Two
"Your partnership is hereby suspended."
Judy stared at Chief Bogo, struggling to comprehend this blunt pronouncement. She looked over at Nick to see it he understood any better than she did, but his face was an expressionless mask. Never a good sign.
"Suspended." Nick repeated the word almost thoughtfully, his tone perfectly neutral. "For how long?"
"Indefinitely."
Judy sucked in a breath, reality finally starting to trickle through like cold rain on fur. How could this be happening? They had finished up at the opening campaign ceremony to cheers and clapping and more offers for free drinks than they could accept in a year. On their way back to the station Nick had bragged that at the rate they were going they would be forced to accept a parade after all, and though Judy cautioned humility, inside she had been bursting with just as much satisfaction and pride as Nick. They were really doing it. Zootopia was coming to accept them. Not by everyone, of course, but enough to take heart.
When they had stopped by Clawhauser's desk and been told that Chief Bogo needed to speak to them, Nick had whispered to her, "Here comes our parade."
Standing in front of Chief Bogo's desk now, it all felt like a horrible joke.
"Chief Bogo you can't be serious," said Judy.
"Unfortunately I've never been more serious, Hopps." The water buffalo's massive shoulders were slumped, as if they carried a weight too heavy for even a mammal as strong as him to bear. "I turned a blind eye for as long as I could, but there have been too many complaints. If I ignore the issue for any longer, all three of us could find ourselves out of a job."
"Let me guess," said Nick. "The majority of these complaints came from a certain feline officer with an oversized mane, am I right?"
Chief Bogo's expression stayed level. "You know I can't disclose who they came from, Wilde."
"We have never been anything but professional while on the job," argued Judy. "Whatever their reasons for lodging these complaints, you have to know they're baseless. Let us defend our case at least!"
"It's not about what you have or haven't done," said Bogo.
"No," said Nick bitterly. "Just about who and what we are."
"It's not about that either," said Bogo, earning dubious looks from both bunny and fox. "Look, the fact of the matter is, it's against policy for a mated pair to be partners, regardless of species, gender, age—doesn't matter. There's just too much possibility for bias, for one of you to make a judgement that has nothing to do with doing your jobs and everything to do with the fact that you're together romantically."
"We have never let the fact that we love each other stop us from doing our jobs," denied Judy. "We are the best out there, sir. Mated or not, no one is a better team than we are."
Their boss looked over his reading glasses at her. "If it's any consolation, I agree with you, Hopps."
Nick snorted. "Touching, but hardly helpful."
Judy couldn't help but agree. She hated this. Hated that because of one lion's pettiness, their ethics were suddenly in question. Hated that she was in danger of losing the best partner a bunny could have. But most of all she hated the look of resignation on Nick's face. As if this was no more than could be expected.
Chief Bogo sighed. He took off his glasses and set them on the desk, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his brawny arms over his even brawnier chest. "I wasn't going to mention this in case it didn't work out. But since I can see you two are going to be as hard-headed about this as you are with everything else, I might as well tell you: earlier today I put in a formal request for a policy change."
Hope hit Judy's system like a shot of adrenaline. The water buffalo saw how she perked up and raised a paw in warning. "Don't get excited yet, Hopps. There's no guarantee it will be approved."
"And who, exactly, needs to approve it?" asked Nick. By his flat tone of voice, he didn't share the same hope Judy did.
"The ZPD Board of Ethics, for one," said Chief Bogo. "I spoke with them about it earlier, and while they were against a full policy change, they did say they would possibly be open to making an exception for you two."
"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming?" said Nick.
The water buffalo looked at them squarely. "Special cases require final approval from a second government official. Supposedly it's a way to ensure decisions stay impartial. Really, it's so the board has someone to blame if the choice turns out to be the wrong one."
"And who might this brave, noble, scapegoat be?" drawled Nick.
Chief Bogo rubbed at his temples as if he were getting a headache. "The mayor."
"Mayor Lionheart?"
"Or whoever replaces him. Odds are the request won't be seen until after the election. Non-essential policy changes like this are usually put to the side during political campaigning."
"But that's weeks away!" exclaimed Judy, knowing as she said it that she sounded too distressed, too emotional, the exact reason mated partners weren't allowed in the first place. But the thought of losing Nick to something so stupid after they had just found their stride together…
"Hey." Nick leaned in close. His paw was a warm weight against her arm, grounding her when it felt like everything around them was being upended. His voice was soft, patient, and more understanding than the situation deserved in Judy's opinion.
