Hello Readers,

As I said last week, expect an extra chapter this week. I'll probably post it either Saturday or Sunday, whenever I get a free moment over the weekend. Next week will also have an extra chapter, but after that it will be one chapter a week. Criticism always welcome. Enjoy!

-CG

Nick was waiting patiently for his favorite Rabbit to arrive. Well if he admitted it to himself, maybe he could have been more patient. He had been stuck in the same room, only allowed to leave the bed to use the bathroom while nurses and doctors alike poked and prodded him with needles and medical instruments like he was a red pin cushion. They had said phrases like "muscular damage" and "post-surgery infection" for their reasons for the poking and prodding. Nick didn't completely believe what they were saying. He felt fine. Sure, he was sore, and his left arm didn't move too well forward, and since they had to shave the areas around his wounds, a bit itchy. Still he was in great shape! He was in great shape when he graduated from the Academy, and stayed in that shape thanks to keeping up with Judy as her partner.

The vulpine was shirtless, propped up in the hospital bed flipping through channels on a corner mounted television. Remote in paw, he stopped when the thought of who was Judy's partner while he was in bed. One Reginald C. Weaselton, rookie cop and personal pain in the tail for the Fox. Why couldn't he have been Duke's kit? Or even Duchess? The Fox got along great with female mustela, and even had a bit of history with her. If Reginald had been her kit, Nick would have welcomed him with open arms and taken him under his proverbial wing. Instead the officer had to be born from one of the few mammals that the vulpine would ever admit to fearing, old Richard Weaselton. Nick shuddered at the mere thought of the insane Weasel. "Dead for ten years and still gives me the chills."

He blinked, and looked down at the paw holding the remote. Nick hadn't realized how tightly he was holding the object. He sighed and closed his eyes. The vulpine knew the reason for his fidgeting. Judy was out there and he was stuck here. Her partner was a mammal that looked and sounded too much like his psychotic killer of a father that Nick had dealt with in the past, and oh by the way the little Weasel has a temper that could blow at any minute. That seems to cover all of the reasons for trepidation, and the only way it would go away completely is if the Fox officer was back next to his…partner. The Fox officer sighed once again, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to calm down before the Rabbit arrived. "Judy…"

When he woke up after the shooting, she was right next to him. In the same outfit from what felt like months before. He laid eyes on her and she smiled. After the Nighthowler incident, that's all Nick believed that he needed in his life. Her smile and her friendship and he could live a happy life. The tod hid the growing feelings that he had for the doe partner, believing that any slip up could break their relationship permanently. How wrong he had been, for when he was fully there, when the medication stopped making him drowsy and he could really focus on her beautiful amethyst eyes, that's when she hit him with three words that he never thought he would hear come from her outside of platonically. "I…love…you…"mumbled Nick to himself. Eyes still closed, but now pleasantly smiling as well. The Fox hoped that no matter how old he became, no matter what happened he hoped to remember that moment until his dying breath. Of course he returned the sentiment. In his cool, calm, collected, definitely didn't cry, and can't prove that he did type of way.

The Fox opened his eyes feeling lighter. While he and Judy hadn't specifically stated what they were, he knew that at least they were on the same page emotionally. That was better than it had been for months now. The uncertainty, the pining, and dare he admit it, the jealousy. All of these feelings could have been dealt with much earlier if he hadn't been…well a coward. Fear of losing or pushing her away is what sealed his mouth shut, but once again it was her perseverance and 'try everything' attitude that blew away his preconceived notions. He looked up at the television to check the time, and frowned. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen in bold letters Nick saw the words 'Officer Down.' "Haven't they covered me enough by now? It's getting old really…" Nick thought. The Fox sighed and shrugged slightly, wincing at the brief shot of pain from his movement. "Let's see what else they are saying about me." He turned up the volume.

"…the coverage of an officer being shot in the Meadowlands." The Snow Leopard Fabienne Growley finished.

"That's right Fabienne," started the Moose Peter Moosebridge, "we go live to Dusty Bori for more information. Dusty?"

The image shifted to a light brown Coyote standing sharply dressed in a blue blazer, blue tie and white undershirt. The reporter had his paw to one of his erect ears, and the other holding a microphone just under his muzzle.

"Peter, so far the community in the area is shocked that anything like this could happen in their area. Fifteen year veteran of Precinct Three Julius Moyer was shot at point blank range by an unknown assailant."

