A/N: Judy begins her mission to mend relations between predators and prey in Zootopia, starting with a school visit. At the same time, Nick and Robbie prepare to finally be released from their two-week academy confinement.

Thanks to MapleHoneySyrup, Wolfx1120, imjustlikehumphery, BeecroftA, Declanflannery, Blkdragon7, J Shute, Medic 27, RassyEyefur, side-fish, Tinbuzzard11, Omnitrix 12, D Fox, BoltDMC, Tony Moonstone, aomagrat, and Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for reviewing! Also, a special thanks to BeecroftA for editing this chapter.

~ In memory of my Great Grandmother ~

Chapter 18: Close Calls

"Reconciliation day?" Nick's voice came over the phone.

"Yeah, it's something a lot of schools started doing now that Bellwether has been arrested. It's been difficult for everyone, predators especially. And kids are kids. You know how they can be," Judy replied.

"So where do you come into the picture?" he asked. Judy could hear some people talking in the phone's background. Most likely his bunkmates.

"I'm sort of the spokesperson for the ZPD. It's similar to what they asked me to do just before I resigned a few months back. The chief thinks that I'm the best person for the job."

"Best person for the job, or just token bunny? You are currently the only bunny cop in the ZPD. It's not like they have anyone else to ask." Nick chuckled.

"At this point I'm not sure which it is. I'm just doing what I can to help make things right again."

"That's the Carrots I know," Nick replied proudly. "So what's on the agenda?"

"Well, there's a whole bunch of other things, like charity events and seminars, but I'm doing school visits for now. This school is doing presentations, talks, and even a play to help the kids in schools understand that the predators weren't responsible for the Nighthowler incident. And then there's me. I'll be giving a talk after the play."

"You're not part of the play? I thought you were going to showcase your spectacular acting talent for the young, starry-eyed masses to fawn over." Judy could almost feel the sarcasm dripping out of the phone itself.

"I did want to do that, actually. But the school wanted me to focus on just being the model spokesperson. They already have another bunny taking my role in the play."

"What about me? Am I part of that play?" Nick asked curiously.

"Of course! They've got a cute little red fox together with little me onstage. He's adorable, but not as adorable as you were in your little ranger scout uniform." Judy smiled, even though Nick couldn't see it over the phone.

"Hah, you wish. I should be down there, you know. If I'm going to be represented, I need to appraise it for myself to give it my seal of approval. Do you think you could call in to the academy to get me out of here early? The general public needs to see some bona fide Nick Wilde performances."

"You're already coming out today, you know. Just hang in there for a few more hours. After that, you'll have officially survived your first two weeks of academy training. I bet you're craving for some good food." Judy rolled her eyes.

"What are you talking about? Yesterday's food was delicious. I had some potato rosti with crème fraiche and gravlax, with a coconut ice-cream shake on the side."

"Oh wow, those two weeks must have been really hard on you if you're already dreaming about food. Is it a coping mechanism?" Judy chuckled.

"Dreaming…right," Nick replied. For some reason, Judy imagined him smirking over the phone at the mention of food, but she wasn't exactly sure why.

"So do you have any plans for tonight? Planning to order pizza in again?"

"Actually, I was thinking of something else. I got a recommendation for great poutine and dough fritters at Lana's Café. They have great carrot cake too, if you're into that kind of thing."

"It's not my favourite, but I can appreciate a good one. Will you be coming back home first to drop your things?" Judy glanced over at the stage. It seemed the play had already started.

"Well, the rumours from the little mice in the ceiling are that they're letting us out at five. What time do you finish?"

"I'll finish a little after seven, so I think I can meet you at the café directly."

"You probably don't want to be seen in public in uniform, especially on a Friday night. You should probably come home and change first."

"True…I guess I could come home to change before going to the café." Judy paused for a moment, glancing over at the stage. "Anyway, I need to go now. Nick. I'm supposed to be on soon."

"Yeah, I've got to go for my morning classes too. Try not to start another incident, m'kay?" Nick chortled over the phone.

"And try not to get yourself arrested before getting back home." Judy fired back. "See ya!"

Judy ended the call, chuckling to herself. She double-checked that her phone was silenced, and then moved a little closer from her position backstage to get a better view. Right now, the actors onstage were re-enacting the scene from the Natural History Museum. They obviously didn't know the specifics of how it actually went down; the school probably wouldn't have approved it being acted out even if they did, anyway.

