Only a short chapter tonight guys, but I couldn't keep you waiting so thought I'd better keep you dosed for another few days, I hope you enjoy and I apologise for any mistakes:)

Nick sat anxiously on the chair that he and Judy shared, ready for the morning's briefing just like every other day in the week. He swung his legs nervously, his eyes darting left and right while his nose desperately tried to sniff out his friend. He hadn't heard from her since yesterday, absolutely nothing, and he was worried. He hoped to god that she would turn up to work today, or he was sure he was going to lose his mind.

He wanted to hurt Sharp for threatening her the way he did. He wanted to hurt himself for yelling at her the way he had. He wanted to yell at Ffion for messing with him and making him question everything he knew about himself. Never before had he felt such turmoil within himself and everything around him. Before Ffion, before Judy, his life had been easy. Judy made it better, but Ffion had made him fall into a pit of questions that he was unable to answer. He promised himself that he wouldn't screw up the new life that had been given to him, and yet he now feared about the absence of his best friend.

But he caught that whiff of blueberries and carrots, making his heart skip a beat with relief. He placed a smile onto his lips, yet it quickly fell away like a wall of flaking paint.

At five minutes to nine, Judy came skidding through the door with her laptop tucked under her arm, her uniform dishevelled as if she had slept in it. He could hear the pounding of her heart before he even saw her, thudding away in her chest like a gazelle fleeing from a cheetah. He stood up on their chair, ready to call out to her, but she hadn't even glanced his way. Her eyes, wild and on high alert, were fixed on Chief Bogo, who gazed down at her in confusion and concern.

"Officer Hopps?"

"Sir, we need to talk, like, right now."

"It's almost nine, time for the briefing-"

"Now."

He wondered why she hadn't called him. Then he remembered instantly how he had treated her, and pinched his snout in his own frustration. He wanted nothing more than for her to look at him and at least smile, just to give him a peace of mind, but her stare was locked on her chief. She have no indication that she knew he was there, and that hurt him more than anything had in a long, long time.

"Please, it's a link in the case." She said it more quietly, determined to get him alone to burst out whatever findings she had uncovered. "A big lead."

Something about her expression was enough to silence the room and have all ears rounded on her. The certainty in her voice was unyielding, her posture so sure, that it was hard to ignore. And Nick should have been up there with her, sharing that same solidarity with her, but he wasn't. He was in the audience looking on, isolated and in the dark, all because of his own head not being in the game.

He'd turned his back on her without even intending to.

All night their argument had played on repeat in his head, and he had never in his life wanted to make things right quite like he did right now. He and Judy had bickered many times before, but this was something different. There was a crack, a void between them, refusing to let them unite like they once had, and it pained him beyond belief. It was like the earth had split beneath their feet, and the only thing that unified them was to shout between the nothingness, instead of running side by side.

She was right there in front of him, a mere few steps away, and he missed her, as if she was a thousand miles away.

"Alright," Bogo murmured, and then turned to the rest of the room. "Everyone, take five, and I expect full attention when I do."

There was a beat of silence before the room exploded into booming chatter, everyone talking loudly apart from Nick, who stood in dumbfounded silence. Judy still refused to look his way, following Bogo out of the briefing room and towards his office.

It only took him a moment to follow them.

The door to Bogo's office closed, and Nick slinked to the left side of it, pressing his ear to the wood. The vibrations of the wood tickled stray strands of fur, making his ear twitch every now and then, but that didn't stop him from listening with deep concentration, determined to capture every word.

Judy sounded incredibly anxious, making Nick spasm ever so slightly. She was meant to be talking to him frantically, because he knew how to make her feel better. He shouldn't have been prying in on her conversation with her boss.

What happened to us, Carrots? Why did it go so wrong so quickly?

"Prey are being punished!" She exclaimed, instantly grabbing Nick's full attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Each victim was, in one way or another, close to a predator. I was up all night, and I promise you I tried to find a broken cord, but it's all there! They all had a best friend, or a nanny, or a nurse, even a neighbour, who just happened to be predators! And not just short term relationships, but years of friendships, back to when they were children or teenagers! And Peter Bush, he told us that his attacker said prey would never be better than predators, that surely can't be a coincidence as well, and,"

"Easy, Hopps, you have to slow down." Bogo cautioned. "And I know the point you are trying to make, but I've found one flaw in your theory."