A picture of a ram in dress blues appeared on the top left of the screen. Nick could see several service medals on the officer's formal uniform.

"Witnesses say that the assailant, also a Ram, approached Moyer from behind, pulled out a gun, and fired. Officer Moyer's partner, Officer Lynch-"

A picture of a young mountain goat also in dressed blues appeared below the picture of Moyer. The Goat appeared to be much younger than the veteran officer. It appeared to Nick that Lynch may have only been a few years removed from the academy.

"-was unable to apprehend the suspect, but was able to stabilize Officer Moyer's wounds until paramedics arrived. Officer Moyer is now being treated in Meadowlands Regional Hospital and I've been told his condition is critical. This is just another string of events that have been plaguing all of Zootopia and the reintroduction of firearms back onto the street. With the injuring of Officer Nicolas Wilde and the incident in Sahara Square outside of Lemmings Brothers Bank, this marks the incident as the seventh event dealing with a firearm so far. That is the most in a single month in the last fourteen years. No official statement has been made by the Z.P.D. or the Mayor's office about the rise in violence. Back to you Peter."

"Thanks Dusty. Now over to Dave for the Weat-"

Nick turned off the television once the report was over. He was stunned. There was a difference between shooting at a cop at night, or even during a robbery like what happened to him. It seemed alien to the streetwise vulpine that an officer would be shot in broad daylight for the purpose of simply shooting him. He had been around during the Bad Old Days. He remembered the same thing happening to mammals all throughout the Rainforest District, and even some of the others once the violence spread, but never had any criminal specifically target an officer. His ears lowered slowly at what this could mean. It's possible that this could have been a one-time situation. A possible grudge that was settled in broad daylight instead of behind closed doors. "Who you trying to convince Slick? There's only you here…" The vulpine gulped. Even though he stopped hustling years ago, that doesn't mean his senses were dull. Finnick may have joked that he went soft, but even Nick knew that there was something else at play. "Why would someone want to target cops? It doesn't make any sense. There's no value to gain and all you get is the police putting pressure on whoever is responsible. So why…."

His thoughts were interrupted by the jingling of the door handle turning. Ears shooting up and the tip of his tail began to wag. There was only one mammal who would be visiting him at this hour. The door swung open, and the tod recognized the faint smell of fresh cut grass and violets. It was a smell that he had become very familiar with the last three years. "Carrots," the Fox tried to say nonchalantly, "I was wondering if you had forgotten about poor, wounded me today." He finished the statement by placing a paw over his heart and giving the most pitiful look possible.

The grey doe chuckled and rolled her eyes at his antics. "Even if I hadn't been here after every shift, I'm pretty sure you would have called me until I came." The lapine was still in her uniform, but the vulpine wasn't going to complain about that. He would never say it out loud for fear of reprisal, but she always looked cute in her gear.

"If it counts for anything, the hospital finally figured out I was the one who kept calling in pizza," Nick started with a smirk, "they snatched, unlawfully I might add, my cell phone and said they are holding it until I'm discharged."

The Rabbit groaned and rubbed a paw down her face. She walked to the chair she sat, and apparently slept in, hopping with ease into the chair. It never left his bedside and, other than his mother, she was his most frequent guest. Shaking her head, she sighed "What am I going to do with you?"

"Well…you could always give me a sponge bath if you're in need for something to occupy your time." Nick said, wiggling his eyebrows for effect. He always knew how to push her buttons, and this new step in their relationship simply added a whole new avenue for the Fox to use.

There was a slight blush on the doe's face that rose through her ears, but she didn't break eye contact. Instead a seductive smile spread over her snout. "Well," she began in a sultry voice, batting her eyelashes at Nick, "I could do that, and help my big, handsome fox."

The tod was leaning forward, lost in her words and gaze. He wasn't sure if what was happening was real, or one of those infections the doctors were worried about roasting his brain to cause such a fevered dream. Another fact that Nick wouldn't admit to Judy was that his thoughts on his partner didn't always stay in the…family friendly… section. So the idea of her running her soft paws up and down his body was something that the vulpine definitely wanted to experience.

"…Or…"

"Uh Oh!" thought Nick with slight alarm as the tone and gaze of the Rabbit in front of him changed from lustful to annoyed in an instant "Abort!"

"I can get the nice nurse Anthony to scrub you instead." Judy finished, with a stern glare and paws resting on her hips.

