Chapter 2

Chief Bogo entered the bullpen and as always, his presence was enough to shush the lively conversations his officers were having. As each one of his officers quieted he surveyed the situation at hand. Hopps was sticking out like a sore thumb with her wrecked up eyes and ridiculous sunglasses, Wild was sitting beside her and seemed concerned. He didn't know what was wrong with her and usually wouldn't care, but she wasn't the type to take the kind of bad decisions that would leave her messed up and stinking of rotten poison. An awful connection formed in his head, Hopps was a pretty bunny and Lapin had been going back to his old habits.

He hoped Hopps appearance and Mau's visit to the cold case storage were unrelated; he really did, because if not then his complacence with his bosses and inactivity towards Lapin's wrongdoings would be the cause of one of his officer's pain.

-"Very well let's run through the assignments: Delgato, Fangmeyer and Wilde you have to find a missing leopard in Sahara square. Mc Horn you forgot to file your paperwork for that high speed chase in Tundratown so enjoy your parking duty today. Hopps"- He said staring directly at the small bunny, gently he removed her sunglasses and saw she was in a far worse state than expected. –"You have desk duty"- He said almost with kindness.

Before he could continue Wilde raised his hand like an exited cub at school –"Chief Buffalo-butt! Oh sorry I mean Chief Bogo! can I have the parking duty?"-

The water buffalo growled, Wilde was antagonizing him so he would have no choice but to punish the fox with the parking duty. Just to show him he was not an easy to manipulate fool Bogo was about to deny the request, but as he stared directly at the fox with a piercing glance he noticed Wilde stole a furtive glance at Hopps. With a sigh he realized parking duty in downtown would keep him closer to his partner "Maybe you are not the only interspecies perv in the district" he mused with bitterness.

-"Very well Wilde, enjoy your assignment delivering tickets because you will do it for a whole month!"- At the last words Bogo's voice rose and boomed through the entire room.

As expected Wilde merely responded with a cheeky grin and saluted him in mock respect –"I will sir, don't worry I'll make you proud"-

….

-"What was that all about?"- Judy asked her partner

-"I missed the thrill of parking duty"- He shrugged in his usual carefree manner, Judy merely rolled her eyes. He couldn't help noticing she had in fact lost some weight; bunnies have a very demanding metabolism if they don't eat regularly and often they get sick pretty fast.

-"Hey carrots, why don't we go for coffee and some breakfast? There's a nice looking diner a few blocks away"- He casually put his paw around her shoulders and was puzzled when she tensed, he could sniff her distress so he gently withdrew his arm. At the mention of food the bunny reflexively placed her hands on her stomach. –"Are you okay?"- The fox asked not even bothering to conceal his concern anymore.

-"I'm fine Nick"- Her voice showing she was anything but, then she put her glasses on and gave him another fake smile –"It's just the hangover, my stomach probably can't handle food right now. Look I have a very long and boring day ahead and you"- She said putting the stupid bob hat on his head –"Have a lot of parking tickets to give, so I'll have a rain check on that. We'll talk later"- With that the bunny gave him a hasty wave and left towards her cubicle.

Nick shook his head and headed to the joke of a car the police assigned vehicle used for delivering tickets with a somber expression, Judy was not only sick and concerned about something but she was also putting walls around herself to block him from helping her. It's strange because the bunny had always been one of the most open and trusting mammals he had ever met. He did have an advantage against her though; he had been putting walls around himself for years now. Only a handful of those barriers had been torn by the bunny he had been sharing almost all of his time with for the last two years. He knew damn too well how to build those walls and how much effort it took to break them down, he also knew how damaging those walls could be over time, even if at first they promise to protect you.

After the million ways Judy had helped him, giving him a purpose in life, being a shoulder to lean on and a partner to have your back in the most dangerous situations. He owed it to her to help her out, even if she didn't want him to. He hoped the menial job ahead of him would help in thinking a solution to this problem.

It was 10:30am and Nick was strolling back into the precinct with his usual relaxed stance and confident smile, a large bag hanging from his right paw. He spotted Judy's cubicle and was relieved the rest of the small offices were empty, all the other agents were on the street at this hour.

-"Hey carrots, did you miss me?"- He said casually sitting on a chair beside her

The bunny looked at her clock and lifted an eyebrow; her smile now was almost genuine.