"What's that?"

"The children." He stated. "The child that was attacked was an otter pup, Hopps, a predator. Why would that attack be different than the rest?"

"To throw us off the track!" Judy cried. "It's obvious!"

"I need evidence."

"I'll get you evidence. Let me speak to the children."

Nick took this opportunity to stop listening, having heard enough. Reaching across, he twisted the door handle and effortlessly slipped though the doorway, shutting it quietly behind him. Bogo glared furiously at him, no doubt wishing that the fox wouldn't do that, but Nick merely cast a cold stare his way.

"And where have you been whilst Hopps was finding this information?" he asked Nick, folding his arms. Nick looked eyes with Judy, who looked almost startled to see him in the room, and Nick spoke without taking his eyes from hers.

"We had a disagreement, but I was hoping she would fill me in on her findings, so we could come up with a rational plan together, as partners."

Judy's cheeks puffed up in disgruntlement before she huffed angrily, keeping her violet eyes fastened on his. "Are you going to let me get a word in, or do I need to be quiet?"

Nick felt the angry prickle in his fur, and his ears fell back ever so slightly, his snout scrunching up marginally. "Keep it up and I'll tape that little mouth shut so that I can get a word in."

"Enough," Bogo scolded. "I have a meeting to attend; you two are dismissed from it. Get me evidence, get me statements, and get me names."

"Yes sir." Nick and Judy said in unison, both continuing to glare at one another, and Bogo grumbled in annoyance, abandoning the pair in his office.

When Judy was finished explaining her theory in further detail, Nick closed the lid to her laptop. Pushing his anger aside, and wishing wholeheartedly that the tension between them would die off, he decided that they at least needed to be professional. They spoke of the case only, keeping their personal issues at bay for the time being. They were sat on the floor in front of their Chief's desk, their eyes having been on the screen until now. Finally Nick was looking at her again, his expression sincere.

"This is just a hunch, right?"

"It's all there," she replied, still staring at the now closed screen. "They all have the same link."

"Yes, but in a world where predator and prey have integrated. That won't stand up in court."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I suggest that you get some better sources." He frowned at her. "One of your little friends came to you again, didn't they?"

"You don't think I can figure this out alone?"

"Carrots."

She sighed, giving in, and once again Nick found himself getting annoyed. "The stoat."

"I told you to keep away from them."

"Why should I when they are actually giving me something to work with?" she retorted, folding her arms. Nick rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Bush was a good one, yes, but this time it was rash. You have to talk to me before you go running to Bogo." He pointed at her before she even opened her mouth. "And don't even go there, missy; I've apologised, I can't do any more than that."

Judy let her eyes fall to the ground in stubbornness. The two of them sat in silence for a while, contemplating their next move, and Nick took the opportunity to gaze at his friend. She had grown so bold compared to when he had first met her, yet she looked so tired. She needed a holiday. Her fur needed grooming, the fur on her ears needed a good trim, and her uniform needed ironing. He wondered when she had last properly slept. All of these thoughts and questions, things that had never bothered them until this case came along, and Nick wished he had never let her get involved.

"What's your next move?" he asked quietly.

"I still thing we should speak to the children." She replied back.

"Not a bad plan, but it's too soon for them. We need another move."

Judy thought for a moment. "What about the friends of the victims? See if they noticed anything weird in the lead up to the attacks."

"Better. Who should we see first?"

Judy opened the lid to her laptop again, scrolling through the case files she had saved since the first say of the case. She came to settle on Richard Haring's case file, ignoring his awful post attack photographs and focussed on his friend, Tia Snow. The photo was of the Lynx holding three of Haring's kittens, the four of them laughing and beaming into the camera. However, there was something about her eyes that spoke out to Nick, and apparently Judy, too. They held secrets, deep green orbs not all that they seemed, and the two officers shared a look, finally on the same page.

For now, at least.

Please review lovelies!