This was a much simpler, kid-friendly version, where little Bellwether chased little Judy around the stage, until little Nick threw a blanket over her, causing her to run around blindly for a moment, before tripping and falling over onto the stage. The fox and rabbit then pounced on her, shouting: "You're under arrest!"

Eh, seems accurate enough. Judy mused to herself with a chuckle.

With that, the cast took a bow, followed by a hearty round of applause. The cast then moved to the side of the stage, while an older raccoon teacher stepped out from backstage and onto the podium. She leaned forward to reach the microphone sitting there.

"That was a wonderful play from our Little Drama Club! I'm sure all of you enjoyed that. And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for…we would like to invite onstage the hero of Zootopia herself, Officer Judy Hopps!"

Judy took a deep breath and put on a confident smile, puffing out her chest a little.

It's not the press. It's just a bunch of kids, she told herself.

Stepping out from behind the curtain, she found herself suddenly blinded by several spotlights swinging around and pointing straight at her. She blinked, allowing a second for her eyes to adjust. Soon, she could see a few hundred small faces staring up at her.

"Ooohhh…" the crowd cooed out. Excited murmurs and chatters floated and danced from corner to corner in the hall.

"Good afternoon, everyone! How's everyone doing?" she spoke into the lapel microphone that hung from her ear. She definitely preferred being able to move around the stage freely, rather than being stuck behind the podium.

"Bad!" a small group called out. The kids in the hall laughed; Judy smiled softly.

"I hope you all enjoyed the play just now. It's something really important that I want all of you to know. Like what you saw, there was an evil person who was trying to make predators in Zootopia look bad."

"But you kicked his butt!" a little leopard called out from the middle of the hall.

Her, actually. Judy decided not to correct him.

"Yes, but it wasn't just me. Like you saw, I had a friend. His name is Nick, and he's a fox. You know how a long time ago, foxes and bunnies were enemies? Things have changed a lot since then. I couldn't have done this without him. That's what I want all of you to remember today. Always be kind, help one another, and most importantly, understand each other. When I first met Nick, he told me that no one believed in him. To be honest, I didn't either. But that's because I didn't understand him. But eventually, I got to see that Nick was more than what everyone thought he was. He showed me that anyone can be a hero."

There was loud cheering and a big round of applause.

"Alright, now we will let Officer Hopps answer some questions. Does anyone have any questions for her?" the teacher at the podium asked.

Paws shot up all around the hall. Judy motioned to a small tiger cub sitting near the front row. She looked to be from one of the younger classes.

"Yes, what is your question…Talia?" Judy barely managed to see the nametag attached to the girl's bag sitting at her feet.

"Hello, Officer Hopps. Umm…may I know how you became a cop when you're a bunny? Can I become a cop too?"

This is it, Judy thought. My first question to answer.

She'd spent a large part of the night before pondering over this moment right here. Mostly telling herself that this wasn't going to turn out like that press conference. She kept thinking of Nick's advice from that day, about 'answering a question with a question of your own'. It obviously didn't apply right here, but she was definitely bound to meet a similar question somewhere down the line in the course of her school visits and charity events. She had to figure out a way to handle them.

A separate voice in the back of her head piped up, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Just be honest. Tell them the truth; tell them how you really feel.

"…It was really tough. I failed a lot at first. Everybody kept telling me to quit and go home. But I kept trying again and again, until finally, I made it. Like they always say in Zootopia: anyone can be anything. If you believe in yourself and want to help make the world a better place, then of course you can be a cop!" Judy smiled.

The tiger cub beamed, looking incredibly pleased by her answer. That was an encouraging sign for sure. Not too bad a start at all.

"Ooh, ooh, I have a question!" The red fox kit that played Nick during the play called out from the other end of the stage. He seemed a little nervous for some reason.

"Sure, what is it, Kinoe?" Judy asked, more confidently now. A stagehand—who clearly didn't expect one of the cast members to actually ask a question—quickly scrambled to hand the little fox a microphone. The fox took a step forward and held the microphone up.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

The entire hall erupted in a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs". Judy could only stare for a good two seconds. She blinked, doing her best to compose herself. All the confidence she'd found in the last minute seemed to evaporate into thin air.

