A/N: Wow! Crossed 200k views! That's amazing!

Re-announcement: My new story, 'Sweet Treatment', featuring Sundae and Trisha as a couple living together while pursuing their careers has been posted to positive reception.

REVIEWS!

GusTheBear: Poor McHorn. That's the second time I've done that to him.

Camoss: Yeah, the glitch sucked. HP FTW!

A big admirer of time: Just went bowling with the fam shortly before that so it was fun to bring that to life.

rickiZ1: PINECONE!

Bunny in the chicken coop: Weasleys Wizard Wheezes

Starfang's Secrets: Seriously! That dang glitch!

Leon Burnes: Cheers!

akanomie1: Gonna see a lot more of Sundae in her doctor role

Gawain300: Wow! That's high praise! Hope I can live up to it.

Chapter 36 - Outside the comfort zone

"It just isn't right, Carrots." For what felt like the hundredth time since she rolled out of bed, Judy rolled her eyes back far enough to see white. Ever since they had gotten up her fox had been in a foul mood. Though not exactly a morning mammal, Nick tended to make the best of it, usually perking up by their shower together at the latest. However, things went very differently that morning.

The previous afternoon, something had happened to make the red fox become increasingly agitated throughout the rest of the day. The air conditioner in his car had gone on the fritz. Now, while he could keep them cool by rolling down the windows, the idea of his car being 'in trouble' as he had put it, had him going in circles. Finally he called an automotive shop, the one the ZPD uses for their cruisers if their mechanic can't fix the problem. It wasn't that he didn't trust other mechanics, it was just that he didn't trust anyone near his car. He did all of the repair work himself, sometimes with Finnick's help.

"I'm worried about her, Carrots. She's never been looked after by anyone else before." Trying hard to keep a exasperated sigh from escaping her lips, Judy gripped the steering wheel of her car a little tighter. With the BOSS out of commission for the time being, the duo were headed to work in Judy's car, the 'blueberry' as it had been so dubbed by the oversensitive vulpine. And he calls me 'emotional'.

"Nick, you gotta get past this. We're heading into work. I don't need my partner blubbering about his car being in the shop." The last thing any cop wanted was for their partner to be out of sorts. Not only could it compromise their ability to work on a case, but it could end up putting them both in a bad mood for the rest of the day, perhaps even a week. "We've already been over this. Do you know how to repair an A/C unit?" Seeing him start to retort, she gave him a quick glare causing him to pause and shake his head. "That's right. You don't. Neither does Finnick, we already asked him. So let the nice mammals do their job so we can do ours."

Crossing his arms and staring out the window, Nick couldn't help but dwell on what his mate was telling him. He knew it was foolish to get worked up over his car being in for repairs. And if he hadn't worked on busting a large chop shop crime ring just the past week he probably wouldn't be as strung out. But he had. So he was. Just the thought of his precious being ripped apart and sold off piece by piece had him shivering. But, he had to tell himself, in the end it was just a car. A wonderful, beautiful, perfect car that I could never ever find again.

Judy could see him wrestling with himself which she was proud of him for. She could also see him losing badly. Sighing and resigning herself to the idea that he may be mopey for the rest of the day, Judy flicked on the radio and cranked it to some current pop channel, something Nick despised. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Hey, I've got two choices in the morning on how to be happy. One, either you are happy with me or I listen to Gazelle. So you choose. Either perk up or shut up." Nick could stare incredulously at his bunny sitting beside him. She flashed him a smirk and said in a tone he knew all too well. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." Despite the rough morning, Nick found himself suddenly smiling. It was impossible not to at how cute she was whenever she turned his favorite phrase against him.

Sighing, he laid his paw on her ears and stroked them lightly. "Sorry, Carrots. I haven't been my usual chipper self this morning." At that Judy had to scoff. The tod was rarely ever 'chipper' before lunch time. "I'm just...concerned is all. I know it's ridiculous to feel that way. After all, if the ZPD can take their cruisers to this guy then my car should be safe. Right?"

The desperation in his voice was almost adorable and the bunny had to struggle to keep that to herself. "Tell you what, Slick. Forget about the car and get back to your normal self and I'll let you play with my tail at lunch time." The effect of that sentence was almost instantaneous. Sitting upright, his eyes bright and alert, the corners of his mouth curling in a genuine smile.

"Car? What car? Never had one. I don't even know what that is." Judy giggled as they came to a stoplight. Nick was no longer wrestling with himself about the car. Now it was the image of a cute, fluffy tail in his mind that wouldn't go away. "Hey, Fluff? Mind if I get a sneak peek at what lunch is gonna offer?" Shooting him a lustful smile, Judy raised herself slightly off the seat, bringing her tail into view. Before he could stop himself, Nick shot his paw out and lightly grabbed it. Her surprised cry quickly turned into a chirr of approval while he squeezed and dragged his digits through the soft fur. They both lost themselves a bit and didn't see the light had changed until a horn blew behind them. Slightly embarrassed, Judy quickly sat back down and drove off with Nick unable to stop smiling.

The bullpen was especially noisy that morning. Snarlov had challenged Grizzoli to an arm wrestling match and bets were being placed on all sides. Nick and Judy had arrived slightly late but were surprised to find out the match had already been going on for ten minutes with no real sign of victory being determined yet, though Snarlov was starting to show a bit of strain in his neck.

"Twenty on Griz!" Nick shouted to be heard over the crowd. Catching the sudden angry glare from his bunny, he rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Put ten more on Griz for Carrots. Ow!" This time it was no angry glare but a fist into his hip.

"You are such a child, Nick." She stomped away to their shared seat, feigning irritation, though she really couldn't be mad at him. She had told him to start acting more like himself and this is exactly how he would behave. Not that she really minded it in the first place. His kit-like enthusiasm was almost charming and one of the reasons she fell in love with him. How he could be so jaded at the world yet still find a way to enjoy the simple things in his life. A loud slamming sound and a great many roars and howls behind her told her the match was over. Sure enough, her chair was jostled slightly as a red fox clambered up next to her and put twenty dollars in her paw. "What's this for?"

"Griz won," he said simply, flicking his thumb over the small stack stack of tens and fives joyfully. "And we have enough for a decent lunch today."

