't been any fellow discussions among the more veteran officers regarding what was going to most likely be taking up their times in the upcoming month. They must've had the good grace to know that religion and politics were the fastest way to lose their friends around the office.
And just as usual, everyone shut up and was straight at attention once Chief Bogo had made his entrance to give out the daily assignments. In the past year, the almost dull lack of even average daily crimes to attend to had finally subsided, so now the ZPD could look forward to days consisting of more than just jaywalking, parking tickets, and the occasional pickpocket.
"Now, before you all head out to your assignments, I feel now is as opportune a time as ever to let you know, there's a possibility not only of some elevated levels of activity for us to attend to in the coming month with the elections coming up, it's just to be expected the populace in some areas may get riled up; thus allowing the local hooligans to virtually do as they please, so it would be best for you all to start getting back on you're a-Game on the field, though for your sakes you better not have been letting yourselves get rusty in my precinct to begin with. However, with this all being said, another announcement that needs to be made will be regarding the inauguration event to come once a nominee has been elected. The veterans among you may recognize just what a huge event this is, and how tight security needs to be based on the reactions of the public, so don't be surprised if a good number of you are picked for personal security detail once that time comes. Is that all understood, you lot?"
There was a resounding confirming of "YES, SIR" among the officers before the ZPD chief had finally motioned for them all to go about their duty. In the case of Nick and Judy, as they'd come to expect, he'd placed them on average street patrol in the Rainforest District again. No complaints among either of them, though. Anything was better than parking duty.
"And here I was hoping we'd be able to keep from listening to all that bureaucratic gibberish at the office if nowhere else," Nick already started the trip mildly complaining as Judy began to drive them down the most direct route she'd come to know. Funny how in the space of only two years, she'd managed to find the best shortcuts in such a colossal city.
"You don't really think that would've been the case, right? To serve and protect, that's our job; and as much as you may not like to hear it, even the bigwigs need our protection sometimes, too," she explained as if it were the most common knowledge while Nick just lay back and enjoyed the passing view.
"Yeah, I know that. I guess when you spend as much time lying for a living like I did, you start to notice the especially good ones everyone else somehow doesn't," the fox relented as Judy couldn't help but instinctually giggle to herself. Even after all this time, he still reflected on his times as a con-fox so readily. A part of her would've almost been concerned if she hadn't seen his resultant street smarts get them out of so many pinches before.
"You do realize we might possibly get picked for that security detail next month, right?" she immediately asked; nearly making Nick involuntarily cringe; of all the things for him to overlook in his current state of semi-cynicism.
"Yeah, I guess that's just to be expected with how good we are at this job. I just really don't like the idea of being given false praise from someone who really looks down his snout at me," Nick relented while still taking the chance to get his point across. By now, they'd finally crossed the border into the Rainforest District; the never-ending rainfall from the irrigation system overhead accompanied by the late morning sunlight through the canopy making it just as beautiful as ever.
"Well, look at it like this, Nick. I'm not saying you have to like it. Privilege aside, I'm not completely wild with the idea either, but at least if they're as good at giving fake praise, you're just as good if not better at faking gratitude for it," Judy soon managed to reason with her partner; bringing a slightly-grateful looking smirk to his face. Even after two whole years, she never lost that talent for saying exactly what he needed to hear.
"Ah, you know me so well, Carrots. But you know, you've gotten pretty good at faking a lot these days too," he agreed while the bunny gave him a very smug-looking grin.
"Well, I had the best teacher, remember? Sometimes I still don't know sometimes if what you say is true or not," she humored him while continuing to drive into the bigger city section of the district.
As she began to slow down, she suddenly felt one of Nick's paws against the back of her little fuzzy head before quickly pulling himself over to her and placing the briefest kiss on the top of her head; nearly making all her fur stand on end as she nearly stomped on the brakes and brought their patrol car to a screeching halt.
"Nick, are you out of your mind?! Now? Seriously?" Judy hissed while her eyes were darting this way and that in the hopes no bystanders nearby were looking; that self-satisfied grin on Nick's face far from helping soothe her nerves.
