Just a quick note, since I've been backtracking to clear up a few things and fix typos.

A lot of readers commented on confusion about Taelia's role and that of her band in the story. I do not usually give away too many spoilers ahead of time, but if this were a movie I probably would have teased it months before release: yes, they will be important. I make it a rule not to devote much attention to characters who won't be important. At the moment, they seem to have nothing to do with the case - but then neither did Duke Weaselton. How they will come into play... well, that remains to be seen.

And now, on with the chapter. :)

Edited by AngloFalcon and winerp

"Sir, if you want to catch a criminal, you send a criminal."

Alexander Minion, Spy Kids

Foxes, from far back in their ancestry, had thrived on hunting by night and staying hidden from larger predators during the day. This tended to make them late risers, especially when they'd been out on a date the previous night. Judy knew this, and she also knew that Nick was one inclined to take... shortcuts. That was why this morning as she made her way up to his floor, she was less worried that she might find him underdressed than that he just might have just decided to sleep in his more presentable clothes. A few of her brothers had tried that on the nights before job interviews – and, unsurprisingly, failed to land the jobs.

Gotta make this work, she thought as she approached the door to his hall. She had done everything she could; laid out the plans, mentioned that she'd be coming early, tactfully left out that the reason for that was in case he decided to wear something which would discourage the chief from hiring him, and added a parting reminder to be ready.

She opened the fire door from the stairwell and power-walked down the hall toward his apartment.

"What's the hurry?"

Snapping out of her concentrated state as if someone had snatched her up by the ears, Judy had to stifle a jump. Very deliberately, she paused before turning so Nick wouldn't have the satisfaction of knowing he'd startled her. Once she felt sure enough that her surprise wasn't showing, she finally faced the fox, and there he was, leaning against a corner by the door she had just walked through. His fur was brushed, his shirt presentable, his tie knot actually covered his shirt's top button, and he was calmly sipping from a glass bottle of coffee. He even smelled like shampoo.

He paused his sipping and studied his claws. "You really should watch your sides more carefully, Officer Fluff. A less scrupulous guy could have pinched your badge."

"Har har." She rolled her eyes as she walked back to him and resisted the urge to slap his shoulder as he took another drink. His remark about the badge had obviously been a joke, since at the moment she was wearing a flannel shirt over her uniform so as not to draw attention. Even so, one of her paws unconsciously strayed up to where the ornament in question was concealed. She hadn't forgotten how he had swiped her keys the other day. "Let's go, Dumb Fox."

"Ouch." He put a paw to his chest and adopted a wounded expression. "Even 'Junior's' better than that."

"Oh, so you do prefer 'Junior'?"

"That's not what I said. You want me to start calling you 'Cottontail'?"

As they made their way down the stairs, they avoided discussing their plans for the meeting with Chief Bogo. Nick's new place was in a reasonably reputable part of town, but one never knew. So Judy seized the opportunity to see if she could ruffle the fox's fur a bit.

"So, how was the date last night?" she asked in a deliberately prying tone. She wiggled her eyebrows up and down for emphasis.

Nick smiled – either in too good of a mood to be bothered by the rabbit's pestering or else unwilling to let her see that he was bothered. "Actually, it went quite well," he replied calmly. "We had a bite to eat, and then she took me to hang out with her band at their practice session. They're getting ready for a benefit concert."

Judy's ears pricked up at this – partly because she was a little surprised Nick was suddenly so forthcoming, and partly because she loved a good concert. "What band? What's the concert for?"

"Vixen – and you'd like the concert." He filled her in on the event and the group's particular intention for their own part. "They're making it with you in mind," he added in a tone designed to make her blush.

"Wow," she said a little slowly. She'd never heard of the band, but it was pretty flattering that they would devote a gig to her. She wasn't exactly used to being that much in the limelight. "That is really cool. I'll have to see if I can get the time off to check it out."

He shrugged. "You could do that," and his smirk widened by a fraction, "or maybe you could see about getting onto a security detail for it or something."

At this, she had to shake her head. "Tempting," she admitted, "but you're already enough of an opportunist for both of us."

A coy smirk she could feel even without looking spread along the length of his muzzle. "Well, last night sure had some opportunities," he teased, guessing that she could take that a couple of ways.

