So the more I think about it, the more I'm starting to realize that this story is probably going to turn Rated-M, before it's over. What with all of the Lovecrafty stuff that may or may not happen, I'm not gonna spoil nothin' .

...but it's gonna probably be M worthy. I want to know what you guys think though. Would you keep reading if this was rated M? I had considered posting the rated M chapters separately, but I feel like the T-only viewers would be getting an incomplete story, and looking over 's ToS that seems like it might be bending the rules a little. Anyway, enough bellyachin', that change is a ways off, here's what you came for.

Chapter 4: Birds of a Feather

The Death Star was about to blast itself into a million tiny pieces, but Judy Hopps had somehow managed to fall asleep sitting up. Slouched forward, her huge ears hung down her back as she half snored. Nick thought about pulling out his phone and snapping a picture, but he knew the flash would probably wake her up. Instead, he took the opportunity to cannily lay out across the couch and stretch his legs. He propped his head up with his left arm, and continued chewing on an ice cube. It helped him stave off the mild nausea.

Stupid meds.

Naturally, having Judy next to him made him feel a little better, but in a different way. It didn't make the nausea go away so much as it made him feel... well, "safe" was probably the word he was looking for, but just thinking it made him feel like a big gush.

Three months ago that spunky little rabbit had bounced up to him, fox repellent on her hip, and had promised to throw him in jail if he didn't step to her tune. Somehow, though, she'd ended up being the first mammal to really believe in him. It was a powerful thing, to have someone reach down, part the clouds, and tell you you're worth more than the pelt on your back. Now she had him wanting to be her lacky. He'd been played hard for sure, but he didn't really care.

As a teen, Nick had thought that one day, he'd run across a nice looking vixen, they'd lock eyes, and at first sight, it would be love. They'd get married and plow, in some order, and things would go from there. As he'd grown up, however, he'd learned that life felt no obligation to deal such out gracious cards; love would be weird.

Now he was choked up on a little bunny rabbit. At first sight, she had been a pest and, even now, he felt no desire to... copulate with her. It didn't feel right. It was like… he respected her too much, if that made any sense. He preferred to make scathing quips at her expense, rather than plow, because he respected her?

Very normal, Wilde.

But there was no doubt in how he felt. That was the way it was, and he most certainly did love the bunny. So when she finally started to fall over, he didn't hesitate to catch her with his bad arm. It felt like taking a sharp elephant tusk to the shoulder, but it was worth not rousing her from her sleep.

He wanted to tell her how he felt, but the tricky part was not how to tell her, it was when. The nature of their buddy-buddy relationship placed him as the nonchalant one, he couldn't just lay his feelings on the line out of the blue.

Was he emotionally supportive? Yes he was. He'd learned the value of that kind of relief as a child. Mother had been the only place to get it, and she'd been around so rarely. Still, it just wasn't in him to initiate the touchy feely stuff. So when could he drop something that heavy on Judy? In what circumstance would things already be so real that he could slip 'I love you' in as an afterthought?

Well I was shot recently, that's probably a missed opportunity.

The right time would come along, eventually, he reassured himself.

Sometimes he wondered how she might feel about him. Maybe if she knew about his feelings, she wouldn't be so comfortable with all of this bodily contact. Nick's ears flattened. Perhaps a scarier thought, what if she did love him too, but in the more traditional sense. How would he handle that? Bunnies had a reputation for being absolutely ravenous when they were horny. He realized, at that moment, that the two of them were laying together on the wolf-fornication couch. It made his fur stand on end.

To distract himself he snatched up Judy's notebook, licked his finger and flipped through the pages. There was some stuff about the art museum, a lot of boring nonsense about smaller case work. It was boring but it settled his nerves

Jeez, she does take way too many notes.

There were also some sketches and doodles along the way. Nick found himself looking at those more than anything: flowers sketched in pencil, drawings of random mammals, they were all pretty good. There was even a drawing of himself. That drew another smile out of the fox.

That smile did not last. He realized he'd gotten into the Vanisher case when photos of missing mammals started to appear. A few faces he knew popped up: Wells, Dubias, Vensetti, guys from the old neighborhood. Judy had scribbled notes beside all of the photos. Things like "Disguised signs of forceful entry" often accompanied by "No evidence of struggle." The cases pertaining to mammals still in the hospital were eerier still. "Gazelle nurse leaving the hospital reports a light in 1217's window." "Patients report moving shadows in hallway between 4:34 and 4:39am".

It made Nick's heart beat just a little faster.

Then there was Duke Weselton. The weasel had been holed up in his place before he'd dropped off the map. Fangmire and Delgato were the ones who cracked Duke's apartment open when a neighbor thought to mention they hadn't seen him in days. The place had been an absolute mess. In addition to sick supplies, there were piles of crumpled paper with a strange symbol scribbled on them. Judy had attached a picture of the symbol on the same page.