"Anthony the Anteater nurse?" responded the vulpine, his cool slightly disappearing at the suggested threat, "but he has those claws-"

"-and I hear he's very thorough!" interjected the lapine with a now amused look on her face.

Nick groaned and leaned back into the bed. She had hustled him again, but he wasn't even sure what she wanted this time around. "What do you want?" He finally conceded. He looked back at Judy who now had a serious expression on her face.

"Stop calling the pizza for the nurse's station. I know you thought that it was funny and maybe get a slice yourself, but the delivery mammals kept wandering into the Emergency Room. So while the Nurses downstairs love you, the ones up here haven't had any of your labor. Also I'm the one who told them to take your phone away if you did it again."

"But Fluff," whined the tod, "the food here is terrible. I've been dying to eat me a slice of Mama Lucerna's cheesy goodness!" Even the thought of having food that wasn't jello packs and dried fish or bugs had his mouth watering. The hope was that eventually the nurse's would share said pizza with the kind Fox who had been sending it their way. Of course it may have helped also if he paid for them, but there was only so much one tod could do! He closed his eyes and threw an arm over them. The vulpine whimpered and whined as pathetically as possible for a few seconds before peeking at his lapine companion.

Judy sighed with a shake of her head, but there was a small smile on her snout when she spoke. "Ok…how about a deal. You stop ordering pizzas to the hospital, because even without your cell I know you would somehow do it, and the first stop out of here is to grab a large extra cheese veggie lover's pizza."

The Fox whined once more before speaking up, "…no carrots?"

This time the lapine couldn't contain her mirth and giggled behind a paw. "Other than me? No carrots."

Nick dropped the act, his signature smirk and half lidded eyes back in place, "I'm glad we could reach an agreement. Now could you possibly get my phone back for me?"

"Oh no Mister Fox!" exclaimed the Rabbit, "You still aren't getting your phone back. You distract Clawhauser too much and the Chief yelled at him today. You know how much I dislike seeing him sad. So until you're out of here, no phone." Judy spoke in a firm tone, and even shook a digit at the amused Fox.

Recognizing that he wouldn't be winning this argument anytime soon, he simply smiled and held out his paw, "Deal." Judy reached over and shook his paw, but instead of letting go at the end Nick turned his paw down and hers up. He rubbed the back of her paw, feeling the softness of her grey fur and enjoyed having her paw in his. Now that she was here in front of him, he could relax more. Still the news report and what Judy had told Nick forced him to voice his concern. He continued to look at her paw as he spoke. "I'm worried about you Hopps."

"Oh, why's that?" Responded the doe softly.

Nick continued to rub her paw, allowing it to calm his leftover worries. His uncertainty in her feelings had been replaced with uncertainty in her safety. The vulpine had always been protective of her, even though she could easily best him in the ring anytime, but the addition to guns to the street brought up memories of years past and looking over his shoulder. Zootopia was not a friendly place for the unprepared, and while he would always have her back, he couldn't find it in him to trust that Weasel. He looked directly in her eyes and spoke, "Are you sure you can trust Weselton?"

Judy sighed and shook her head slightly. This was a conversation they have had before after the first day she was partnered up with the mustela. He had wanted her to change partners immediately, but she wouldn't hear it. She removed her paw from his grip, and there was a moment of doubt that she would pull away completely. Instead she grabbed his paw in both of hers now. They looked so small compared to his. "Nick, I know you're worried about Reggie, but trust me. He watches my back and I watch his. That doesn't mean that I don't want you back as my partner."

The Fox leaned forward, still looking at her. One of her paws left his and came up to stroke the fur of his right cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. It was an intimate touch, one that he never imagined happening before, but now one of many that came from the doe.

"I need you to get healthy, ok?" she finished, a slight hitch in her voice.

Nick's eyes still closed. For all his personal worries and fears, he could sometimes forget that the unbreakable Rabbit that he loved could also crack. With his free paw, he reached over and placed it over the paw on his cheek. He then gently guided it to the front of his muzzle. The Fox placed a kiss on back of her paw. He heard a gasp of surprise from the doe. As much as he was adjusting to her touches, she was to his. He opened his eyes and saw a shimmer of wetness present in hers. "For you Judy, always." He replied. There was no sarcasm, no joke, just Nick being as genuine and as serious as possible.

She smiled in return.

