Chapter 11: A new case?

A/N: Thanks to you readers who have read the story till this chapter! You guys are my best support to continue this and to be honest I'm real happy with what's done so far! But, I reread this and found a few little typos so I've edited it. Those who came back to reread it or skim through it might notice the slight difference I made and don't worry nothing's changed really.

Those new to this chapter I hope you enjoy it! This is the longest chapter yet and I'm yet to finalize the next one so for now, grab a snack, ready your eyes and enjoy the story.

Judy stared at the visitor at her door.

"What are you-"

"Look, Carrots, I'm really sorry but I'll explain after you let me in. Okay?"

"What... Never mind. Just come in first."

Judy shooed the soot covered mammal in and he put down his bag next to the couch. She watched as he dug inside to find his clothes to change into. He looked tired, but her curiosity took over.

"Nick. What happened to you?" Nick's hands didn't stop digging into his bag, but his eyes spared a single glance at her. In that short moment, she saw the exhaustion beneath his emerald orbs.

"A fire started at my apartment. It was really big when I got there. I managed to get some of my stuff out of there. And now here I am." The tod stood and went to wash of the soot on him. Judy stared as he disappeared behind the door.

Her thoughts ran a mile a minute as she tried to process what was going on. This seemed too much of a coincidence. Just the other day he was attacked by his own father, now this. Her gut told her that his father was possibly the culprit but she couldn't rule out that it might be someone else that could have done it as well. She heard the water stop flowing and shook her head to wake herself out of her daze. Or at least tried to. Nick walked out, seeming more refreshed as he wore his favorite green Hawaiian t-shirt and purple tie.

"Whew. That felt great. Thanks for letting me in Carrots."

Judy managed to mutter out a small "Your welcome" before she went back into her daze. Worried about Nick and who might've caused the fire, if that was the case. She hoped that it was just an accident, caused by some mammal in the apartment who accidentally tipped a flaming candle onto their flammable curtain or just some gas leak which was accidentally ignited by a lit flame. She hoped with all her heart that was all it was, an accident, a coincidence. Nick saw the worry cloud her eyes. His arms snaked around her and soon Judy found herself trapped in his embrace.

"H-hey, Nick."

"Shhhh. Carrots, you don't need to worry about me. Besides," a smirk snaked up his muzzle. A devilish gleam in his eye made the doe's cheeks heat up from the heat that was creeping up from her neck.

"I'll have to stay with you from now on."

"W-wait a minute! What do you me-" Nick raised a paw over his heart.

"Ouch! You wound me Carrots. Are you saying that I can't stay here?"

"W-wait. I mean, of course you can but-" Nick's soft chuckle made Judy blush, realizing he was just toying with her. She felt Nick's tail also curled around her, making her smile. An idea crossed her mind and she smirked devilishly. Time for some payback. She slipped down and before Nick could react she grabbed his tail. Hugging it tightly. She felt the fur on his tail stand on the end, fluffing up.

"C-carrots! What was-"

"Payback." She smirked and enjoying the fluffiness of the tail as she hugged it. Nick stared at her, shocked before he dawned his signature smirk, rivaling Judy's.

"You know what? Two can play this game Fluff." She steeled herself as he readied his claws.

"Ready carrots?" Judy scoffed.

"Always."

The vulpine stared down at his prey, licking his lips. A quiet moment passed, sparks flew….

Just then, a sound of a phone echoed throughout the room. Both stopped staring at each other and Nick reached for the phone in his bag. Pressing the call button, exasperated.

"Hello?... No. Why…"

A look of hurt crossed his face before rage.

"You… Despicable, old…! Don't you dare call again you old fart!" Before he hung up a flash of sadness flashed across his face, but disappeared as fast as it came, replacing it with a slight confusion and fear. Judy when over to hug him, softly purring when Nick started to pet her ears. It was a silent moment. Judy didn't ask for details, with her hearing she could pick out the voice of an old mammal over the phone and if it was who she thought it was then Nick would need her. Nick inhaled deeply, bending down to nuzzle his bunny.