-"It's only been 2 hours since you left slick. Shouldn't you be giving parking tickets? Unless you want the chief to be even angrier at you"-

-"All the chief wants is for a quota of at least a hundred tickets; I just tapped a hundred and fifty."- He said throwing his hat on her desk and wiggled his eyebrows at her

-"Is that why you wanna do parking duty? So you can fill your quota and have the rest of the day off?"- She shook her head in mild annoyance –"Lazy fox"- she chuckled.

"All right enough with the ice breaking time to get into subject" the fox told himself, heart to heart conversations were NOT his forte. Even when he did have a few serious honest moments and most of them were with Judy she was usually the one who reached the touchy subjects, he reminded himself to be gentle but not give her a chance to wiggle out of it.

-"I just wanted to hang out with my carrots, that's all. Besides I got you a few painkillers and antacids for your hangover, it will make you look more like the cute bunny you are and less like a zombie from a horror B movie"-

-"Thanks Nick, and don't call me cute."- She gulped down several pills and washed them out with some carrot juice the fox had also brought her.

-"As soon as you feel better we'll get something to eat, and maybe then you can tell me what is actually going on"- Nick dropped the sarcastic façade but made an effort to seem as gentle as possible.

Judy shook her head dismissively and formed another fake smile but before she could lie to him he interrupted

-"Nah ah sweetheart, don't try to hustle a hustler. Something is eating you up inside and I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what it is."- His voice was gentle but his eyes were determined.

When she understood her ruse was over her face fell and her expression was so heartbroken Nick couldn't help putting a paw on her shoulder in the hope to bring some comfort.

She couldn't tell him, shame and fear held a grip on her chest and refused to let the words go. She could tolerate Julien's attack or the way the law seemed to be by his side, but she could not tolerate the thought of Nick knowing what had happened and being angry at her. Angry at her foolishness in dating an asshole like Lapin, or getting into his car or not being suspicious enough when he drove her to that empty street. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt his paw caressing her cheek, her eyes rose to meet his and found nothing but concern and determination. Judy couldn't lie to him; he had always read her like a book so she settled with a half truth.

-"It's about an ongoing investigation. I was advised not to tell anyone about it, not even my partner"-

-"They think I couldn't keep a secret?"-

She nodded

-"Do YOU think I cannot keep a secret?"-

And now she was cornered again, "Dammit Nick you can pull my strings like I were a puppet" She thought frustrated; she had always been the one with her heart on her sleeve while he was an unreadable ball of mystery wrapped in red fur and sarcasm.

-"You know what Nick"- She said with a genuine sense of frustration –"There were so many times when things were bothering you and I asked you what was wrong, to that you always said it was complicated and the least I knew the better. All those times I kept quiet hoping you would open up to me in time. Sometimes you did speak to me but sometimes you didn't. Today I ask you to do the same for me. Please let me have this secret"-

And there was the attack he had feared, Judy had been the mammal he had confided the most and he had in fact opened up to her in ways he hadn't with anyone else, sadly that didn't account for much. He had spent too many years hiding who he really was so opening up to her had been a gigantic struggle. But now that he was on the other side he understood how scary it was to be left out in the dark when someone you care about is suffering, and you feel like there is nothing you can do about it. So now he faced a dilemma, he could let her be and keep his precious guarded secrets or he could emotionally gut himself in front of her and help her out.

Her ears were drooping behind her, her shoulders slumped and her cute large violet eyes filled with tears as her little nose twitched. The epitome of cuteness that could melt even the coldest of hearts was in front of him and all he could do about it was to throw himself at her mercy.

-"You are right carrots it's not fair, so I tell you what we're gonna do. From now on we won't have any secrets. Every time you ask me something I will be a hundred percent honest with you, no matter how ugly the truth is. Starting now"-

His voice was like soft velvet on her ears. Her eyes widened

-"Are you serious?"-

-"like nuclear fallout, in fact I'm gonna let you have the first shot. Ask me anything"- He acted as if the last sentence didn't terrify him.

There was one large doubt Judy had about her partner and nagged her almost on daily basis

-"Tell me about your mom. I mean… you never tell me anything about your family"-

"Going for the kill aren't you carrots? Very well time to twist the knife and spill my guts out" He thought bitterly.

