Chapter 11: Revelations

Nick gladly took his two days at home to rest. His concussion wasn't severe, but the doctor had told him to watch for certain symptoms as they could indicate deeper problems that had not yet manifested. He wasn't worried, in fact, the only thing bugging him right now was the itching coming from the five stitches on the top of his head and the minor aches all over his body. He was going to enjoy his last day of no work before having to go back and write up the novel that was going to be the file about what they had been through. Nick was relaxing on the couch, lightly itching his head, fighting off the dull ache around his eyes, when Judy walked in.

"Nick, how are you feeling?"

He turned to look at her and gave her a smile. "You know me. Nothing keeps me down Carrots."

Smirking, she sat down next to him. "I was thinking."

"That's dangerous."

Slapping him on the arm, she continued, "I was thinking, dumb fox, since neither you or I have work today, how would you like to go on a date?"

Whatever Nick was expecting her to say, this wasn't it.

"Um, I thought that was my job Carrots. I think I am supposed to ask you out."

"Well, you were just taking too long," she laughed, "besides, you have been a little hung up the past few days. Soooo what do you say? Want to go out?"

She was giving him her sad eyes. Smart little bunny, she knew he couldn't resist that look.

"Ok, ok. It's a date. What do you want to do?"

"I was thinking maybe a little bite to eat, a little walk through the park and a movie. How does that sound?" She was almost bouncing in her seat.

Nick couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm oozing out of her. She was really excited and they technically had never been on an official date yet.

"Sure. That sounds great Carrots. When do you want to go?"

She jumped off the couch, grabbing his paw and pulling him up.

"How about right now dumb fox."

She pulled him towards the door. He was only putting up a playful resistance, happy to get out of the house for the day. They walked paw in paw down the street as he was letting her lead the way. She moved into him, pulling him closer.

"I'm glad you're ok Nick. I was so worried when the call came in. You were lucky."

He put his arm around her, holding her tight. "I'm sorry I scared you. It was a bad situation from the start. I am anxious to see what they find in the rubble. It seemed to be quite the operation considering the way the place was rigged to go up. Really, it was all instinct and training. My body reacted before my mind did. Even though Wolford had been an ass to me, he was still my partner that day and it was my job to have his back. I think we worked it out in the end." Judy started to snicker. "What is so funny?"

"Well," she said sheepishly, "don't be mad Nick, but Bogo and I overheard your 'private' conversation with Wolford." Nick's eyes widened slightly. "It's a good thing Nick. It always helps to have friends. Besides, it sounds like I have to watch out. It sounded like someone has a crush on a certain fox. I have some competition," she said nudging him in the side.

Nick just gave a quick growl with a smirk as they came up on the restaurant for lunch. Judy wanted to use this day to get to know each other better. Over their meal, they shot questions back and forth to each other, nothing probing as she knew Nick would open up on some topics in his own time.

"Ok Carrots. How many actual siblings do you have?"

"Well, still living at home, I would have to say about 150. But total, about 295." She laughed when she saw the look on his face.

"Wow, I guess there is some truth behind that stereotype. Ok your turn."

"Ok Mr. Smart Ass. How many siblings do you have?"

"Easy, none," he said so matter-of-factly that it took her by surprise.

"You're an only child? I can't really imagine that. I mean, the privacy would be nice, but it just would feel so empty."

"Well, foxes don't usually have very large families. But yes, I was an only child and it was fine. So next question. What about relationships. How many debonair bunnies have there been?"

Judy blushed. "Would you believe none?" She lowered her head slightly. "I was always so busy with school and then training for the academy that I really didn't have time to date or do anything like that." She looked straight at Nick. "You are the first mammal that I could call a boyfriend. If you want to be technical, this is my first date."

Nick gulped, "Sorry. I didn't know."

"It's ok Nick." She was smiling again. "I think anyone else would pale in comparison anyway. So, what about you? How many vixen hearts have you left broken in your wake?"

Now it was Nick's turn to blush. "I have gone on a few 'dates' while working a con. Nothing official mind you, really just business. I needed a partner to get into some of the swankier places and, well, Finnick didn't fit the bill. But real dates, or a real girlfriend? No lie, none. You are the first for me as well. The life of a con-mammal really leaves no room for romance or feelings for that matter, Carrots. It seems we are in the same boat."