"I'm…. sorry you had to see that Carrots." She snuggled into the warmth of Nick's returned embrace.

"Nah. It's fine Nick. Anything for my fox."

The tod held on to Judy tighter, calming down as he breathed in her lovely scent. Maybe it was because she used to live in BunnyBurrow but she smelled of the fresh greens of a farm. Judy did the same, sniffing his musky scent, it was strangely like violets. Once Nick's breathing slowed and his heartbeat returned to normal Judy slowly pulled away, missing his scent already. But she had something to do, snuggling could wait a while.

"Nick. I know it's not my problem but I want to know what that call was about."

Nick looked at her, saw the concern brimming through her voice, worry shining in her bright eyes. Even if he escaped it now she would probably find out later. And the sooner the better. He inhaled deeply, steeling himself.

"That call, was from my father. He has escaped from jail with his 'wife' and he called me just to tell me that he was the one who burned down my apartment." He spat each word out with malice, resentment, anger. Nick's vision reddened, but he continued nonetheless, not allowing his anger to get the best of him.

"He…. Told me to find him. And my mother. Saying it was urgent. Before I hung up I heard him scream, but it was too late. My fingers, moved on their own. I…. Don't know why he decided to call. Why he asked to me to-"

Judy touched his arm, making him pause for a moment. His speech was starting to merge together, anger made him talk faster, confusion bordered it. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, calming himself once more. He thanked his lucky stars he had such a wonderful girlfriend. If she weren't here he wouldn't have been able to make it this far without diving into darkness. That, would only result in more wounds. His pulse calmed once more and he uttered his last words of explanation softly.

"I don't know…. Why he asked me to find them. It's…. I don't know why he would ask that of me. He sounded like he was in pain before I hung up but I don't know…."

Judy softly kissed his tears away, hoping to comfort him. Nick smiled weakly, his only wish was that he met her earlier. She was his sun, his love, his light, his world, his…. Everything. Just everything. He smiled at her, lovingly nuzzling her again, wrapping his tail protectively around her. The doe relaxed in his embrace and relished in his warmth. Both snuggled together for what seemed an eternity but slowly, Nick decided to pull away. Depriving himself and her from each other's warmth and smirking as a thought to cheer them both occurred to him. He didn't like the idea of leaving her like this. So he plastered on a smirk.

"Now. I believe we still have something to settle." Judy cocked her head to the side, her ears upright and erect tilted along with her, looking at him quizzically.

"What do you- Oh!"

His claws raked softly over her fur as he relentlessly tickled her sides. She tried to stifle her giggles as her sides were attacked.

"Oh… N-nick… STOP THAT! STOP!"

He smirked even more as his bunny squirmed, trying and failing to wiggle out of his grasp. She had tried and again to flail her legs in hopes of stopping him and every time her strength was sucked out of her by the relentless fox. Finally, he decided to allow her to catch her breath. Her chest heaved as she sucked in the air she so desperately needed. Nick smiled down and kissed the exhausted bunny as he sat down on the couch, placing the bunny on his lap.

"You okay Carrots?"

"Yeah…. Just… Need…. To catch…. My breath."

He chuckled as the doe's pulse stared to slow and his tail once again wrapped around them. Judy settled in his lap, letting him cuddle her like a life sized plush toy.

Opening her eyes once more, it had quickly turned from afternoon into night. She got up, from the bed and walked out of the room, greeted with the delicious smell of stew. She walked into the kitchen and found what she was looking for, the vulpine fox. He stood behind the huge pot, stirring its contents with a wooden spoon. He peered over the pot.

"Awake Carrots?"

"Yeah. What's in there though?" Sadness flashed across his features.

"Yeah…. It was my mom's old recipe for stew. Perfect for predator and prey." He chuckled, not his usual aloft chuckle, this one was a sad and distant one. His eyes clouded over slightly, before returning to their normal bright emerald color.