Narrowing her eyes, she stared down at the crumpled bill in her paw. "You know I don't like you gambling, Nick. It's bad enough that you do it with John, even if it keeps us in our home." Shrugging, the tod took the bill from her.

"That's alright. I'll give all this back to Delgato and we can have those burritos from the guy on Fifth St. like last week." Hey eyes widening in horror at the memory of the awful lunch that ended with her leaned over a trash can a few blocks away, Judy snatched back the bill and stuff it into a pocket on her belt.

"Never again," she shuddered. Nick simply smirked where she couldn't see. She didn't have to know that he wouldn't go near that place again unless it was to arrest the vendor for poisoning his customers.

With the side door opening, many mammals had to scramble for their chairs, having been caught unaware of the exact time. Nick couldn't help but feel a little impressed as the Chief walked through the door at eight o'clock exactly. After all the months of being there, he had only ever seen the Chief delayed a few times and those were for important meetings. Every other day he entered the room the second the clock turned eight. Nick wished he had some sort of joke about being too punctual but he was never able to think of a good one. He was working on it though, a whole pad of paper covered in scribbles could attest to that.

"Quiet, everyone. Now I have a couple announcements to make so let's get them over with." Putting on his glasses, the buffalo looked down at his notes. "Officer Thompson is out sick today," Nick and Judy looked over to see Lylah looking a bit down in the dumps at her partner, in more than one way, being out, leaving her alone. "As such, Officer Forrest, you will be on parking duty for the day." Now the fox and bunny felt twice as sorry for the striped feline who looked up in horror.

"The second announcement," Bogo continued, ignoring the distraught look on the tigress's face, "Officers Wolford and Fangmeyer have completed their exams and have been promoted to detectives." This had most everyone in the bullpen freezing for a moment. Nothing had been said about there being open slots for new detectives, but they could not deny that Bogo had made two fine choices. The shock wearing off, all of the assembled officers turned to wish the pair their congratulations. The few who were in the know about the new detectives relationships couldn't help but give a secret smile to the others, knowing what partners who are intimate with each other could get themselves into. Nick and Judy proved that having been accidentally caught several times on the radio being less than professional.

"Now then. Assignments. Grizzoli. Pennington. Robbery at the Palms Casino. Delgato. Johnson. Accident in the tunnel between Downtown and Rainforest districts. Nine car pileup. Need traffic assistance." Looking less than pleased, the lion grabbed the file on the way out the door. It wasn't traffic duty that most officers had the problem with. With that amount of vehicles, there would at least one severe injury, maybe even a death which most of them hated to see. "Everyone else, standard patrols. Not you, Wildes," he said as the duo had started out the door. "Meet me in my office in ten minutes."

Nodding to show they understood, the bunny waited until the Chief had left the room before she slugged Nick in the arm. "Ow! What the hell, Carrots?"

"What did you do this time? Spray paint his desk with that gold sparkle stuff you did to Dave's work space at the apartment? Glue everything down on his desk? Put laxatives in his coffee again? This is serious, Nick!" she cried as her fox snickered at the memory from a few weeks ago. "We never get called into his office."

"I promise you, Carrots. Gluing the coffee mug to his desk was the last one I did and he still doesn't know it was me. This may be a good thing. He sometimes calls others in if he's got a really juicy case for them. Maybe it will be the same for us." Flashing him her 'don't be stupid' look, she couldn't help but think that what he said could be true. She knew there were times when he called officers in for special assignments and, while never having been given one herself, she knew she had the Chief's respect.

Heading out from the bullpen, the partners headed for the staircase on the other side of the lobby. Clawhauser saw them looking a bit anxious and wanted to tell them what he had overheard to help perk up their spirits, though he wasn't sure if that would help knowing what awaited them. They would be getting the full rundown from the Chief shortly. Reaching the third floor, the pair approached the closed door and knocked before walking in.

The first thing they noticed was that the other chair in the office, which was rarely ever occupied when they were in there, had another canine sitting in it. Chief Bogo gestured to their normal chair. "Sit down, Wildes." Clambering up, Nick then held out his paw to Judy, pulling her up next to him. Nick was getting a strange vibe from the other canine which he recognized as a coyote, one he did not know. "Wildes. This is Officer Southpaw." The name triggered a memory for the fox.

"Southpaw. See you changed your color and put in contacts." Turning to Bogo, he jerked his head sideways at the coyote. "Guessing undercover work and by our presence we're getting roped into it somehow."

Both the officer and the Chief were shocked, though the Chief was pleasantly surprised at how quickly Wilde had deduced what was going on. Judy however simply smiled and shook her head, knowing exactly how her mate had been able to read the situation. "How on earth..." Nick simply looked over at Southpaw and gave him his standard smirk.

"I know everyone." Turning to his bunny, he returned her smile with a genuine one of his own. "You see, Carrots. Southpaw here was born outside Zootopia up in the mountains. Normally his fur is black and gray, but since it's a sandy, whitish gray I'm betting they're putting his background as from Sahara Square?" he asked the Chief for confirmation. The stunned coyote was unable to say anything for a bit and simply sat there, wondering how much the fox knew about him and the operation going on. "I'm also guessing that with the bandages under your plain clothes and the still healing cut under your eye that things didn't go so well on your front, so let's skip the chit chat and have you make your case about why I should let my mate get involved in something dangerous enough that Precinct Three's best undercover officer got his ass kicked."

Having learned to never underestimate his fox officer, Bogo had to give him credit for reading the situation like he had. "Alright, straight to the point. There's a new fighting ring that has become established here in the city. It's unusual in that the fighters are all prey mammals while the managers and the mammals running the show are all predators. We sent Southpaw here to infiltrate the organization and see how it can be taken down."

"Which failed, obviously," Nick quipped.

"Look here, fox," the coyote sneered. "I made it for six weeks before somehow being found out. I don't expect some mangy lowlife like you-"

Bogo let loose a bellow. "SOUTHPAW! That's enough!" The officer looked as if he was about to retort when a sound caused him to pause. A low growl from his right made his lips curl in amusement as he turned to face the fox who was stupidly challenging him. That look died as he found that the growl which was steadily turning into a full snarl, was not coming from the canine, but from the rabbit beside him who was glaring at the coyote with a gaze frightening enough to make him reel back. What the hell?