They spent the rest of the meal just talking about each other's likes, hobbies and general information, unaware of the looks both were receiving throughout the restaurant. Paying for their bill, they left to go spend some time walking around the park near the theater. It was turning into a pleasant summer day as Judy walked in front of him, pulling him by the paw behind her. Nick grabbed his phone out of his pocket and set his camera.

"Hey Carrots."

Turning around, she had a genuine smile plastered across her face as he snapped the picture. If he could only keep one thing in his life, that photo would definitely be at the top of the list. Judy led him to a quite spot, surrounded by trees with a great view of the little pond that rested in the middle of the park. Sitting down, he placed his arm around her, content just holding her. The minutes lazily ticked past as they watched ducks fly in and out of the pond with a few fish jumping near the shores. This really was a paradise set in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of the big city. Nick couldn't believe how lucky he was. He had finally made something with his life, he was starting to become accepted for who he was and he had, in his mind, the best partner and most beautiful girlfriend anyone could ask for.

Sure, she is perfect. But what about her parents there, slick? How do you think they are going to react when they find out you are dating their daughter? Do you really think you're going to get daddy's blessing, after what he did to you, knowing you for what, 20 seconds? Face it Nicky, you're setting yourself up for a spectacular failure.

Nick's head started to throb. He really wished that the tiny voice in his head would just shut up sometimes and let him live his life. But, it did have a point. Pushing the voice and the pain rising in his head back, he looked down at the rabbit nuzzled up next to him.

"Hey fluff," Judy stirred, looking up at him, "so, um, what did you parents have to say about…you know, us?"

He already knew the answer to the question, but it didn't make it any easier to see her expression fall.

"I..I haven't told them yet," she admitted, turning to face him. "They didn't really react civilly when they met you the first time, so I didn't want to just drop this little bit of information on them out of the blue. I want them to get to know you better. They do know that you are now an officer and that you are my partner at the station, but as far as any interaction beyond that, they thankfully are blissfully unaware. I was going to ask you this later, but since you brought it up I guess now is as good of time as any. The Harvest Festival will be coming up in the fall and I was hoping both you and I could take a few days off and I could show you around my home in Bunny Burrows. You know, give my parents a chance to get to know the real Nick Wilde and then let them know the rest when the opportunity presented itself."

"Hmm," Nick played up the part of being in deep thought. "Sound reasoning there Carrots." She gave him a slap on the arm as he let out a burst of laughter. "I think it's a great idea. Besides, I would love to see the little country bumpkin side of you."

She scowled slightly at his jest. "Watch it fox. I may be a country girl, but this bumpkin will be the only thing to stand between you and a flood of fur and fluff that will most certainly want to tackle you when you get there." Laughing, she returned to her position, nestled into his side, looking out over the lake. "Nick, what about your family, your parents? What do they think of all of us?"

Had she been looking at his face, she would have noticed the flash of worry and sadness show in his eyes.

"Um…they're fine with it. You won't hear any complaints from them. They are happy for all of this, trust me."

She thought it an odd reply, but shrugged it off. "I would like to meet them sometime. What are they like?"

An innocent question, but one that he wasn't comfortable answering. "Maybe some other time Carrots."

Luckily for him, some activity caught both of their attention. Just down from them, they noticed a small grouping of younger mammals, talking rapidly and looking rather skittish. Nick could see Judy's ears turn towards them, trying to pick up the conversation.

"Nick, from what I just heard, we have a 966," she said, starting to rise up.

Nick grabbed her waist and pulled her back down. "Now now Carrots. We are off duty. We don't have to do everything you know," he said as he pulled out his phone. "Hey Ben. Yeah. Yeah. Ben..B, Spots. That's great and all but could you send a unit to Oxford Park on the corner of 25th and Ibex for a possible 966? Thanks bud, I owe you one." Hanging up the phone he turned to Judy, "See, all taken care of. Now let's just sit back and enjoy the show before going to enjoy the show."

