Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! Feel free to leave a review and criticism is always welcome.

-CG

Several days would pass since Reggie and Snarlov's first foot patrol, with Snarlov living up to his word. The Bear had cornered Reggie at the end of their first shift and marched the Weasel down to the armory to request a baton. It was a retractable baton that could be deployed with a push of a button. At full length it was ten inches long, but the material it was made from allowed it to be light and flexible. Apparently it had been created with a certain Rabbit officer in mind, but Hopps never requested it and so there it sat. This little tidbit of information rubbed the Weasel the wrong way feeling like he was getting unwanted scraps, but he kept that thought to himself.

Reggie hung it off his duty belt, but the baton would bounce off his leg and annoy him to no end when walking. On more than one occasion it extended from an accidental graze of the button leaving the Weasel off balance mid stride. Reggie also added a second triage kit to his belt as well, not wanting to repeat what happened to Grizzoli again. Reggie knew he was dense, but he wasn't stupid enough to tempt fate twice. With all this extra weight around him, and the continued assignment of Savannah Central foot patrol led to many tiresome days. Add to that a series of purse snatchings that started to happen along their patrol and Reggie was exhausted by end of day. However no matter how grueling the day had been, the Brown Bear would once again corner Reggie and they would both head to the large gym for Precinct One officers.

The gym had its own four lane quarter mile track, a boxing ring for sparring, treadmills for all different mammals, punching bags, free weights, everything that Reggie had seen in gyms before and some other machines that the Weasel only could guess how to use. Snarlov set them to a routine. First a mile running around the track, then free weight lifting, followed by an open workout which Reggie always used to do pull ups for and ending with a five minute sparring session between the two. Reggie thought the sparring was unfair at first. How could he be expected to take down a fully trained bear? Snarlov's rebuttal to the argument was well thought out.

"Suck it up buttercup."

While Reggie had knocked out a Rhino at the Academy to get into Precinct One, there was no question that fighting Snarlov was something completely different. The Brown Bear had the power of a mega fauna with hidden quickness. His paws were swift and precise, and had given Reggie more than one punch that sent him flying into the ropes. Reggie in turn was trying to figure out how to regularly take down his larger opponent. Snarlov did have some encouraging words of wisdom for the Weasel.

"If you're gonna hit my knee then don't tickle it!"

"Really Weaselton is that all you got? How did you graduate again?"

"I thought Weasels were sneaky? I saw that coming a mile away!"

Such encouraging words. After a brutal day of chasing down the purse snatcher, a weasel who tried to out weasel Reggie, the mustela opened the door to leave the locker room when head heard Snarlov arguing with some mammal.

"Come on Snarls! Come out and celebrate!" said a familiar voice.

"No." responded the deep baritone of the brown bear.

"It'll be just like old times."

"No."

"You have to enjoy life once in awhile."

"No."

Reggie walked out to find the large Brown Bear surrounded by Sergeant Higgins, Sergeant McHorn, Wolford and a lion that Reggie was not introduced too. The mustela was amused by the turn of events. Finally it was the Bear's turn to be cornered. Wolford noticed Reggie and his tail started to wag slightly.

"Weaselton! Just the mammal for the job!" said the enthusiastic grey wolf. Reggie couldn't help but chuckle at the scene in front of him. The two large mega fauna on either side of Snarlov had kept him stuck to the wall, while the two other officers stood in the bear's way to stop an escape.

"A perfect pit maneuver I see." Reggie said with a smirk. Wolford chuckled before gesturing to Reggie to come over.

"Get over here you Polecat and help us convince the scientific definition of a Grizzly to come out with us."

Reggie shook his head "Well he is horrible." The wolf burst out laughing while the other officers offered a chuckle. Snarlov simply stared at Reggie. If looks could kill, then the Bear's would have vaporized the Weasel on the spot.

"See! Weaselton gets it! Come on Snarlov let's turn that frown upside down!" Wolford started elbowing the Brown Bear in the gut playfully. Snarlov's gaze turned to the wolf, but after a pause he let out a defeated sigh and shook his head.

"Fine," the Bear started, before turning his gaze back to Reggie and pointing a claw at the Weasel, "but Weaselton's coming." Reggie stiffened, and started to slowly back away.

"Oh…no Snarlov…go hang with your friends. Don't let me get in the way of your fun." Reggie said starting to back away, hoping his meager attempt at an excuse enough to get him out of this predicament. Wolford had other plans.

"Of course he's coming. I even convinced some of the ladies to join up with us later. Trunkaby is going to drive them once her shifts over so they are just waiting on her." The wolf then walked over to the retreating Weasel and placed a paw on Reggie's shoulder, turning Reggie around, and pushing towards the exit. Wolford then spoke.

"I can feel it Weaselton! You are a party mammal!"