"Hungry yet Carrots?" Before she could answer, her stomach had growled hungrily. They looked at her belly in silence, breaking out into hysterical laughter a moment later.

"Guess that's a yes."

Nick picked up the ladle and poured the stew into two bowls and set them down on the small table, they sat facing each other and enjoyed the comfortable silence as they ate, Judy hummed, tasting such a delicious stew for the first time. Once the dishes were washed the rest of the night was uneventful, sleep quickly followed and Nick found himself humming a soft tune, smiling as for once there wasn't much to do. A small part of him was bored, used to a life of action that a cop had unless it was a day off. But, it was a rare chance to snuggle and spend time with his mate so he didn't complain.

The next morning was a greeting to a boring day, it was the peace they wanted but it didn't feel right, didn't…. smell…. right? Nick and Judy were on a case that morning, the heat of Sahara Square even worse than yesterday, the cold in Tundra Town despicably lower than before even as they sat in their cruiser, designed to help them cope with the weathers of Zootopia. Or so it seemed as the two went to the warehouses located at the port of the city. Judy had never seen the port before, much less had time to tour most of the city with the little time she had to stare in wonder as she got a glimpse of the sea with all its tranquil and calm glory as the waves lapped at the shore of the beach. Once the warehouses were in sight the pair couldn't help but hold their noses as they got off the cruiser. The place smelled very fishy, literally and metaphorically. Occasional thumps of something hitting the walls of the warehouses emitted from the place, making Judy's skin crawl under her fur, but she controlled her sense of discomfort and disgust, they had things to do. The sooner they found evidence, the sooner they could leave.

The case was a simple one, weird noises occasionally coming from the warehouses whether it was morning, noon or night the noises came unexpectedly and spooked the residents that lived in the area. Especially the fishermen who went out to sea every day in their fishing boats. They had filed in the most complaints and the ZPD were tired of putting them off as report after report came in about the complaints of the fishermen who wanted them to fix the problem. the ZPD could have sent officers other than their best and most famous duo but another case had happened to show up. There was a kidnapping and murder case in the area, almost like the case with Nick's father and mother but the slight difference and that was that all kinds of animals were being kidnapped from a fully-grown elephant to the smallest otter kit. Many have gone missing for a long time or appear dead after three days in some of the warehouses. Judy's ears picked up the sound again, a thump on the wall. It came from the warehouse to her right. The red paint of the warehouses was peeling, obviously not tended to, revealing a fair amount of the original brown color of the structure. Nick sniffed, inhaling the smell of rusted metal. He had almost stepped away from looking for clues about the fictional monsters rumored to have been housed by these filthy structures when something clicked in this mind. This wasn't the smell of metal. It was the smell of blood.

He moved, closer to the warehouse Judy was standing in front of. She seemed confused as her ears faced towards it. Judy could only barely make out the soft words of conversation carried out in that place. The sound of whining, muffled screams and faint but wicked laughter. It was hard to make out who the mammals in there were as their voices were slightly muffled, she could only hear certain words.

"These…kids…. pathetic…. smack 'em…. obey."

She scrunched her nose, her mate noticing her discomfort placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What is it Judy?" She heard a laugh ring, and another thump sound. It made her suspicions bloom and grow.

"Something's happening in there, Nick. Probably the cause of all the weird noises."

Nick's ear flicked when there was another thump.

"Probably."

He plastered on a smirk and took her hand, which she smiled at as they went towards the peeling warehouse. The metallic smell only grew as they stepped towards it, Nick could now confirm it was indeed blood that cause the stench. Opening the door ever so slightly she gasped as she saw a crowd of kits, being beaten up one by one by a massive black panther. The panther would occasionally wipe the splattered blood of the kits from his eyepatch over his left eye. Uncaring for the several cuts and wounds he made with his whip. Not bothering to even bandage the several whipped kits. He didn't seem to notice the flicker of light emitted from the open gap as he continued to whip them, smiling as if seeing them hurt caused him great pleasure. Judy shivered and took a step back, allowing Nick to support her as her feet became unsteady. Nick frowned at his terrified mate, whatever was inside it had been horrifying judging by her expression. He peeked in and immediately saw why, holding back the urge to fling open the doors and shoot the panther. His night-vision saw what Judy hadn't noticed, there were several other mammals in the room, big and small. But there was one similarity, they all wore happy and smug smiles as they watch the kits writhe in pain, they might have possibly seen them bleed and die. Nick had seen the pictures about the kidnap and murders of mammals in the area to know that all the murdered mammals had all died of blood loss or had been strangled to death. Whip marks could be seen on all of them despite the difference in species, size and gender.