He guessed rightly. "What does that mean?" she asked, regarding him warily and taking on a, 'You'd better have behaved yourself, young mammal' tone of voice.

Good grief, she actually sounds like my mom, he thought. "Well, would you believe their manager wanted to know if I'd be interested in doing some sales for the band?"

Judy wasn't sure how to react to that. She decided not to let him know her first thought had been much what he probably wanted it to be, so she stifled her immediate reaction. "What, just like that?" she asked instead.

"Just like that," he replied, rubing his claws on his shirt. "Turned it down, although I don't suppose it would be a problem if I did it on the side, would it?"

She shrugged as they exited the building. "Maybe, but let's talk about getting the chief to hire you first. Gotta stay focused on your goals."

Buzzkilling aside, Judy was glad to know Nick's night out had gone well. It was nice to see him in such good spirits, and if a date accomplished that then she was all for it. All the same, there was a time and a place for everything – and now, as they walked along a street which was as of yet fairly quiet in the early morning hours, it seemed like a much better time to discuss how best to pitch 'Nick's' plan to Bogo.

They arrived well before the usual bullpen briefing, hoping to catch the chief ahead of time. If they were going to pull this plan off in a timely fashion, they needed to spend the whole day laying the groundwork. Timing was vital.

As it turned out, and as they had pretty much expected, Chief Bogo was not willing to bring Nick into his office for Judy to explain their plan. "Nothing personal," he added in a tone which conveyed neither genuine apology nor insincerity, "but we do have a policy that only officers be present when police operations are discussed."

Judy sagged. "Fine, but he already knows the whole plan anyway. He was the one who helped me work out the details."

The water buffalo raised an eyebrow. "Thought as much. Still don't care."

Judy's mouth opened to protest, but the chief waved a hoof, simultaneously cutting her off and bidding her to follow.

"Let's go, Hopps. Mr. Wilde, you can wait in the lobby."

Unsurprisingly, Judy was fuming by the time they got to Chief Bogo's office. As she hopped up and stood on the chair in front of the desk, he settled his hulking form in the much bulkier seat behind.

"So, Hopps, what exactly is the fox's plan?"

The rabbit had to resist a protest that it was a team effort. Something in Chief Bogo's voice suggested that he was skeptical of her needing Nick as an extra brain, but for all she knew he might be trying to get her to admit she could have cooked it up on her own. "Well, we have eyes and ears all over the city looking for the sheep, but we came up with a way to get the sheep – or at least one of them – to come to us instead."

"Ah, 'we,' is it?" asked Bogo, scrawling something on a pad of paper. "So this wasn't all the fox's idea."

Judy sighed. "We worked on it together. That's our job. We're partners."

Bogo exhaled with a breath that was loud enough to be audible, but not quite a snort. "Not yet you're not. Now go on. Tell me about this plan you two came up with."

"Well, there doesn't seem to be any evidence at the suspects' apartments." Judy had checked out Woolter's apartment the previous day after Nick headed out to meet Taelia. "However, if we leaked an announcement about a new lead found while investigating one of the suspects' apartments, we might be able to lure them back – where we'll be waiting. We might even be able to get them to show us something we missed."

"I see." Bogo wasn't about to admit it outright, but he saw merit in the plan. "And where exactly does the fox play into this?"

"He pointed out that if we made the announcement to all the networks and papers, the sheep would probably guess that it was a trap. But, since Nick knows the city inside and out, he can point us to the best media to make it look like an accidental leak. He can also help us when we go to set up stage two. He's lived most of his life in neighborhoods like that one."

Bogo raised an eyebrow at this, leading the bunny cop to wonder if she had said too much. The chief knew Nick had been a great help in cracking the first part of the case, but he was still suspicious of the fox. Judy worried that anything she said might and probably would darken Bogo's view of Nick.

"It's perfectly in line with procedure to consult civilians when we're..."

Bogo cleared his throat with a sound reminiscent of a small truck starting up. "I'm aware of the department's procedures, Hopps." He stopped and regarded her doubtfully for a long moment, rapping a finger on the tabletop.

Taptaptaptap.

Taptaptaptap.

Taptaptaptap.

Taptaptaptap.

Just when Judy thought her brain would burst, he stopped and sighed. "Alright. I'll authorize your plan-"

"Yes!" Judy quietly cheered.