"Wilde." The Chief's voice went ignored as Judy began crawling over her mate towards the now petrified officer. "Wilde!" Still getting no response he turned to the vulpine. "Nick, take her out of here until she calms down." Nodding, he gathered up his bunny and headed out into the hall. The last thing he heard as the door closed was Bogo addressing the coyote. "Word of advice, Southpaw. Don't. Insult. The fox."

It only took Judy a few minutes to calm down which was a vast improvement from even as recent as a few weeks ago. She no longer felt an instinctual drive to attack the coyote, though she certainly still wanted to hit him. Nobody insults my fox. Letting her get her breathing under control, Nick took out his phone and sent a few texts. Nodding to show she was okay, the two reentered the room, not surprised that Officer Southpaw was regarding the rabbit with a healthy look of fear.

"So, as you were about to explain, Chief. What is this assignment and why should we agree to it?" Shooting a stern gaze at the other officer, warning him to keep is maw shut, Bogo laid out a couple files on the desk, indicating for the Wildes to each take one.

"We've had reports on this group for a while now but there had been no way to confirm the rumors until Southpaw managed to infiltrate them. What he learned was rather...disturbing." Judy spent a good amount of time studying the report while Nick flicked through the cliff notes before closing it and tossing it back on Bogo's desk. The coyote officer was rather upset by the casual dismissal of his report which turned into outright anger when Nick pulled out his cell and appeared to study the screen before tapping out another message.

"Was the report too difficult for you to read, Officer Wilde?" The snide voice from his left had the fox turning to look at Southpaw, noticing the sneer of contempt and the anger in his eyes.

"Not difficult, no. Fairly straight forward. Very easy. My nephew is in kindergarten. He could probably understand this just fine, it's that clear." The coyote scoffed.

"I highly doubt your nephew could comprehend a police report, Wilde." Letting out a wide grin, Nick had to poke the canine just a bit more.

"I'd be impressed if he could considering I don't have a nephew." Finding himself nearing the end of his patience, the undercover officer turned to the buffalo who had been watching with concealed amusement. He didn't really like the coyote either, finding him to be arrogant and a pompous ass.

"Chief. Don't you think we should be talking to a more competent officer? Wilde does not seem to have the discipline that this assignment would take."

"You'd be surprised what Officer Wilde is capable of. Want to tell us what you've learned. Wilde?" Nick looked up to see the Chief staring at him expectantly. Bogo knew that the tod was not merely playing on his phone and he wanted him to put the jackass in his place.

"Oh sure, Chief. Why not? It is show n' tell today, isn't it? Oh no wait, that's tomorrow. Today is pajama day, right? No? Silly hat day? Chief, do you have an extra silly hat? Oh and one for Carrots too, please." Suddenly not feeling quite so much love for the vulpine, Bogo barked at him.

"Wilde! Your info." Never losing his cocky grin, Nick winked at the Chief while at the same time grimacing as his bunny elbowed him in the side.

"Ah-owww. Okay. Message received." Pulling up the texts on his phone, he started going through the information he had gathered in the past few minutes. "Alright, so we've got an underground fighting ring that moves around the city and districts. New warehouses every time. Locations are known only to the managers and fighters and a select group of extremely wealthy individuals. Fights are broadcasted for quite a large fee." Looking closer at his phone, his eyes widened. "Damn! Quite a large fee. That's six months salary! Chief, I want a raise." The snort from the massive mammal had Nick swallowing hard, his smirk faltering for a second. "Right. So. Where was I?"

"We already know all of this. It's all in my report. This is a waste of time, Chief Bogo." Nick wagged his digit at the annoyed canine.

"Not finished, woofy." Ignoring the heated glare sent his way, the fox turned his attention back to his phone. "We've got prey fighters. Knockout, no kills. Predator managers only. Staff is all preds as well. Ah, here we go. Whole thing is run by a mammal that goes by 'Claw.'" At that the coyote looked surprised. Six weeks in and he had never found out anything about the leader of the league. Nick tapped a few more times on his phone, getting an almost immediate tone back signaling a reply. "Okay, here we go. 'Claw' A.K.A. 'Robert Manely.' Male lion. Thirty nine years old, degree in business and statistics, no priors, never been caught I'll wager, favorite food is-..." Nick looked up, his face a bit sheepish. "Gotta remember to stop being so vague with Honey. 'Need info' turned into eighteen texts and-" another chime interrupted him. "Nineteen texts. Just gonna turn this off now." He flicked it to silent mode and placed it back in his pocket.

Officer Southpaw was stunned. So many mammal hours, resources, funds, not to mention broken bones and weeks of healing spent on that operation and a cop not even into his first year got more information in ten minutes with a cell phone. He started fuming, angrily flexing his paws as if itching to reach over and claw the smug look right off the canine's muzzle. While coyotes weren't looked on in the most favorable of lights, they prided themselves on never having sunk as low as foxes, who were known to the whole species as sly criminals willing to kill you for your belt and the gold fillings in your teeth. More than one story went around the coyote campfire about foxes. Terrence Southpaw had never trusted one. His father and his grandfather both instilled in him a wariness of mammals with sharp teeth and red fur. And now he was being forced to rely on one to complete his failure.

"So, now that we're done showing off who's got the biggest phone, let me ask you again, Chief. What are you expecting from Carrots and obviously me in regards to this whole case?" Bogo didn't get to be the Chief without being able to read mammals and he had shown on many occasions that Nick was more of an open book than he preferred to believe, though the buffalo guessed that extended only to himself and his partner. And what he could see told him that the fox knew exactly why they were sitting in that chair.

"We've been set back monumentally at Officer Southpaw's cover being blown. Weeks of setting up an info flow and potential at a sting op are down the proverbial shitter. We can't use him anymore, even with a further disguise. We have more undercover officers but we've decided that a single mammal is too vague a cover. The predator managers are playing roulette with whatever prey they are assigned which can cause major problems trying to get close to the upper echelon. Prey contenders face an equal problem as the managers keep a very close eye on their fighters." Nick saw where this was going and he wasn't exactly thrilled with the implications.