"It's going to be okay," he told her. "It's only for a little while, right? And it's not like we won't see each other around the precinct. I'm going to come bother you so much you'll be begging at me to leave you alone."
Judy smiled reluctantly at that.
"And we can still meet up every day for lunch."
"What if one of us is out in the field?"
"Then I'l come find you." Nick said it like a vow. "Even if it takes my entire lunch break. Even if all I have time for is making sure you're eating something healthy before heading back—"
"I always eat healthy," mumbled Judy.
"You do when I'm around," said Nick. "But who knows what kind of fatty, greasy vegetables you would eat if I weren't there to police you."
Judy snorted. But her heart felt lighter. If Nick could stay positive about this, then so could she. They would get through this together, in spirit if nothing else.
Chief Bogo cleared his throat awkwardly. "That might be hard to do."
As close as they were, Judy saw the flash of anger that passed over Nick's face, leaving it darker, harder. He turned to face Chief Bogo, stepping slightly in front of Judy as if their boss's words were a threat he needed to protect her from. "Don't tell me it's now illegal for us to eat together too?"
"Save the attitude for the criminals, Wilde. I'm referring to the fact that this precinct is currently under a hiring freeze. You were both at the meeting last month. Our budget just can't cover it right now. But policy states—"
"Again with the policy—"
"Policy states that any officer active in the field requires a partner. Now, with Howle on den leave one of you can partner with Stella until he gets back. But the other one…" Chief Bogo heaved a great breath. "The other one is going to have to transfer districts."
"No." The word escaped without thought. Judy looked at her boss, silently willing him to take it back, to think of another way. It was one thing to lose Nick as a partner, but this? Depending on where they were sent, even meeting up after work might be a struggle.
A small, selfish part of Judy wanted to tell Chief Bogo to make someone else transfer. She deserved to be here. Nick deserved to be here. They had proven themselves enough. More than enough. Couldn't someone else take the transfer, just this once?
She immediately felt ashamed of herself. They weren't the only ones who had studied and trained and sacrificed in order to be granted a spot at the head precinct. Every officer here had. They didn't deserve to be transferred any more than Nick and Judy did. Less, because unlike Nick and Judy, they hadn't broken any policy rules.
Nick had warned me that this would happen.
Why hadn't she prepared herself better? Maybe if she had worked harder, come armed with a better argument—
She was distracted from her self-berating by the feel of Nick letting go of her arm. He stepped up before Chief Bogo's great desk, his chin up and shoulders back. He was still dressed in his formal blues, looking every inch the serious officer, and even with everything else going on the sight sent a tiny thrill through Judy. Which is probably why it took a moment for his next words to Chief Bogo to fully sink in.
"I'll take the transfer."
Wait, what? Judy gaped at him. For the second time in so many minutes she found herself struggling to understand.
But their boss nodded as if he had expected no differently and asked, "Do you have a preference on the district?"
"The Sahara if you can swing it."
"I'll put in a word with Commander Addax in the morning."
"Wait, just, wait a minute!" said Judy. This was happening too fast. She needed to plan. She needed to think.
"It's okay, Carrots," said Nick. "You know I've always been partial to the desert anyway."
As if by letting him go she was somehow doing him a favor.
"Don't," she said. "I'm not letting you just give up like this."
"It's only temporary," he said, and then grimaced, as if even he couldn't stomach such a bald-faced lie. "Probably," he amended.
"No," said Judy. "There has to be another way."
"Pretty sure we're at this point because there isn't."
Judy turned to Chief Bogo. "You said the policy just has to get approval from the mayor, correct?"
Her boss's expression said he expected the question to be a trap. "Yes…"
"Then what's to stop us from going there right now and asking him?"
"You mean, like, right now, tonight?" said Nick.
"Why not? We can tell Mayor Lionheart what's going on and plead our case way better than any government document ever could." It was perfect. Why hadn't she thought of this earlier? They could have this sorted out by dinnertime tonight.
"You do remember that we almost got him fired, right?" said Nick. "And jailed? And sued?"
Judy dismissed this. "That was over a year ago. Lionheart said so himself in interviews that he'd been in the wrong and that he was proud of the ZPD's initiative."