"Hey, we started the morning off in a hurry, and Officer Wilde never likes to start the day without his morning dose of CARROTS, remember?" Nick said in the most frustratingly teasing tone while Judy once again gave an instinctive groan at his horrible idea of sweet-talking.
"Okay, the cringe-worthy flirting isn't gonna get you off the hook this time, dumb fox. You know we aren't supposed to do that while on the job. What if somebody saw us? It'd end up online in next to no time," Judy continued to scold her partner while he just let out a heavy sigh before leaning back into the passenger seat.
"Yeah, yeah; I know, Carrots, I know. I'm sorry. You just look so cute these days when you compliment me," he apologized while still not losing that clearly sarcastic ring in his voice.
"Thin ice, Nick; really thin ice. Seriously now, I know you know better, so where did that all come from?" the little bunny still remained so dead serious as she spoke, even though she clearly wasn't looking him in the eye so he couldn't see her naturally blushing once he called her 'cute'. These days she mainly reprimanded him for it just to humor him.
"Well, like you said, sometimes you can't tell if some things I say are for real or not. I thought it'd be nice to mess with that little country bunny head of yours. Did I mean everything behind that kiss, or was it just a ruse? You decide," Nick went on to explain himself; loving the look of frustration and amusement on Judy's face. Clearly she was already regretting sharing so much, but that's what made teasing her so much fun even to this day.
"Oh, that's cheap, Nick. Don't think I'm gonna forget this," she muttered under her breath while Nick chuckled to himself. He knew far too well she was a bunny who stuck to her word, so he knew this was going to be a day of watching his back around her. What more could he have asked for to get himself back in a good mood?
The next ten minutes of patrolling the streets of the inner Rainforest District went by in silence, with Judy refusing to even glance at her partner lest he come up with anything else to put her further on edge. As for Nick, he knew how serious their secrecy was to her, so he couldn't blame her for reacting like she did, but by now even he was starting to regret his inability to keep his teasing habits in check.
However, it wasn't too long afterwards when they were driving down an especially empty street that a momentary glance on Nick's part suddenly gave him the perfect answer to get his Judy's spirits back up.
"Hey, Carrots; remember that report of all the missing ATM's throughout the city a couple days back?" he immediately asked, and while he was still being given the silent treatment, he could tell from her perked ears that he had her full attention.
"Well, I think I just found our culprit right down there," the fox finally said as he motioned for Judy to follow his pointing claw down a nearby sidewalk to find a single brown van with its rear doors open and a loading ramp unfolded, and currently in the middle of hoisting another ATM onto a wheelbarrow was none other than the two partners' old 'friend' Duke Weaselton.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Doesn't he EVER learn?" Judy mainly asked herself as she began to back their patrol car up so the sly little crook wouldn't spot them. The mischievous grin that was now on her face told Nick everything; they were gonna get the drop on the weasel just like last time.
"Aw, admit it, Carrots; if he did, where would the fun be in seeing him again?" Nick asked; knowing she couldn't rightly argue with him there. Once again back in perfect sync with each other, the two stepped out and proceeded to make their way side by side to pay their old 'friend' a surprise visit.
The further they went, the more they could see the scrawny weasel struggling to keep the weight of the ATM from falling back on him, and with his back turned, it didn't look like he could even hear them. The excited smirk on Nick's face was pretty much screaming for Judy to let him get the first line; to which she couldn't resist but give him a little curtsy as if to say 'go right ahead.'
"Well, well, well; graduated from robbing flower shops and selling bootlegs to ATM theft. Aren't WE just moving on up in the world?" Nick asked almost boastfully, nearly causing Duke to jump three feet in the air as he spun on his heels; only for his fear to immediately turn to slow-boiling anger at the sight of his two least favorite mammals in the whole city.
"Oh, gimme a break, don't you two have any OTHER hardworkin' folks to harass?" Duke greeted them with a frustrated groan while Judy was immediately stepping in with that dead serious ZPD-mode look Nick had come to recognize all too well.
