Nick Wilde was having a great day. Not only was he able to freely choose where he and Weaselton ate lunch, a lovely Mediterranean place where the vulpine enjoyed a fresh falafel burger with tzatziki sauce, but he didn't have to drive after such an amazing meal. To add to this superb day, the sun was shining, and they hadn't gotten a call yet! The fox sighed contently, hind paws resting on the dashboard of the cruiser.

"This is the life cue. Great sun, no crime, it's like Zootopia knew it was my last day on patrol."

"You're getting off lucky," Weaselton grumbled, "Easy day before your sitting behind a desk getting fat...or fatter."

The fox smirked, titling his shades to look at the mustela. "You know Carrots keeps me moving…" his brow rose suggestively, "...all night long."

The weasel grimaced, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "I hate those jokes," he muttered, "and I know you know that."

"It's just sex Q-tip," remarked the vulpine offpaw, "Nothing to get a knot in your tail about."

"Hopps is a co-worker," Weaselton retorted, "one who I only want to think of in a professional light!"

Nick scoffed and rolled his eyes, "You were at the Winter Solstice party. You definitely have seen fluff in an 'unprofessional' manner." The tod air quoted the second to last word. Nick's favorite rabbit had a little too much to drink, and when Judy's drunk, she becomes very pawsy. Thankfully in that innocently adorable way of hers, but not many mammals appreciate having their cheeks squeezed as a slurring bunny is nose to nose with them.

"That's different," the mustela tried to counter, "we were off the clock, and it was a party!" He rolled a paw flippantly as he remained focused on the road, "This...glimpse into your personal lives is...uncomfortable for me." The weasel snorted and gave the vulpine a sideways glance, "It's not like me and Sheri are blabbing about what we do!"

"Well not you," Nick teased, "but Bandit is always looser with the info…" The tod leaned closer to his partner, whose ears were turning a beautiful shade of red, and whispered, "...if you catch my drift."

The vulpine officer prided himself in his ability to read mammals. It was a skill that he honed over two decades of wheeling, dealing, and scamming on the streets of Zootopia. That didn't mean that Nick was perfect, far from it! However, he also learned to read situations. This skill apparently lost some of its edge, with the first clue being his partner slamming on the breaks.

Nick desperately clutched the passenger armrests as his body continued its forward motion, screeching tires stinging his sensitive ears as his hind paws headed for the ceiling. If not for the experience of Hopps' hard braking, the fox might have flown into the windshield! The vulpine gritted his teeth, neck stinging, ears ringing, glasses eschewed, as he righted himself back into his seat. "Cue, what just happened?" The weasel didn't respond. Nick readjusted his shades, then smoothed out his now wrinkled uniform. The fox turned to the mustela, "Are all weasels-"

The tod's quip died on his lips as his irate partner glared menacingly at Nick. The fur on the weasel's tail stood on end, completely puffed out, as he snarled dangerously at the vulpine. The mustela pointed a blunt claw at the fox and opened his muzzle to speak when the radio kicked on.

"Car fifty-four, what is your location?" Clawhauser called over the radio.

The fox scrambled for the mic, and nearly yanked it out of the dashboard as he grasped for any excuse to avoid the mustela's wrath. "Just cruising down Mulberry street Claws," Nick replied smoothly, "about to start our next lap."

"Oh, thank goodness!" the cheetah sighed, "There's a domestic disturbance in northern Savannah Central! Nadine and Ralph are closer but…"

The fox's brow rose," Sensitive matter?"

"The address is the Wolford compound."

Nick glanced over to his partner, who now glared intently out the front windshield. "We'll be there in five," the vulpine responded over the radio.

"Make it three," Weaselton growled, his heated gaze momentarily shifting to the tod before once more to the front of the cruiser.

"Be careful!" Clawhauser chimed over the radio.

Nick swallowed dryly as he tried to hang the mic back up and buckle his seatbelt at the same time. He just heard the loud click of success just before the weasel slammed on the gas.

The scene was utter chaos. A tall grey wolf with red puffy eyes and a disheveled attire was screaming at a frightened brown and white she-wolf standing between the irate male and her four pups. They were standing in front of an old five story red brick building with concrete steps to the front door. Up and down the street were similar looking buildings, but none were as visibly well taken care of as this one.

Quickly, the officers excited their vehicle and rushed to separate the two adult lupines. Wilde, on the passenger side of the cruiser, was closest to the mother and moved to her. The fox trusted his partner to try and calm down the crazed male, though even he'd admit that wasn't the weasel's strong suit.