"Yeah, but what a politician says on camera is not always the same as what he's thinking behind it," said Nick.
"Wilde has a point," said Chief Bogo.
Judy eyed the two of them. "Well we'll just have to make sure he knows how very public his decision on this will be."
"I don't know, Carrots. We might want to wait and see if Cottonbutt gets into office. At least he'll be more likely to choose in your favor."
But Judy didn't want to wait. She didn't want to lose Nick for even a day. They had a way to win this. They would win this. And she would prove to Nick that they could still overcome anything the world threw at them.
She would fix this. Tonight.
They went to City Hall first. It had seemed a safe bet being that it was only quarter after five on a Monday, during campaign season no less. But they were informed by his receptionist—a pig with a bouffant and pearls—that the mayor had left over an hour ago.
She redirected them to a swanky upscale restaurant in the canopy level of the Rainforest District that was only reachable by a twenty-minute cable car ride. The cable car service was privately owned by the restaurant and came with a separate charge that the operator wouldn't waive even for police. After debating it, Nic and Judy decided to go by foot. It took an hour. The walkways were steep and slick with rainwater. The ground had been pebbled to help with traction but it only made it that much more painful to walk on.
Nick was too out of breath to even appreciate the view of the restaurant when they finally reached the top. The place looked very much like a log cabin built directly into the trees, with giant plate glass windows set on all sides to give diners an almost godly view of the rainforest below. Heavy golden light spilled from the entrance, along with soft drum and flute music, promising warmth and comfort and a meal so expensive Nick would have had to pull off a high level con job in order to be able to pay for it.
It figured the Mayor ate here.
They hadn't made it farther than the entryway before they were told that Mayor Lionheart had already left for the night. They were advised to look for him at a place called Purrdita's Lounge over in Hyenahurst, a popular hangout for big cats and a favorite of Lionheart's.
So they trekked back down the path (at least it was easier than going up) and called for an ewebur. By this point Nick was cold and damp from the rainforest's incessant drizzle and starting to get hungry, which did nothing for his already dark mood. Neither he nor Judy spoke much during the fort-five minute drive. Judy was in full problem-solving mode while Nick was doing his best to remain as calm and rational as possible. As much as he wanted to snap and snarl, he knew it wouldn't help. He had been tempted, for a moment there back in Chief Bogo's office, to throw down some ultimatums just out of sheer anger and spite. If they thought having Nick and Judy working together was such a problem, well then, what if they didn't work for them at all? See how well they got by then. It's what he would have done in the past.
But he couldn't do that to Judy. This was her dream job. She had worked her whole life for it. And even if they didn't deserve her, and didn't give her a fraction of the credit she deserved, he would fight tooth and nail to make sure she got to keep doing it for as long as she wanted. Which meant no walking out or jeopardizing her position no matter how frustrated he got.
Really, that was a given.
What was more shocking was realizing that Judy wasn't his only reason for holding back. The truth was, Nick genuinely liked his job. And he found himself worrying about what would happen to Zootopia if he and Judy left. Judy was right that they were the best at what they did, and there were a lot of dangerous cases looming on the horizon. If something happened because Nick had walked away to make a point... even as he told himself half the citizens didn't deserve his protection and the risks he took for them... Nick knew, deep down, he would feel awful about it. Ugh. Nick supposed this is what Judy would call a "sense of duty." He didn't care for it at all.
They were met with more bad news at the lounge. The cougar who answered the door told them that the mayor had been there, but that he had already gone home for the night.
"Can someone put a bell on this cat or something?" growled Nick, earning a glare from the cougar.
Judy called Clawhauser to look up the mayor's address, and then they were off again to Acorn Heights, a high-end neighborhood filled with luxury apartments and mini-mansions.
It was after eight when they finally pulled up to Lionheart's estate. Nick had expected the mayor's house to be the largest on the block, if not the whole neighborhood, but the place looked surprisingly modest for the lion-sized ego it housed. Or maybe that was an optical illusion, because what the estate lacked in square footage it more than made up for in surrounding acreage. It looked like a mini-savannah had been dropped right in the middle of a residential area, protected by high iron fences and multiple security cameras.
Nick and Judy were cleared at the front gate by a pair of wildebeest security guards who didn't so much as blink at seeing the famous fox and bunny officers in front of them. Nick surmised that either they weren't fans or working for the mayor was just that soul-sucking.
