The trees seemed to whiz by in a flash, the bright hues of green and brown melding together as the mammal's feet carried her further and further along the pristine sidewalk through the brewery district. Sweat was beginning to escape through her pores, the very ends of her paws and tail tingling with dreadful anticipation at what she may encounter upon arriving at the destination.

Just minutes ago a rather round cheetah had informed her and the two ZPD officers that a body had been found in an alleyway just north of the police department, with no description of what species or identification attached. Fearing the worst, she had left the two officers in dazed confusion and began the journey towards the address, for she knew exactly where it was located.

Her sides were beginning to hurt, but she didn't give the slightest care as she spotted the address coming up. She saw the drop behind the brick wall into the abyss of an alleyway and didn't even care how fast she was going before reaching the opening. Shoving through the small group of mammals that had congregated there, she scanned the alleyway. Laying her eyes upon it for the first time, she gawked in horror at the badly maimed body of what was left of Nelson, spatters of blood past and around him in pools.

She let out a scream that could turn any blood ice-cold, and squeezed her eyes shut, turning away as she felt the sudden need to vomit come creeping up her throat.

"Layla!" She sound of her name didn't faze her at all. A gray rabbit and red fox exited a police cruiser across the street, taking off in a dead sprint over to the now completely frazzled vixen. Upon reaching her the rabbit placed a paw on her arm, shaking her slightly.

"Who is it?" Judy asked frantically as Nick continued towards the crime scene, pushing through the crowd and then freezing in place. He turned and looked at Judy, his ears pinned against the back of his head and his eyes full of dread.

'Nelson'. He mouthed indefinitely to the agile bunny, and her heart sank. She turned to Layla again, her face twisted in agony and her body hunched over as her balled fists wrung the air. She began to quiver heavily, and Judy gently guided her back over to the cruiser, instructing her to sit quietly until Nick and her could figure this out. EMS was already en-route, seeing as they needed a medical professional to officially proclaim the otter dead before they could move him anywhere.

Upon seeing the body herself for the first time, a sickening feeling dropped like a lead ball in Judy's stomach. As much as she enjoyed being a cop, it was moments like these that she wished her mind was a tape, and she could rewind and erase everything she had ever not wanted to see.

Nick was busy taking photographs from every angle possible, his own face having drained a little from the gruesome sight. After the last shot, he locked eyes with Judy.

"He was definitely stabbed to death." Nick concluded. "At least three from what I can see."

Judy nodded solemnly, writing it down on the report paper she had brought along. She continued to hear gasps and frantic chattering from the mammals behind her, and she turned to them.

"Ladies and gentleman, I kindly ask you to leave this scene. We have professionals en-route right now to take care of this, as well as ourselves. There is nothing left to see here." She said absent-mindedly, beginning to shoo the wide array of animals away. They scoffed, beginning to leave with mothers hurrying their children along before they saw too much. One koala looked in sorrowful pity to the slain otter, shaking his head as he walked off. As soon as everyone had cleared, the rabbit cop's gaze locked onto the window facing them, seeing Layla's form slouched over in the backseat. Her eyebrows knotted in concern, and she let out a frustrated sigh. This is definitely not how she wanted the morning to go.

Nick had since come up behind her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"This can't keep happening. That's three lives lost now." Judy said. Nick nodded.

"We need to find this vermin now." Nick conferred. Just then, EMS arrived and examined the body, a young leopard proclaiming the otter officially deceased. The two cops recorded it, wrote it down, and gave the medics permission to take him to the hospital morgue.

After Nelson was wrapped up and hauled away, Judy and Nick went back over to the cruiser and climbed inside. The moment the doors shut and the two settled into their seats, there came a voice that they almost didn't recognize.

"I'm done." Layla's voice was scratchy and weak from crying, and both predator and prey looked back at her.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked, her tone edgy and fearful.

"I'm done with this city. These mammals. Everything…..I'm done." The flat, uninterested tone that she had adopted made the officers give each other a worried look.