"Not sure if 'harass' is the word you're looking for, but I can't think of any other crooks who'd have the guts to try lifting ATM's in broad daylight, Wesselton," she immediately retorted while Duke only sneered and set the ATM back down.
"I already told you once before, Cottontail, it's pronounced WEASEL-ton! And come on, I gotta make a livin' just like everyone else! At least I stick to MY principals unlike your sellout partner here," the weasel snapped angrily before nodding his head towards Nick; the derisive look on his face showing he clearly didn't care if the fox could hear him or not.
"You know, it's not polite to talk about people like they aren't even there, Duke. I'd say you're quite lucky we caught you while on the job," nick said; pretending to sound as intimidating as was appropriate while the weasel didn't look to even be remotely scared.
"Yeah, what would ya do; ask that overgrown rodent Mr. Big to ice me again? I know how the system works, you flatfoots can't lay a paw on me," Duke tried to defend himself; an aggravating air of overconfidence practically radiating from him as he crossed his arms like that was that. Except for when he suddenly felt a pair of handcuffs getting slapped onto his wrists.
"It sounds like you watch a little too much TV. We aren't like those poor excuses that use the badge to harass others for their own gain. Despite what you might think, we caught you red-pawed in the middle of the act," Judy stated with a surprising personal sincerity; almost as if she'd personally been offended by what Duke had tried to suggest.
"Probable cause, Weaselton. Trust me, I know how it works," Nick piped in as he began to step forward to start bringing the weasel to the car.
"*sigh* I should've known today felt too good to be true," Duke muttered mostly to himself; just before he suddenly jumped back and kicked the back of the large ATM, sending it toppling forward toward Nick and Judy before they simultaneously jumped out of the way as it crashed. By the time they began to get back up; the screeching of tires grabbed their attention as Duke's van began to peel forward with its rear doors still flapping open as he proceeded to make his escape.
Like a switch had been flipped, Nick and Judy made a beeline for the car; nearly jumping through their open door windows before the engine roared to life.
"Fire up the roof, partner," Judy ordered as she put her foot to the metal; their car nearly drifting around the corner as Nick sent the sirens blaring for all to hear; nearly sinking back into his seat with how fast they were already exceeding 50 mph.
"Officers Hopps and Wilde to Dispatch, Hopps and Wilde to Dispatch; we have a 505A in downtown Rainforest District! I repeat: a 505A in downtown Rainforest District! Suspect is driving a brown van with its rear doors open; currently on Baobab Boulevard! Requesting backup! Attempting to apprehend," she stated hurriedly into the radio while Nick helped to steer, only just now finally starting to catch up on Weaselton's van as he was trying his best to weave around the thankfully sparse traffic.
"Just like the good old days, eh, Carrots?" Nick asked excitedly the more they began to gain on the getaway van. For such a big vehicle, Weaselton seemed to be handling it impressively well with all the tight turns he was managing to pull off to try and shake them off. Of course, what good would their team be on patrol if Judy didn't have just as much latent talent behind the wheel?
"Save the reminiscing for later, Nick! WESSELTON, PULL OVER! YOU KNOW THIS ISN'T GONNA END WELL OTHERWISE," Judy brushed her partner off before suddenly pulling the walkie-talkie connected to their car's loudspeaker off the hook to issue her warning. But shock of all shocks, the van seemed to only speed up even more while Judy struggled to keep control of the car now that they were starting to end up on the smaller streets.
"Hey, Duke, take some friendly advice, okay? I'd REALLY do what she says, pal. Trust me, you don't wanna see her when she's HOPPING mad," Nick piped in as he grabbed the walkie-talkie from Judy's paw so she could maintain control. Of course, the poor bunny nearly felt her whole body cringe as Nick even took the measure to lean in nice and close while delivering his worst pun to date. She didn't even need to look to feel that infuriating grin on his face. But she didn't dare even give him the satisfaction of even a fake amused grin. Right now, all she could focus on was bringing Weaselton to justice, and Nick's stubborn sense of humor was NOT helping.