Reggie was not a party mammal. In fact if not for the piercing glare from Snarlov on his attempt to leave earlier Reggie would have found himself at home by now. Instead Reggie nursed a very foamy beer at a bar called O'Hare's with the apparent owner not having the last name of O'Hare or even being a Hare for that matter. The bar was an apparent favorite of Precinct One officers, why Reggie had no idea. It looked like any other run down dive. Old wooden bar with too high of stools for smaller patrons, grimy varnished tables for guests to sit at, plastic seated booths that could sit some of the largest mammals but gave difficulty for anyone under the size of a large cat.

Reggie had sat with the rest the larger officers at an empty booth. Listening as Wolford dominated the conversation with anecdotes, jokes and every now and then a serious comment. Higgins and the lion who Reggie would find out was Delgato joined in where they could, but McHorn and Snarlov remained silent. The two large officers nodded at the appropriate times during any story, but other than that they simply drank their drinks. Reggie found himself in a similar situation, though more because he had nothing to add.

When they arrived at the bar, it became apparent to Reggie why Snarlov didn't want to come out. An alcoholic being tempted in a bar setting would be too much to resist for most. The Brown Bear had whispered something to the waitress and seemed to be sipping on some soda concoction, though Reggie couldn't tell if it was either all soda or very little alcohol. He hoped for the Bear's sake only soda. If Wolford noticed or whether the smells from the bar were overwhelming the wolf's nose Reggie wasn't sure, but whenever Snarlov was getting low Wolford would always wave the waitress over to get him a refill. While it was with good intentions, Reggie could the Bear slightly stiffen each time it happened before relaxing once again. After an hour at the bar, the ladies in blue entered. Reggie could peak over the table enough to see a large elephant, who he guessed was Trunkaby, Fangmeyer and a she-wolf that Reggie didn't recognize.

With them Reggie also caught the familiar smell of one officer rabbit, more importantly an officer that Reggie continued to dodge. Giving a quick excuse about a bathroom visit, Reggie grabbed his drink and expertly evaded seeing Hopps, swiftly fled to the males' room. After several minutes of covertly staying in a stall, Reggie left the bathroom and sat at the bar farthest away from the officers in the booth, hoping to finish his drink and pay his tab before making a quick exit.

Reggie was downing the last of his drink, which tasted just as cheap as the glass it was in; when the smell of rabbit filled his nose once more. The Weasel tensed up, hoping that she was simply passing by. Hope continued to fail him.

"Excuse me, Officer Weaselton?" started Hopps, "may I join you?" Reggie choked on the last of his drink. He glanced to his right, fearing that how nervous he was may show. If Reggie looked nervous, then Hopps looked like the textbook definition of the feeling. Ears down, buck teeth biting her lower lip as both paws were clasped behind her back and hind paw twisted on the ground, her eyes shining with a cautious optimism. How could Reggie say no?

"Er…sure…I guess grab a stool." Reggie said, once again hesitant like their last meeting. Hopps gracefully jumped onto the stool in one fluid motion. Reggie wished that he could move that easily, instead of snaking his way up chairs and tables. The doe waved down the bartender and ordered some brand that Reggie didn't recognize and instead decided the best course of action was to stare at the empty glass in his paws. Eventually the Rabbit received her drink, took a large gulp from her appropriately sized glass before Reggie could hear her shuffling next to him.

"Officer Weaselton" Hopps said with certain firmness in her voice that Reggie was not expecting. The Weasel turned his head to look at the Rabbit officer, who turned her whole body towards him. She looked determined, and Reggie felt like he was a suspect that needed breaking.

"I would like to apologize for a certain event that happened roughly three years ago," the doe started, her eyes never leaving Reggie, "there was a lot riding on me and Officer Wilde gaining information from your uncle and the only way I could see him talking was by threatening him. I would have never let any harm come to him, but still I am very sorry for doing so." With that she nodded and stiffened, as if expecting Reggie to lash out and attack her.

For his part Reggie was stunned. Duke had told him about Hopps and Wilde threatening him during the Night Howlers case, but Reggie also reminded his uncle it was his own stupid fault. While Duke stated that if he knew the bulbs were being used to make predators go savage he wouldn't have committed the crime, Reggie also knew that his Uncle never saw a dollar he didn't agree with. The scent coming off of Hopps was the same from before. Anger, Anguish and Fear all morphed into one smell, and now looking at the Rabbit, Reggie realized what it was.

"Wait a second" said Reggie, trying to find the right words to use "you feel guilty…for threatening Duke?" Hopps gave a crisp nod. There was no question that she was learning from a certain fox officer how to hide her emotions, but now that Reggie really looked at her he could see how this was eating at her. The doe looked close to tears, even with keeping her face even. Her paws rested on her pant legs and were gripping onto the fabric desperately as if holding on for dear life.