"Layla, we-" Judy began, but the fox raised her paw to silence her.

"Nelson's parents have a right to be contacted about this. I'll take you guys back to Margeaux's one last time to give you their number out of Nelson's phone, but after that…..I'm leaving Zootopia." She said, laying out her plan of action for them to see.

"But you're an important asset to this case. You can't just leave!" Judy said.

"Yes I can, Judy. And I will. It's not safe for me here. Even with you two. It's only a matter of time before whoever is doing this finds me with you, and we all become victims. I have to do what is best." Layla said, raising her voice, despite the fact that it was cracking indefinitely. Judy's eyes continued to watch her, knowing fully well that this was not what the vixen wanted to do. But, with everything that had happened to her, she definitely could not blame her either.

"Okay." was all she said. Nick said nothing, having since allowed his gaze to peer out of the passenger side window.

The entire ride was deathly silent, the tires humming beneath them as they glided across the pavement. Judy's eyes were locked in a stare out the windshield, while Nick fiddled with his taser and Layla sat with her eyes closed, leaning her head against the window frame.

Upon arriving, Layla mentioned to the bartender that they were just gathering some things and headed on back.

Back in Nelson's room, Judy and Nick stood respectively just inside the door, watching Layla fish around in Nelson's desk. Finally, she retrieved his cell phone, unlocking the emergency call section and opening up his parents' contact info.

"Here it is. 546-809-2103." She rambled off blankly, and Nick quickly scribbled it down. After wards, Layla nodded firmly.

"So this is good-bye." She stated gently. Judy pursed her lips, nodding as well.

"I suppose it is." She said, stepping forward and extending her paw. Layla took it.

"Best of luck for you." Judy said with the upmost concern. Layla nodded, and the bunny turned to exit the room. Layla turned to Nick, who had not said a word since the crime scene. Layla extended her paw this time.

"Officer Wilde, I wish you and Officer Hopps the be-" She started, but she yipped abruptly as the male fox pulled her into an embrace, perhaps as payback for her random hug in the diner yesterday. She immediately softened, hugging back before Nick pulled away, his ears pinning back and his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"I'm sorry Foxy, I-I don't know what got into me…" He stated, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Layla smiled.

"It's quite alright. Though I'm sure you'll hear some repercussions from your cottontail friend." Layla said, nudging her head in Judy's direction. Nick looked back to see Judy staring at them through the small opening between the doorway and hallway, and Nick snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, she knows she loves me." He stated.

"Indeed." Layla agreed, giving a smile again. Not wanting to indulge any further in the specific subject, Nick looked her in the eye.

"Where will you go?" He asked. Layla hummed her response.

"Hmmmm probably back where I came from. It's been quite a long time since I've been home." Layla said after a moment or two.

"Where's 'home'?" was his next question.

"Meadow Falls." Layla replied in a heartbeat. Nick was surprised.

"That's all the way out on the outer rim of the country! I haven't ever met anyone from all the way out there!" He said. Layla huffed.

"Well now you have, big shot." She said playfully, waving her finger at him. Nick chuckled, but his expression quickly fell solemn as he locked eyes with Layla Michaels one last time. He saw something in her that caused a stirring of something within his chest, though it felt quite a deal foreign and he could barely touch what it could possibly be.

"See you later." He said, giving one small smile before starting to walk towards the doorway. Layla began in the opposite direction. A few feet later, Nick stopped, turning on his heel.

"And Layla?" He added. The vixen's ears perked up at the sound of her name from him, a rare occasion indeed. She looked back at him.

"Yes Nick?" She replied. She watched his expression fall to one of concern and hopefulness.

"…..Take care of yourself." He said softly. Layla was taken aback by how gentlemanly the fox was being, but nonetheless she nodded.

"I will."

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Once back inside the cruiser, the two officers of the ZPD just sat silently, the hum of the running engine the only sound for a long moment.

There was suddenly a chime of bells, and after a frantic feel for both of their phones, Judy realized it had been hers.