"Nick, if you don't want to WALK home alone tonight, you'll either take the wheel or do something to make yourself REALLY useful RIGHT NOW," Judy stated in such a blunt and dead serious manner, Nick had to fight the urge to grin at how unnatural it sounded coming from one as little as her, but at the same time he didn't dare push her on this.
"Way ahead of you, partner," Nick assured her as he quickly reached underneath his seat and pulled out a small box labeled 'DART GUN' along it. Popping the lid open, inside was a foam mat with a single dart gun and a series of four darts lying side by side. Once Nick had the gun loaded he, he quickly unbuckled himself.
"Alright, just do me a favor and try and keep it steady, Carrots, okay?" Nick asked sarcastically as he began to climb halfway out the open window before proceeding to steady his aim for one of the van's tires. Despite his calm demeanor, truthfully the fox was sweating bullets. All Duke had to do was make one more sharp turn and Judy could unintentionally end up sending him flying out the window and to the hard unforgiving ground below. So all he could think to himself at this moment was to just continuously remind himself to trust in his partner now more than ever.
"This is your last warning, Wesselton! Pull over," Judy announced once more; and while still trying to weave through the traffic and keep from losing control, Duke practically felt his blood boiling.
"For the last time, it's pronounced WEASELTON! Now I KNOW you're just getting it wrong on purpose," Duke shouted back; not even caring if the cops would hear him or not, before he suddenly noticed in his side mirror that familiar fox leaning out the window and trying to aim for one of his tires.
'Oh no, I ain't goin' to jail again, and ain't nobody gonna make me! Ugh, the things I gotta do to watch my back,' the weasel thought to himself in a panic while looking all around for anything he could use to at least shake his pursuers up a bit; until his eyes finally landed on the buckle for the straps he'd tied around the ATM's he'd already lifted to keep them from potentially breaking. It was with a heavy sigh that he understood what he now had to do to at least try and ensure his continued freedom. With great reluctance, he bid his newfound wealth goodbye and unlocked the buckle.
All at once, the nearly half dozen ATM's in Weaselton's van came tumbling out; crashing loudly as they bounced off the asphalt and went flipping and flying through the air; five 400-pound machines suddenly flying at breakneck speed for Judy and Nick's car. The rabbit at the wheel felt her eyes go wide as dinner plates and her heart catch in her throat in a fraction of a second as she instinctively spun the wheel away from the oncoming projectiles; an ear-piercing screeching of the tires all that could be heard as Nick nearly felt himself come flying out the window before grabbing the window frame for dear life.
Judy couldn't even maintain control of the car before it ended up spinning out onto a sidewalk and broadsided into a lamppost. Nick nearly collapsed back into the car; his heart racing a million miles per second while Judy's head was spinning endlessly from the impact. But once she was able to make out and remember where she was, she instantly remembered how one of the ATM's just seconds ago had been about to nail Nick right in the face; immediately driving the now petrified bunny to look and see her partner was still there in one piece and seemingly without a scratch.
"Nick, oh my god, are you okay?!" Judy asked in near hysterics as she suddenly pounced on her partner; holding onto him as if their lives depended on it while Nick was still too momentarily stunned by what an insanely close call he'd just had.
"Y-Yeah…uh, I think so. Nothing feels brok—" Nick finally began to say in reassurance once he'd regained his senses, only to be cut off when he felt Judy grab the collar of his uniform and suddenly meet him with a rapid series of emotional kisses all over his face as she was barely able to hold back the tears of sheer relief brimming in her eyes.
"Oh, Nick…I-I thought I was about to lose you back there. I…I," Judy struggled to find the words in between her desperate gasps for breath from all the adrenaline before Nick suddenly pulled her in and silenced her overly emotional rambling with a reassuring kiss of his own that seemed to calm her nerves all at once.
"Hey, I'm here and I'm okay, Carrots. Alright? That's not gonna change if I have anything to say about it. But still…wow, that was definitely one heck of a rush. Things keep going on like this, you're gonna have to consider saving my tail a second career," Nick gently reassured her before finally letting his own shock be made known while still chuckling nervously to himself.