A unit must have been patrolling nearby because it took less than two minutes for officers to show up, taking the suspects completely by surprise. After the mammals had been cuffed and read their rights, Nick and Judy took a stroll past them, giving a nod to the officers on duty. They continued across the road towards the theater.

"Well Carrots, at least we know what we will be working on tomorrow, no surprises. Besides, what are we going to see? I hope it's not a sappy romance movie."

"It's nothing of the sort. Never really liked those that much. I'm more of a crime and drama girl myself, but I thought for something ridiculous and a little over the top. Deadpoodle, how's that sound?"

"Well you are certainly full of surprises Fluff, I never took you for a superhero type, let alone a violent superhero type."

"Eh, the lead actor is hot, what can I say?" She noticed the look on Nick's face, hitting him in the chest. "Jealous Nick?" she laughed as they grabbed their tickets and entered the theater.

Both enjoyed the movie and started the walk home paw in paw as the sun was setting. Judy was slightly ahead, but Nick was having trouble keeping up. He couldn't focus his vision and the edges of his field of view were a little hazy. It didn't help that he had a splitting headache. He just needed to get home and take some pain relievers and he would be fine. Thankfully Judy didn't seem to notice and he wanted to keep it that way. He didn't want to ruin their first date as it had gone very well he guessed, not having any other experience to compare it to. After a time, they reached the front door and entered the living room. The room was practically spinning at this point so he tried to focus on a single point, that being Judy.

"Thank you for the wonderful date Fluff. I hate to be the party pooper, but I think I overdid it a bit. I'm going to grab a couple painkillers and call it a night, ok?"

He turned to go to his bathroom but was stopped by a tug on his arm. He turned and felt his tie being pulled down. He was now face to face with her.

"I know neither of us have been on dates before, but I do know you are forgetting one thing mister."

Her face was so close to his, he could feel her breath on his nose and she was getting closer. Was this really happening right now? His eyes couldn't hold still. They darted from her lips to her eyes, taking in the sight of her. He could smell her, he could practically taste her. Her eyes started to close as the distance between their muzzles shrunk. It was too much for him. His focus was gone as the room became a blur and then nothing but black.

He stirred, finding himself laying on the couch covered with a blanket.

How did I get here? We came home, she was so close, but what happened?

He tried to sit up but his head had another idea. It felt like he had weights stuck in his skull as the room started to spin again. He quickly put his head back on the pillow. Looking around he noticed it was dark but without his alarm clock, he had no idea the time. After a few moments, he heard the sound of pawsteps coming towards him. Judy was at his side. She had a worried look on her face.

"How you feeling, Slick? You gave me a quite the scare. I just got off the phone with the doctor. He said you should be fine, just pushed yourself a little too much today, but he wants me to make sure nothing else is going on. I'll be waking you up every few hours to make sure your concussion hasn't become worse."

Nick ran his paws over his head, suddenly realizing what had happened.

"Judy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I mean when you…it wasn't you." He was flustered.

Judy just smiled. "It's ok you dumb fox. I never knew I had that effect on you," she teased. "Besides…" she grabbed his shirt and pulled herself in, placing her lips on his, holding the kiss for what seemed like eternity and no time at all. "…I almost passed out with anticipation too. Now get some sleep and I will check on you in a few hours. Goodnight Nick." She brushed a paw on his cheek as he lay there, dumbfounded.

Nick watched as she walked back to her bedroom, pausing and giving him a smile. Nick let out a breath, committing the feeling of her lips to memory. He was going to get her back for that one.

Entering the Precinct the next morning, both fox and rabbit were exhausted but generally in a good mood. Nick still had a dull headache but it seemed the worst had passed. Entering the bullpen, they noticed Wolford sitting near the back, but as they sat down, he moved up to take the seat next to them. As the other officers filed in, each took a turn patting Nick on the back or grabbing his paw and giving it a shake. It had seemed that Wolford had let slip that Nick had saved his life and had seemed to turn the feelings about the fox a complete 180 overnight. The Chief came in to the usual ruckus and started to hand out assignments once it had quieted down.