What?!

She had to give an answer.

"Ahh…no, I don't, not right now. Maybe someday, when I have more time. Why do you ask?" she managed, as coolly as she could. She did feel a little warmth rushing to her cheeks; thankfully there was fur to hide the blush she probably had right then and there.

"You sure seem to like Mister Nick a lot. It's like he's your boyfriend!" Kinoe replied, eyes gleaming.

"Hahah…he's just a really good friend, that's all."

"Can I be your boyfriend, then?" the kit asked, grinning cheekily.

The crowd was in hysterics now. Judy could only grin, even though most of the teachers standing at the side of the hall were frowning in disapproval. She took a slightly longer look at the red fox kit that was brave enough to ask such a question. No doubt he'd be the hero of his class. His bluntness and confidence did remind her of Nick in a way…

"Maybe someday, sport."

Nick leaned against the wall of the dark, musty room he was in, his eyes closed. His ears perked up at the sound of a loud beep and clang. The washing machine in front of him came to a stop.

"Finally."

He lifted the lid, quickly pulling out several pieces of clothing and dumping them into a laundry basket. He immediately exited the laundry room, heading up the stairs to his bunk. He ducked out of the way of several recruits—their bags lugging behind them—going in the opposite direction.

He stepped into the bunk, heading straight towards the end of the room, where his bed was. Robbie was there as well, currently packing stuff into his bag. Other than the two of them, the room was empty.

"Hey, Flatfoot. I have some good news for you."

"What's that?" Robbie asked, looking over from his locker.

"I spoke with Carrots earlier this morning. She's going straight home after giving a pep talk to some school kids. So you don't need to worry about her discovering your little secret over here." He smirked.

"Well that's a relief. I was worried that I would have to camp out here until it was dark out." Robbie sighed in relief.

"Knowing your luck, you'd do that, and still get caught by her anyway." Nick chuckled, placing the basket on the floor next to the window. He pulled gently on the clothesline right outside the window. Satisfied with its tautness, he began clipping his freshly washed clothes on, one at a time.

"Hey, my luck isn't that bad. I survived academy training up to now—mostly thanks to you, anyway. I'm glad they didn't do anything too tough for the last couple days, but I'm still going to go straight home and sleep for about a day and a half…"

"I'll probably be doing the same, though my bed isn't nearly as comfortable. But eh, I'll make do. Speaking of home, you said you were staying in Zootopia as well, right?"

Robbie nodded. "At a cheap hostel on the outskirts of the city. They give ZPD academy students a discount. I would prefer to go back to Bunnyburrow of course, but I really don't want anyone at home finding police academy clothing in my bag…"

"Good point. Besides, even if you'd hid the clothing, they'd probably ask all sorts of questions, like why you look like you spent two weeks getting beat up—which you kinda did."

"Right…" Robbie rolled his eyes.

"Cheer up, maybe next week's training will be better. That's what you love to say, right?" Nick said, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "What's on our training schedule for next week, anyway?"

Robbie grabbed a small notebook that was sitting on his bed.

"Hmm…seems it's close quarters combat, dart gun training, personal defence, and more lectures. I'm not looking forward to personal defence. I heard stories from some of the other bunnies that tried to go through the academy. That they get the cadets to tase each other so that they understand how it works. It's part of the 'full experience', apparently."

"Eh, been there, done that." Nick replied.

"Uh huh…" Robbie closed the book. "…wait a minute. You've been tased before?"

"Yup."

"But…who tased you? And more importantly, why?"

"An incredibly smart and handsome individual who I respect greatly. But I thankfully was able to find lodging because of the incident, so I guess it all worked out."

"You got a place to stay by getting tased?" Robbie's voice was incredulous.

"Something like that. Couldn't believe it myself at first, and the place is kinda run down, but hey, we make do, right? I should try to get a thicker mattress though."

"You know, we've been here for two weeks, and still can't figure out whether you're serious sometimes. My gut instinct tells me that you actually are serious about this one."

"Pretty good, Flatfoot. We might make you a P.I. yet. By the way, everyone else is leaving. Why haven't you left yet?"

"That's what I was going to ask you. They've already given us the debriefing, so why are you still here? I would have thought that you'd be one of the first ones out." Robbie continued folding more of his clothes.