HEY THERE JUDY! ARE WE STILL ON FOR THIS SATURDAY? Her mother's all-caps typing almost made her laugh, and she groaned. She had completely forgotten of her family's reunion for National Family Day. It was one of the biggest days of the year, and though she dearly loved her parents and all of her siblings, she definitely didn't feel like dealing with all of them right now. In a weak attempt to change the subject for a moment, she turned to Nick.

"My family's getting together for NFD this Saturday. Would you be interested in going with me?" Judy asked, knowing fully well that Nick was rather a labyrinth of mystery when it came to his past and his own family. The red fox looked over at her, looking slightly surprised by her invitation.

"And spend my entire day with hundreds of little bunnies running around? Sounds like fun!" He said forcefully, not in the slightest mood to talk about such a thing. Seeing Judy's expression drop a little, his gaze immediately snapped to the floor. Before he had realized it, he saw a small, gray paw rest on his, and he looked back up at the small rabbit, her gaze full of pity.

"Nick, I know…..your past is checkered…" Her voice seemed to fade away as Nick's mind reeled back to what Layla had advised him yesterday.

Tell her how you feel before it's too late.

It was no secret to him that he had stronger feelings than anyone knew for his cottontail companion, despite what he had tried to tell himself or convince otherwise. He had battled the undeniable emotions for almost a year and a half now, knowing fully well that once it was put out in the open he no longer had control of it. He had no idea what to expect out of Judy. She rarely ever talked about her past relationships (if any) and had never made even the slightest move that indicated her feelings were deeper than he expected.

Suddenly realizing what she had said, he replayed that terrible day of his childhood, still hearing the shrill sound of his sister's voice echoing through the trees. Her tiny body bobbing uncontrollably along the water. The horrible feeling he had pined on for months afterwards returned, and his gaze locked with Judy's. She was watching him intently, her beautiful violet eyes shining indefinitely in the reflection of the bright light off of the hood of the police cruiser. Suddenly, something clicked, and he knew that he once again had to pour a little of his heart out into view.

"Judy I…." He started, making her ears perk up in interest. He choked back a lump that was threatening to lodge in his throat, and continued. "I haven't been entirely honest with you on a few things….and I think you deserve to know."

Judy killed the engine, yanking the keys out and shifting in her seat to fully face the vulpes-vulpes, her knees bending up into the seat.

"What is it, Nick?" She asked in a slightly demanding tone. Nick sighed.

"It's about my family." He said carefully, watching a spark of interest flare up in the bunny's eyes. He locked his onto them, his face frozen in determined neutrality.

"I have a sister."

Judy blinked a few times, then perked up even more.

"Really? What's her name? Where is she at?" She rambled.

"Not just a sister. My twin sister. Her name was Lucy Wilde." He said gravely, and Judy's expression and ears faltered again.

"Was…?" She asked with an air of confusion, but it dawned on her what he meant. Before she could say anything else, Nick laid out the entire story to her, every last detail. From the childish antics leading up to the event and everything he could remember. Judy sat quietly and listened, her eyebrows furrowed in tender concern at her partner's heart-to-heart moment.

"…we were only five…I never saw her again…" He finished softly, his gaze angled downward to the left of Judy's face. The bunny reached over to place both paws on his again. He looked up, grateful of the rabbit's touch.

"Nick, I had no idea." She said compassionately. Nick shook his head.

"Nobody really did. The only ones who ever knew the truth were my parents and I….." He said. Judy had rarely seen Nick be this open about anything, and as much as she wanted to know where his parents were now, she decided it was best to just console the red fox for the time being.

"Is that why you've avoided going with me on NFD with my family these past couple years?" Judy inquired carefully, trying not to upset Nick any further.

"Seeing you with all of your sisters and brothers…..makes me think of her….I should have been there for her, Judy…." Nick said absent-mindedly, and Judy heard a slight crack in his voice. However, she didn't see a single tear ride down his face, which she knew would be a huge moment. Nick never cried, and in her almost two years of knowing him, Judy had ever seen him get this emotional about anything.