"So you want to send in a duo, one pred, one prey, to play the role of a team. And since Carrots is probably the best fighter on the force and she can't be without me for extended periods of time, you want us to do it. Great. I love this plan already." Nick's lip curled in a sneer, not happy in the slightest at having his mate put out there and threatened.

"Wilde, we aren't just putting you in there because of your wife's condition," Southpaw's head picked up at that. Bogo noticed and silently cursed himself, "you've got years of experience playing different roles and we need that in there. We need someone slick enough to change things up on the fly." Nick couldn't help but give a small smile at that, though Judy frowned. While she may call her mate 'Slick' on occasion, that was a fond nickname from when they first met. Although, she thought to herself, it pretty much describes him to a 'T'. She wouldn't be surprised he would somehow implement that into his identity if they decided to do the case, which Judy had already chosen to.

Turning to face the bunny beside him, he could see the burning fire in her eyes and sighed silently, knowing he was going to be roped into it no matter what he decided. Putting his paw over his eyes and pinching his muzzle, he faced the Chief. "Alright. I guess we're in. Though I want to go on the record that Officer Carrots is dragging me int-OW!" He fell silent while rubbing his side.

"What Nick meant to say, Chief, is that we will be happy to carry out this assignment. I assume because of our notoriety that we're going to need to be in disguise as Officer Southpaw was?" Though she had calmed down and no longer felt the urge to attack the coyote, she was still pissed at how he had treated her mate and kept her reference to him as icy as possible.

"Correct. I want you two to head down to the undercover division in hallway M." Nick and Judy looked at each other, confusion evident on both of their faces. Neither of them had even heard of a hallway M. The coyote snorted, seemingly loving their ignorance. "Southpaw here will show you the way." His expression of merriment quickly turned to one of horror at Bogo's words. "Understand what your assignment is?" The rabbit and fox nodded, one a little more hesitant than the other. "Good. Now get out."

"I am so not okay with dying my fur." The minute they had stepped into the room, Nick had been apprehensive of what he had seen. Rows and rows of outfits for all possible characters they could think off. Several fur salon areas for cutting and styling, something he would absolutely refuse to be going near. It was the stacks of different dye colors that had him the most upset. "I like my color and I don't plan on looking like anyone else."

"That's kind of the point of an undercover disguise, Slick." Judy had busied herself looking over the clothing selections while they waited for the design team to show up. So far she had found several dresses she liked, though none were in her size and also wouldn't be what she would need for her assignment. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll love you whether you're red, orange, white, pink, or rainbow."

"How about purple?" He hefted a jar of dye, surprised at it's heaviness. "I can match your beautiful eyes." Judy blushed heavily, the insides of her ears turning very pink.

"I don't think so, Mr. Wilde." Both mammals jumped as a skunk entered through the door, followed closely by an arctic hare and a cougar. Figuring out they were part of the design team would have been easy even if they were not waiting in that room. The skunk who had spoken, obviously the one in charge by the way she carried herself, had dyed her white stripe a vibrant red color as well as adding several blues and yellows to the black along her neck and most likely her back as well. The arctic hare was completely white, but the fact that they were in downtown and she worked at the precinct, her color must be from a dye as her winter colors would have faded by then. The cougar had no dye on his body, but he was wearing some very odd choices of clothing. With an open vest and no shirt as well as bell bottom jeans, he reeked of a 70's hipster.

"I am Christine Mephiti. We have already reviewed your body images and have determined the best look for you. Heather will work with Officer Judy and you, Mr. Wilde, will be stuck with myself and Gregory." Watching the cougar crack his knuckles, Nick felt a little concerned.

"Can I have Heather instead? Saturday Night Fever over there doesn't scream 'gentle touch'."

"I don't think so, Slick." Judy's voice carried over from beyond the curtain that been drawn between them. "If you think I'm letting my fox near another bunny you're even crazier than I thought."

"I don't know." What could only be the voice of the arctic hare came through the divider loud and clear. "I think he looks pretty h-"

"Heather. If you value your fur I would not complete that sentence." Laced with what could only be described as venom, the words from the gray officer did not hint at a threat, it was a threat. Nick could imagine the surprise on the white hare's face as it probably mirrored the one on the skunk's.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." Judy could tell that the other lapine was close to tears and mentally kicked herself for losing her cool again.

"Not your fault, Heather. You didn't do anything wrong. It's a...condition I have. Just don't hit on or flirt with Nick, please. I can't always control it." Christine looked a bit apprehensive at leaving the two does together but after hearing them calm down and begin discussing other topics, mostly about comparing rabbit cultures and their respective climates, she went back to describing her plan.

"Okay. Mr. and Mrs. Wilde. For your assignment we have determined that it would be best to look the most intimidating as possible for Mrs. Wilde and more experienced looking for Mr. Wilde. As such, Judy? You will be dyed full black and we will disguise your eye color with bright blue contacts." Picturing herself as an all black doe gave her a bit of a thrill. She loved her gray color but black does were rare and very exotic looking. Nick was a little more bothered. While he could deal with the color change, he wasn't thrilled about looking into her eyes and seeing something he did not recognize.

"Nick. We're going to keep your russet color, but we're going to dye your tail and paws white as they are very distinctive features. We'll also be adding some gray to your head and muzzle, as well as some streaks along your body and paws. It will make you appear older and hopefully, with your knowledge of how the criminal element works, not that you ever were involved in that," she held up her paws, noticing the outline of Judy stiffen beyond the curtain, "we expect it to pass suspicion."

Relieved he wouldn't be going completely gray, or arctic, or black himself, Nick allowed himself to be put through the dying process. Luckily for him he did not need to remove all of his clothes, being left with his boxers. Judy, he knew, would need to be stripped down to nothing in order to get all of her dyed black for the disguise to work. "How you doing over there, Carrots?" Feeling the cougars large paws drawing gray streaks along his ears, he could see Christine slathering white dye along his tail, coating over the black.