Reggie had been enjoying his morning so far. The mustela's injuries were starting to heal nicely, with the swelling of his eye coming down after a few days. When he moved the fur around his left eye, he could still see a ring of yellow and brown bruised flesh, but it only hurt when touched now. The wound on his left side only looked bad now. The three pricks where Meocam's claws had sunk into his side had long scabbed over, but the Weasel wondered if the fur where those injuries were would grow back. Other than physically just, his mornings had become amazingly better since he and Sheri started talking more. They still had their little game where Sheri would guess his profession. At times it was quite comical, other times a little rude. "Wait, seriously? A trash mammal?" Reggie exclaimed, slightly insulted by what the Raccoon was suggesting.

Sheri shrugged in response, "Well I don't know. I'm flailing at this point."

Reggie groaned and shook his head. "Trash mammal before Police Officer? Is it really that hard to believe?" He sighed in defeat and looked at the drink sitting on the table between them. When he first suggested it, the Weasel assumed that the game would be up rather quickly. Instead it had been decided that he wasn't a secret agent, sales clerk, accountant, short order cook, door to door sales mammal, janitor, bouncer and now trash mammal. Reggie glanced back at the barista and found her in even worse shape than he was. She wasn't looking at him and looked completely dejected. He frowned. "I need to make this right somehow."

"Hey Sheri…why don't I tell you and put aside this game huh?" Reggie offered. In the beginning this seemed like a fun idea, but now he regretted even suggesting it.

Sheri focused back on Reggie. There was something in her eyes that the mustela hadn't seen before. It was a fire that the smart Raccoon had never shown the Weasel before. It was determination. She shook her head, "I'm not giving up just yet Reggie." She folded her arms in protest and stared with an intensity that the young officer had only seen in Snarlov.

He shifted under her gaze. "How could she get to me like this?" Reggie considered, "I feel like a kit being told off by a teacher."

"How about a change in the game?" she suggested.

The Weasel's gaze had started to stray, but at her words he found her gaze once more. "A change?"

She nodded, "Really a trade. I tell you something about me and you tell me something about your job. Of course not what it is," the Raccoon raised a paw to stop the Weasel's question before he could voice it, "just general ideas of what it could be. That way it's closer to twenty questions than whatever this is." The barista finished her statement with a roll of her paw.

Reggie frowned in thought. It sounded reasonable, and even fair. To make it even better he would learn more about Sheri outside of what she was at work. He didn't understand why, but he had been thinking more and more about the barista Raccoon. Simple things like what she did for fun? Or where she lived? Her favorite movie? Things that the mustela hadn't even considered asking before and now slightly regretted not doing so. This would continue their fun, as well as satisfy his growing want to learn about his counterpart across the table. He nodded in agreement, "Sounds good to me. When do you want to start with that new rule then?"

It was the Procyon's turn to frown at the mustela, with her paws overlapping and rubbing together. She smiled, "Now sounds good."

Reggie nodded again. "Do I ask my question first or do you?"

"No you go first. I'm patient enough to wait."

The Weasel considered the best question to ask, but there were too many. Instead he decided for something simple. "What's your favorite color?"

Sheri smirked and gave an amused look, "That's the question your going with?" She motioned up and down her form. "I'm wearing a black apron, black pants and black shirt, and you go with my favorite color?"

Reggie started to feel a little stupid for asking the question now. "Right…Duh…Black…" He cleared his throat "Yeah…I guess that was kind o-"

"It's beige." Sheri interjected.

Reggie blinked, "…uh what?"

"My favorite color is beige." Sheri answered simply, "The Company makes me wear black," she waved her paw around the store for emphasis "I prefer soft colors, and for some reason beige has always felt to be the softest. I've always been weird like that I guess." She shrugged at the end of statement.

Reggie smiled "If it counts for anything I happen to like black as a color, and I think you pull it off quite well." There was a pregnant pause as what the Weasel said seeped in. His eyes went wide, "No wait…I didn't mean it like…uh…"

"So are you saying I can't pull off black now?" Sheri pushed, her arms crossing and a leg resting on another, bouncing on the other.

"No you can totally pull off black! I mean…You look…uh…professional?" Reggie finished weakly. He dug his own grave this time and there was no one to blame for his big mouth. There was silence once again as the Weasel shrunk under the gaze of the female before him.

Then the Raccoon laughed. She laughed and laughed, and held her sides in mirth as the mustela sat there in shock. She eventually stopped laughing and cleared her throat. "I think I understand what you're saying Reggie, and thank you for thinking that I look…professional." A blush appeared inside of her ears.