At least they let them use their golf cart to travel to the house. Nick was grateful for the loan. Anything to avoid another arduous hike. But Judy wrinkled her nose at the sight of the vehicle, and he knew she was thinking of the time she had spent stuck working as a meter maid when she'd first come to Zootopia.
Nick nudged her with his elbow. "Just like old times, eh, Carrots?"
She cut him a wry look. Nick was just glad she had come out of her thoughts enough to register him again.
They climbed into the golf cart—Judy driving, also just like old times—and Nick enjoyed the scenery as they made their way along the winding, paved road up to the house. In a way, it reminded him of Robin's place, with the home almost an afterthought to the land that surrounded it. But whereas the fox's land was filled with ancient trees and wild, unchecked forest, Lionheart's property was styled and arranged down to the last trimmed blade of grass. There were sunbathing rocks artfully arranged around clear, filtered drinking pools, flower gardens with marble lioness statues, and rows of topiaries pruned to look like herds of leaping antelope.
They were greeted at the front door by no less than six meerkats in suits who ushered them in and down the hallway like the world's most fidgety security team, scrambling over and around each other, falling back to watch behind them before bursting ahead to retake the lead. They made Nick twitchy, zigzagging around as they were. It was a relief when Nick and Judy were finally pointed through a nondescript oak door and left alone with Lionheart.
Well, alone besides the small wallaby doing what looked like aerobics on top of the mayor's bare back.
"Don't just stand in the doorway, you two," said Lionheart. "Come over here."
Nick and Judy took a few cautious steps forward. They were back outside, this time on a stone patio surrounded by dozens of oversized potted plants, some with leaves longer than Judy's ears. Grassland stretched out towards a distant city skyline that twinkled twice as brightly as the stars overhead.
So this must be the back yard, thought Nick.
The mayor lay prone on a stone table long enough and sturdy enough to support both a fully grown male lion and the wallaby currently digging a heel between the mayor's shoulder blades.
"Excuse me for not getting up and greeting you properly," said Lionheart. "But my masseuse here really hates being interrupted once he gets going. Don't you, Jocko?"
From atop the lion's back the wallaby rolled his eyes.
"So what brings you two here at this time of night?" asked the mayor. "Bit late for work hours isn't it?"
"It wasn't late when we started out," Nick couldn't help muttering.
"Actually," said Judy, coming around so that she was in Lionheart's direct line of sight. "We came to ask you something."
Was she really going to just jump right into it? Nick wondered in alarm. Of course she was. This was Judy. She wouldn't know how to beat around a bush if she was dropped into the middle of hedge maze with a bat and leaf clippers.
"Need my advice on something, do you?" said Lionheart, and Nick had to fight the urge to bristle at the smugness in the mayor's voice.
"Actually, we—"
"No need to feel embarrassed about it, Hopps! Even the best of us need to consult the wisdom of our superiors sometimes—ouch!" The mayor glared at the wallaby over his shoulder. "Watch where you're massaging there, Rocko. That was my kidney you just kicked."
Judy cleared her throat to try again. "Sir, Nick and I came to ask you if—"
Nick jumped in front of her. "—If you were doing okay after the attack at the campaign rally."
Both Judy and Lionheart looked at him in surprise. Even the wallaby raised an eyebrow. But Nick knew this particular game better than Judy did. He had conned enough mammals like the mayor to know that just asking outright wouldn't be enough. You had to come at them from an angle they wouldn't expect if you wanted a chance at convincing them to do something for you. A little fawning never hurt either.
"What a thoughtful gesture," said the mayor. "I really did have a trying day, you know. I'm still recuperating from it. My back is one giant knot of tension. Who knows when I'll be able to relax properly again."
Nick nodded solemnly. "It's the least we could do."
Judy stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.
Lionheart flicked his tail, warming to the sympathy. He let out a whiny sort of purr. "I wasn't going to complain about it. I'm a very forgiving sort, you know. But you two really bungled that whole incident today."
"Bungled?" choked Judy.
Lionheart pointed a claw at her. "In the event of a terrorist attack your first action should have been to protect the current city mayor, not some wannabe bunny whose ears are too big for his head."