"I can definitely say I'm not enjoying it. Not the naked part. Months at the Oasis kinda took care of that but the dye feels awful. Smells bad t-Gah! Jeez Heather, your paws are freezing. And let's stay away from that area, shall we? I don't think any fighters will be examining me that closely." Snickering, Nick tried to muffle it with his paw, but bunny ears were far too strong for such a mild cover-up. "Think that's funny, Slick? You won't be examining me in that area either." Knowing she couldn't actually follow through on her threat, he simply scoffed and let the team get back to work.

It took a little over an hour for everything to be covered and they were told they had to keep still for about forty five minutes in order for it to set properly. Left with nothing else to do, the pair spent a few minutes chit chatting before inevitably wandering to their phones. Nick amused himself with Candy Crush, having become addicted to the mobile game so much that he would occasionally challenge others online to beat his scores. Judy spent some time surfing social media sites and responding to some family messages and notifications. She desperately wanted to send her mom a picture of her with black fur but it was termed 'undercover' for a reason so pics were a no-go.

Eventually they were done and the curtain was withdrawn. Nick had to admit that black-furred Judy was pretty hot, though he fell in love with her gray color and lovely lavender eyes and wanted her back to normal Judy soon. Something he hadn't been expecting was Heather's creativity. She had added two dark streaks of red down her ears and circling around to the front along her right eye. Though it was just for show, it truly did make her look more intimidating. Judy on the other paw was none too thrilled with how her mate looked. She loved his black tipped tail and the white made him look slightly alien to her, not to mention the gray streaks had aged him ten years at least. Even worse was the amber contacts that hid his vibrant emerald eyes. The worst though, was something very upsetting to her. "How come he got to keep his underwear on?" Nick couldn't hold back and let out a heart laugh at the indignant look on his bunny's face. She glared daggers at him but he couldn't stop himself.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's move on to the wardrobe." This was where the look truly made the character. Too little or too much could ruin the character, and they needed to play the part proper in order to make it into the arena. For Nick it was relatively easy. Control and authority demanded some dramatic flair. Outfitting him with a dark gray suit and deep red tie, Nick became 'Theodore 'Bad Boy' Faber'. Both Christine and Judy rolled their eyes at Nick's addition of the nickname, but he insisted it was necessary and they gave up arguing. He also walked away with a black suit and dark purple tie.

Judy took a bit longer. The choice of casual wear was easy. Jeans and regular t-shirts would be enough for her, though they also gave her a dark denim jacket to give her a more hardened appearance. For her fighting wear, it was far more difficult. Everything either screamed pro-wrestler or dominatrix. Finally they settled on a deep red neoprene suit like her uniform though with steel leg shields, gauntlets, and thin chest guard. Admiring her new look in the mirror, she listened to the name they had decided on, shaking her head as Nick once again input a nickname he claimed was necessary. Harley 'Thunder' Corday was born.

"Damn, Carrots. Looking good." Unable to help herself, Judy blushed at his compliment, the pink inside her ears deepening. She would have to watch that reaction when in the arena area. Fighters aren't meant to show any weaknesses or they could be capitalized on.

Cocking her hips out, Judy let her ear flop down over an eye, giving her a sultry look. "You ever been with a wild bunny before, foxy? I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two." Moving closer, Nick returned the look with one of his own, intrigued by the way she was acting.

"I don't think my mate would approve."

"Who says she has to know?" They both were looking at each other heatedly, all but ignoring their surroundings until the sound of someone clearing their throat got their attention. Slightly embarrassed they turned to see the design team still in the room. Heather was blushing heavily while Gregory was fake fanning himself giving them both a amused grin. Christine however looked none too pleased.

"If you want to continue this little...display, then you can take it out of my work space. I don't need the smell of fox and rabbit sex in my department." Looking a bit sheepish, the two mammals headed for the door. "Oh, and just a heads up. That dye will last two weeks. If your assignment takes longer then you need to come back for touch-ups." They thanked the skunk and left.

"Hey Carrots. Want to test our disguises? See if anyone recognizes us? We can make our voices a bit deeper or something. I mean the wolves will be able to tell but everyone else it might work."

"Speaking of smells, Nick. The dye covered up the mark. Can you reapply it, please?" She had been trying to ignore the increased anxiety that had cropped up during the dying process. Thankfully Nick was very close by and she was able to still smell him otherwise things would have gone very badly. She had to wait until they had left the room so that her condition didn't leak out to everyone.

"Oh, of course, Carrots. Why didn't you say something? I would have done it immediately." Seeing the shift in her eyes, he knew something was up and it didn't take long to understand what. "Ah. Didn't want them to know. I gotcha." Leaning down, he swiped her cheeks and across her nose and head. Mixing with the dye, his scent seemed slightly off to him but for Judy it seemed to work just fine.

"That doesn't make me a coward, does it? I mean not wanting others to know about that?"

Reaching out, he took her arm to stop her and drew her close to him, holding her gently. "Carrots, you are not a coward. The Bond just makes you feel vulnerable and you put up your walls to keep yourself protected. We all do it to some degree or another about something. You're one of the strongest mammals I know of, Judy. But even you aren't immune to everything out there. Besides," he waggled his brow before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Don't want everyone knowing how attracted you are to me. Other girls might think I'm a super stud and try to steal me away."

Nick suddenly found himself being shoved up against the wall, the angry bunny in front of him growling fiercely. Though completely black with very different eyes, Nick could easily feel his bunny surging through. "Mine!"

"So. Chief. How do you want to go about this?" Standing in front of Bogo, the two very different looking mammals waited for their assignment. The way the buffalo's ear kept flicking, they had a feeling he was very annoyed about something. "Do we approach them today? Tomorrow? Christmas Day? Any day not ending in the letter 'Y'?"

Scowling fiercely, Chief Bogo looked down harshly at the vulpine whose ears suddenly slicked back along his head. "First thing we're going to do is go over what just happened with you two." Suddenly very nervous, the fox and rabbit glanced sideways at each other.

"Not sure what you're talkin' about, Buffalo Bill." Nick was hoping that throwing out a few smarmy names at the towering mammal in front of him might distract him from continuing what he knew was likely coming.