Even with looking like this Reggie couldn't help but laugh. Up until Hopps compliment at RollCall, the Weasel expected every interaction with the duo to be short and curt. Well he expected Hopps to be so. He knew that Wilde would antagonize the mustela until he got the reaction the tod wanted. So for Hopps to apologize for an event that didn't even happen to Reggie, it was like all of the tension he had been feeling needed a release. That release was an uncontrollable fit of mirth that was starting to hurt Reggie's gut.

"So this whole time," Reggie said through fits of laughter "you've been guilty of that THIS WHOLE TIME!" The Weasel once again lost control and started laughing once again, clutching his sides as some tears slipped from his eyes. Reggie knew he must have looked insane, but the absurdity of the situation wasn't lost to him either. Here was Officer Judy Hopps, first Rabbit of the ZPD, 'Hero of Zootopia', one of if not the best officers in the best Precinct, feeling guilty about dealing with a Weaselton. Eventually his laughter died down, his head resting in his paws with his elbows resting on the bar. Reggie glanced over at Hopps, and the Rabbit looked angry. Pissed is a better way to describe it. He couldn't blame her. Something that had been eating away at her was now thrown in her face, and if her glare was any indication Reggie was lucky that he wasn't flat on the floor. Reggie put up his paws in front of him defensively, a grin still present on his muzzle.

"Ok, before you get too mad, just know that neither me nor Duke care about that thing with Mr. Big." Hopps gaze shifted from anger to confusion, her head tilting and nose twitching slightly.

"Why not?" she asked. Reggie couldn't stop his smile from growing.

"Do you know how many times Duke is threatened daily? Too many times. An incident with Mr. Big is memorable, but nothing to hold a grudge against."

"Besides" added Reggie with a shrug "Duke's a moron when it comes to taking jobs." Whatever Hopps had been expecting, Reggie's explanation was not one of them. One paw went to her forehead, her eyes closed in concentration.

"Hold on then," she started "why were you so hostile then on the first day?" Her brow furrowed and eyes opening again. Reggie's gaze shifted to the bar and he let out a sigh.

"Do you really want to know?"

The Weasel looked back at the Rabbit, the determined look back in her eyes "Yes."

Reggie rubbed the back of his head "It's silly." Hopps waved for him to continue.

"I was…jealous of you…" Reggie stated, looked back to his empty glass and realized how petty that sounded.

"Of me? What's there to be jealous of?" asked Hopps. Reggie gave her an incredulous look.

"I applied to the Academy three years ago. The same time you did. I was denied and later found out that a Rabbit not only passed, but became Valedictorian. Followed that up by said Rabbit solving two the biggest cases Zootopia has seen in a long time. Mix thoroughly and throw the officer's face plastered on every single training poster and you got one jealous Weasel wondering if that could have been him."

Reggie finished his rant and lowered his head. That's what this was all about. He wondered some nights at the Academy if he could have done the same as Hopps and solved the Missing Mammals and Nighthowler Case. He knew deep down that none of this was her fault. That even if they had let him in with her Reggie could never have beaten her numbers and probably would not have solved the cases. Still a Weasel can dream…

The musela saw the doe shrug "I never wanted any of it." That statement floored Reggie. She seemed to have everything going for her. There was no question that the grey doe was on the up and up. She would more than likely be Chief eventually, yet here she sat next to Reggie brushing off her accomplishments.

"I've wanted to be a cop since I was nine years old, and I have been working for that goal until I graduated. After that I wanted to make Zootopia a better place. That's still all I want." Hopps looked away shyly as she spoke, her ears which were pressed against the back of her head rising slightly. Reggie was stunned to silence. The doe looked back at the mustela.

"Have you always wanted to be a cop?" she asked innocently. A simple question, but one Reggie knew could bring up bad memories and stories that he was unwilling to tell.

"No" he said truthfully "not until I was fifteen."

"What changed?" asked Hopps.

"A friend of mine got hurt, and I decided that I didn't want any other mammal to get hurt." Reggie knew it was a half truth, but he didn't want to talk about this with Hopps. Even though he wasn't lying, the Weasel couldn't look at the doe when he spoke. He felt a paw on his shoulder. Reggie glanced back to see the paw of the grey doe resting on his shoulder, Hopps having a sympathetic smile.

"You don't have to explain. A…friend of mine…has problems talking about his past as well."

Reggie snorted. "Wouldn't happen to be a red fellow would he?"

The Rabbit's gave a mischievous smile "As a matter of fact…" Reggie laughed.

"Why did you decide to apologize now" Reggie inquired. If this had really been eating at her, she could have apologized to Duke or even done so earlier, so what changed? Hopps ran a paw over her cheek, lost in thought as Reggie waited patiently for an answer.