Nick stared at it for a good long while. The eerie black scrabbles were defined in erratic angular lines branching in all different directions. It was vaguely symmetrical… just not in a way that he'd really ever seen before. Nick couldn't decipher what it meant, or who would have conceived such a thing… but it just felt like it was drawn... wrong. It had to be a pivotal point for the case.

If I could draw it right… maybe then it would make some sense...

The fox pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. It was only then that he realized how absurd of a thought he'd just had. How would he know what it was supposed to look like if he'd never seen the original thing? That was a pretty big skip in logic.

The bunny started to stir.

Oh great, way to ruin the moment, Wilde.

It seemed that blocking the flash with his arm wasn't good enough, but then Judy just stretched her springy legs and settled back down with a faint smile. Nick gave her a moment, and then flipped to the next page.

He recognized this weasel too: Jack Sturgis. Everyone just called him Sticky Jack. He was harmless compared to Duke, but he was known for how many times he'd been stabbed. It was usually by his own knife, the clumsy mustela. Jack liked to flash that thing like he was going to cut your ear off, but he was way too much of a softie to actually do anything.

There was a picture of Jack's apartment attached. The bile in Nick's stomach suddenly shot up; he shoved the notebook away.

Judy sat up groggily.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Him." he gestured towards the notebook. "What the hell happened? He looks like a plant, growing out of..."

"Oh," Judy yawned, "you mean Sturgis."

She pushed herself back onto her haunches.

"I dunno. The CSIs are still tearing the place up to try and figure it out."

"Does... killing fit the MO of the Vanishers?"

He tried to search for a better word. What he saw in that photo was not just 'killing', there had to be a more proper word for that, but he didn't know it.

The bunny laid back against his tense stomach, it made him feel a little bit better, even if a little sheepish. He considered making a jab at her for it, but decided not to interrupt her train of thought.

"Well, that doesn't fit the MO of anyone, but we did find a journal in his desk. He mentions the Vanishers several times, and when he does he usually loops back to how they're 'watching him'."

"So Jack keeps a diary? He didn't seem the type."

Nick shifted onto his back, shoving the bunny just a little.

"Well no," she grabbed the notebook, "See the entries-"

Nick quickly put a paw over his face.

"I don't need to see right now, please just tell me."

"...The entries began recently and mostly have to do with something he calls 'the object behind the veil'. He writes poems about it, he talks about it in his notes, and then it all just stops two days before, um… that."

Nick removed his hand from his face. The thought of the dense weasel trying to rhyme almost made him chuckle.

"Poetry? Jeez, his egg must have been fried… Maybe the fever finally knocked him out in the last two days, huh?"

"Maybe... but my gut tells me this isn't the kind of thing you'd do to someone who's asleep."

That's not the kind of thing you'd do to anyone.

Nick tried to force the sight of it out of his head. He could be a grizzled cop and read over the case file when his stomach wasn't doing loop-the-loops.

"So," Nick said, "I take it you didn't get anything from Jacky boy's sonnets?"

"Not really. It just says stuff like…" Judy flipped a few pages, "they bid themselves to a lesser God so that they can cower in his shadow. The object will come, it presses into the folds even now."

"Creepy," Nick said, half-sarcastically.

"Yeah, I'm with you on the fever probably messing with his head. He was probably loopy from the fever and had been watching news coverage of the Vanisher case. He doesn't give any names, addresses, or detailed descriptions of them, or at least besides the ones available to the public. Still he might've roused their attention with all of this, and he did have the fever, so there's motive..."

"So all of that," Nick placed his paw on the notebook without looking, "and we've got nothing solid?"

"I wouldn't say nothing, we found some fur in Jack's room that didn't belong to him. We're working on that lead right now, it's being lab tested."

"Well Jack did like to sleep around, so I don't know how much fruit that's going to bare."

Nick grunted, sat up and placed his feet on the floor.

"Better than nothing though, I guess. Now would you please put that notebook away? My goal is to not the throw up on my partner on the day she finally comes to visit me."

"Really, I'm sorry I couldn't come over the last-"

"Ahh ahh ahh shh shshsh, just close the notebook, and we're good."

"Actually," her ears folded back, "I was wondering if you could give me a statement Nick."

"Come again?"

"You were in St. Hobbins at the same time as the other two mammals that went missing."

He sighed.

"Carrots, I already told you, nothing happened in my part of the ward."

"Nick, you're a police officer. You're sure you can't wrack your brain for just a little information?"

He grumbled, and shifted his weight onto the armrest at his side. He had to think for a moment, but he knew she wasn't going to leave him alone about the whole hospital visit until he told her something.

"Actually, there was one thing."

The bunny's ears perked up, and she got out her pen.

"Great!"