"Ma'am, can you tell me what's happened?" Nick asked calmly, trying not to frighten the she-wolf further. He stepped between the two lupines with his back turned to the aggressor. The fox tried to split his attention between the two, trying to listen to what the larger male was saying.

The female's gaze bounced between the vulpine, the grey wolf, and to her cowering pups. Her ears were pinned, and a pained grimace graced her muzzle. She stepped back with her arms spread wide, the pups shuffling back with their mother's movement.

"W-we separated several weeks ago," the she-wolf started nervously, gaze still shifting between the candid males, "it-it was mutual, but it's been a difficult-"

"Mutual!?" screamed the grey wolf, causing the vulpine to spin in place and throw both paws up defensively. The male had obviously heard the female and stepped forward aggressively. Weaselton admirably tried to halt the larger mammal's advance without violence, baton out in front of the mustela, but it was to no avail. "Is that what you're telling everyone Patty? Mutual!?"

"George please!" exclaimed the she-wolf desperately, "you're scaring the pups!"

Nick could see something switch in the male wolf named George's mind. The lupine's eyes went wide, and ears pinned fully back as he snarled threateningly at the she-wolf. Tears that were on the verge finally flowed freely, snot dripping from the lupine's nostrils as he either didn't notice or couldn't care. The vulpine moved a paw for his tranq pistol and flicked the strap off the top of it. Dread built in the officer's stomach as he noticed his partner do the same out of the corner of his eye. There only seemed one end in this scenario.

"I'm their father," George growled, the sound seemingly emanating from deep within the wolf, "and you can't take that away!"

"Sir, let's talk about this," Nick said loudly, keeping his paw on his pistol as he backed up to try and push more distance between the wolves, "This doesn't need to end badly!"

"Wilde, he's reaching for something!" Weaselton shouted, fur standing on end as his tail bounced up and down.

The grey wolf in fact was reaching towards his right back pocket, snarl fixed in place and gaze never leaving the she-wolf. "You made me do this," George hissed, arm tensing as he apparently grasped what he wanted, "remember that!"

"Come on George, don't do something you'll regret," Nick pleaded, paw tensing around the grip of his pistol, "Think of your pups."

"Sir, remove your paw slowly," Weaselton ordered, body just as tense as his partner, "or we will be forced to use force!"

The grey wolf seemed oblivious to the officers, stepping forward and with his paw still behind his back. "I loved you..." George mumbled cryptically, "but you didn't love me…"

"I do George," Patty cried out, "just stop, please!"

The grey wolf shook his head slowly, "Too late."

The world seemed to slow for Nick, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The fox didn't even realize his tranq pistol was out, reacting instinctively and throwing his free paw out to the side. He saw a flash of something...odd. Instead of the hard glint of metal, or the trademark black of a civilian tranq pistol, there was white. More importantly, it looked crumbled. The vulpine didn't realize he shouted "Paper!" at the top of his lungs until it echoed back into tilted back ears. There was the telltale thunk of two tranq pistols being fired, but they were uncharacteristically followed by two delicate pings.

There were several moments of tense silence, everyone frozen in place. Nick didn't realize he was holding his breath until his lungs burned in protest. As soon as the fox desperately gasped for air, it was as if the rest of the mammals realized they needed to breathe as well. The officers lowered their pistols, with the vulpine's dart bouncing between the wolf's legs. Nick had no clue where Weaselton's shot went. It was only after he holstered his weapon did the tod hear crying behind him. He didn't have the heart to look at the sobbing pups.

The anger had drained out of the grey wolf, paws up in surrender, as it seemed the situation finally sunk in. Slowly and deliberately, the male reached out the crumpled paper towards the female.

"I won't let you take my pups away without a fight," the lupine stated firmly, "even if I have to fight tooth and nail."

"What is it?" Nick asked, unable to stop his curiosity.

The grey wolf looked down at the fox, gaze unwavering even as his body shook from adrenaline. He gingerly unfurled the paper with his digits to reveal what the vulpine recognized as some form of legal document. The male lupine said only one word, but he announced it as if declaring war on Zootopia itself.

"Custody."

Not too long after George Howlson, full name revealed only after things settled, did another mammal appear. A matriarchal black wolf with piercing blue eyes and wearing a well-worn summer dress exited the brick building. She held herself in a manner that had informed the fox that he was in the presence of an Alpha. He may not have been part of a pack, but even the vulpine knew to hold his tongue.