"That's because it's intentional. I'm not interested in lugging my dirty laundry home—too heavy. Besides, the washing machine back home is always cycling between broken and non-functional. The washers here are slow, but at least they work. I'm just about done though, so that's my cue to leave." Nick clipped the last of his damp t-shirts onto the clothesline, before pulling a large backpack from underneath the bunk bed.

"You're taking that big bag of yours? I thought you weren't planning on bringing back any of your clothes."

"It's not for carrying stuff back, it's for bringing stuff here. Like snacks, and more muscle heat spray. My can's already running a little light."

"I'll…bring my own can next week," Robbie replied sheepishly.

"Heh, don't worry about it. You coming?" Nick asked, shutting his locker door and padding it with a lock.

"You can go ahead first. I'd probably just slow you down because of my leg."

"Well, I have a dinner appointment later, so I'm not in a rush, really. So how about it?"

Robbie paused, then nodded in response, tossing the last of his things into his bag. He followed Nick out of the room as the fox shut the door of the bunk behind them, before the two of them headed down the stairs.

"Oh hang on a second. Can we cut though the cookhouse?" Nick asked. "I want to grab an extra copy of next week's menu, so that I can plan which days to order food in. Ideally the days where the food is inedible."

"They have a meal schedule?" Robbie blinked.

"Yup. Cooking food in large batches usually requires a schedule and planning, and I noticed yesterday that they actually keep a copy behind each counter. If I'm not wrong, they update it every Friday."

As the rest of the recruits headed straight towards the front gate, Nick and Robbie took a short detour towards the cookhouse, which thankfully wasn't too far from the front gate. To get there though, they had to walk down a fairly long corridor. There were several doors along the corridor—mostly storage room and janitor's closets. The building seemed deserted, which was to be expected on a Friday evening. The cooks and admin staff had probably already left for the weekend. There was an oversized janitor's cart about four times the size of Robbie sitting along the corridor, though. Someone was too lazy to store it properly, Nick guessed. Or maybe the cleaner was on break.

The two of them eventually made a left turn into the main dining hall, which was only lit by a few dim ceiling lights. Nick immediately made a beeline towards the main counter, circling around it and opening the cupboards down below.

Let's see…brochures, pamphlets, last week's menu…this week's menu…

"Aha! Here it is." Nick declared triumphantly, grabbing a sheet of paper with the following week's dates printed on it. He immediately snapped a picture of it, before sliding the sheet back in its original place.

"How does it look?" Robbie asked.

"Monday's menu doesn't sound too bad. Beans, potato salad, and an assortment of bread and cheese. We could probably save the ordering in for Tuesday. Anyway, mission accomplished. Let's get out of here."

With that, the two headed back down the same long corridor towards the front doors. As they walked, Nick noticed Robbie shuffling his shoulders uncomfortably every once in a while.

"Hey Nick, hang on for a second, would ya? I feel something poking my back." Robbie moved to the side of the corridor and knelt down on the ground, leaning his bag against the oversized janitor's cart they had passed by earlier. He unzipped his backpack and started rearranging the things inside.

As Robbie knelt down, Nick suddenly felt his left pocket buzzing. He pulled out his phone and flicked it on. There was a new incoming message.

"Hey Slick, have you left the academy yet?"

Nick glanced at the sender's name on the top of the screen. Sure enough, it read 'Carrots'.

"On my way out. Why?" Nick quickly texted back.

"Ah ok. Thought I missed you. Where are you now?"

Nick frowned slightly, before replying: "Stopped by the canteen. On my way out."

"Ok! Oh wait, I think I see you!"

"Wait, what—" Nick started, but he immediately found the words catching in his throat. Through the small, frosted glass panes in the wooden doors of the lobby, Nick could barely make out a long pair of ears jogging straight over towards the front doors. Towards them.

"Oh no."

Nick's eyes darted between the door and the cart beside him. Fortunately, from this angle, it was unlikely that Judy would have been able to see behind the cart.

"What?" Robbie looked up at Nick, zipping his bag up at the same time. Nick's arm immediately shot out to keep the bunny from standing back up.

He had to think fast.

There was a door right beside the janitor's cart. Nick immediately reached out for the doorknob with his other paw, but he was only greeted with a tight rattle. It was locked.