He looked at the kits, they wore something he could recognise without a doubt. They all wore shock collars. Unfortunately for him, they were too hidden in the kits' fur to see if it was the exact same one he had around his neck. He felt a strong grip at his arm and turned to see Judy recovering from the gruesome sight. He closed the gap silently and pet her ears, scratching the base of her right ear.

"You okay Carrots?" he whispered, trying to soothe the bunny of the rest of her fears.

"Yeah…. I'm alright now."

She was fine. She was a strong bunny. She couldn't be deterred easily. She looked at Nick with newfound determination.

"We've got to stop him."

"Them." Nick corrected. "That panther's not the only one in there. There are several others in there as well. Let's just call for back up first."

Judy nodded and radioed in Benjamin, the cheetah reassuring her that back up would be there in a few minutes. After she put the radio back on its holder she sighed. Replaying what she saw in her mind. She was a strong bunny. She couldn't back down now. Not ever. She was a cop. And one of the best at that, so she had to stay strong for the people of Zootopia. She couldn't be scared by something like that. She internally wrestled with her fears and doubts, trying to convince herself that she would be fine. A paw landed on her, then another. Then both paws coiled around her, a familiar and reassuring warmth surrounded her.

"It's gonna be alright Carrots. I'm here for you." He pulled back a bit and she saw him smirk. "Besides, what's a boyfriend who can't protect his girl?"

He wiggled his brows and she couldn't help but giggle at his attempt to soothe her. Her worries were blown away by him, he made her secure. She found comfort in his embrace and his silver-tongue was a trait that was part of who he was. She loved him with all her heart and kissed him timidly on the lips. Her cheeks had turned red and she could only hope her fur was enough to hide it. She looked at the fox and obviously her hopes were for naught, he had noticed the blush and it made him smirk wider.

"What's this. Are you still embarrassed? Even after we've done it so many times already?" She punched him lightly in the chest, making him laugh.

They pulled apart quickly when they heard sirens, back up was here. The officers surrounded the warehouse, ensuring that no one could escape before they flung the doors open.

"ZPD! You're under arrest!... Huh?"

Instead of the blood-filled room of kits and brutal mammals the warehouse was filled with wooden creates. There was absolutely nothing but.

"Hopps, Wilde. You sure you two saw those mammals and kits in here? Cause'…. There's nothing here but wooden creates." Judy rushed inside in disbelief. Almost bumping into the officer in front of the doors.

"No. This can't be! They were here, I'm sure of it!"

"Well, if they were here they sure didn't stay long."

Nick held Judy's shoulder, and they looked at the empty room with disbelief. Nick was sure that something was afoot. He was perfectly awake and so was Judy and he knew what he saw was no illusion. But then again, this wasn't an illusion either. What's going on? That thought was in his mind the whole ride back to the precinct, Judy was even able to see the gears working in her fox's head. Something was afoot, and both Nick and Judy were determined to prove that they weren't hallucinating as the other officers had implied. This new case occupied their minds, the spectacle with Nick's parents temporarily forgotten.

A/N: This was a delightful one to write and for a first time in while I have written more then 3K! This is possibly a beginning of a new case! But what about the spectacle with Nick's parents? Welp, you'll find out in the next chapter! And to you clever readers who figured out what happened in the last chapter congrats! Wasn't that hard was it? Anyways, next time we'll probably have more action here if that's what your waiting for. Welp. Until next time. Chao~