Chapter 11: I'm Telling the Truth

( A/N: Friendship is hard, even when you have known each other for a while. Sometimes you keep secrets for good reasons, or what you think are good reasons. Does that make someone a bad friend?

I finished my last chunk of this story at 12 chapters. This'll go over for sure, and I'll only know if I've improved or gotten worse with reviews! So critique away, please.)

Around two more blocks to the Géarr house, and hopefully one of the last times he would have to walk down this way. Just press in the right places, Nick thought, and things would crumble.

"- and she was just going on and on about how I was moving so fast," he heard. " It's not like I just turned 20! What does she expect me to do, sit there and do nothing on patrol?"

" Hmm," Nick said. " And, um… Mom was really upset again, huh?" Apparently, Mrs. Hopps had called a few days ago, complaining about the Detective thing. Again. It was too dangerous, she wasn't in the right mindset for it, footwork was enough to handle, and look where that had landed her a few months ago!

Judy nodded, staring at the street, watching cars whizz by. Some of them looked older, real classics. " She's gonna go nuts at this rate! Full-on March Hare!" Judy grimaced, Nick noting the flex of her ears. " Imagine if she knew about the club- I'd probably get dragged home. Lectured. Then she'll probably cry and cry, ugh. "

Nick grinned. " So I get a break?" he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. " What's her number again? Just so I know?"

Judy shook her head, smiling a little. " She'd kill you too, running into all those dangerous things you do." Judy's face became quizzical, her lips silently moving as the rabbit tried to piece something out. " I can barely remember that whole story you told me, Nick. You took down a hideout, right?" Nick nodded. " And you… Only took out two rats on your own? And only found one in the entrance?" Judy tilted her head, eyeing him. " Or am I remembering it wrong?"

Nick balked, rubbing the back of his neck and faltering in his step. " Oh, so you, um, remember what I told you," he grumbled. " Is there any reason that can't be true?"

Judy nodded. " Big house for a black panther, right? And lots of little rats with her? Doesn't make sense that there'd be all that space and just one or two guys standing there waiting for you."

Nick shrugged. " Maybe I got lucky." Judy scoffed, and Nick frowned. " Hey, I can have lucky moments! We survived a train crash, remember? And a mob boss?"

Judy crossed her arms, pausing at the crosswalk. " So tell me the story again. You drove away with Thom to clear out the house…"

"You done making nice with her? That'll be enough, right? " Thom put the window back up, glancing down at Nick shifting around with every bump of the squad car. The fox didn't have as much backbone as he'd thought, sticking his neck out for that rabbit like that. But weeks of making promises and schmoozing to the Commander had done it, and it had gotten them here, after all. Still, not like Judy could make a good Detective. Not working with them, anyhow.

" Told you it'd pay off," Nick said triumphantly. " She got us everything we need- Evidence to make this whole thing stick, a good distraction for you and me to find and scope out the place…"

" Brown-noser," Thom muttered. " You ain't getting promoted with her, Nick, cool it for a bit." Nick stopped yammering, thankfully. " Ready for the hard part, or am I supposed to do this without you?"

Nick, of course, had to hem and haw for a bit, tried to complain about the lack of gear in his size, why he had to be the one on point. There might have been something in there insulting the strike team commander, but Thom had tuned him out long before then. Thankfully, Nick did eventually come around.

" I'll do it, but this is the final leg of it, right?" Nick scratched behind an ear, trying to meet Thom's gaze. " I think after bringing down one of the main gangs, I'd finally get some sort of respect…"

Thom shrugged. " Maybe you should beat them at bowling, too. Maybe then the rest of them would like you more."

Nick was given three flashbangs, one tranq pistol (sized for animals around his weight, apparently), a tight stab vest, and twelve shots. Protesting about poison earned him a dismissive wave. Someone led him past the staging area, and he eventually found himself on point, clutching a flashbang like it was some fragile thing, ready to break apart at any moment.

Thom braced against the opposite side of the doorway, shifting uncomfortably against his stab vest and struggling to hold the undersized pistol- had to make sure they went unconscious. " Hurry up!" he hissed. " Give the signal and let's be done-"

Vilkas, impatient brute that he was, stepped forward with the battering ram, slamming it against the door. Nick saw one of the bolts fly off, skidding off somewhere to his side and leaving the door hanging loosely against the frame. He heard a chorus of shouts from inside the house, some panicked voices. Resisting the urge to peek inside, he angled his paw until he was able to toss in a flashbang underhand. He cut his arm slightly trying to pull back in time to cover his ears and turn to the side.

He heard much more screaming inside than he was hoping for, but he swallowed and raised his pistol, edging inside with the rest of the team on his heels. He stepped on one rat in the doorway, who'd been holding what looked like a bottle of something. Two more were pressed against a blindspot past the door, one of them lunging at him and trying to claw at his face. Nick sank a round into both, releasing a held breath as they sank to the floor. The smell that hit his nose reminded him of a mound of garbage on a hot day, sitting in the afternoon sun. Not pleasant.

