Hey guys. I'm really getting piled under work ATM, sorry 'bout that. I know most of you are quite understanding an all, which is great! Frankly I only write this here to show that it irritates me myself that I can't find more time for the very enjoyable pastime that is writing. So please, feel free to ignore this cliché comment of mine and proceed to chapter ten below. Thank you!

10. Sweet Payback, Topped with An Even Sweeter Face

==Nick==

Although our conversation with Mr. Big didn't end in any form of disaster as I might have initially thought, a load fell off my back when I got into the car again. I unintentionally pressed myself deeper into the seat as I felt the trusted leather grip of the steering wheel. I turned on the heating, opening both the vents to warm up from this cold visit. I hadn't really felt it before due to my nerves, however the temperature was unforgivingly low in Tundra Town. When Judy crawled onto the passenger seat, she furrowed a brow, reminding me that she had specifically told me to bring something warm. I pretended not to notice.

I put the gear lever into reverse, drove backwards and switched to first gear. The polar bear guard opened the door of the garage and I rode out and down the driveway of Big's Villa. Neither of us said a thing, yet it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Quite the contrary. Coming here, we had both been proven right. She in her claim that nothing terrible would happen, me by Mr. Big's confirmation that her injury wasn't a minor one. Moreover, he had shown to be willing to help us out with the case as well. One could say that, after this win-win-win situation, we were mutedly basking in self-satisfaction. It wasn't until we halted in front of a traffic light that Judy decided it had been quiet long enough.

"I don't understand you Nick." She said out of the blue.

Leaning with my lower arms on the wheel, I awaited the impairing red light.

"Why's that?" I replied, without breaking my gaze.

"This afternoon you said you couldn't stand going to Big's mansion, yet when he invites us over for a gala, you don't hesitate to say yes."

"Funny you should say that. I had been wondering the same thing."

"And what did you conclude?"

"I think…"

The green light sprang on and I didn't finish. Reaching thirty miles per hour, I picked up my sentence again.

"... I think my job is more important to me than how I feel. I can't simply back away from a case because I'm scared. I have to move past that and do what I need to do."

"That's very commendable, Nick." She complimented me.

I smiled, though remembered that it was she herself who had taught me this. Ever since that day at the Junior Ranger Scouts, I had been solely looking after myself, never caring for another. That had all changed after our encounter with the intoxicated jaguar, Manchas. Judy had risked her own life to save mine, something no mammal had ever done for me. Not long after that, I had surprised myself by stepping up for her against Chief Bogo, knowing very well that he could have had me arrested for doing so. I had more or less insulted a high-ranking officer of the law by accusing him of discrimination. I had never thought I'd be willing to put my own feelings aside to help somebody else. It had been a spontaneous action at the time, one that had felt like the right course to go, to help the one that helped me. From that day on, we had both repeatedly risked our necks for the other. It had been the foundation for a lifelong friendship between the two of us. And perhaps, someday, even more than that…

"You've really become attached to being a cop, haven't you?"

"Trust me, Carrots, I'm equally surprised as you are."

"So… you'd do anything your job demands of you?"

My right ear flicked. The tone in which she said these last few words nagged in my gut. I didn't like where this was headed. She asked too specifically. I chose to respond with a meaningless hum. She assumed this as a confirmation to her question.

"Even arrest your own friend?"

"Arrest my friend?"

See kept quiet, which was for some reason even more unsettling than when she had continued talking. I glanced at her. She stared at me with an unamused expression on her face. She gave me time to think about what she was referring to. I had no clue however.

"No? Don't remember?"

I shrugged.

"Beats me."

"At Sahara Square. The two hustlers we were supposed to take in? Ring any bells?"

"Ah, right before you were badly injured."

She rolled her eyes in their sockets.

"Yes, Nick." She admitted irritated. "Before I got hurt."

I smiled. Teasing her was such a great hobby.

"But before the explosion, you were chasing the second guy into an alley. Although, for some reason, there was only one suspect for Delgato to interrogate. He said that you told him that the hustler eluded you. Now unless he flew out of that alley, you have to have let him walk on purpose."

I gulped, giving away that I not only recollected the events as well as that her assumption was spot on.

"Ah! I knew it!"

"Well, I …"

I shut my mouth, knowing that denying it would be useless. She had already figured it all out. Moments like these had me wish my partner wasn't the best detective of the ZPD. I could hardly keep any of my actions hidden. Ironically, she had yet to uncover the biggest secret I had. If she hadn't already… I shook off that possibility. Then we wouldn't be sitting here, would we? Our casual interaction would surely have been the first to fall under the tension that love would bring into the equation. No, my feelings for her were still safely stored inside my heart, although I strongly believe that if she would knowingly start to search for clues of their existence, the smile I wore on my face in her presence, would certainly be a dead giveaway.

