Author's Note:
Hello! Yes, I'm back again and I apologise (again!) for the wait. Uni has started back up again, and I got a new laptop, so it took me a little while longer than I had planned to get this chapter done. I know that many of you were expecting this chapter to be about the press conference, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. As the area where I have the most freedom for writing my own stuff is in between scenes and off-screen, most of this chapter is in between what we see in the movie. I hope you still like it though!
Chapter 14: Here Comes the Cavalry!
Chief Adrian Bogo was tired. No, he was more than tired, he was exhausted. The last two weeks or so had been hell on earth for the chief of the Zootopian Police Department. Ever since that first grizzly bear had disappeared some sixteen days ago, he'd been working longer hours and under more pressure from both City Hall, the media, and the general public. And with each successive disappearance, things got worse for the worn-out buffalo. He'd barely left the precinct at all in the past three days, and only managed to steal a few hours' sleep in the middle of the night shift, and even then, sleeping at his desk was not particularly restful.
He sighed as he picked up the case file for Jackie Bates, a mountain lion who had been the fourth mammal to go missing. He already knew the disappointingly thin file back to front, but he hoped that by reading it once again, something might just possibly jump out at him that he'd overlooked before. He was halfway through the third and final page when something finally did jump, but it wasn't a fact from the case. It was him when an unexpectedly load "PING!" from his phone told him he had received a message. Grateful for the distraction, he glanced over and smiled when he saw it was from his wife.
"Hi Hon! I hope things are going better today for you. The kids and I miss having you home, but we understand how important it is! I saw this app earlier, and just thought it might cheer you up if you're having a bad day! ;P Love you! Bye! XO"
Adrian smiled, he loved his wife dearly, and the message from her had already helped to cheer his mood slightly. Underneath the message was a link to an app, titled simply: "One Hot Dancer!" Curious, he tapped the link, and chuckled briefly when he read the description on the app store:
"Do you love Gazelle? Well, now you can join her dancing on stage in front of millions of fans! With realistic effects, and Gazelle's biggest hit songs, this app is a must have for any Gazelle fan!"
He moved to exit the page, intending to return to his work, but froze with his finger hovering above the 'back' button. 'Surely a quick look wouldn't hurt, would it?" he thought cautiously, tapping on the download button instead, 'It may even help refresh my mind, and give me a fresh perspective. Besides, I've been working non-stop for days now…' he continued to reason as he opened the app and followed the setup instructions for taking a selfie. He grinned widely as the photo clicked, then snapped his head up to the door, suddenly fearful that someone might have somehow seen him actually smile. Thankfully, the door was still firmly shut, and nobody seemed to be moving past it either. Doing one last check to ensure he was truly alone, he swiped through the list of songs, turned the volume down and selected one.
Music began trickling out of the speaker, and the screen suddenly changed to a stage backdrop with a cartoon version of Gazelle on screen, just beginning to dance to the music. The cartoon avatar of Gazelle beckoned for someone off screen to join her, and a moment later one of her tiger backup dancers joined her on stage, only, Adrian's head was tackily pasted on top of the tiger's. Bogo snorted in amusement, 'Realistic effects, my hoof!' he thought disdainfully, but turned the volume up regardless so he could hear the tune better, the upbeat pop song already working to relax him.
"Wow! You're one hot dancer, Chief Bo-go!" came the faint and halting computerised voice of Gazelle through the phone speaker, so the Chief turned it up again so he could hear everything properly. Smiling contentedly now, he started bopping and swaying in his chair to the music, wishing that Gazelle would hurry up and organise another concert in Zootopia. Unfortunately, Murphey's Law had something to say about this being the one time the Chief relaxed for a few moments.
"Chief Bogo! Chief Bogo!" Clawhauser barged into the Chief's office, yelling and gasping for breath.
'Crap!' Adrian lept a foot into the air with the shock intrusion, and simultaneously fumbled to hide his phone from the chubby receptionist. "Not now!" he half pleaded, half ordered the cheetah. But it was too late.
"Wait…" Ben panted, a grin lighting up his chubby face. "Is that Gazelle?"