It had eaten away at him for so long, Nick could barely say anything further for risk of breaking down in front of the rabbit. And he certainly didn't want that to happen.

Judy reached over and pulled him into a hug, an embrace he gladly took as his placed one paw firmly on her shoulder blade.

"It wasn't your fault. Neither of you could have even began to expect what was going to happen." Judy's comforting words were music to Nick's ears, and he felt just a small bit of the guilt lift away as she confirmed that she was on his side on this.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once he had disappeared out of view, Layla released a heavy sigh she had been holding in. Her feet aching, she took a few steps forward gingerly, Nelson's phone still in her hand. Her eyes scanned the entirety of the room, before looking down on the phone again. She had failed to realize what Nelson's wallpaper had been. Looking closely at it, she recognized the moment.

All seven of their faces smiled brightly into the lens, Olivia's head thrown back in laughter as Allie looked like she was about to fall off of the picnic table they had been standing on. They had scrambled to take the photo after their first official gig together, which had been at a potato festival. It had been a nerve-racking experience and they had had mixed reception from the prey-dominated audience. They didn't care though, the rush of performing still coursing like fire through their veins as they exited the makeshift stage on the grassy hill behind the majority of the rides and food-stands of the event.

"Get in here you guys! I want a selfie for my folks to see!" Olivia babbled excitedly, and with a few clicks a moment of their small but blossoming careers began. Just nanoseconds after the shot was taken Allie squealed, teetering off of the picnic table. Everyone laughed, Layla being the only one to reach over and help the poor otter up.

"I told you to have better posture!" Terra chided jokingly to her, and Allie fixed her headband, giving a slight huff as she glared at the tigress.

"Yeah well, so much for that!"

"Hey, hey, no fighting guys. This is a good day." Will reminded everyone, and Olivia squealed, throwing her arms around the closest mammals to her, which had been Jeremy and Nelson. (Much to their chagrin).

"This is the beginning of everything, you guys! Mammals know our names now!" Olivia gushed, saying it as if Gazelle herself had been in the audience. Layla watched her best friend with a small smile, her arms crossed and her head shaking slightly.

"Liv, chill. It was just a bunch of sheep and lemmings." She said through her smile, and Will shook his head at the vixen.

"Awh c'mon Layla. Don't be such a downer." He chided sarcastically, and Layla's eyebrows arched at the claim.

"Me? A downer? Never." She said, waving her paw through the air as if to flick away the comment. Terra giggled, deciding to join in on the fun. She had gone and gotten a large bag of buttered popcorn from a passing vendor, and was munching on it feverishly as she spoke.

"Oh come on now, Will. We all know our sweet little Layla is the biggest ray of sunshine this side of Rockbridge." Terra said, and Will chuckled. Sensing the sarcasm in her comment as well, Layla scoffed.

"Ha ha, Terra. That was original." She retorted.

"What's the matter, Miss Michaels? She's just trying to…butter you up!" Will said, grabbing a handful of Terra's popcorn and throwing it like pellets into Layla's face, who shrieked in surprise.

"Really?" She yelled, trying to suppress the laugh that was threatening to escape her throat.

Before the group knew it they were throwing the entire contents of Terra's popcorn all over each other, making an enormous mess and causing one of the ushers of the stage to scold them profusely. The gang proceeded to exit the festival, cases in hand and strapped to their backs, laughing the entire way.

Layla smiled feverishly at the phone, having not thought about that moment in at least a few months. They had come so far since that day, and as Layla continued to gaze at the screen, she realized how much things have changed since then as well.

She studied each face carefully, starting with Terra, and working her way in order of disappearance until coming to herself. She looked quite a bit younger here, with a large lily pinned to the base of her left ear to match her white tunic.

They would never have a photograph like this again.

Layla looked at them all collectively, knowing that Terra, Jeremy, and Nelson would never see the light of day again, let alone be with them again. Who knew what Olivia, Will, and Allie were going through, or if they had just not been found yet.