"Oh, hush up; you just gotta keep on your guard from now on. Now c'mon, he's not getting away that easy," Judy stated with a wholly new burning determination as she quickly kicked the car back into gear, and soon they were rolling right back down the streets. By the time they found the back of Weaselton's van up ahead again, it nearly felt like the engine for the car was going to give out with how much Judy was putting on the gas in order to gain on him.
"Alright, let's try this again. Just try to keep it steady, Carrots, oka—WHOA," Nick began to ready himself with the dart gun again before Judy unexpectedly stomped on the gas even harder; sending her partner right back against his seat as the car lurched forward and actually rammed against the back of Weaselton's van.
"GAH! ARE YOU CRAZY, COTTONTAIL?! YOU ALREADY MADE ME DUMP MY RICHES SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE," Duke shouted back; clearly shaken up, but Judy wasn't letting up. Instead she just kept going faster and faster before ramming into the back of the van again; by now forcing Weaselton to struggle to maintain control while she was still riding right on his tail.
"Okay, Carrots, I think you've made your point. You can ease up now, I can take over from here," Nick tried to implore to his partner since by now eve he couldn't deny this was getting too extreme for his liking. But the frightening glare in Judy's gaze as she didn't take her eyes off the van seemed to say it all to Nick.
"If he thinks he's getting off that easy after what he almost did to you, he's got another thing coming," she stated angrily as she rammed into the van a third time; by now nearly sending it skidding out of control as Weaselton was trying so hard to keep up the speed.
"Carrots, seriously, you gotta calm down! He's not gonna get away, no matter what; but if you keep this up, you could end up killing him. Just ease up and let me finish up for us, okay?" Nick tried to reason with her as he placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder, and for a few lingering seconds he was starting to worry his partner was refusing to listen and instead choosing to stay angry. But when she actually spared the few seconds to look the fox in the eye, it was as if the serious look in his eyes thankfully said it all to her. While she clearly didn't want to let Weaselton off the hook so easily, her softening expression at least showed that Nick's feelings had gotten through to her. And with a reluctant sigh, she thankfully lightened up on the gas at least enough to where her partner could once more try to blow one of the tires out.
All the while, Duke Weaselton by now was sweating bullets of his own; trying desperately to catch his breath as he kept looking back in his rear mirrors to find those two insufferable cops still weren't letting up. But at least it didn't seem like they were trying to kill him anymore. For the few times he'd been face to face with that little cottontail, he didn't think she had it in her to nearly wanna kill someone, and right now to say he was more than shaken up was a huge understatement.
Suddenly, a deafening burst made his whole head ring as he suddenly found the van to be slowing down considerably, as well as suddenly being a lot harder to control. From a momentary glimpse of Nick Wilde in the side mirror reloading the dart gun in his paws, Duke immediately realized he'd just lost one of his wheels.
And it was in that fraction of a second of divided attention that another pair of ZPD patrol cars suddenly came roaring around the street corners up ahead; forming an impromptu blockade across the street, and the instant he saw them; sheer reflex forced him to steer the van as far to the right as possible; sending him right over a sidewalk and directly into the end of a concrete divider of a nearby construction site; stopping him and his van dead in their tracks.
While their newly arrived backup made short work of re-cuffing Weaselton and getting him into one of their cars, Judy and Nick watched the whole proceeding with their hearts both racing with sheer adrenaline now that their unexpected high-speed chase had just as suddenly come to an end.
"Well…how's THAT for the start of another perfect day, huh?" Nick finally worked up the courage to ask; still slightly shaken from his close call as well as seeing Judy nearly go semi-homicidal behind the wheel, while she herself still looked to be regaining all her senses before suddenly grabbing one of his paws tightly in her own; as if desperately needing to reassure herself her partner and boyfriend was in fact still here.