"Wha— No!" He denied vehemently, the pop music still pouring out of the speakers, despite his best attempts to muffle it with his hooves.
"I'm Gazelle! And you are one hot dancer!" came the computerised voice from the phone at the opportune time to prove the chief a liar. 'Damnit!' Bogo grimaced, eyes dancing around the room trying to see if there was anything he could use to distract the excited cheetah.
"You have the app too?" Clawhauser whispered in shock. "Awwwww! Chiiieee—"
"Clawhauser!" Bogo snapped, finally coming up with a topic change, "Can't you see I'm busy working on the Missing Mammals case?" he gestured to the map on the wall covered with photos and connecting strings for emphasis.
"Oh, yes! Yes, of course!" seeing the glare forming on the chief's face, Ben decided to get right to the point, "About that sir, Officer Hopps just called, he found all of them!"
'Did I just hear him correctly?' Bogo queried himself, his lower jaw dropping on its own.
"Wow! I'm impressed!" came Gazelle's voice from the phone, breaking the shocked silence in the room. Snarling at the device, Bogo quickly exited the app to forestall any further untimely interruptions.
"What do you mean, he found them all?"
"Hopps just called, he said they were following their lead on the missing otter, and found every single one of the missing mammals all at the same place! He's got video evidence and everything!"
"Where, Clawhauser?" the buffalo demanded angrily, grabbing his necessary belongings, and pushing the receptionist out of the office, "Damnit Clawhauser! Where are they?"
"Oh! Oh, yes! They're at Cliffside Asylum! And they asked if you could bring some towels and blankets, him and the fox that's been helping him fell into the waterfall there." Bogo frowned at the mention of the smart-mouthed vixen who had embarrassed him in front of his officers, but let it slide for now.
"Cliffside?"
"Oh, it's an abandoned asylum out in the Meadow—"
"I know where it is, Clawhauser, I'm just wondering why they're all the way out there," he stormed along the internal balcony, the cheetah struggling to keep up with the larger mammal. Leaning over the railing, he bellowed out to everyone below, "ANYONE NOT ON BASIC DUTY, GEAR UP! WE'VE LOCATED THE MISSING MAMMALS OUT AT CLIFFSIDE ASYLUM IN THE MEADOWLANDS! GRIZZOLI, COORDINATE WITH THE PARAMEDICS TO MEET US THERE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT CONDITION THESE MAMMALS ARE IN! WOLFARD, SWING PAST SICKBAY AND GRAB SOME TOWELS AND BLANKETS, HOPPS AND HIS 'FRIEND' FELL INTO THE WATERFALL. FANGMEYER, GET A SWAT TEAM TOGETHER!" Bogo paused to catch his breath as all the mammals below, officers and civilians alike stared up at him, frozen in shock. "Well, what are you waiting for? MOVE YOUR WORTHLESS TAILS!" The precinct instantly erupted into chaos as officers dashed about, each with a separate goal in mind. Bogo took a moment to watch, a proud smile gracing his face. He knew that his officers were the best in the entire state, and that they'd all see to their respective tasks with efficiency and speed.
"What about me, sir? What do you want me to do?" Clawhauser asked the chief.
"Stay here, call Mayor Lionheart and let him know that we've found them all," he replied, making his way down the staircase to the first floor.
"Oh, um... About that, sir…"
"What now, Clawhauser?"
"Um, you're not going to like this, but… Officer Hopps said that the Mayor is involved! He's got video proof of that too!"
"WHAT?" Bogo spun around so suddenly that Clawhauser ran straight into the buffalo's chest.
"I said—"
"I heard you, Clawhauser! I'm just— Gah! This day just keeps on getting better doesn't it!" he muttered angrily, marching down the hallway towards his cruiser. 'Hopps better have all the evidence he claims to, otherwise I'm going to skin that rabbit alive!' he thought darkly, jumping in, and starting his cruiser's engine simultaneously. Switching on the lights and sirens, he sped out of the underground garage, followed by several other police cruisers, heading towards the Asylum.