A thought struck Layla's mind like a lightning bolt, and she froze.

What was she doing? Running away? After everything her friends had done for her, after all the hours they had spent together. Every note, ever chord, every lyric. The endless encouragement and good times they had shared and will never share again in the same way. They had taken her in, cared for her, molded her into the best musician she had ever been, and she was the only one left unharmed.

And she was just going to leave? What kind of a friend was she?

Realizing what she had to do, Layla sprinted out of the room, leaving the door ajar as she raced out of Margeaux's, in hopes that Nick and Judy were still there. Thankfully, they were. She jumped excitedly, proceeding to shorten the distance between her and the vehicle.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Judy, there's something else I've been meaning to tell you." Nick said after another few moments of silence. The rabbit's ears perked up again, and she leaned in slightly.

"Yes, Nick?" She asked, and the fox paused to take a good, long look at her in this moment. The moment before everything was thrown out for criticism and questioning. The moment before he put their friendship up for ransom indefinitely. He drew in a breath.

"Judy Hopps, I-" He started, but a large thud against the window made them both jump three feet in the air. Nick whirled his head around to see Layla with her paws pressed against the glass. Giving a pained sigh, he rolled it down.

"Guys I know this sounds crazy but can I….rejoin you?" Layla asked, sounding embarrassed by how bipolar she was being.

The fox and rabbit both stared at her for a moment, taking in her words with careful thought. However, Nick pressed the unlock button for the back doors, giving her a smile.

"Of course, Foxy." He said softly, and the vixen squealed, climbing into the backseat. She placed one paw on either seat, leaning her head through the opening.

"Okay, so there's something odd about this." Layla said, referring to the case.

"What?" Judy asked, still slightly on the fact that Nick's moment of heart-to-heart was gone.

"This suspect killed Nelson before Will and Allie, who had vanished before him, which up until now had not happened. The disappearances were always in conjunction with the murders, so there's something weird about that." She said. "Also, I'd like to know why I'm the last one."

The vixen made a point. It seemed that this killer had some sort of order to things, and the fact that Layla was last had to mean something. Just then, Nick's phone started to ring, and he immediately picked it up.

"Clawhauser. What's up?" He asked.

"Hey Wilde. I wanted to tell you that the hospital morgue called to talk about a piece of evidence that you failed to recover." The cheetah explained. Nick exchanged a look with Judy and Layla, though by the looks on their face he knew they could hear him as well.

"What is it?" He asked impatiently.

"They found a note wadded in his right paw…..and….well….let me just send you a picture."

"Clawhau-" Nick started to say, but the tone of a dropped call rung out, and he groaned. The three watched the screen intently, and before they knew it a small envelope popped up. Nick hurriedly tapped on it, and it buffered. As soon as the inscription plastered itself across the screen, they felt a chill go down their back.

FOUR TO GO UNTIL MY REJECTION IS COMPENSATED. I'M COMING FOR YOU, MY DEAR VULPES. YOUR FRIENDS ARE WAITING.

"What?" Judy uttered, completely baffled. Nick just stared at the words over and over again.

"Rejection? What do they mean, 'rejection', Layla? This is obviously written for you." He said, looking back to the female fox. She shook her head, baffled by it as well.

"I-I don't know. I never really rejected anyone before….the only time I could have possibly done anything like that was when we held auditions for our group to get some new talent in." She explained, and Judy turned around.

"Who all auditioned?" She asked impatiently. Layla threw her paws up.

"I can't remember, it was years ago, back before Allie was in. We were looking for a seventh member, so we held auditions for anyone and everyone. Only about twenty showed up, mostly prey who didn't realize we were a predator-dominated group."

"Okay, did any predators happen to show up?" Nick asked, sounding just as impatient as Judy. This is the furthest they had gotten along the whole time with the case, and they weren't about to lose traction.

"Well I think there were only three….but I couldn't begin to tell you who they were." Layla said, then she remember something. She whipped out Nelson's phone, pressing in the passcode (the otter had not really made it a secret to what it was) and went through his memo pad. Finally coming across it, dated two and a half years ago, she scrolled through.