"So, why did you let him go? Didn't you just say that you'd do anything?"

"Actually, I didn't say that. You said that. I only hummed."

"Oh, come on!" She called out, following with a cough because of it, "Don't hide behind verbal details, Nick. We both know damn well you intendedly let him escape."

I gazed surly through the windshield. I was trapped. She had me cornered and for the first time since I left my criminal career behind me, I felt like a perpetrator again, caught during illicit activities.

"Was he one of your old pals? Did you return him a favor? The ZPD rules specifically state that you're not allowed to favor mammals that you know. You remember that?"

"Yes, I remember it, but –"

"Then why did you do it Nick? Why?"

"Because it was Finnick! Okay?!"

For a few seconds, the car was filled with an unpleasant air of unspoken irritation.

"Finnick?" She brought out in slight disbelief.

She must be thinking I'm making this up. Well, I wasn't. Not this time.

"Yes. Finnick."

I sighed and turned right onto the highway back to Savannah Central.

"Look, I didn't lie when I claimed that I'd do anything for my badge and I won't just forsake it for any guy I happen to know, but Finnick 's different. He's been a lifelong pal of mine, and we share a history. Okay, maybe it's a bit of a notorious history with cons, thefts and an occasional fight, but a history nonetheless. The point is, I'd do for him just as much as for my badge."

Her expression went from punitive to understanding, her ears making a soft sound as they fell down on her back. Over the course of the many conversations we had had during our partnership, I have made it clear that Finnick was the only true friend I had attained over the years. I knew plenty others with whom I had no quarrel, like Flash or Weaselton, but I couldn't really call those my friends. The fennec fox on the other hand was like a brother. After all that he and I had been through, it had been impossible for me to arrest him. We even shared a safe house together, on an abandoned factory estate. Lucky for me, next to being one of the most talented cops on the force, Judy was also one of the most compassionate. Staring at the dashboard, her expression spoke volumes; volumes I had read many times over. She was contemplating what she would have done herself in my situation.

"It must've been a hard choice." She said eventually.

I nodded.

"Sorry for accusing you of abusing your status as officer, Nick. It was too premature of me."

With my view glued to the traffic around me, I blindly reached for her shoulder and patted it gently once I found it.

"Don't you worry about it. I'll find a way to pay you back for it."

She smiled at me mirthlessly.

"Speaking of which" I proceeded, "we have a more pressing matter at hand."

"Really? Like what?"

I monitored her from the corner of my eye. Her ears had perked back up and her nose wiggled curiously. This was going to be fun.

"Like whether you like the Italian cuisine."

"Excuse me?" She gasped.

"Yeah. I told you I'd be sticking with you till you were better, remember? That includes dinner."

A content grin crept onto my face. Exactly the element of surprise I had hoped for. I had planned this move a few hours ago; she had abused my promise to stay by her side until she was recovered to get me to join her going over to Tundra Town. Now it was my turn to use the promise to my advantage. However I noted that she looked nervous by the forecast of dinner together, having me doubt my decision. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all… If the prospect of this sort-of-date already created awkwardness, I might tear our partnership to shreds by stepping up with the romance too fast. Although, she had also been eager to keep me by her side, hadn't she? My smirk widened to a point where it hurt my cheeks. Yeah, this opportunity was too perfect to ignore. Besides, two friends having dinner, what's weird about that?

"So, do you like Italian?"

"I-I err…"

It was so funny to see her so utterly confused. I laughed on the inside. Sweet revenge topped with an even sweeter look of disorientation on that little muzzle of hers.

"I-I guess." She brought out at length.

"Great! Cause I know a fine ristorante not far from here."

"Why am I not surprised?" She said somewhat discrediting.

I grinned widely.

"Because, officer Hopps, I promised I would take good care of you. And I always keep my promises." I answered overly confident.

She could insult me all she wanted, there wasn't a chance in the world she was getting out on this dinner of ours.

==Judy==

The restaurant appeared quite hospitable and inviting on the outside. It was a medium sized eat house, situated on the bottom floor of a ten-story building, and very well accessible from one of the larger shopping streets of Savannah Central. The enormous glass windows were imprinted with the name Pasta, Pizza e Più, giving an alliterating hint of the dishes served inside. I was relieved Nick hadn't sought out something of great luxury, I was hardly dressed for going out at all. The parking lot was almost full and we were lucky to even find a spot. I checked my watch. It was six thirty, a good time for dinner and judging from the number of cars, it appeared as if we were the last ones to arrive here.