Break Line
"I certainly hope your friends in blue get here soon, Fluff," Nicky complained, "I'm freezing my tail off here!" She didn't miss the irony in her statement about actually wanting more cops around. It wasn't all that long ago that she would've gone out of her way to avoid them. She was actually a bit surprised that Judas hadn't commented on the irony for her. Turning around to tease the rabbit, she did a double take when she saw the condition her friend was in.
Judas sat by the side of the road that they had moved to after calling the station. His knees were tucked up against his chest, arms wrapped tightly around them to try and preserve some modicum of warmth. His ears were pinned to the pack of his head, eyes staring unseeing directly ahead, blue lips parted and his buckteeth chattering violently with the cold. In fact, his whole body seemed to be vibrating in a vain attempt to keep warm, but his dripping fur and the cold breeze off the river instantly robbed him of any heat his body was producing. He was very obviously suffering from hypothermia.
"Carrots! Are you okay?" Nicky demanded, kneeling next to the bunny. No response. "Damnit, Carrots! Answer me! Are. You. Okay?" she grabbed Judas' shoulders and shook him as she spoke, forcing him to respond.
"Hmmm? Ye-ea-eah. I'm f-f-fine," he slowly stuttered through his chattering teeth. He barely seemed aware of his surroundings, staring straight through the concerned vixen as if she wasn't there.
'This is really not good!' Nick thought bitterly, stepping back from the nearly catatonic rabbit for a moment. Help was probably still another ten to twenty minutes away at best, and she didn't think that Judas would last that long in his current state. She'd seen her fair share of hypothermic cases before, and she knew that thigs could go very bad, very quickly. Cursing under her breath, she bent down to the rabbit again, and ignoring his muted squeaks of protest, quickly pulled off his Kevlar vest, and unbuttoned his sopping shirt, grimacing as her fingers brushed the old scars on his chest. She discarding both items on the ground beside him. She quickly dragged him a few metres back to nearby bush, using it to shelter them both from the biting wind. "I can't believe I'm actually going to do this…" she muttered glumly to herself as she sat down behind the unresponsive rabbit, unbuttoning her own shirt, shivering as a blast of wind made its way through the bush and across her mostly bare front. But she was even more concerned when she saw Judas start to slump to one side, beginning to lose consciousness. "Shit!" She grabbed the bunny before he could hit the ground, and pulled him up into her lap, flinching as his icy fur and skin pressed against her own. "Heck, Carrots! You're frozen! Why didn't you say anything?" she didn't get any response, not that she'd really expected one. She wrapped her shirt and tail around the two of them in a further attempt to preserve as much warmth as she could.
They continued to sit that way for several more minutes before Nicky finally felt Judas begin to stir in her lap. "Are you awake in there, Fluff?" a slight smile forming on her muzzle now that the rabbit seemed to be recovering a little.
"Mmmm… Five more minutes, mom…" came the muffled response as the ball of cold fur tried to burrow further into her lap, the action bringing a sudden heat to the vixen's cheeks and ears.
"Ha ha…" Nicky laughed awkwardly, 'What's wrong with me!?' she demanded of herself, 'Why's this dumb rabbit got me so flustered?' Turning her attention back to the mammal curled into her front, "I'm not your mom, Carrots," she said out loud, a grin forming on her muzzle again as she felt him stiffen, his ears suddenly standing upright in front of her face. 'On the other paw, this could be rather fun!'
"Ni-Nicky?" came a squeaky voice from under her shirt.
"The one and only," she whispered breathily into his ears.
"What-? I'm-, you're-, we're-!"
"Relax, Fluff! Sheesh! You're hypothermic. I had to keep you warm somehow, and seeing as I'm not a magician, or MacGoffer, this was the only way I could think of stopping you from falling into a coma! That's all!"
"I… Well that's… Thanks, Nicky," Judas finally croaked, his still-chattering teeth making conversation difficult. "If you want, I'm feeling bett-ah, ah, ah-CHOO!"
"Oh, no you aren't! I'm not going to be held responsible by Boss-Buffalo-Butt if I let you out, only for you to die of hypothermia moments before he arrives! You're staying right where you are!"
"Sheesh!" Judas smiled, sticking his head out the front of Nicky's shirt, and twisting to look back at her, "You do sound just like my mother now!"