-"My mom raised me by herself, I never met my dad. She is the hardest working mammal I ever met, even more than you. She's a nurse in Savanna Hospital and tougher than concrete poured on stainless steel. She never raised a hand at me but I have always been kinda terrified to piss her off, that is why in all my years of hustling I never actually broke the law."-

-"Wow wait are you telling me you were never a criminal?"- Judy said shocked.

-"Of course! How would you expect me to get into the police force if I had a record?"- He chuckled –"I started hustling at fourteen when she got cancer, it was ugly let me tell ya. Her fur fell off and she could barely walk let alone work so I started looking for jobs here and there. But nobody wanted to hire a fox so I begun panhandling and then got into a few cons. My mom at some point was so sick she could barely lift her head from the couch, but as soon as she figured out what I was doing she threatened to kill me if I ever wound up in jail and boy she was serious about it.

But what was I supposed to do? Let us starve? So I found a middle ground, I went to the library and studied the law and found several loopholes in there, it was just a matter of studying the regulations before I planned the con, that way I made good money and could do my thing without having to bribe or fight off crooked cops. As soon as she recovered she dragged me kicking and screaming, literally, back to school so I got my bachelor degree. But by then I had made hustling my career choice"-

He had thrown several years of childhood trauma at her with a light smile, nonchalant attitude and in record time, Judy wanted to comfort him but it was so much information to handle. All she could do was put her paw over his.

-"I'm sorry , I shouldn't have forced you to go through that again"-

-"its okay carrots, that's the problem with the truth I guess. It can turn pretty ugly very fast"- His sly smile was still in place but his eyes saw her with intensity. –"Well I made my part of the deal, I showed you mine it's time for you to show me yours"-

It was true, if he was brave enough to expose his awful past without sobbing or breaking apart then so could she. In fact his technique seemed rather useful, just get it out hard and fast like pulling out a bad aid.

With a determined look on her face she steeled herself, took a deep breath and told him the truth in the most matter of fact tone she could muster.

-"Last night I went on a date with Julien Lapin, the district attorney. It was fine at first until he offered to take me home, when I was in the car with him he took me to a desolate alley and tried to rape me. He was stronger than I expected and very fast, he hit me pretty hart on the head. If I hadn't been trained in combat he would had gotten his way with me but I fought him off and ran the hell out of there."- At the last sentence she actually managed to give her partner a smug smile, she sighed relieved; now that she said it out loud it didn't sound so bad. Yes Lapin had hurt her head and her heart but she could get over with it over time.

For Judy her confession had been liberating, as if talking to someone who cared about her had lifted her spirit, maybe all she really needed was to get this out of her system.

For Nick it was a very different experience, her words had pierced through his brain and soul shattering his whole existence. He seemed calm on the outside, something Judy misunderstood as acceptance, but on the inside an electric storm of primal emotions swirled in his gut bathing his vision in red.

He had never considered himself as the aggressive type, a smooth talker sure but never the one to use violence. In fact the fox usually looked down at the mammals that were aggressive; he considered them dumb and uncivilized. Many of his old friends actually called him a coward, since it was more likely for him to escape or talk his way out of trouble than fight back.

Until he met Judy that is, and she filled his head with hopes and dreams, she was the only one that believed in him after years of being put down and underestimated. Because of her he realized he could be brave, that he could amount to something and fight for a cause. He begun to fight back, he stood up to a gigantic water buffalo when they first met knowing the little bunny had been treated unfairly, never in his life he thought he'll defend anyone like that. Until then he had never cared for anything other than himself, but she came to his life like the fluffiest sweetest tornado and turned his life upside down.

And now here she was, crying with her little paws wiping the tears away, yet she looks hopeful once more. That unbreakable optimist.

Nick had never thought he could kill someone until now, never felt the feral instinct inside of his DNA begging to come out and taste fresh blood, never though he could be the one willing to start a fight and take it to its worst conclusion.

-"I can't believe this is happening"- His voice was numb, yet his conscience was whispering inside his head "I will kill that bunny, I'll tear his fluffy little neck with my jaws and spill his tiny guts all over the floor"

-"I know right? I have trouble believing it as well"- She said sadly, not knowing her partner was on the verge of a breakdown with every one of her words. –"And that's not the end of it, it gets worse"-

-"Worse?"- His voice was calm, cold even.