"She's here." Nick whispered, softer than he normally would have. He was quite sure this was still far enough away that even Judy's ears wouldn't hear it. Robbie took only a second to process the words.

"What? Then…" Robbie's eyes went wide. Nick glanced around, but he couldn't see anywhere else Robbie could realistically hide without being spotted. His paw gripped tightly on the strap of his backpack.

A sudden, desperate idea struck.

"Get in the bag."

"H-huh?"

"Bag. In." Nick slung his bag to the ground behind the cart, pulling it open forcefully. Robbie hesitated, but only for a moment before climbing into Nick's mostly empty bag. Nick didn't have time to wait for him to get comfortable, and pushed his paw down on the bunny, forcing him to curl up in a foetal position. As a last step, he dropped Robbie's small bag on top of him, before unceremoniously zipping the bag up, leaving just a little hole for the rabbit to breathe.

The door swung open, and a bunny wearing a straw hat, checkered pink shirt, and jeans slipped in. It was unmistakably Judy.

"Hi Nick! Good to see that you're in one piece. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Nick pushed himself up to his feet, taking extra caution not to stand up too fast, lest he'd give Judy a reason to suspect something was up.

"Hang on there, Carrots. That's my question. Weren't you supposed to be at a school or something?"

"They wrapped up early this afternoon, so I thought I'd come over and see how you were doing. I was hoping to have been here earlier, but there was a slight delay on the train. What about you? Why were you bending down just now?"

Dang, she saw that. But it's all right. She didn't mention seeing anyone else, which is good.

"Oh, I was just double-checking whether I'd packed everything to bring home. Wouldn't want to forget something important, you know."

"Ah yeah, that happens all the time. Usually once you get on the bus and it's too late to turn back." Judy chuckled, taking a moment to give Nick a once-over. "Well now, you look pretty good, I'd say, considering how much you've been complaining over the phone about the training. I guess everything's going well?"

"Ugh, don't even get me started. By the way, in case you weren't aware, you're in bunny-bumpkin clothing. When I said you'd blend in more if you weren't in uniform, this isn't what I meant," Nick said, as he slung his bag over his shoulders, hoping that it wasn't too obvious that there was someone in there. He was quite sure he could feel Robbie's body trembling against his back.

"Well, from my experience, when I'm dressed like this, people don't really give me a second look. Just another bunny bumpkin, like you always say." Judy shrugged. The two of them walked through the doorway and out of the academy gates, going straight towards the bus stop.

"Glad to hear you've finally accepted that part of yourself." Nick chuckled in response.

"Oh, how I've missed that biting sarcasm of yours. I can't believe I went two weeks without it." Judy rolled her eyes.

Thankfully, the bus came quickly. As the bus pulled up, Judy jumped up the elephant-sized steps, Nick following close behind her. He grunted as he pulled himself up each step—which was practically half his height—until he was finally inside.

"Jeez, I thought you'd be lighter…" Nick muttered, trying to keep his back straight as he climbed up. It was hard to do so with how unevenly the weight was distributed in his backpack.

"Hmm, what was that, Nick?" Judy asked, craning her neck backwards for a moment.

"Clothes. Heavy." Nick exhaled, pointing to his bag.

"You know, you could have washed and left them in the bunk to dry. It would've been easier than lugging them all the way home."

Yes, yes, I knew that…Nick thought. He obviously couldn't say that out loud, though.

It was about a ten-minute ride to the train station. The bus was mostly filled with recruits, who were either on their phones, or chatting excitedly with each other. There were a couple of empty seats near the back of the bus, which Judy headed right towards. Jumping up onto the seat, she slid herself right to the end, next to the window.

"So how was training? Was it as easy as you thought? What did they put you through so far? Have the tests been okay?" Judy immediately turned to him once she was seated.

"Woah, slow down there, Carrots. One question at a time. It's like you're turning into the press." Nick groaned, taking his seat beside Judy. He slid his backpack off, holding it in his arms for a moment. He thought of leaving it by the aisle, but seeing the huge mammals who were haphazardly walking around, occasionally stepping on some of the bags strewn along the aisle, made him much more hesitant. He wasn't ready to explain to Judy why there was a flattened Robbie in his bag.