"Oh you know. I know you know. And what you know is this." Turning his computer monitor around, Bogo hit play on the surveillance video outside of hallway M. Standing in the corridor was a small black bunny and a middle aged fox, lips locked together in fierce desperation. The bunny's legs wrapped around the fox's waist, dangerously close to his groin. Breaking free and looking around, the two of them opened a nearby door and ducking into what appeared to be a supply closet. "Here's where it gets a bit boring shall we say." Bogo's forced grin looked dangerously frightening. He keyed up the fast forward and they watched as the time ticked half an hour. Then an hour. Finally at just under an hour and twenty minutes, the door opened and out the two mammals came, both of them quickly straightening their clothing.

He flicked off the video and stared down at the officers. "So. Either of you want to explain this?"

Judy tried to think of someway to tell her boss that it had been her fault. That she had experienced a hormonal surge of heat that demanded to be quenched. She knew he would understand but the fact that it was at the precinct would not bode well for her and her mate. Unfortunately for her, Nick had fallen back on humor to try and defuse the situation.

"Had to take a nap. Those dye fumes are murder." Bogo raised a brow. "We were seeing if her red stripes glow in the dark?" Sitting stoically, the Chief let out a few irritated huffs. "Would you believe a surprise supply inventory?" Sighing heavily, Bogo turned to his other officer, not at all having difficulty recognizing her under all the black fur.

"Wilde. How bad is this going to get with you? This isn't the first time you two have been caught in a sexual act on duty and I'm certain that there's been a lot more where you just haven't been caught. Now I need to know if this is going to affect your performance."

Judy hung her head, disappointed in herself that she once again had given into her physical needs so easily. "Chief, I won't sugarcoat it and I won't tell you any lies. The Bond is only going to progress and get worse as time goes on. I hesitate to suggest this, but it may be best to just let it happen and not mention it. There's a large difference between me and Nick being amorous and my condition forcing me to satisfy it's demands. The only other option is for me to resign and I really would rather not do that sir."

Giving her a piercing gaze, Bogo seemed lost in contemplation. "I'd rather not lose you, Wilde. Either of you. You are both good cops and while this...problem makes things difficult, it may be a necessary evil. I will overlook today's incident and speak with Dr. Bales tomorrow afternoon. Find out what can be done. Now, as for your assignment." Both officers straightened up as the Chief pulled out a file. "Before Southpaw got his cover blown he managed to get the location for the next event. It's tomorrow evening. That doesn't give you much time to prep but if we miss this window we won't get another shot to infiltrate it. Head to the garage and pick a car for the duration of the assignment. Then head home and brush up on all the info we have on this group. Dismissed."

Grabbing the file, Nick headed out followed closely by Judy who paused only to send the buffalo a sad smile as an apology. She could have sworn seeing the edges of his lips turn upwards, his eyes also filled with a sadness before the moment was gone and his gruff expression slid back into place. They all knew the Chief had a soft spot for his officers though he rarely ever showed it. It did make the rabbit feel better knowing he really did care about her condition and not that it was just a burden.

"Alright, Carrots. Need to go pick a car for the next few days. Just wish we had my BOSS but I wouldn't trust it around those criminals. They might breath on it."Even knowing what the case detailed and what was going to be necessary for their job, Nick felt a little elated at finally having been given a large case to work on. They had both been going a little stir crazy with all the tiny cases and patrol work for several months. And their first undercover mission to boot. Judy smiled as her mate pranced around like a kit in a candy store. She also was looking forward to undertaking their new assignment and couldn't wait until tomorrow night.

Walking into the garage, they surveyed their choices of undercover vehicles. While most of them were common models, slightly dented or rusted, they were meant to hide in snowbanks and plain sight allowing for easy surveillance. What they needed was different. They needed flashy. Something to scream importance. Something to gain attention and notoriety. The way to get in with the boss was to make themselves seem like mammals that could enhance his own status for interacting with them. With that in mind, Nick moved to one of the newest acquisitions. A silver Porsche 918 Spyder. The car's design commanded attention. While the specs on the car were pretty high-end even for a hybrid, he knew that the look of the car was what would make them seem important. Unless they were car mammals, the fancy appearance was enough to impress any of the upper echelon guests at the fight. It took a few minutes to convince the Chief to take it, but as it had been seized from a drug dealer and would most likely be auctioned off next month, he didn't feel all that concerned for them to take it, as long as they brought it back in the same condition it left.

So the two headed out in the high-end super car, Judy whooping gleefully as they took the corners a little faster than Nick would normally risk in his own car. He was surprised how well it handled, but the power just didn't feel that same. For the case though it would be more than adequate. They had avoided interacting with their co-workers just in case word about their undercover assignment got leaked out, but it was rather amusing to seem them stare dumbfounded at a fox and rabbit speeding out of the precinct in a seized car. Chief Bogo would get many emergency reports that evening.

Reaching their apartment complex, the pair parked in their usual spot before Judy remembered she left her car at the precinct. "Don't worry about it, Carrots. We can't use it during our assignment anyways. Why don't you call Trisha or Sundae. Maybe they could use the car for a week. That way at least you know it's not gonna get crushed by Delgato's horrible driving." Her eyes widening frightfully, Judy quickly dialed her sister and worked out for one of them to get the keys from Clawhauser and take the car for a while.

Her appetite for Nick sated by that afternoon's supply closet excursion, Judy found herself absolutely exhausted and headed for bed, knowing their day tomorrow would be an energy nightmare. Kissing her fox goodnight, she went and laid down. Nick spent a little bit longer on the couch, staring at nothing. He was consumed with worry about what they were getting themselves into. Not for himself. He'd taken more beatings in his life to ever be scared of another one, even if it killed him. No. It was his bunny he was worried about. The idea of her being in that arena even once made him shiver with fear, but she would be going in there multiple times. Eventually he got up and went to join his mate. Laying down, he moved up next to her and pulled her close into his body. She happily snuggled deeper into his embrace, even while sleeping desiring to be close to him. Wrapping his tail over her, he kissed her head and drifted off.