"Oh, put a carrot in it, Fluff!" Nicky huffed through the rabbit's ears, a grin tugging at the corners of her muzzle again. Judas laughed in response, but mimed a zip across his lips and settled back into the vixen's lap. He didn't want to admit it, but he was really enjoying the warmth and softness of the Vixen's fur, and he hadn't really wanted to move when he'd tried to suggest it. Instead, he settled in to wait for his co-workers while basking in the heat that was slowly returning to his limbs. He also did his best to ignore the stabbing pain that occasionally accompanied feeling returning to outer extremities.
"Ah! Here's the cavalry, Carrots," came Nicky's voice from above the dozing rabbit. His eyes snapped open. A line of police cruisers was speeding around the nearest corner, lights flashing, but running without sirens. Judas was shocked that they'd been able to approach without him hearing them. 'The cold must've affected my ears more than I'd thought!' he realised sullenly, thankful again for Nicky's help in keeping him alive. 'Speaking of Nicky-!'
"Oh, no!" he yelped, leaping straight out of Nicky's lap to the side of the road.
"Hey! Watch what you're-" Nicky's growl was cut off as the poor rabbit quickly went into panic mode.
"They'regoingtoseeus! Whataretheygoingtothink! What'llBogosay! Whatif-"
"Stop it!" Nicky snapped, cutting through Judas' worrying as the first of the cruisers pulled up to stop nearby, "So what if they do? You were dying, Judas! Once we explain that, everything will be fine!" she stood up slowly, and began to rebutton her shirt up calmly, indicating with one foot where Judas' pile of wet gear lay discarded. Judas stood like a statue for a moment, only his furiously twitching nose indicating that his mind was still racing. The sound of slamming doors sent his ears rocketing up straight again, and he darted forward, trying in vain to put his shirt back on before the Chief and other officers could see him.
"What the hell is going on Hopps?" bellowed the deep, unmistakeable voice of Chief Bogo from behind him.
"Chief!" Judas spun around to face his boss, shirt buttoned unevenly and still dripping water everywhere. "I- we found- the river- fell-" Judas stammered wildly, trying to think of some way that he could possibly explain his current state of undress. More officers were pouring out of the caravan of cruisers, many with wide grins on their faces as they saw the rookie cop and the vixen in such a compromising situation. Judas' ears flushed even darker red at the sound of poorly disguised snickers coming from many of them.
"What Officer Hopps here is trying to say, Chief," interrupted the damp vixen as she watched impatience and anger cloud the buffalo's face, "is that we found all the missing mammals up there." She pointed up to the distant structure on the hill. "And as we made our escape, we ended up in the river, and now your officer is suffering severe hypothermia. So, if you don't mind, we'd much rather continue this in one of your heated cruisers!" She fixed the buffalo with a bland stare, not so much as flinching when he turned his glare on her.
The tense standoff was shattered by an explosive sneeze from the aforementioned rabbit.
"Wolford!" Bogo broke off his stare and snapped at the wolf officer behind him, "Where are those blankets I asked you to fetch? We wouldn't want our newest recruit freezing to death on us before he can even prove his claim!"
"Coming sir!" he replied, darting back to his cruiser.
"Oh, I can prove it right now sir!" Judas spoke up, struggling to hold his chattering teeth still.
Bogo looked down at the dripping rabbit as he fumbled with a plastic evidence bag, eventually extricating his phone and unlocking it after several tries. 'Hmm, the fox is right,' he mused silently, 'he is in a bad way right now. Maybe he deserves a little bit of slack. Just a little.'
"H-here sir," Judas passed up his small phone to the Chief, then accepted a very large blanket from Officer Wolford, who had just returned, wrapping it tightly around himself. Bogo pulled out his glasses and squinted down at the small screen, and everyone went silent as he watched one, then the next video, a ferocious scowl developing on his face the more he watched. When he was finally finished, he silently gave the phone back to the smaller officer and turned to face the rest of his officers.
"Back in the cars. Now." He spoke quietly, and in a low monotone, but there was no mistaking the fury in his voice. "Let's go shut this thing down. Hopps, and…" he raised an eyebrow at the vixen next to the rabbit, both cocooned in separate blankets too large for them.