"I'm sorry, Nick. I…I-I don't know what came over me. I just couldn't stop…I couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened to you, and I—" Judy struggled to explain herself, still visibly shocked with herself just as much as her partner was before he pulled her into a comforting hug of support; which the two silently remained in for a good several minutes. Of course, by the end they both realized they basked in it for so long because they knew there was surely going to be a mountain of paperwork and a thorough Chief Bogo chewing out waiting for them by the end of the day.
Later that evening…
"In other news, the recent string of ATM thefts that had been occurring over the last week throughout Zootopia has finally come to an end. Reports and witness testimonies from several ZPD officers on the scene of the latest crime confirm that the culprit is known felon Duke Weaselton. After a high-speed chase through the Rainforest District, Weaselton's getaway vehicle was subdued, and he is currently in holding; awaiting a future trial. Chief Bogo of the ZPD gave his assurances that Weaselton will not go unpunished, especially in light of this only being the latest in a string of crimes in which he has been involved, all relatively minor. In light of this recent undertaking by the ZPD, senatorial candidate Viktor Bullba held an unexpected press conference wherein he primarily expressed his gratitude to the officers responsible for bringing this known criminal to justice, as well as expressing his full support toward the ZPD in any future matters that may present considerable risk to the people of Zootopia."
Just as before, Peter Moosebridge's reading of the news was cut short as Nick had commenced his and Judy's weekly movie night; a considerable spring in his step after such an exciting, if not difficult day.
To say Chief Bogo had been less than pleased with the property damage resultant of their little car chase with Weaselton was a serious understatement. Frankly, the fox and bunny still felt a lingering sense of surprise that he'd kept himself from shouting his head off at them at all when he'd called them into his office.
Of course, after hearing the news, they'd come to realize that perhaps the positive endorsement from a potential future city senator was probably what had managed to quell their boss' hair-trigger temper as much as it did. Of course they'd still had to slog through respective mountains of paperwork to make up for it, but at the end of the day, they agreed that if the day ended with them both keeping their badges, it could still be considered a good day…more or less.
But tonight wasn't for worrying about the repercussions to take place in the office or the risking of their public image. Tonight was always THEIR time, where they could simply enjoy their personal time together and not have to dwell on their secrecy in the eyes of the public anymore.
"So, do you really think that's gonna be the last we see of our old friend Wesselton, dear fox?" Judy eventually asked once they'd already gotten a good ways into 'The Wolf of Wool Street'; enjoying the pleasant sensation of Nick's chest rising as he laughed while she rested on top of him.
"Wow, he was right; you really ARE getting it wrong on purpose, aren't you?" Nick said between his chuckles while Judy gave him a self-satisfied little grin before rolling onto her stomach with her paws resting under her chin.
"What can I say? I guess your talent for pushing people's buttons also rubbed off on me," she said teasingly before inching forward just a bit so their noses just barely rubbed before she rolled onto her back again.
"Seriously though, do you think we've really seen the last of him?" she asked once more once their mutual laughter had come to an end.
"Not a chance. If I know Duke Weaselton, he's pretty much lived his whole life butting heads with the ZPD. He'll be back on the street before we even realize it. Frankly, it'd just feel weird without having him out there for us to bust from time to time," Nick admitted while Judy couldn't help but nod in agreement. In a weird way, having certain folks out there to help give the ZPD a purpose gave her a sense of…normalcy.
"Of course, if we can avoid any more flying ATM's, you won't hear any complaints from me," the fox said jokingly; inspiring another round of laughter from both himself and his partner. Funny how hindsight could make even the scariest moments of their lives something they could now comfortably laugh at.
In fact, Nick was so caught up in the moment; he was once more caught off guard when Judy suddenly reached up to grab his face and pull him down as she gave him another surprise kiss that rendered him instantly silent.
"In case you're wondering, THAT was to make up for you beating me to it earlier. I don't like starting the day without getting a little taste of the WILDE side either," Judy said sweetly before that loving smile on her lips turned into another mischievous grin that left Nick groaning painfully.
"Ugh, I should've seen that one coming. Okay, I guess I deserved that," Nick relented while Judy just kept giggling to herself before cuddling up against her beloved fox a little more.