"Wilde, finish that report on the Rainbow Circle incident. When you're finished, you and Hopps will look into this new little drug you happened to find on you days off. I swear, I can't get you two out of my hair for a moment's peace even when you're off duty. We should have analysis back sometime this afternoon. Process the statements and see if you can find any other occurrences with the other precincts dealing with this. Dismissed."

It took most of the morning for Nick to complete his report, never being one for the mountains of paperwork associated with the job. Judy had spent the time reading over the interrogation reports from the drug arrests the other day. Not much was gleaned from the statements other than that the drug was named Predico and it seemed to be recreational in its use. She would need to wait for the lab results before she could delve further. Her homicide case involving Mr. Tail was at a dead end as well. Forensics couldn't match any DNA from the scene and nothing was found at his residence save for a matchbook from a seedy bar with a time written on the inside cover and what looked like a monetary amount. What was found was a strange blue substance near some of the bite marks on the body but testing had been inconclusive to this point. All she could do was wait which was definitely not one of her strong suits. Lost in thought, she was startled when Nick plopped down in the chair next to her.

"Finally finish your book there, Slick?"

"You know Carrots, if you would have told me how much paperwork was involved in this job, I probably would have run the other way and never looked back," he joked as he took a sip of his coffee. "Any word from the lab yet on our mystery drug?"

"Not yet. Shouldn't be long now." She looked at the clock, fidgeting in her seat until a knock came at the door and a meerkat in a lab coat walked in.

"Officers Hopps , Wilde, I have the results from the drug we pulled off those teens from the park and you're not going to like it," he said.

"Ok, lay it on us Doctor Palmeer. How bad is it? Poison, zombie mind control, is it the end of the world as we know it?" Nick said in an increasingly theatrically scared voice until he was hit in the arm by Judy.

"Well Officer Wilde, not mind control, though I could construe any drug to be poison in its own right. But end of the world may be closer," Palmeer said with a serious, straight face causing Nick's face to drop. "It looks like a blast from the recent past as the main ingredient is none other than Midnicampum Holicithias with other chemicals of course. This isn't the concentrate levels we saw with the savage case. It seems to be purposefully made so as not to send the user into a full blown savage state."

Nick shook his head. Judy just stared, not able to believe what she was hearing. It was like opening a freshly healed wound. Why would anyone want to take Night Howlers on purpose, knowing what they were capable of? Palmeer read the expression on her face.

"I'm sorry Officer Hopps. We will get to work analyzing the remaining batch we have to determine the effects and any potential side effects so we know what to look for in the public. Unfortunately, I have some more bad news." Reaching into a file, he pulled out two pieces of paper. "This is the analysis of the mystery substance found on the bite marks of Mr. Tail. To put it in layman's terms, it's the same thing as our little drug here that goes by Predico, except a liquid form, not a powder like what was found at the park. And our third little piece of bad news..." He handed the other sheet to Judy. "We did trace analysis of the warehouse that was brought down by explosives trying to determine the make of the bombs and found something else."

"Let me guess, Predico?" Nick cut in.

"Yes Officer Wilde. Predico. It seems you and Officer Wolford happened to step right into the middle of one of their manufacturing facilities. Though small for a drug distribution operation, that facility could make enough of this drug to effectively supply a quarter of Zootopia."

Judy was in shock. "Palmeer, I'm going to go talk with the Chief and I'm sure he will say the same thing to you later, but, make this priority number one. We need to know what this drug does and why is it being used."

"Sure thing Hopps. I'll let you know if we find anything else. One more thing though, maybe a little good news for you before I leave. The drug seems to have a very high metabolic rate, that is to say, it doesn't stay in the system long. Unlike the concentrate found in Bellwether's pellets which needed an antidote to remove the effects, this is gone in anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the dose and the mammal in question. I'm sorry I don't have more, but hopefully you can use that until we have a full work up."

Something clicked and Judy thanked him as she sped out the door, Nick trailing in her wake trying to catch up.

"Carrots, hey….Fluff….JUDY!" Nick finally yelled as his head started pounding.

Judy came to a stop outside of Bogo's office, turning to Nick. "What Nick? We need to talk to Bogo now. I think I have a connection between this drug and my dead rabbit."

"Whoa, slow down a second there Carrots. What's this connection?"