Upon entry of the cloakroom, we were welcomed by a warm scent of Italian viands that were readily consumed by the dozens of mouths that arrived prior to us. My stomach groaned at me, begging for a piece of that food as well. Since we didn't have any coats, we walked straight towards the guinea pig that attended the list of guests. He sat behind a little desk on an elevated plateau, the totality of it reaching a few inches above my head. Peeking inside the restaurant itself, I noted that my assumption had been correct. At first sight, I didn't spot a single free table.

"It doesn't seem there's room for us." I whispered to Nick.

He scoffed and addressed the teensy animal. The latter gave us a look of nuisance and told us unkindly that there was no space left. He had likely dismissed a lot of potential customers already and was bored by the mammals that kept whining for a table even though it was evident the place was full.

"I booked on the name of Wilde, Nick." My partner spoke confidently.

Had he made a reservation? When? And how did he know I'd say yes to Italian food?

The critter hunched over the paper that lay before him, scanned it in an instant and concluded his search with an approving nod. He whistled sharply, summoning a raccoon with a hasty gait. He was dressed in a clean, white shirt, with perfectly ironed, black trousers and with a notebook and pencil in his breast pocket. Impatiently, he gesticulated at us to follow him. His agitation was probably due to him being the sole waiter, which was undoubtedly stressful with so many customers.

Slaloming around the other guests, I took in the details of the charming interior. The walls were given a gentle pink color, adorned with various paintings of beautiful Sicilian landscapes. In the corners and middle of the room stood large, chiffon columns, elegantly curving up into crossing archways that supported the ceiling. From each cross section hung a golden chandelier that cast a yellow glow the rest of the interior and its visitors. The tables and chairs were made of chestnut-brown wood, the former covered with a red and white checkered tablecloth and the latter having seats of braided reed. Most of the features bore a lot of similarities to Big's decoration, though this was, considering the shrew's Italian roots, not so surprising.

Upon arrival at our table, Nick courteously pulled back a chair for me. An embarrassing giggle escaped me as he did and I quickly sat down to hide myself in the menu. What would he think of me, I acted like I was in high school. I eyed him over the top edge of the cart as he poured in two glasses of water. He didn't seem to have noticed my mortifying response. Good. It was hard enough not to think of this evening as a date without me giving him that idea as well.

"A shame there aren't any carrot recipes, isn't it?" He joked from behind his menu.

"Yeah. A real loss." I replied, despite not having given this matter any thought.

A raccoon waitress showed up a few minutes after, debunking my assumption that the male was the sole employee that ran around. She wore a black dress with a perfectly white apron and a cap on her head of the same white; all in all, a stereotype waitress. She placed a small basket filled with slices of bread in front of us and withdrew a pencil and a notebook from the pocket of the apron.

"Have you made a choice?" She asked, writing utensils at the ready to jot down our demands.

Nick and I exchanged a glance, gauging who would order first. He winked me to begin.

"I'll take the Evergreen Salad with tomato and extra lettuce, please."

With a few agile scratches, she had noted my request. Nick took a dish called Pizza al Tonno, which was apparently a pizza with tomato, cheese, onion, and tuna. The idea of fish made me shiver. I didn't like it, eating something that had been alive. Then again, I wasn't a predator so I wasn't supposed to like it I guess. With the waitress' promise that 'it would be ready soon', the stake-out for our meals began. Nick seized the opportunity to ask for my health. In an automated response, my paw went to my chest and took a deep breath. It didn't hurt much, yet it wasn't comfortable either.

"Oh boy, that sounds bad. Maybe it's for the best if I will feed you your lettuce." He spoke deadpanned.

I sniggered.

"Nice try, Nick."

With that joke, he had unknowingly eased my bashfulness and our wait expired under relaxed chitchat about various irrelevant topics. By the time our food arrived, Nick had just begun lecturing me on the etiquette of galas. He demonstrated the proper, haughty demeanor everyone was likely to uphold tomorrow. I leaned my head on my right paw as I watched him perform the, as he called it, 'rich man's toast'. In truth, I hardly paid attention to what he was doing. I had gotten lost in the beauty of that cream muzzle, leading into those deep, green irises.

"So, you think you can keep that up?"

"Keep what up?"

He sent me a stunned glare and I realized I had unwittingly insulted him by not listening.

I mumbled an apology and shamefully took a bite of my salad. I had been so preoccupied I had completely missed what he had said.

"I said, remember to always act like you own everything. When a drink is brought to you, you don't thank the waiter, you just take the drink because you're used to being served. Got it?"

"Hmm, okay."

"And everyone else is beneath you. For example, that waiter who brought you your drink, you don't talk to him, you don't grant him a second glance."

"That all sounds pretty mean and supercilious." I frowned.

"Exactly, but that's the natural way of life for these mammals."

"Are you sure? Big doesn't seem like that at all."

"Trust me." He swallowed the slice of pizza he was chewing on, "Tomorrow night, they'll all act like pompous world owners. Even our little big friend."