"But!" he cut her off quickly, "Any part he plays will be strictly on the sidelines. He can help with surveillance and planning, but when it comes time for the arrest, I don't want him anywhere near the building."

Judy had expected that. In fact, she felt a little insulted that he would think it necessary to remind her. While Bogo's own motivation might have more to do with his doubts about Nick, Rule One of any stakeout was to keep civilians out of the line of fire. Shrugging off her personal theories, she nodded agreeably. "And I suppose I'll be inside?" she ventured.

"Yes. We'll have you inside the apartment, and one other officer nearby for backup. Officer... Catano. She should do just fine."

Judy had met officer Callie Catano – a cheetah at the top of her game – once or twice in the locker room. They hadn't worked together because they were on different shifts, but the female feline was friendly enough in a distant sort of way. She had, on occasion, stood as a blocker so Judy wouldn't get stepped on as she rummaged in her locker, and once she had saved the rabbit from the truly frustrating nuisance of being accidentally closed into said locker. All in all, it seemed as though Callie didn't excite easily the way a certain other cheetah at the precinct, but she still sounded like a promising teammate.

However, the prospect of working with a friend – albeit a rather detached one – wasn't the reason Judy smiled triumphantly. Now it was time for the coup de gras of the scheme she had worked out with Nick. She had thought it was strange that Bogo and Clawhauser had a bet – even a penalties gambit – going, so she had asked a few questions here and there around the department. Finally, Officer Wolfard 'hadn't' told her that although Bogo eschewed games of chance, he was not above using such tactics to motivate his officers to try harder. In Clawhauser's case, the prospect of getting the cheetah to present a more professional appearance had simply been too good to pass up.

As they exited the office and made their way through the lobby to contact Nick, she made her move. "I'll bet I can bring him in without backup," she sing-songed.

He glanced at her over his glasses. "Don't give yourself too much credit, Hopps," he replied. Still, he was no dummy. He knew well that Judy was trying to haggle, but he also knew what she could accomplish when she put her mind to it. "All the same, suppose I decided to say you're on. What would you want if you won that bet?"

Judy could hardly believe the chief had taken the bait. "Well, if I bring in whoever shows up without Officer Catano stepping in to help, you recommend Ni- I mean, Mr. Wilde for what we've been talking about."

Bogo had to admit, he was impressed with the bunny's bravado. All the same, he shook his head. "I don't bet on hiring decisions," he replied.

Judy's hopes dropped, but then she caught a glimpse of Clawhauser's drooping visage as they passed near the reception desk. "Well, then, how about letting Ben off of his bet?"

At this, the chief glanced across at the cheetah, who looked up at what the rabbit had said. Getting Clawhauser to cut back on sweets was a rare accomplishment, not to be lightly tossed away. Then again, Ben was hardly his cheerful self greeting visitors in his present state, and watching for donuts was very much a novelty game. After some thought, Bogo nodded. "Alright, Hopps. Bring in your suspect single-pawed, and I'll call off the bet with Clawhauser."

Judy's heart leaped, and she could have sworn she heard a quiet cheer from the desk. She had to laugh at that, if only a little. "O-kay, it's a bet."

"Splendid," Bogo replied. "I'll expect a written proposal of the plan; you and the fox can fill it out while you handle traffic duty. I want it done and back here by lunch time so I can go over it before clock-out."

"Written proposal? Traffic duty?" Judy was incensed. "You already approved-"

"I need it in writing, Hopps," the cape buffalo answered, stalling her with a raised hoof. "City hall's in a mess, in case you forgot." He turned to walk away, still talking loudly and clearly enough that, for audibility purposes, it didn't matter which way he was facing. "Besides, I've got officers doing double-time to keep this city in order. If you're going to be occupied with forms, you might as well be covering some ground yourself."

The bunny irritably drummed her foot, feeling like she had just gone right back to Day One with the parking duty assignment. Worse was the fact that there was really no hole in Bogo's logic. Someone had to take care of the small stuff too, and it wasn't like she could do paperwork while she drove around investigating reports of Night Howler labs and suspicious sheep.

With a huff, she headed over to the desk, where Clawhauser was following her every move with his eyes.

"Thank you so, so much," he said with warmth she hadn't heard from him in days.