The Weasel let out a sigh of relief.

"Now it's my turn question," started Sheri, "do you wear a uniform for your job. Not like a dress code, but actual uniform."

"Yep," Reggie said with a nod, but shook a digit at the Raccoon as well, "that's all you're getting out of me today. I now have to go and…pick up trash I guess."

"I'm sorry!" Sheri said through a fit of giggles, as she covered her muzzle. "I'll remember you aren't a trash mammal."

The young officer nodded sternly "and don't you forget it ma'am. I do have to go though, so see you tomorrow?" He waved at the barista and headed to the door with his drink in paw.

Whenever he stopped at Snarlbucks, Reggie always felt ready for the day. The young mustela wasn't sure if it was his drink or the service, but he knew he wouldn't stop going there anytime soon. The sun was starting to rise and Savannah Central would start to heat up. As he walked his familiar route towards Precinct One, passing businesses that were still dark or only showing the faintest signs of life, his pocket started to vibrate. Shifting his drink from one paw to the next, Reggie reached for his phone in his right pants pocket and wondered who was calling. He frowned at the caller ID. It was Duke. "He better not be in lock-up expecting me to get him out." Reggie thought darkly to himself. It wasn't uncommon for Duke to have one too many and get picked up for public intoxication, still this was either really early or really late for his phone call. He swiped the 'answer' icon and brought the phone up to his ear. "Duke?"

"Reggie is dat you's!?" shouted his uncle from the phone.

Reggie had to pull the phone away from his ear. "Yeah Duke it's me, who else would it be?"

"Ah Bite da Bitta Spirit, you's ok." Duke exclaimed.

The young officer frowned. While it wasn't uncommon for Duchess to say that phrase, Reggie couldn't remember a time when Duke said it at all. "What's going on?"

"You's almost at work?" Duke asked.

"Yep, why?"

"Quit."

The Weasel stopped midstride, eyes opening in shock at what his uncle just said, "Excuse me?"

"Regg, ya gotta quit. Some'em's happin right now, and you's and all da Z.P.D. are in troubles."

"Well you're going to have to give me more than that. We are the police. It's our job to get in trouble." Reggie was fuming, but trying to keep it out of his voice under control. Duke and Duchess had both tried to get him out of becoming a cop, but this is the most direct and confusing attempt so far.

"Ya don' understand Regg, some'em bad's about ta happen an I don want ya in da way."

"Duke…that's my job…I can't just run home with my tail between my legs whene-"

"Dammit Regg just listen to me!" Duke once again shouted "Some one's put a bounty on you's."

"Why would someone do that? I'm just a rookie."

"Not you's you, you's you as in da Z.P.D.," Duke continued to shout "there's a million dolla bounty on every offica."

The new froze Reggie in his place. "A million dollar bounty? On every single officer? Why? Who?" The officer snapped out of his stupor and turned his attention back to the phone. "Who is it Duke?"

"Da's not imp-"

"Who is it?!" This time Reggie yelled into his phone. The fur on his tail puffing out, Reggie gritted his teeth as he waited for an answer.

Duke eventually sighed, and then responded. "I dunno. Who's eva it is ain't makin it known easy. Da word is only afta ya kill a cop will dey show up. I dunno dough."

Reggie listened patiently, closing his eyes once Duke finished. An enemy that isn't known is a dangerous foe. One that is targeting the Z.P.D. must be strong enough to pull it off too. There weren't too many organizations that could even hope to pull that off, yet all of them were treacherous. The Weasel exhaled deeply. "Thanks Duke," he started, eyes still closed. "Tell Mary and Aunt Duchess I love them. I'll try to keep you guys updated how I'm doing."

"No Regg, don do dis! Dere are otha cops. Come home!" His uncle pleaded.

Reggie smiled and opened his eyes. He felt like laughing. Maybe he was finally going insane? "I've got work Duke. Keep safe."

"No! Don-" Duke started to shout, but Reggie hung before he could finish.

Turning off his phone, Reggie walked over to the nearest trash can and threw out what was left of his drink. It didn't seem refreshing anymore. The Weasel started towards the direction of Precinct One. He was only a few blocks away, but it seemed like miles now. "So there's a price for my ugly mug," muttered Reggie to himself with a smirk as his pace picked up, "guess I should let the Chief know." As he said the last part, the young mustela started to jog, then running, until it turned into a flat out sprint. He needed to talk to the Chief, and he had a feeling that the Bull would listen.