"I guess…I always thought that since he was a criminal that it was ok at the time. We needed to find out who was attacking predators and Nick and I didn't see another way. Afterwards I told myself that I wouldn't have allowed Duke to die, that it was just a bluff." Hopps met Reggie's gaze, and Reggie couldn't help but wonder if purple was normal color for Rabbit eyes or just another Hopps thing. "When I saw you that first day and you suggested you knew me…it made me realize how badly that event could have gone."

"It didn't though. So no harm, no foul" Reggie responded. Her response didn't answer his question completely though. "So why now?"

Hopps frowned "Honestly because Nick's not here. He for some reason has been against me apologizing to you. We talked about it a couple times, and when Wolford texted us and said you came out with the rest of the officers I knew this was my opportunity." Reggie rolled his eyes. Of course the Fox would be against an apology. Reggie would have bet that if it was up to the tod Hopps probably wouldn't be here either. Another question came to the mustela's mind.

"So where is that vulpine trickster?" asked Reggie, from what Clawhauser had told the Weasel the two were rarely separated. The feline had told Reggie some of the rumors about their relationship outside of work, but the mustela simply tuned out any information about the doe and tod. At the time the less he knew, the easier it was for Reggie to hold onto his petty grudge.

"Oh um, he's doing something with his family…yep," Hopps responded, waving a paw flippantly in the air. Reggie's eyes narrowed. He didn't need to smell a lie to know when one was being told.

"You have no idea where he is, do you?"

The Rabbit let out a heavy sigh and rested her head on the bar "No…"

Reggie shrugged "Ok." Hopps turned her head and looked at Reggie with a furrowed brow.

"Ok?"

"Yeah," Reggie responded, "He's a grown mammal. He can do whatever he wants to."

"Not that I want to see ears or tail of him."

Hopps sighed again "I know he can take care of himself, but when he does stuff like this and doesn't tell me where he's going I can't help but worry." Reggie found this amusing.

"You're worried about Wilde?"

"Yes."

"Nick Wilde."

"Yes."

"Former Con Artist turned first Fox cop Nick Wilde."

"YES! Is that really so hard to believe?"

Reggie shrugged again "Yeah." The grey doe's mouth fell agape. Reggie swore he saw one of her brows twitch.

"WHAT!?" Hopps exploded. Reggie flinched but smiled.

"This is Nick Wilde. Have you heard of some of the stuff he's done? That fox's a legend on the streets. Fleas he's probably owed more favors than mammals to give them out. Why I know that-he didn't tell you any of this, did he?" As Reggie talked, he realized he made a mistake. The doe had turned away from the Weasel. Her ears were down, one paw holding onto her other arm and gaze at the wooden bar. She looked the definition of miserable. He cursed himself for opening is mouth again. Hopps shook her head slightly then glanced back at Reggie.

"He's told me some stories, but like I said he has problems talking about his past." Reggie couldn't help but grimace, without realizing it he had hit a sore spot. He couldn't help but remember one of the first things he said to the fox officer.

"Most want you dead honestly, too many secrets with a cop now."

Hopps would have heard it with those radar dishes she calls ears, and of course the fox wouldn't explain anything. Reggie logically knew this wasn't his fault. He knew that if the tod had talked to Hopps more than she wouldn't be so worried about him. He also knew that the sight of such a down trodden Rabbit was pulling at his conscious to try and fix this somehow.

"Hey uh…Hopps," Reggie started. The Rabbit officer turned her full attention back towards the Weasel, with the miserable look still present. "I wanted to-" Reggie cleared his throat "-to apologize for what I said the first day about Wilde." Reggie then sighed "To my knowledge no one wants Wilde dead."

There was a split second of confusion that passed over Hopps face before understanding. She looked down at the floor. "Thank you" the doe responded quietly. Reggie barely heard it. He then nodded and turned back to his glass. The mess up that was his first day may have caused more ripples than he expected, and he hoped that this was the last of them. Still the Weasel felt like he should make it up to the Rabbit in some way.

"Well Hopps, I do believe I owe you a drink," started Reggie, the rabbit's ears perking up as she looked at him "I was a self righteous a-hole and you didn't deserve it."

Hopps giggled "I can drink to that!"

Reggie waved the bartender over and ordered another round for both of them. After their drinks came, he lifted his glass towards Hopps. "To better starts."

Hopps raised her glass and tapped it on Reggie's "To new beginnings."

Just like that Reggie felt any leftover animosity towards the Rabbit dissipate. He realized how foolish he was, and how he could have handled the situation better. The Weasel knew everything wasn't fixed. There would be questions later about why he didn't want to fix things with a certain tod. Why Reggie has a grudge against the fox officer. That was for another time and another day. Instead he decided to enjoy the night. The officers both drank deeply from the glasses before putting them back onto the bar.

"Now!" Reggie started "how did a country bunny like you wander into the big city?"