"Hey, it was no-thing!" Her calm reply turned into a startled half-grunt as he grabbed her up into a hug that made her eyes pop. For someone in his weight class, he was surprisingly quick – and strong.

Nick, who had begun fiddling with different sounds on his phone as soon as Bogo was out of sight, glanced up and smirked. "Good look for you, Carrots," he replied, switching apps. "I think I just found-"

His intentions were clear enough. "Ben! Down!" Judy grunted, struggling to get loose.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ben hastily dropped her, though she managed to somehow land with an ounce of dignity.

"Nuts," muttered Nick, though he did snap a nice shot of her looking half-winded.

She caught her breath, checked quickly to make sure all her ribs were still intact, and smirked at Nick triumphantly. "Well, we'd better get going. I'll get the paperwork and a cruiser."

Ben waved as Judy strolled off. "Thanks again, Judy!"

She waved back. "I won't let you down, Ben!" She was almost gone when a thought occurred to her. Stopping and spinning on one heel, she strolled back and asked Nick, "By the way, what was up with those noises from your phone?"

He shrugged. "Just picking a ringtone for a new contact."

Judy's eyebrows bobbed up and down. "A 'contact,' hm? As in You-Know-Who?"

He regarded her with his eyelids at half-mast. "Do you know who? No. No you don't."

"Liar," she teased, folding her arms. "Must be pretty serious if you're giving her her own ring tone."

He rolled his eyes. "For your information, I give all my contacts their own ringtones – at least all the ones I hear from regularly."

"Really?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "What's mine?"

The smirk on his face couldn't begin to mean anything good – a hunch confirmed when, after a few taps on the screen, a staccato singing voice emerged from the phone.

'I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves...'

Nick wished like crazy that he could have snapped a picture of Judy's face right at that instant. Finally got the upper paw, he thought, congratulating himself.

She was quick to recover, though, planting her paws on her hips. "Well, I know the perfect ringtone for You-Know-Who. It's even in your music collection."

Nick's sudden pallor was visible even through his fur. "No no no!" he hissed.

Judy started humming. That song. Again.

Clawhauser recognized it as well. "Hey, you like that song too?"

Nick wondered if he could still get Duke Weaselton to sell him a jar of live fleas. If he could, Judy would have some company in her cramped little apartment very, very soon.

Hoo boy. I think Nick is just itching to settle the score with Judy now. Don't suppose anyone out there would like to see a side project about them having a prank war?

A little explanation about Officer Catano: I can't seem to find it now, but a while back I came across what appeared to be a post by one of the filmmakers showing a picture of a female cheetah officer; evidently a piece of concept art for an unused character. I had been planning to place Officer Fangmeyer as Judy's temporary partner, but vague and conflicting accounts as to Fangmeyer's sex and even species gave me pause (Popular consensus seems to be a female tiger, though I am more persuaded by the arguments that Fangmeyer is a male tiger – which, obviously, would not work quite so well for some things). I almost let AngloFalcon talk me into it anyway, but then I realized using Officer Catano would save me from any surprises or retcons down the road. As a bonus, this expands the circle beyond just Judy and Nick in their own little clique, which for me is a lot of the fun or writing OCs.

Now, between the poll, the reviews, the messages, and the threats (nah, just kidding on that last one), it sounds like most everyone wants a minimum of spoilers. However, because so many readers have now become invested in Clawhauser's donut withdrawal, I will reveal this: it's not going to be easy on the poor fella, but I promise you he will make it through this one okay... eventually.

On one other note, I announce with regret that this is the last chapter which will be proofread by AngloFalcon for the foreseeable future. Because of scheduling conflicts, he has opted to step back from proofreading chapter by chapter. I will still consult him in a more general sense, since his advice thus far has been of such a great help to me. As for my new proofreader, he has opted to remain anonymous, but I am sure he will prove most helpful – and I'll still be consulting winerp as well.

Easter Eggs

One: Not expecting a lot of people to catch this one, but there's a bit in here borrowed from Angel Wars.

Two: Here's one for you Disney fans – a line from An Extremely Goofy Movie.

Three: There's a rather ominous bit from Doctor Whoin here (I just can't stop referencing that show).

Congratulations, by the way, to BeecroftA for spotting the classical literature Easter Egg.