She announced herself as Luna Wolford, and unsurprisingly declared herself Alpha of the Wolford pack. The older female quickly shepherded the pups and their mother inside, before turning her attention to the males. With a grace that easily made the vulpine look like a bumbling fool on his best day, Alpha Wolford calmed down George enough for the male to leave and informed the officers that they would not pursue charges. Since no one was hurt, at least physically, there wasn't much the partners could do except locate their misfires and head back.

Now, Nick and Weaselton silently sat in their cruiser as the incident slowly sunk in. The fox couldn't look at his reflection, unable to meet his own gaze. That event could've, should've, ended badly. Tranquilizing a mammal wouldn't kill them, but the thought of tranqing a parent in front of their kits turned the tod's stomach in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time. It gave him the same rancid taste in his mouth when he first started hustling. The vulpine promised himself he would never feel that bile on his tongue again, yet there it was burning away. Nick turned away from his problem and to his partner.

Weaselton was staring wide eyed through the windshield, paws painfully gripping the steering wheel. His muzzle would open, then close just as quickly. The fox teased his partner to no end, but he had never seen the weasel look so lost. That made two, as the tod had as much an idea as the mustela.

An old joke came to the forefront of Nick's mind, about two she-wolves and a befuddled Alpha, but he hesitated and closed his muzzle. They sat in more silence, before the fox finally sighed heavily.

"You alright cue?"

Weaselton didn't respond, lost in his own thoughts.

"Wesel?"

Still, nothing.

The tod reached over and placed a paw on the smaller mammal's shoulder. Weaselton finally turned to his partner. Nick saw the same worry and uncertainty that would no doubt haunt him the rest of the week in the mustela's coal black eyes. The fox swallowed dryly, and tried to smile but only grimaced.

"Don't think about it Reg."

The weasel grimaced and glanced away, "Easier said than done."

Nick chuckled weakly, "Yeah, I know." He sighed again and shook his head dejectedly, "It worked out this time."

"It's gonna get worse, isn't it?"

The fox glanced away from his partner. Yes, it would get worse. Nick wasn't the most familiar with pack traditions, but any time an organization like the Diet collapsed it spread only chaos. This wasn't the first call Precinct One got for domestic disputes between packs, though this was the first the tod had seen or heard of a custody battle brewing. If rumors were any indication, there would be more. And of rumors could truly be trusted, then something else was growing beneath the surface.

"Hey, Wilde…"

Nick blinked, then focused back on the weasel with his trademark smirk, paw still on the smaller mammal's shoulder. "What's up cue?"

Weaselton's gaze was on the floor of the cruiser, his shoulders slouched, and brow furrowed. The mustela's tail twitched once, then again, before looking up at the tod with a serious expression.

"Thanks for watching my back," the weasel said, "You really were a good partner."

The fox smiled genuinely, "You weren't too bad yourself." The vulpine removed his paw and stretched to the ceiling of the vehicle, feeling uncomfortable with the level of honesty between the officers. "Course you're second on my list," Nick sighed, pulling his shades out of his breast pocket, "I'm about to team up with numero uno soon enough."

"Good riddance," Weaselton replied gruffly, "had to pull your tail out of the fire too many times."

"Ha!" Nick fake laughed, "that was so funny!" The fox leaned closer to the smaller mammal with a wry grin, "You sure you shouldn't pursue a career in comedy." The tod straightened back into his chair, "Once this whole 'law abiding' thing stops working out."

"Only when you start hustling again," Weaselton retorted, his own smirk working his way onto his muzzle.

"That'll never happen."

"Then I guess my tour's on pause."

Nick smiled, "Oh the shame." The tod kicked up his hind paws onto the dashboard and stretched out. He gave a flippant flick of his paw at his partner. "Now drive cue, don't want to be late clocking out."

"We still got an hour-"

"-to find a place close and lay low," the fox interrupted. He tilted his shades to look at his partner with a knowing smirk. "We served and protected enough today, let's call it."

Weaselton looked at the larger mammal with a raised brow. Finally, he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Wilde," the weasel grumbled, turning the key in the ignition, "whatever you say…"

The vulpine hid behind his glasses as the mustela put the cruiser in drive. He ignored the brick building as they passed it and tried to push it from his mind. Tomorrow was the start of his Detective's career, with his favorite fluff by his side. This was what he had worked so hard for the past year, and what the Chief all but promised when Nick was first partnered with Weaselton.

So why did he feel so guilty?

Hello Readers,

This is the end for the not-so-mini arc with Reggie and Nick. I'm already working on another arc shifting the focus back to Ralph and Nadine. Let me know what you think!

-CG