He settled for placing the bag on his lap, as dangerously close and awkward as it looked. Could Judy possibly have heard Robbie's breathing?

No, it has to be too crowded. I have to keep her attention on me until we get to the train station. I can find a place to let Robbie out there. As long as she doesn't mention anything about my bag, I should be—

"Jeez, Nick. Did you just stuff all your things into your bag like a slob again? Look at it, it's all bulging."

Of course.

"You know me all too well, Carrots. But I would warn you against offering to fold my clothes for me right now. Some of them are pretty dirty, as you might imagine."

Judy shuddered. "Thanks for the visual…"

The bus arrived at the train station. The larger mammals were the first to get off. Once it was clear, Nick picked his bag up and slung it over his shoulder again, allowing Judy to exit first while he fiddled with the straps.

As he took the steps down the bus, he suddenly heard a loud hissing as the doors closed behind him a little too quickly. He tried to jump forward, but it was too late. The doors slammed on his bag with surprising force, before the door sensor pulled the doors back open.

His bag couldn't help but let out an audible whimper of pain. Heart skipping a beat, Nick immediately imitated the noise, followed by a couple of loud groans as he stumbled forward, clutching his left shoulder in faux pain.

"Oops. Sorry, bud. A little too fast there!" The antler driving the bus waved apologetically at Nick. Judy turned around, running back up to him.

"Nick! Are you alright?"

"Ha…that hurt a lot more than I thought. I think I'll live." He squeezed his shoulder gently, reminding himself mentally that it was his left shoulder that he was supposed to fake the pain in.

"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. I got my ear caught in one of those doors once. It hurt for a whole week." Judy rubbed her left ear.

"I can only imagine…" Nick chuckled, hoping inwardly that Robbie was still breathing.

Now that emptying the bag at the train station was out of the question, Nick had to think of something else. They tapped their way past the gantries, and headed onto the train just as it slowed to a stop at the station.

The two of them—three of them technically—entered the train, Judy immediately heading upstairs to the viewing cabin. Nick followed her upstairs, where the late afternoon sun was shining in.

"You know, I never understand why people don't like coming up here. It's such a beautiful view," Judy said, leaning on the support railing in front of her.

"Because you get used to it. And most city folk have far more important things to worry about. Turns out that most of the things in Zootopia are a pretty façade, as I'm sure you're aware by now."

"I know…but still, I've been on this train like a hundred times by now, and I still don't get tired of seeing what's out there."

"You're just easily impressed." Nick chuckled, taking a quick glance at the bag on the floor next to him. It was still motionless. Nick wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad sign.

"So, Nick…" Judy started, a coy smile on her face. "Are you ready to tell me about your training yet?"

"Hmm? Well, how about we just enjoy the view for now? You'll have plenty of time to interrogate me later over dinner, or once we're back…home."

Home…oh great.

At the rate things were going, this wasn't going to be the only interrogation he was going to be subjected to this evening.

It wasn't long before they were back at the Grand Pangolin Arms. The building interior was as musty and worn-out as Nick remembered. He had secretly hoped that after two weeks away, the place would have magically transformed into a five-star hotel. No such luck there.

"Welcome home, Nick. Did you miss this place?" Judy asked, as they headed down the hallway back to her room.

"Where's my fork?!"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the one that used it to clean the toilet!"

"Oh shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Is that a trick question?" Nick chuckled, walking through the hallway towards her—no, their—room. Judy pulled out her key and inserted it into the door. The door creaked open, and Nick was instantly greeted with a familiar smell. Having been away for so long, Judy's scent had taken over the small room again. There was a little flutter inside him, as well as a slight warmth in his chest. It was familiar. Comforting.

"I tried to keep the place organised while you were away—without touching your stuff, like you said."

"Amazing. I think I have space for one more foot. Thanks, Carrots."

"That's because the majority of the things that take up space in this room are yours." Judy rolled her eyes, heading towards the table, where her laptop was sitting. She picked it up, along with a small folder of documents.

"You brought your work home?" Nick pointed out as he set the bag on the floor, his shoulders practically screaming with relief.

"Yeah, there was a small incident with an arrest. I need to get this report out by Monday, so I brought my work home."

"Did you start another riot?"