"Do you remember that otter I told you about, the one with the screws loose, next floor up? Would scream randomly throughout the day? Well he was going non-stop one night…"

The bunny started scribbling down notes like her job depended on it. He smirked.

"A nurse came in, aaand she told me that I needed to get out of bed right then and there. So I did, just wearing the hospital gown. She escorted me to a room down the hall, locked the door… and what I saw in there, I..."

He pretended to act pained.

The bunny's eyes were glued on him.

"She stripped naked, Judy."

"Nick!"

He smiled, and enjoyed as she glared back at him. Clearly the bunny wasn't in the mood for his teasing, but she just made it so easy. She seemed to grow more sour by the second.

"Alright, alright, look," he sobered up his tone, "the otter was screaming and my nurse came in about 45 minutes late with my medication that night."

Judy returned to scribbling on her notepad.

"She seemed really tense, didn't even bother to turn on the lights, just gave me a glass of water and the usual fist full of pills. I mean, I could see her fine, I've got the eyes for it, but I just thought it was weird. I think that was the night before I got sick, actually. If you wanted to go after the hospital for not following the health code, she'd probably be your target. I'd guess she'd been working with a really sick patient, and hadn't bothered to clean herself up…"

"Anything else?"

"That's really all I've got, Hopps, cross my heart and hope to die."

She sighed.

"Well, every little bit counts. Thank you, Mr. Wilde, for your statement."

"Any time, officer fluff, you know where..."

He frowned as she scooted to the edge of the couch and began to gather her things.

"...to find me. Hey, you sure you don't want to watch another?"

"Nah, some of us have work tomorrow, Slick. Better to get some rest, right?"

She hit his chest with her fist and hopped to the floor.

He rubbed the spot absent-mindedly, and watched her head towards the door. The fox, took a deep breath, sat up straight, and gave it his best smooth-talker voice. It was probably a hopeless effort but...

"Well, you know you're always welcome to stay here for the night, Carrots"

She was halfway to the door, and surprisingly she stopped. Her ears fell slightly and she seemed to ponder for a second. She turned to face him.

"You really wouldn't mind?"

His ears settled back.

"No, of course not, how could I turn a lady away?"

"Well... how long would you let me stay?"

"Until morning?"

"I mean how many days could I stay, Nick?"

His cool faltered for a moment. He had not been expecting that.

"Uhm…"

"S-sorry, that was an awkward question, I-"

"No, I mean you can stay as long as you want, did something happen?"

"No not exactly. A-anyway, I can't tonight, I left all my stuff for work at home."

His ears flattened.

"Okay, well... I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, I'll try to stop by after work."

She was about to place her hand on the doorknob but then her phone rang. Nick craned his head around, but the bunny had placed herself between him and her phone screen.

"Who is it?" Nick asked.

"I don't know, I just recently got a new phone, remember?"

She tapped the screen and placed the device next to her ear.

"Hello?... Yes... Mr. Big?"

Nick's eyes went wide.

"Can I help you with something?"

What's he calling Judy for this late?

Nick had spent a long time ducking away from Big and his entourage before Judy had come along. To say that he was still little uneasy with the fact that his partner had an in with the crime boss, was a understatement. The little snow shrew calling at this hour couldn't entail anything good.

He twisted his ears and tried to listen in.

"I have something... I think you will want to see," said the voice.

"Right now?"

"It has to do with your daytime profession…"

"Oh no! Did something happen to Fru Fru? Have you called the ZPD yet, sir?"

Nick cringed at the pang of concern in the bunny's voice. Did she really think a criminal like Big was going to call the cops?

"Well, something has certainly 'happened,' but it hasn't do with my daughter...How should I say this... Because of how this looks, if I am going to invite the police in, I would prefer that the first cop here is a friend. I think it may also involve you personally."

Judy finally turned and looked at Nick. He immediately shook his head, but then she just waved a dismissive hand.

"Uhm, sir, I don't know how I'd get there first, I don't have a car of my-"

"I've already sent Manches to pick you up, if you will indulge me. I am aware that it is late, but I will be sure to compensate you."

"A-alright, but I'm not at my apartment, I'm at Nick's."

Nick slapped a palm against his face.

"I will call him and let him know."

"Do you have the address?"

"Ofcourse I do."

The hair on Nick's neck stood straight up.

"Sir… before you go... did someone vanish?"

"Vanish? no. I am afraid... I'm looking at him right now."

Remember to review. You can also fav or follow! But only if you enjoyed O.O . I'll be back next week like always, G, peace.

...Seriously though, it makes my morning when I wake up and see all the favs and nice comments yous guys leave 3 , it really is what gets me going to write the next week's chapter!

Aight good night for real Gangsta... and speakin of Gangstas, for you guys out there who like Finnick, he'll show up later. Everybody needs a lil' Finnick in their life right?

Anyway, seriously *points to the bed* G'night.