"Nicole Wilde, at your service," she smirked widely. Bogo just snorted.
"Hopps, and Wilde, good job. Get in with Wolford and Delgato. You will stay there until I say otherwise. Now, everyone MOVE!" he roared the last word, his anger finally breaching his calm exterior. Frantically, mammals darted about, each scrambling to get to their assigned places without attracting the ire of their Chief. Very few had ever seen him genuinely this angry before, and none wanted to possibly be on the receiving end of it.
The next hour passed like a blur for Judas as the last two days of crazy activity finally reached its climax in the rapidly falling dusk. He remembered passing the wolf guards at the bridge, both being restrained by officers, looks of shock and confusion plastered on their faces. Then as they drove over the bridge, he watched as the other wolf guards surrendered in the face of the highly-trained SWAT teams that streamed out of two vans, who then went on to breach the front entrance of the building. After that, things went quiet for a while in the car. Delgato and Wolford had left to help control the perimeters, and Nicky had dozed off in her blanket. Eventually, the SWAT team must have given the all-clear, because the crowd of officers milling in the courtyard began to walk freely in and out of the Asylum, many of them returning with subdued guards, many of them larger canines, although there were a few big cats and two bears. Nobody seemed like they had been badly injured though, and this caused Judas to breathe a sigh of relief.
It was right around that point when the first news vans began to turn up. He later found out that the Chief's immediate response at the station had alerted many civilians as to the location where the mammals were being kept. Of course, it hadn't taken long for that information to be leaked to media. Several officers now went into crowd management, setting up a cordon on the shore side of the bridge, preventing them coming any closer.
Judas stared out the window at his colleagues, admiring their professionalism, looking forward to being able to perform his job as efficiently as them one day. 'Now that I found all these mammals, Bogo will have to keep me on as an officer! A real one!' he smiled to himself.
A tap on the window startled him out of his reverie. Wolford stood there, a smile on his muzzle and two takeaway cups in his paws. Judas opened the door.
"Hey, Hopps! I brought you both a nice, hot coffee. Is your friend awake, or should we leave her to sleep?" Judas smiled at the larger predator, and turned to check on Nicky. He needn't have bothered though, the word 'coffee' seemed to work better than an alarm clock for the weary vixen as she suddenly sat bolt upright, inhaling deeply through her nose.
"Did I hear someone say, 'coffee'?" she demanded sleepily. As an answer, Wolford passed one through the open door to her, smiling broadly. Nicky gratefully began gulping down the hot liquid, sending an appreciative nod back to the wolf in thanks. A small frown darkened Judas' face for a moment as he watched the exchange.
"Oh, don't worry Hopps," Wolford turned to him, "here's yours." He pawed the second to the rabbit.
"Ah, thanks," he replied, "but I actually don't drink normal coffee. Caffeine isn't really the best thing for rabbits. It-"
"Suit yourself!" Nicky interrupted, snatching it out of his paws, a wide grin plastered on her muzzle. This time, she took her time with the drink, savouring the strong, dark liquid. Wolford just laughed merrily.
"By the way, Bogo says he'd like you to go in to see him as soon as you're ready."
"WHAT!" Judas yelled, "Why didn't you say that straight away?" he demanded, leaping out of the cruiser, straightening up his now mostly dry uniform. Nicky followed him out at a more dignified pace. Judas made to dart off towards the Asylum, but was stopped by a large paw on his arm.
"Just a second, Hopps," Wolford said, "There's something you should know about the Chief first. It takes a while for any mammal here to gain his respect, and he hasn't been that much harsher on you than he was on the rest of us when we were rookies. It might take some time, but once you get to know him, you'll find that he really is a fair and considerate boss. He just sometimes has a funny way of expressing it." The wolf chuckled briefly, as if remembering some particular example. "Acting all jumpy – no pun intended – and legalistic won't get you anywhere with him. Take my advice, relax! If he sees that you can handle what the job throws at you without getting too flustered, he'll respect you all the more for it."