Judy quickly went over what she had found in Mr. Tail's bedroom, the matchbook with time and money amount and the drug in the bite wounds, somehow they were connected.

"What was the name of the bar?" Nick asked.

"The Chipped Fang, why?"

Nick went pale for a second. "And your dead rabbit visited this bar and had an amount written on the matchbook? Ok Carrots, we'll tell Bogo, but things just became very, VERY dangerous."

Judy started to worry. She had only seen Nick look like this once before: in Mr. Big's limo when he found out who it belonged to.

"Nick, do you know what the matchbook means?"

"Basically what you have Carrots is call on a loan. How much was the amount written on the book?"

"It just said twenty five."

"That's twenty five thousand. The Chipped Fang is a notorious hangout for a few gangs and mafia types. I did some work there when I was in with Mr. Big." He saw the expression on her face. "Nothing like that, just running messages to other mammals, not actual mafia work. The amount and time were what he needed to pay and when. It's always just a time written, the date is given word of mouth only so mammals, like us, can't trace the loan shark. But that's not the worst of this place. I happen to know that certain activities go on after hours in the basement. Cage fighting is big in the gang and mafia underground. Brings in good revenue and acts as a recruitment center for new muscle. Trust me when I say, this is not a place where we can just waltz in and start asking questions. We would walk in, but we would never be seen again. These people make Mr. Big seem like a cuddly little plush toy."

Judy knocked on the door, her eyes fixed on Nick as she heard Bogo ask them to enter. She relayed all the information she had on the two cases, filling the Chief in on the lab's results. Nick filled the Chief in on the information about the bar. After they had finished, Bogo sat just staring at the two in complete silence before pinching the bridge of his snout.

"Why can't it just be simple with you two? Why does it always have to be some city crippling conspiracy or potential drug war? Why can't it just be a simple traffic violation or fraud? Why do the two of you always seem to find the worst this city has to offer?" Both noticed a small smirk graze his face. "Ok, first. Hopps, I'm taking you off the Tail's homicide." He placed a hoof in the air to stop her before she could say anything. "Wilde, I received your report. Both cases have been moved to our detectives to finish. We'll look into this bar, maybe send an undercover to investigate this fighting. Our drug task force will take care of investigating these teens further to see if we can get a lead to someone further up the chain. If these things are all related, we have a far bigger problem on our hands."

He paused for a moment. Deciding what to do with his little dynamic duo.

"Right. Now for you two. I have turned these cases over to their respective departments, but I would like the two of you available on an informational level only. I think the two of you need a small break from life threatening situations. I will personally make sure you are kept in the loop. I would like both of you to see if you can find anything in other precinct reports that might have anything to do with this drug. Mammals acting differently, violent crimes involving first time offenders, any vicious homicides like our Mr. Tail. See if you can find any connections or correlations. I have a feeling that this may be a difficult nut to crack. Other than the paperwork, I'm putting the two of you on regular patrol for awhile. Now don't give me those looks. Keep your eyes and ears open. The two of you found our first clues with the teenagers in the park, see if you can find more." Bogo noticed a flash of anger across the rabbit's face. "Hopps, fact finding is just as important as any arrest. You would do well to remember that. Now if you two don't have any more wonderful news for me, we are done. Dismissed."

Exiting the office, Judy let out an exasperated sigh. "Patrol duty and filtering through paperwork not just from here, but the other precincts? I'm starting to see things from your point of view Nick."

Nick just laughed. "Oh come on now Carrots, it's not that bad. Look at it this way, both you and I will have a lot more time together driving around the city all day."

That thought brought a smile to her face. "You're right Nick. At least together, the time will go faster, and it will give us the opportunity to find out about each other a little bit more." She started to hop a little at that thought.

"Besides Carrots," Nick said, "it's just patrol, so what can really happen?"

Judy stopped hopping placing her paw on her forehead. "Seriously Nick. After the other day you just go and say that?" Shaking her head and walking towards the garage, he could hear her say, "Dumb fox, we're in trouble now."

A/N - Had a problem with the upload recently and it deleted a chapter. Chapter 8: Homecomings was removed for some reason so we've done a re-upload of New Beginnings to Revelations. Sorry for the confusion.