"Oh, don't be like that, Nick. You know you love my awful puns," she continued to tease him as she gently stroked the side of his face while Nick just rolled his eyes in amusement.
"Do I know that? Well…" Nick sarcastically asked; even deliberately hesitating, and thus prompting Judy to give him a playful shove against his chin as the two finally separated and now sat side-by-side while giggling in amusement with each other. Of course, it wasn't long until Judy started cuddling up against her beloved fox again as he brought a forepaw securely around her shoulders and holding her close.
"I love you so much, Nick. Today, I-I was so scared that I might—" Judy admitted softly before Nick silenced her by playfully rubbing the top of her head like he always did.
"I know, Carrots; I know. I'd be a terrible liar if I said I wasn't scared too. But I'm still here, and as long as I have you looking out for me, I don't think that's gonna change. You'll have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of someone like me," the fox reassured her while still managing to get a sarcastic little boast in there as well; earning a grateful smile from his girlfriend bunny before she climbed up into his lap and met him with yet another loving kiss he gladly returned.
At the end of the day, close calls aside, it was just another day in Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps' personal paradise, beginning, progressing and finally ending the way they both preferred it to. As long as they had each other, it didn't matter what the world would throw at them on or off the job. As long as these two kindred spirits had each other, everything could honestly be considered perfect.
The next morning at the ZPD…
The bullpen was just the same as it was every morning. Some of the fellow officers had given Judy and Nick some personal congrats for their little stunt yesterday, but otherwise everyone was still keeping to themselves, and just as always, everything quieted down once Chief Bogo had made his entrance. However, today there was a certain edginess evident on his face that none of the officers had seen before.
"Alright, everyone, settle down. Now, I don't expect you all to have caught up with the news this morning, but I'm afraid something rather serious has come up that's going to require all ZPD officers' participation in some way shape or form. Now, I personally don't understand why this is, but city hall has made its feelings clear to me, so I'm afraid my hooves are tied on this one. You see, there was an arson case late last night down in the southeastern Sahara Square. We're not looking at anything catastrophic; it only encapsulated one apartment on the third floor, and there were no casualties or anyone injured in the process, but considering the aged state of the property alongside the fact that the fire was as powerful as it was and yet was so neatly confined suggests the work of a professional. That's why the ZFD is requesting our help in investigating in the hopes of tracking down the culprit. I will handpick a few of you to assist me in investigating while the rest of you keep to your regular assignments."
There were understandably a few concerned murmurs among the gathered officers, but Judy and Nick especially weren't going to let this unexpected tension get to them.
"Excuse me, Chief? I'm sorry to pry, but isn't there an arson-specific department in the ZPD to handle this? I don't necessarily understand why the regular officers are being drafted in," the bunny piped in with genuine curiosity while everyone else's eyes were on her; some even nodding in agreement at how this didn't seem to fully add up.
"Well, like I said, Hopps, I don't know much more about this case than you do. But maybe you and your partner might be able to figure it out sooner rather than later once we get there. Thank you for volunteering," the chief stated with no amusement as everyone else returned to their bothered murmuring while Judy and Nick exchanged shocked glances with each other at what had just happened. Clearly the news had already set Bogo's stresses high enough, so perhaps that was what had driven the ZPD chief to make such an impromptu decision for his two best officers.
But reflecting on it now wasn't going to change anything, as after having given everyone else their assignments, Chief Bogo motioned for Judy and Nick to follow him on their way to the morning's first crime scene.
And there you have it, everyone, the first chapter of my third installment to my Zootopia series. I'm sorry if the pacing here didn't feel right to some of you. Like I said before, this is a story I'm working really hard to piece together as I go along while still trying to make reasonable sense. I know how I want to end it, but it's getting there while remaining respectful to this source material that's going to prove to be the challenge. So I hope you'll all be able to bear with me in that I'll have to take considerably more time to make each chapter than I have been up to this point.
Anyway, I hope you'll all be able to enjoy this story at least as much as the last two, and I hope you'll all continue to support me along the way. Thank you all so much.