Judas took a couple of deep breaths, "Thanks, Wolford," he smiled, trying to look more relaxed than he felt, "I'll keep that in mind!" He set off towards the concrete monolith at a more sedate pace with Nicky trailing behind, sipping contentedly on her second coffee, and pulling on a pair of aviator shades she'd found in the backseat of the cruiser.
Wolford smiled as he watched the pair recede. Judas did look like he'd at least taken some of what the older officer had said to heart, and he was looking forward to working with the rabbit officer more in the future. If tonight was any indication, he had a bright future ahead of him. His grin widened as his eyes were drawn back to the swishing red tail of the vixen as she stepped through the door Judas was holding open for her. 'Now that is one hot lady! I certainly wouldn't mind getting to know her a bit better too!' he thought wistfully to himself, although a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him that he might already be too late. Shrugging, he turned around to help coordinate the arriving paramedics.
Inside the Asylum for the second time in as many hours, Nicky and Judas were subject to a very different experience. Instead of sneaking through dirty drainpipes, they were directed through a brightly lit corridor towards a large open room that may have once served as a cafeteria. The room was full of officers, some coming and going, others guarding and questioning a variety of mammals, many of whom were wearing lab coats. One of the exceptions was the Mayor of Zootopia, Leodore Lionheart, sitting hunched over at a too-small table. Chief Bogo stood guard over him, stony faced as ever, and not moving a muscle. It wasn't until Judas approached that he finally took his eyes off the large predator.
"Ah, Hopps," he greeted the rabbit flatly. All things considered, Judas felt that was about the most cheerful he'd ever heard the buffalo. "You're just in time."
"For what, sir?"
"This was your case, and you solved it. That means you get to arrest the mammal responsible." This attracted an exasperated groan from the mayor. Both officers ignored him.
"Me, sir?" Judas was more than a little surprised. The chief had never indicated any level of trust in the rabbit, and now he was being asked to arrest the most important mammal in the city. Even for a rabbit, that was a pretty large backflip.
"Do you have a problem with that, Hopps?" he asked, a steely edge to his voice, causing the rabbit to flinch inwardly for questioning his boss out loud.
"No! Not at all, sir!" he quickly saluted.
"I do!" interjected the subject of their discussion dejectedly. The two officers glared at him for a moment.
"Too bad," Bogo grunted, hauling the lion to his feet, and pulling his arms behind his back so Judas could cuff him with the pair of pawcuffs left on the table.
"Leodore Lionheart," Judas declared as he snapped the cuffs into place and checking their security. "You are under arrest for fifteen counts of false imprisonment, mistreatment of said mammals, and unethical and illegal experimentation on them."
"Wait! You don't understand! I'm-"
"Let's get him outside. I'm taking him in my cruiser," Bogo cut off the mayor midsentence and began guiding the lion towards the entrance of the building.
"Mr. Lionheart," Judas began again, catching up with the Chief and prisoner in the corridor. Nicky followed behind the trio. "I am now obligated to inform you of the rights you are entitled to under law, please listen carefully. You have the right to remain silent." They passed through the doors of the Asylum into the flashing lights of the media, police car lights and the floodlights shining down from several hovering police helicopters. The sudden cacophony of sounds required Judas to raise his voice to be heard over the din. "Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law."
"Wait! You don't understand!" Lionheart finally managed to cut in, continuing before the rabbit could continue his monologue. "I'm trying to help those mammals!" He nodded in the direction he was looking where Officer McHorn and two other bear officers Judas didn't recognise were struggling to get a snarling leopard into the back of one of the reinforced prisoner transports. "We still don't know what's causing this! It could tear the city apart!" The pleading was evident in his voice, and Judas had to shake his head to clear his mind.
"You have the right to an attorney," he forged on. "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you by the state."
"Please! You've got to listen to-"
"Get in," Bogo grunted at the lion, holding the rear door of his cruiser open for the mayor. Lionheart's shoulders sagged, and he looked defeated. Judas had to check his natural tendency for compassion as he watched the dejected lion slump into the seat.
"Are you coming with me, Hopps?" Bogo asked, slipping into the driver's seat.