Driving to the location, Nick found himself gripping the steering wheel rather harder than he meant to. His nerves had become more rattled as time had progressed that day and he feared it would cause the whole operation to fall flat. He didn't want to be the reason why the ZPD lost track of the league. Meanwhile to his left sat a very excited black bunny. While still adjusting to her own reflection, Judy had gotten up with a lot more energy than she usually did. She was looking forward to starting their assignment. While she was a terrific fighter, she really didn't enjoy it outside of the sparring ring. The idea of getting into the arena for the sole purpose of knocking another mammal out bothered her, but the intrigue and draw of being undercover easily crushed those feelings into dust.

"Hurry Nick. I want to get there and get warmed up." Between the makeup session and the early bedtime, Judy had not gotten in as much training as she normally did each day. Knowing she would be put into a fight soon, perhaps even as early as tomorrow, she wanted to make sure she was in peak condition. Nick had to shake his head at her enthusiasm.

"Chill, Carrots. We'll be there in a few minutes. And watch the name calling. It's 'Theodore' or 'Theo' or 'Ted' or 'The'. You can even call me 'Bad Boy' if you want." Giggling behind her paws, Judy flashed him a heated look.

"I'll call you that once we get to the hotel." Because of their undercover work, the two had been dismayed to find out that they would have to abandon their apartment for the time being, being forced to put themselves up in a hotel. Luckily the department was paying but it still was going to feel alien to them. Nick had made sure to contact the snow leopard John and explain he was going out of town for a while so the apartment would be locked up. He also informed him he would be out of cell reception. The department had confiscated their phones in exchange for burner ones. He gave John several high-end bets to tide him over until they got back.

"Too bad we have to wait until then." Reaching out a paw, he lowered it down to her black furred ear but was quickly stopped, her own paw wrapping around his.

"Don't even think about it, Slick. One, I'm not having sex in some drug dealers car. Two, I don't need to reek of sex when we arrive. And three...well I can't think of a three, but the first two are enough." He smirked knowing how easily she could lose control and forget those two reasons but he decided to be a good fox and left her alone.

"We're here." Judy sat up straighter, trying to peer over the dashboard at their destination. Nick had pulled into what seemed like an abandoned parking lot outside an industrial warehouse. It had seen better days with multiple windows busted out and graffiti spray painted all over the outside. "Well, it certainly looks the part of being a secret fight club. Let's see what's inside." Spotting a few fresh tire treads, Nick followed them up to a massive sliding door. If he didn't know it was a factory he would swear it was an aircraft hanger with the size of the opening. The tracks led inside but before they could figure out a plan for getting in, two mammals, a grizzly and a hyena, burst out from the side door, an UZI SMG in paw.

"You got three seconds to turn around or get lit up." The way the hyena gripped his weapon told them he was serious in his threat and the casual handling of the grizzly showed he was familiar with using his. Thinking quickly, Nick rolled down his window.

"Got a new fighter for ya." Exchanging glances with his fellow guard, the hyena turned back to the car.

"Don't know what you're talkin' bout. Now, like I said before. Leave." Leaning his head out the window, Nick lowered the shades he had picked to go with his outfit, a pair of sleek black Oakleys. His smug, confident attitude plus the car he was driving set the two mammals a bit, not to mention how he didn't seem at all phased by their threat.

"Don't tell me ol' Claw has stopped playing the prey entertainment game." Now their eyes widened as they realized that this fox was definitely more than they thought. Cocky, rich suit, high-end car. This was a high-roller if they had ever seen one. Whipping out a walkie, the grizzly called inside. They couldn't hear the conversation, the distance muffling it too much, but with the body language, they figured they were going inside in just a few seconds. Indeed, not even twenty seconds later, they found themselves rolling through the doors into what looked like car collector heaven. Nick could have spent hours looking at all the vehicles but Judy grasped his paw and hauled him towards the stairwell. Luckily no other guards were inside the garage area or it would look really odd for a manager to be yanked around by their fighter.

Ascending the stairs to what he figured was the factory floor, Nick reached a steel door and pulled hard only to find it locked. Having Judy step back behind him, he knocked on the door knowing one of two things was going to happen, and since there was no sliding panel, the only other option...click. The lock disengaging, the door was pushed open to reveal a large set of very sharp teeth in the maw of a Siberian tiger. "What do you want."

"New fighter." Gesturing Judy out from behind him, he stared down the feline, his smug smirk fixed in place. Though he was shaking on the inside, his outer character was firmly in place. "Here to speak to Claw about her joining the league." While the mammal was not entirely trusting of foxes, the league had attracted many of them due to their appreciation of a dishonest dollar. He also had been untrusting of anyone showing up to get involved with the league outside of gambling after they had caught a cop in their midst. He was about to turn the fox away except for two things.

The first was that he had a prey mammal ready to compete. And not only that, but a bunny. A rabbit joining forces with a fox of all mammals was something to behold. The second was that he had known to ask for Claw directly. Very few mammals were privy to who actually ran the league and to actually hear him use the name sent a bit of a jolt down the tiger's spine. It didn't matter who the fox was, what he was dressed like, or what he drove. Just being able to say the boss's name was enough to tell him he was a big player.

Opening the door wide, the tiger let the two mammals in. Judy had to keep herself from slapping her paws over her ears as the noise level skyrocketed. She had caught a small dose when the door first opened, but now in the actual building, the noise was deafening "Wait here." Turning, Judy watched as the doormammal started climbing a different set of steps leading to an overseer's office with frosted glass. It was impossible to see more than vague shapes through it but she supposed that was the point. If Manely didn't want people to know who he was, then he wouldn't give them that chance.

"Car-Harley, over here." Looking back towards her mate, she saw him standing near the edge of a pit in the center of the room. Following, she looked down into what she realized was the arena. Though roughly the size of a boxing ring, the arena was nothing like one. A bare steel floor offered no protection if one was to fall and the circular flat steel walls could cause massive damage if one were to be thrown into it. There were no handholds and the slick metal offered no footing. Combatants would be at the mercy of whatever their opponent's skill level was and, judging by what Judy was witnessing, those skills were high.