"No—" Judy glared at him. "A jackal tried to escape custody in the precinct, and I happened to be there, so I chased after her. It's not my fault she tripped on the way down the stairs and knocked herself out cold."

"That's what the guilty always say." Nick smirked. "Admit it: you pushed her down the stairs, didn't you?"

"Har har, very funny. I'll have you know that other officers were there to back up my story. It's all written right…" Judy suddenly paused mid-sentence, thumbing through the folder in her paws. "Oh no…I forgot to take the witness testimony recordings home! I must have left it on my desk." She groaned.

Nick's eyes lit up at the sudden opportunity presented to him.

"Conveniently disappearing evidence, eh? Oh don't worry, I believe you, one hundred percent." He winked. "Listen, I'll need some time to throw my things into the wash, and a shower wouldn't kill me either. So why don't you go pop by the ZPD and grab your stuff? I'll meet you directly at Lana's. You can show me your 'evidence' then. If it exists."

"Hmph. Just don't forget to lock up, Slick. See you later!" Judy punched his right arm playfully, before sliding her computer and folder into her table drawer. She then headed for the door.

Nick decided not to send a witty remark her way this time, instead waiting for a good two minutes, keeping his ears open as best he could. Afterwards, he gave the bag next to him a soft pat.

"Is she gone?" Nick finally whispered.

"I think so. I can't hear her anymore." The bag beside him whispered back.

Nick bent down to unzip the bag, revealing a slightly bruised and battered brown bunny.

"Anything broken?" Nick asked, helping Robbie out of the bag. He carried the bunny over to his mattress and sat him down gently, giving him a quick once-over.

"Just what was left of my pride." Robbie groaned, rubbing his arms, which seemed to be where the bus doors had closed on him earlier.

"So nothing important then." Nick climbed onto the single chair in the room to give Robbie some space. Now able to see, the bunny glanced around the room. He seemed confused at first, but that expression soon gave way to a wide-eyed look of realisation.

"This…I recognise this room. This is Judy's! I've seen it during the video calls she has with our folks. But…it looks different. And there's two beds…wait, she said 'welcome home'…" Robbie's brow furrowed slightly. Nick could almost see the gears turning in his head.

Here it comes…

"You're sleeping with my sister?!"

"Jeez, you know, there's this little thing called 'phrasing'," Nick said. "I assume you meant that I am sleeping in the same room as your sister. In which case, that answer would be yes."

"But…everything you said about your apartment being run-down, and the thicker mattress…"

"They're all true, as you can see. Before you get your ears in a knot, I got kicked out of my previous apartment. Partially thanks to her. She offered me this room to make up for it, at least until I find a new place to stay. That's all there is to it."

Robbie blinked.

"Wait a minute. If this is the place you got by getting tased, then the person who tased you was…"

"Let's not talk about that." Nick mentally facepalmed, wondering how that remark could have possibly come back to bite him so quickly.

"Right, right. Sorry, I just didn't expect to find my way here, of all places." He fell silent for a moment, looking around the room again, before continuing.

"Y'know, when I was in that bag, I really thought that was going to be it. I had already prepared the best excuse of my life for being in your bag. I was really prepared to face her. It's actually a little disappointing that I won't get to use it."

"I could call her back here and let you tell her yourself." Nick held up his phone.

"No, no, I'm good!" Robbie raised his paws immediately, before lowering them down with a sigh.

"Well, unless you have a sudden change of heart about not getting caught, I would suggest leaving post-haste. You can climb out the window if you're still worried." Nick smirked.

"Thanks, but I think I'll just use the door," Robbie mumbled. He pulled his own bag over his shoulders with some effort. He then limped to the door and cracked it open an inch, peeking into the hallway in both directions.

"Need any help getting home?" Nick offered.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for hiding me, Nick, and thanks for the ride. See you Sunday night."

As the bunny exited the door, Nick heard him mumble under his breath: "Next time I'm just going to hide in the bunk till the sun sets."

"See ya," Nick called out as Robbie shut the door behind him. As the bunny's soft footsteps disappeared into the distance, Nick took a deep breath, before letting a sigh leave his lips. He took a long stretch in his chair, letting himself deflate from that little impromptu adventure.

"Wait, who was that?!" a voice from the next room suddenly exclaimed.