"Ah, no thanks Chief. I've still got to pick up my vehicle, and make sure Ms. Wilde gets home safely." Bogo snorted at that, but said nothing else, shutting his door and driving off back towards the station.
"Well, that was certainly something to cross off your bucket list, Carrots," Nicky smirked as she stepped up next to Judas, the now empty coffee cup still clenched in her paw.
"Huh?"
"You know, arresting the mayor of Zootopia! How're you ever going to top that?" she teased. "Maybe you should just give up now!" Judas rolled his eyes at the vixen's taunt.
"Oh, you'd just love that, wouldn't you? Then I wouldn't be on your tail, chasing you for this crime or that!" he teased back, trying to suppress the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Speaking of which, how are you feeling with so many cops around? I trust you're not too intimidated?"
"Humpf!" Nicky snorted in amusement, "Puh-lease! One look at my badge and they just step aside for me!" she pointed to the crumpled, faded 'Junior Detective' sticker he'd stuck on her shirt that morning. Judas laughed.
"Okay then, Ms. Junior Detective, I think it's time we get going. It's been a long day, and Delgato said there'd be a media conference tomorrow that I would need to attend, so I need to get some rest."
"Certainly, Fluff. I wouldn't want you to miss out on your beauty sleep. After all, you certainly need it!"
"Oh, shut up, Dumb Fox!" Judas snapped lightly, taking off along the bridge. Nicky chuckled in response, mentally chalking up another verbal score against the bunny cop as she walked alongside him.
Getting through the crowd of media was easier than they'd feared, thanks to several other officers helping to clear them a path, and it wasn't long before they were back in Judas' traffic buggy, heading back towards the city. The trip back was mostly silent as both mammals basked in the hot air blasting through the small heating vents, and reminisced on the insane past two days. Neither wanted to say anything, but both felt comfortable in each other's presence and felt that now that they weren't working on the case, they could end up drifting apart. Judas was the first to break the silence as they approached the place Nicky had asked him to drop her off at.
"You know Nicky, I could never have solved this case without you," he said quietly. "I want you to know that I really appreciate what you've helped me do over the past two days. And… also, to thank you for saving my life today."
"Ha! Don't mention it, Fluff!" Nicky smirked, leaning back in her seat, crossing her arms behind her head. "Now you'll just owe me a favour one day, and boy, do I intend to collect!" Judas stared at her open mouthed in shock as he pulled up outside the run-down apartment building Nicky had directed him to.
"Wha-! No! I can't-"
"Oh, relax Cottontail! It's a joke!" Nicky explained exasperatedly as she climbed out of the buggy.
"Pfft!" Judas huffed. "Not a very funny one, obviously!"
"Whatever you say, Officer Fluff! Goodnight! I'll see you around?"
"Oh, Nicky! Wait a moment!" The vixen paused halfway up the stairs, and turned a quizzical eye back at the rabbit. "Look, I... I was just wondering, you know, since you helped so much, if you'd, um, you know, be at the press conference tomorrow morning?" The rabbit sheepishly scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact, suddenly feeling rather silly thinking that she would even consider coming along to the police station tomorrow.
"Sure. Nine at the station, right?"
"Um, yeah!" he smiled brightly at the vixen, surprised at how easily she'd agreed to come along.
"Okay, see you then, Fluff. G'night!" And with that, she disappeared into the lobby of the apartment complex.
Judas sat in the buggy for several more minutes, staring at the door behind which she'd just vanished, before he shook himself and drove off towards the station to drop the cart off. 'And then home. To sleep!' the idea suddenly seemed a lot more appealing than it ever had before.
A.N:
Well, there we go. I hope you felt it still followed the story well, and does its part in the overall development of the characters and story line. I'll be back soon (I hope!) with the long awaited press conference!
P.S.
I have sometimes received reviews questioning if and when I will update. Please keep that up, as sometimes it does help to motivate me knowing that there are actually people out there that enjoy reading my drivel, but please do so as part of your actual account. That way I can actually reply to you and answer your questions. I can't respond personally to 'Guest' reviews, the website doesn't allow it. And besides, never fear! I will finish this story! I refuse to leave it incomplete!