Nick nodded along as if that made sense, distracting Lionheart while Judy took her time absorbing the insult to Cottontail. Taking a calming breath, she said evenly, "The attack was aimed at Benjamin Cottontail, which is why we responded how we did—"
"So you thought. But that could have been a ruse. Or that warthog could've had more deadly explosives for the rest of us once the rabbit was out of the way."
"I'd hardly qualify a rotten tomato as a dangerous explosive, sir."
"But you didn't know that at the time, did you?" said Lionheart. "That projectile could have been anything. And you left your mayor unprotected! I had to use my own strength and wits to escape to safety."
Fleeing to hide behind the stage wasn't exactly something that took much strength or wits in Nick's opinion, but he knew better than to say so, and thankfully, so did Judy.
"I'm sorry if you felt that we in any way failed as officers today," she managed to say, though each word looked like it pained her. "We are devoted to this city and making sure it stays safe for everyone."
"Of course you are." The mayor reached out to pat Judy on the shoulder with his huge paw. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Hopps. We all make mistakes. And I know you and Wilde are doing your best. Zootopia wouldn't be the great city that it is without you two. Don't think I don't know that. You'll always have a fan in the mayor."
Was using your own title the same as referring to yourself in the third person? Nick wondered. It was definitely irritating, as was Lionheart's confident assumption that he would still be the mayor in the future.
But that wasn't important. Seeing his opening, Nick wasted no time jumping back into the conversation. "Funny you should say that, sir, because right now we are finding ourselves faced with a problem and we could really use a fan like you to help us."
"Oh?"
Briefly Nick summarized their conflict with the ZPD policy and Chief Bogo's attempt to have an exception made for them. "The form should already be at your office. And with your approval, sir, Judy and I could continue working together, protecting this great city, as you put it. What do you think?"
The mayor had been silent during Nick's explanation, but at that he sat up, sending the wallaby tumbling to the ground with a yelp. Judy let out a hushed, "Cheese and crackers," and averted her eyes. Nick had to say there was something unsettling about seeing the mayor of the city in nothing but a towel, and a small towel at that.
Lionheart pulled out his phone and made a call to someone. Three minutes later a lioness entered and handed him a copy of the form.
"I see," the mayor said once he had finished reading it all over. "I have to say Chief Bogo makes a great case. I can't help but agree with him. And sympathize with you two, of course."
"So you'll approve it?" said Judy.
"Goodness, no!" exclaimed Lionheart, and though Nick couldn't say he was surprised, it hurt him to see the disappointment on Judy's face.
"But, you just said—"
"Just because I happen to agree doesn't mean I can approve it. Publicly side with two of the most polarizing figures in Zootopia? It would be political suicide!" The mayor shuddered. "The tagline of my campaign is 'bringing back stability.' That means no big changes, and absolutely no issues that could cause any kind of strife."
Nick couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "How bold of you."
"It's not about being bold," said Lionheart. "It's about reassuring the populace. After everything that's happened in Zootopia lately, what the citizens want is stability. Something my constituent apparently hasn't heard even with those long ears of his."
"So you're going to reject the form then." Judy's tone was bleak.
"Now, hold on," said Lionheart. "I didn't say that. Once I'm re-elected and everything settles down, we can revisit this. If I can give Zootopia a good reason for making an exception for you two, we may be able to work this out."
"What do you mean, 'give them a good reason?" said Nick. "Isn't everything we've done for Zootopia up til now a good enough reason?"
The mayor chuffed a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. You know how short animals' memories are. I can't grant such a great boon for something you did over a year ago! It has to be for something recent, something big that really shows you've earned it. Now, I don't like to judge, but you two have been slacking a bit lately."
"Slacking," echoed Judy. "You think we're... slacking."
"It took you how long to catch a cop working in your own precinct?" said Lionhear, the reminder of Tibor making Nick tense. "And now I hear there's some hooded vigilante running around, solving all your crimes for you?"
"They're not solving any crimes," Nick gritted. "We know who the criminals are just as well as they do."
"Then why am I reading in the paper about some hooded crusader who's digging up evidence and leaving criminals tied up for the ZPD to find?"
Because the evidence was illegally gained, and the methods of catching the criminals more violent than what an officer could get away with, that's why. But it was clear the mayor didn't care about that. He only cared that the ZPD team looked like fools.
"We're still looking into it," was all Judy said.
Lionheart snorted, evidently not impressed with her answer. "Well until you can bust a case like that, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you."