Thom trudged through the mass of writhing rats, wrinkling his nose. " Good toss, Nick!" the cheer was patently forced. " That'll earn some respect from the boys, I think." He toed some of the stunned rats, pushing them towards the front door and letting the security crew bag them. Thom eyed the hallway leading to the kitchen and meeting room. " More that way."

Nick finished sinking rounds into the pile, looking for bits of tails or ears sticking out and aiming for flanks. He could feel his left arm throb after he lowered the pistol, moving towards the hallway. Maybe the cook was still here, the rest of the housekeeping staff… Could they have gotten out before all this? Everything smelled of rat here- he couldn't even smell Thom.

The hallway was empty for now, though, and he inched forward, breathing easy knowing that Thom was right behind him. He turned around once he got to the kitchen door, and found no one behind him- although he could hear plenty of footsteps a few rooms away.

Nick shook his head. Had to check if the civvies had made it before he could go back, it should be qui-

Nick leaned back on the bench, rubbing his shoulder and taking a deep breath. Judy looked at him expectantly, her brow furrowing as the seconds ticked on.

" And? What happened?" Her arms crossed, and her expression turned sour. Nick pointed at his shoulder.

" Same as what I told you before," he explained. " Rats hiding, got stabbed, plenty of bruising and cuts." Nick straightened up slightly. " The story was real, I just left off some of the window dressing, the fluffy stuff."

" Thirty rats is a lot more than two," Judy said, frowning. " You could've told me the first time."

" I didn't want to worry you-you would've panicked and gotten even madder," Nick explained, stomach tightening as Judy shook her head angrily and stood up.

" Nick," she began. " Is there something going on? Some sting I wasn't told of? "

Nick took a breath, frowning. " No! Nothing that I know about, at least. We just ran into some random rabbit that begged you to go meet-" Nick paused. " Wait, how'd he know to find you, and how come I haven't seen him again?" Judy bit her lip. " What's going on?"

" Nothing." she insisted. " Nothing is going on. Sometimes things are just coincidences. "

" Sir, just consider it," she said. " I guarantee you he'd be worth it. He has the skillset, he has experience, he would make a fantastic fit in the Division."

Detective Vicks shifted around in his chair, his eyes digging into her, no trace of a smile on his face. " You've barely even settled into training and you want to ask me that?" A pause. " You should know better than that, Trainee ."

Judy kept her paws crossed behind her back, standing straight. " I know, sir, but Officer Wilde does have the skills this Division could use- past history notwithstanding," Vicks grunted. " I don't think it's a good idea to let that talent go to waste in Gangs. They don't seem… appreciative. Sir."

Vicks swiveled his chair to the sides slightly, keeping his gaze on her. His paws tapped a pencil laying on his desk. " For good reason," he countered. " Wilde has no reason to be trusted with anything yet. Even if he wasn't on probation, he still wouldn't- don't interrupt me, Hopps- even if he still wasn't on probation, I don't have any reason to consider him for training."

" He's the one who-" Judy but her lip- telling him about Nick's hints might get her kicked out the training. " He's shown his investigative skills multiple times, and being a small predator, good nose or no, he'd be wasted in Gangs."

Vicks shook his head, " Doesn't make him above suspicion. You don't give a conman the tools to hurt more folk."

" He took down the Rainforest gang!" she protested. " He saved plenty of families from that apartment fire, as well, and the Bellwether-"

" Watch your tone, Officer." Vicks stood up from his chair, shoving it back into his desk. " Bellwether was luck, old news now, and every other officer is working just as hard."

" Just give him one chance, an early consideration." She said, nearly pleading. " Let him prove it, and if it doesn't work out, then I can stop bothering you about this."

Vicks sighed. " There's the Geárrs, husband and wife might be into some suspect dealings. Something nice and dull, should be easy for your fox friend to solve, yeah?"

Judy nodded eagerly. " Yes sir, thank-"

" But," Vicks said, smiling slightly. " You can't tell him anything, just accompany him. I want to see if he lives up to all your shilling, and I don't trust him alone anyway." He thought for a moment. " Don't be surprised if he gives up."

Judy fought back the argument rising in her throat. Nick could do it.

" I'll expect results soon, Trainee," Vicks said.

Nick was still staring disbelievingly. " Sometimes," she said, slightly glum. " You just get caught up in things. I promise though, this will all turn out for the best."

Nick stood up, regarding her carefully. He glanced back down the street, seeing the crosswalk to the Geárr's block a few more minutes away. The sun was set, the wind was picking up and offering a good chill.

" Let's get this thing over with," he said tiredly. " Back to vacation, soon, just… Can that happen already?" Whatever was going on, he thought, he hoped he was just being paranoid.