A/N: This is currently undergoing a major rewrite but I felt it was only fair to provide a better backstory for all the characters rather than springing it upon you at a later chapter. I ask for your patience and hope you like what I've written so far. Feedback is appreciated.

Chapter 2

It was their last year in Zootopia High and all Nick could think of was whether he should ask Judy to be his date to the Graduation Ball or not. They were good friends. Best of friends to be precise. They liked doing things together and a lot of people mentioned that they were always attached to the hip. They made a good team. Ever since they met on that first day of middle school, they hit it off right away. Whether they were working on a class project (usually Judy did most of the schoolwork), editing the school newspaper (Judy did most of the writing while he took the photos), leading the varsity debate team (his wit and her intellect crushed the opposition every year) or even the synchronized diving competition (she looked good in her swimsuit), they worked together like one flawless machine, each one complementing the other.

Yet he hesitated. Her brothers and sisters – all 257 of them – wouldn't look too kindly on a predator asking a prey out on such an important event in her life. Nor would her ultra-conservative father, Stu Hopps, who always seemed to have his loaded shotgun around whenever he came over to consult Judy on their assignments. For all of Zootopia's talk of "you can be anything you want" and inter-species dating still considered taboo, a "predator-prey" relationship would be a disaster waiting to happen. Of course, there was also the issue that many mammals hesitated to trust him simply because he was a fox. They only put up with him mainly because of Judy.

Judy was a sweet, loveable, adorable, non-stop bundle of energy with enough optimism for the both of them. She put up with his laziness. She always had a laugh for one of his jokes no matter how bad they were. She even defended him against his detractors. She never let anything get her down.

Except when he pulled one of his pranks on her. That was the last straw.


"Why are we going after Nick?" she worriedly asked Jack. "What did he do?"

"There is an outstanding warrant for his arrest after being involved in a serious altercation that took place over ten years ago. He managed to slip out of Zootopia right after so he was never charged before a court of law. Thus, the statute of limitations has been suspended and will start once he is charged in a Zootopian court."

"What serious altercation? The only thing I remember that happened ten years ago with him was…" she hesitated as her voice slowly trailed off as the memories came flooding back.

"Yes, the incident that occurred between him and your boyfriend at that time, Robby Peterson."

"But that wasn't Nick's fault! He was only acting in self-defense!"

"I don't like it either, Judy. However, his father, who is politically connected due to his many campaign contributions, has been pressuring us for his arrest. We seem to have caught a break recently regarding whereabouts. Since the warrant has never been served, it remains outstanding and I have been tasked by my superiors to bring him in."

"That doesn't seem fair considering that Robby started the whole thing!" she said angrily. "Also, is this why you chose me to come with you? So that I could be your bait for the trap?"

Jack sighed. "I expected that you would feel this way considering your previous relationship with him. However, your name was put forward by your chief as the best person to do the job without any possible complications of having to smuggle him out of Canidae if he resisted. At present, Zootopia and Canidae are still working out a system of repatriation. However, we cannot wait for the courts to come up with one as it may still take several years. We now have a window of opportunity and I intend to take advantage of it. Life is messy and is never fair. However, as an officer of the ZIA, I must uphold the law no matter how distasteful it may be. And I expect you, as an officer of the ZPD, to do the same."

She cringed at his words and shamefully hung her head. She knew that he was only speaking the truth and she was only letting her emotions affect her judgment. She started to read Nick's dossier.

Subject: Nicholas Piberius Wilde

Background: Former member of the Canidaen Armed Forces. Served 6 years and received a Honourable Discharge. Recipient of the Medal of Military Valour, several Medals of Bravery and the Canidaen Peacekeeping Service Medal. After leaving the military, Nicholas Wilde was known to have started a photography business in Canidae and has managed to keep a low profile since then. He has no visible pawprint on the Internet and has remained off the grid except when filing his income taxes electronically usually from an Internet café or public library. The address on these tax returns indicates that it is a post office box, which has been under surveillance. He has never appeared but someone comes from time to time to pick up the mail. After following said mammal to various locations on several occasions, the mail seems to mysteriously disappear from them and any attempts to backtrack to the time it occurred have proven futile.

Specialty: Marksman

Current whereabouts: unknown

Inside the dossier were photos of Nick when he was in the military. He looked handsomely stunning in his military uniform. He had a commanding presence around him and those emerald eyes of his brought back many pleasant memories. The military training he underwent had transformed the once scrawny fox she had known back in Zootopia High. His body looked…buff. "I'd certainly have a much harder time wrapping my arms around that chest!" she internally giggled.

"So, what is this break you've mentioned?" as she reluctantly turned her eyes back to Jack.

"It seems that he has recently created an account on Furbook under an alias. We deduced it was him because our cybercrime experts kept seeing him visit only one account…yours."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You mean he's been stalking me?"

"We're not sure. But, every time he logs in, he appears to be using a virtual private network that is being bounced over several international servers so it is quite difficult to locate his exact position. We are certain, however, that after his military discharge, he has never left the protection that Canidae gives its citizens and has remained in this country."

"So, where do we go from here?"

"We want you to contact him and to bring him out into the open so that we can either arrest him peacefully…or take him back to Zootopia forcefully under heavy sedation."

She didn't like the latter option however she deigned to voice her opinion over it, as she knew it was standard operating procedure for the ZIA.

"And how do you know he'd be willing to break his cover for me?" she asked Jack.

"I just know." Jack replied with a hint of a sneer on his lips and didn't say another word.

Judy began to feel some misgivings about the case. She knew she was happy about being able to reconnect with her best friend again however she didn't like the fact that she may be betraying him just because of a petty misunderstanding that occurred many years ago. But because of her oath and duty to uphold Zootopia's laws – no matter how unfair they may seem - she felt she had no choice in the matter.

And that was what sickened her to her stomach.