-"He's done it to others , there were at least seven more does that filed a complaint against him but he bullied them into silence. He might had actually killed one of his victims, but his connections in the law system bailed him out of it and swept the case under the rug"-

"Don't worry carrots, after I'm done with him he won't be able to hurt anyone else" the primal voice inside his head kept whispering.

Judy was glad she talked to Nick, he didn't laugh at her or got angry he simply stayed quiet and composed through her whole speech. Grateful she threw herself at him and gave the fox a big hug.

-"Thank you Nick, you are a wonderful friend you know that right?"- Judy was nuzzling at the crook of his neck, her uninjured cheek rested on his shoulder. Slowly he returned the hug and she was intrigued when he nuzzled her cheek in return, placing special attention on the areas closer to her ears. She raised her head, not understanding why there were so many shivers down her spine but before she could say anything he rubbed the side of his face slowly into hers, his ears twitched and his tail shook wildly from side to side.

-"What was that all about?"- She asked exited, Judy didn't know what had just happened but she liked it.

Only then Nick managed to have a semi lucid thought "Holy crap I just marked her!" panic rose inside him and he was extremely glad his red fur would cover his intense blushing. Apparently those primal instincts that awakened inside of him were not only about violence, the wild fox in his DNA also wanted to find a mate. Shaking himself awake he managed to find a somewhat truthful answer.

-"It's a sign of affection for foxes, well canids in general."-

As a response she put her twitching nose over his muzzle while her cotton tail shook with enthusiasm. He didn't know why that brought a fuzzy warm feeling inside of him.

-"And this is a sign of affection for bunnies"- She said happily, Judy was finally acting like herself again.

Nick was immensely thankful there were no other canides in the precinct, one sniff from them and they would be in huge problems. Right now he guessed his skin under the fur was probably spewing pheromones like crazy and his scent had probably mingled with Judy's as well. The worst part is that the poor bunny had no idea of what was going on, she probably thought he had given her the canide equivalent of a handshake instead of a frigging marriage proposal. Foxes don't just mark any vixen that comes their way; once they do they usually mate for life.

His thoughts were interrupted when a tiny kit came into the main hall carrying a gigantic bouquet of red roses; he talked to Clawhauser who pointed into Judy's direction smiling with glee.

The little kit hopped towards Judy and gave her the bouquet, he said in the peppiest tone the fox had ever heard.

-"Delivery for Judy Hopps from Julien Lapin"-

Judy's face filled with shock and dread, her shaking paws took the bouquet. A large note written in gold read:

I know we had some hard times, but I still love you my princess. As an olive branch I offer you an invitation to a charity ball I'm hosting in my manor tonight. I saw this dress and thought of you, please be an angel and wear it tonight. P.S. I thought the necklace would match the outfit so wear that too.

Behind the bouquet was a large white box tied with a golden ribbon. When she opened it she saw a burgundy dress quite similar to the one he had ripped through shreds on her last night, on top of that a necklace made with platinum and rubies shone bright in the sun.

-"Is he really oblivious about how much of a monster he is or is he trying to bribe you?"- Nick couldn't contain the low growl from erupting in his throat.

Below the box a piece of paper was stuck with duck tape, Judy grabbed it and upon reading it her ears twitched and her left hind paw tapped furiously on the floor.

-"Neither! It's a threat!"-

-"He's threatening you?!"- Nick said even angrier that before, if that was possible. "Yep, I'm mauling that bunny alright. Sure I'll be locked up for life but boy it will be worth it"

-"No he's threatening YOU. This is a transcript of Natalia Skipter's case, the doe Julien killed; in here it says you had a nasty fight with her the day before she died."-

He snatched the paper from her paws and read the transcript, it took a while for him to remember but then he realized he had known Skipter, which was no big deal he knew everyone in Zootopia. First of all it wasn't a big fight, she was selling blueberries on the street and he took some, she caught him and they traded a few insults before going on back to their business. On the paragraph that detailed (and exaggerated) the fight between them large markings written with red pen circled his name, beside the paragraph Julien's handwriting said: New suspect?

-"I don't know what he wants from me, but I have to do what he says or he will frame you for the murder he committed"- Judy said in the brink of despair.

The fox meanwhile reached an epiphany, mauling that little dipshit would be extremely satisfying but a quick death is much more than he deserved. No this called for something else, the primal rage that infested his soul turned into pure malice. By the time he was done with him Lapin wouldn't be dead but he would wish he was.

"No one messes with my partner"