"What's that?" Judy asked.

"Nelson kept a list of all of the applicants, just in case any of them were to not show up or we would want to make a call-back." Layla explained, and she found what she was looking for by her abrupt squeal of excitement.

"A-HA! Here they are! Michelle Goodson, lioness. Thomas Fraley, cheetah. And….." Her voice trailed off.

"What?" Nick asked, both of them on the edge of their seats.

"….Dubois, genet." Layla finished. Judy snapped up the phone, looking it over again.

"He didn't get a first name?!" Judy exclaimed. Layla shook her head.

"I guess not."

Regardless, they had a lead now. Sirens blaring and wheels screeching, the three took off at breakneck speed. Nick clutched the armrests, surprised at how the script had flipped and Judy was the one speeding now.

Barreling down the highway, Judy continued to question Layla.

"How could you have missed that?" She snapped.

"I don't know! It wasn't a big deal, none of them were chosen! They all had their own faults, and I barely remember what Dubois even sounded like!" Layla said, clutching parts of the seat herself with her ears pinned flat against her skull.

"Not even a little? What was he like?" Judy asked, and Nick could see the frustration boiling in his partners' veins. Layla continued to look absolutely star-struck.

"I…..I have no clue. I'm sorry, Officers." She said softly but loudly enough for both of them to hear. Nick looked back at her in pity, but whirled around again as they came upon the driveway. Judy took a sharp turn into it, making all three of them almost get thrown out of their seats.

Coming up on the house, all three jumped out and Judy sprinted to the door, pounding feverishly on it.

"Jerry Dubois! I know you're in there! Open up!" She yelled, but there was no answer. Jiggling the door handle, she growled before Nick came up behind her, kicking at it. Finally, it busted open and the three rushed the hallway, looking around wildly.

"Jerry Dubois! Come out with your hands UP!" Nick called out, the two having since pulled their glocks from their holsters, which they rarely ever did. There was absolute silence, until such a loud, piercing bang split through the air they all were taken aback.

Layla screamed, looking down at the hole in the ground where the round had barely missed her. Following the direction of the shot, Nick spotted a black figure on the hallway above before he disappeared back behind a doorway.

"HEY!" He yelled angrily, sprinting off in his direction with Judy and Layla not far behind. They raced up to the second level via staircase, and they all saw the figure disappear behind yet another door. Racing to catch up, they rounded the corner and stopped.

The door opened up onto an outside terrace on the building, complete with sculpted shrubs and statues of scantily clad genets. The wind was slightly more powerful up here, and the shrubs rustled in it softly. Judy immediately laid eyes on a standing figure on the far end, and recognized him immediately.

"JERRY DUBOIS!" She yelled, approaching the genet. She reached him, grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him about. He wore a simple pair of black dress pants and a white button-up shirt, with a classic black tie hugging his neck. To their surprise, he looked rather calm as far as expressions go, but his eyes screamed terror. He began to shake his head slightly. Ignoring this, Judy puffed out her chest.

"Jerry Dubois, you are under arrest for the kidnappings of six and the murders of three mammals. You have the right to remain silent and everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." Judy rambled off his rights as she started to grab for his paws, using her other paw to reach for a pair of handcuffs.

"No, mon cher! You don't understand!" He cried out. Just then, he dropped to his knees, screaming in agony. The buzz of electric hummed in the air, and it was then that they realized the stylish necktie he was wearing was in fact a shock-collar in disguise. They all stood in horror as he writhed uncontrollably, completely baffled as to what was going on.

"So…the rest of my party has finally arrived."

The two foxes and rabbit followed the sound of the slightly accented voice, and gasped as they finally met the body to the voice.

Standing stiffly, shock-collar controller in paw and a nasty grin plastered on his face, was none other than Jerry's scrappy brother, Oscar Dubois.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oooooooooo cliffhanger! Stay tuned everyone, it's getting good now!

Always thankful,

AleahLondon 1987