A large gray squirrel was currently battling a streaked hyrax. Judy had only met a pawful of hyraxes, most of them being rather slow and non-aggressive, however this one was different. Throwing lightning quick punches, he twisted and turned, snapping out sharp kicks at his opponent. The speed of the squirrel though was too much for the hyrax, his swings routinely hitting only air. A few glancing blows had the squirrel reeling back, her sharp cries only serving to rile her up and pursue the challenger. Judy realized they had to have been at the fight for a while as both of them were slowing, their reflexes becoming more sluggish. The hyrax landed a solid punch into the squirrel's face, sending it flying backward. Thinking he had the advantage, he rushed up to finish the fight. What he didn't see coming, though the two officers had, was the squirrel's face contorted in desperation as she threw her two feet straight at him, landing right on his jaw. Though she was smaller, the force from her paws lifted the mammal off the floor to land heavily on his head a short distance away. The clanging sound of his head slamming into the steel and his still form had the bell ringing and the female squirrel being raised in victory. The duo clapped in respect. Neither officer liked what the league was doing, but they had to give credit where it was due, and the squirrel had fought well.

"Mr. Claw will see you now." Unbeknownst to them, the tiger had returned and snuck up until within a foot of their backs. Though distracted by the fight and the noise, Judy felt she should have been able to hear him and mentally kicked herself for not paying better attention to her surroundings. They followed the cat to the same set of stairs they had seen him use earlier and ascended right behind him. Reaching the uppermost door, he opened it and waved them inside before stepping in himself and closing the door and crossing his arms. They realized he was back to guard duty and they only be getting out of that room if he was ordered to let them out.

"So," a strong voice carried from a black office chair, facing away from them. "You have brought a little bunny rabbit and think you can join the league."

Nick couldn't help himself and scoffed. "Seriously? Chair turned away, ominous voice, implied danger before you turn and face us? Did you go to classic movie villain school or something? Ow!" Feeling the punch to his thigh from the black furred rabbit next to him, he sent her a wry smile. "Seriously, Claw. I'm gonna die laughing if you turn and overshoot your stopping point. Why not just stand up and we'll talk about it."

They heard a sigh before a creak of the chair. Over the top appeared a mane and then a dark black suit jacket. Turning to face them, they noticed he was wearing a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top and no tie in sight. He likes to look in control and casual at the same time, Nick mused. I can use that. Somehow. Probably not but worth filing away.

"Alright." The booming sound of the lion's voice was impressive. "You've got my attention. How do you know who I am? I've had dozens of mammals come through here, managers and prey alike. None of them know who I am. So why do you?"

Time for Slick Nick to come out and play. "Let's just say I know some mammals who know you. It's not important who as I'm not going to reveal that anyway. However, if you would like to talk some business..." He spread his paws, welcoming the discussion. After a few moments of looking the vulpine up and down, Claw nodded.

"Very well. What is it that you're trying to accomplish here?"

"Straight to the point, I like it. Theodore Faber. You can call me Theo. Or Ted. Or Aaron. I've always liked the name Aaron. Sounds like a voice command. Air. On. I've been running with Harley over here for about three years. Boxing champion, kickboxing champion, arena battles. She's done it all really. Now she's got no one left to fight. She wants challenges. Me? I want money. She's been making me quite a bit of dough over the years and I want to keep that streak going. Now, I heard from another league owner that this is the place to be for good fights and lucrative opportunities. Is that true or should I take my showstopper somewhere else?"

He gave the lion time to think it over while his mind analyzed everything he could see about the mammal. He was no slouch that was for sure. His suit failed to hide the impressive biceps and muscles in his neck that showed he was packing significant power behind his business facade. His mane was lighter than Lionheart's had been but it made him seem more sleek-lined which could help him in a fight.

Meanwhile, the other mammal had been examining the two officers in front of him as well. The fox carried himself well. Standing tall but loose, the ideal arrogant attitude he had come to both love and hate about certain mammals. His rich gray suit and shiny and well cared for fur told him this was a mammal that was extremely prideful about his appearance which made sense as a fox of obvious wealth. And the Porsche he had arrived in was more proof of that wealth being tossed around. The rabbit was a different mammal entirely. He wasn't one to admire prey but even he had to admit the small creature was proof that not all of her species was shy and timid. She had come dressed for war and her spirit seemed so as well. She would have to be tested and he certainly knew how to go about with that.

"You know. I think I have a spot for her. A match coming up soon. I'll have Fang take you down to the arena area and discuss terms." Nodding at the tiger, he turned away from them to look out the window overlooking the arena and viewing platforms. Nick and Judy, feeling themselves being dismissed, turned and followed the other big cat back down the stairs into the main room. Taking a side stairwell, they continued into the lower areas where they had seen the combatants exit, all the while the tiger was explaining the league to them.

"All the fighters are prey mammals. Genders aren't excluded but there are different size classes. You, a bunny, will be teamed up against the small mammals. Jackrabbits, sheep, hyrax and squirrels like you just witnessed, beavers, armadillos, et cetera. You," he turned to Nick, "will be observing your fighter from up above. You can collect her when the matches are over. The fights go until one is unconscious. You try to stop a match, you will be dealt with. Harshly." Though the threat of having his mate alone and without him to back her up had the fox petrified, he kept his composure, seemingly uninterested in anything the feline had to say. "This is where the fights are held." Motioning for Judy to look through the door grille, he also waved his arm towards the wall behind Nick. As Judy stepped up to the door, two other predators, a wolf and a black bear came up behind Nick and grabbed his arms, pushing him up against the wall. Before she could even react, Judy felt herself lifted around the midsection and thrown the now open door before it slammed shut in her face. The tiger turned towards the fox who was desperately fighting a losing battle against his captors. "She wins, you're in. She doesn't...well...Claw won't be too happy with you wasting his time."

Nick could only look on helplessly as his mate scratched at the door, trying to find some way to open it, but it held tight. A grating sound from behind her had the bunny freezing in her tracks. Seeing the wide eyed look on her fox's face, she slowly turned around. Entering through the opposite doorway was a ram. A very large, very powerfully built ram. Each horn was roughly half the size of her entire body and the tips were sharpened to a point so fine that just looking at them would cause you to feel pain. His shirt and jeans were tight around large arms and powerful legs. Judy's mind barely even registered the word 'fear' but it did know 'caution' and right now that alarm was screaming within her head.

With an angry stomp of it's hoof, the ram lowered his head, and charged.