"Weren't you listening? It's somebody who slept with Judy's sister!" the other half of the neighbours-in-stereo yelled back.

Nick sighed. "The details aren't important, guys, and unless you want Carrots to know who stole her favourite lavender soap last month, you're both going to keep it to yourselves, understand?"

Much to Nick's relief, there was no answer.

The Precinct One inner office was mostly empty, with only a few officers typing away at their desks. Thankfully, no one was around to ask Judy why she'd come back after already leaving for the day. Judy did the quiet walk of shame back to her desk, pulling open the second drawer, where a black folder was sitting. She thumbed through the documents quickly, making sure that all of the testimony was there. Satisfied, she gently slipped it into her sling bag, zipping it up and quickly making her way out of the office and down the stairs. There were still a few civilians moving around the precinct, but otherwise, it was a fairly quiet evening.

"Ma'am, we will not entertain such requests, and that is final."

Judy's ears instantly swivelled, and her head followed soon after. The voice was coming from the front desk. Without even having to look, she knew who the low, flat droning belonged to.

A phone was placed back on its hook with slightly more than a hint of annoyance. The kangaroo sitting behind the desk turned at the same time to see her. Their eyes made contact. At that point, she was pretty much obliged to take a detour towards the front desk.

"Judy." Kang's voice was a low drone, as usual.

"Hi Kang. Everything okay? Another prank call?"

"No, those are fun at least; we occasionally get to press charges for prank calls. These are far more irritating. It's usually some tabloid or wannabe journalist looking for an interview. Mostly with you."

"Me?" Judy replied, blinking.

"Yes. There's also plenty of 'fans' that want to get your autograph, and others that call just to leave you a message."

"What kind of message?"

"Let's just say they're not hoping to shower you with hugs." Kang coughed.

"Oh."

"Either way, it has somehow become my responsibility to shut all of them down. I have no idea how Clawhauser can handle this much talking," he grumbled.

"Well, he does like to gossip…" Judy chuckled, pushing the negative thought out of her mind. "Any word yet on putting you back in records?"

"Not yet. Though I don't think visiting more schools on your part will help speed that up."

"Ah, that's…"

"I am aware of your efforts to get things back to normal, Judy. It is appreciated. Which is why am I willing to handle these calls for you." The corners of Kang's mouth curled upwards into an unnatural, unnerving smile that looked more fitting on a serial killer. Judy blinked, trying to return the smile with a more natural one of her own.

"This is not sarcasm, by the way. This is my normal smile," Kang added.

They should put him in interrogations. He'd probably do a lot better there, Judy thought in the back of her head.

"O-of course. Thanks for helping to handle the calls, Kang. Hopefully they'll let you back downstairs soo—"

Before Judy could finish, there was a sharp ring from the phone sitting on the table. The two of them exchanged glances.

"I suppose that is my cue to say goodbye. Unless you would like to speak to a potential fan yourself…" Kang motioned to the phone.

"No no, I'm good." Judy raised her paws. "I'll see you next week, Kang. Hang in there!"

With that, Judy waved goodbye, before jogging towards the front door.

Kang let out an amused exhale while watching the bunny leave through the front doors. In the meantime, the phone continued ringing. He considered leaving it for a few more seconds and seeing if the ringing would stop. According to internal policy for the non-emergency line, incoming calls were supposed to be answered by the sixth ring. No reason to answer it earlier when there was a chance the person on the line could hang up, Kang thought.

Three rings. Four rings. Five rings.

Kang sighed, lifting the receiver off the hook.

"ZPD non-emergency line. How may I help?"

"Oh, hello. May I know if Officer Judy Hopps is around?" a soft female voice came through the line.

Kang resisted the urge to mutter 'of course…' under his breath.

"May I ask why you are looking for Officer Hopps?"

"Um, well, I would just like to speak with her if that is possible. I believe she knows my son, and I would like to ask her about him. My name is Evie W—"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Officer Hopps is very busy now, and we are not able to arrange for such a meeting." Kang interrupted. "If you wish to speak with her on a personal basis, you will have to do that yourself."

"I…see. I understand. Sorry to trouble you, sir."

With that, Kang placed the phone back on its hook before she could concoct some reason to keep on the line any longer. A few seconds later, it began ringing again. Kang slumped into his chair.

"…Civilians," he muttered.