Three

"So are we not going to talk about what happened?"

Judy picked at her lettuce wrap and didn't answer.

If you can't say anything nice…

Her mother had drilled those manners into her, and Judy knew if she opened her mouth nothing nice was going to come out.

It was bad enough that they had failed to convince Lionheart to approve the policy change. But to accuse them of slacking off? Her. A slacker. She had never been called anything so ridiculous in her life! And for that lazy, pompous feline to sit there and judge them like that—

"Is this a new thing? Strangling your food before you eat it?"

Judy blinked. In her anger and distraction, she had squeezed most of the filling out of her wrap. Mashed avocado and tomato juice ran down her wrist and dripped onto the takeout box.

Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Should I be concerned yet?"

He said it jokingly, but Judy knew the worry behind his question was real. This was exactly why Nick had been afraid to start a relationship with her. Because he'd known it was only a matter of time before things like this started happening, and his worst fear was that it would drive Judy away from him.

That would never happen. She wouldn't give him up over this. She wouldn't give him up for anything. But she knew saying so wouldn't reassure him. Nick was far too cynical for mere words to convince him of anything. Only by showing him she was okay would he truly believe it.

So she forced herself to let the anger go along with her mangled wrap, giving Nick a grateful smile when he handed her a napkin. He had already finished his own dinner, the same veggie wrap combo as her. He hadn't even bothered adding the protein option. He was choosing vegetarian meals more and more these days. He said it was growing on him, but a predator needed protein. Judy had managed to badger him into getting some supplements to help compensate, but she wondered about the change. Should she be concerned? Flattered that he seemed to be developing tastes similar to her own? Or was she overthinking it? Whenever she pointed out Nick's food choices he always waved it off, and it seemed like too small a thing to make an issue out of. But then he'd get the tomato salad or pass by the snack aisle without bothering to grab his favorite brand of fried crickets and she couldn't help remembering Tibor's accusations that she was "ruining Nick's true nature." Of course she knew she shouldn't let the rantings of someone who had been (on top of many other things) mentally ill, jealous, and morally corrupt bother her, but that didn't stop the little niggle of doubt. After all, a fox could only eat so many blueberry pies before it became A Thing.

Giving up on dinner, she set it aside and flopped back on the couch. Nick settled back too. His gaze traveled over her as if pondering the mystery that was the bunny on his couch. As he did most nights when they got out of work, he had asked her, "Your place or mine?" and Judy had answered, "Yours," as she did more often than not. If she was being honest, part of her answer was because of the break-in. Judy just couldn't get back that sense of security her apartment used to give her, no matter how many deadbolts Nick installed on the front door or how many extra self defense classes she took.

But part of it was simply that she loved staying at Nick's place. The building was brick, constructed back when Zootopia was newer and the neighborhood had been considered ritzy. Other sections of the city had grown more popular since then, but the area was still quiet, the neighbors polite if aloof. You wouldn't see a lot of cubs or kits running around, but you didn't have to worry about being mugged on your way home at night either. Nick never said it, but Judy thought he had picked this place in honor of his mother, who had fought hard to live in a similar type of area.

The house itself was a cozy two story with narrow hallways and creaky staircases. This was not a place with an open floor plan. Each room was self-contained, small and oddly angled with plenty of nooks and crannies that a kit would love to play hide and seek in. Most of the rooms were closed off and used as storage, a mixture of family heirlooms and leftover bits and bobs from his conning days. But the rooms he used, like the living room they were in now, were clean and dusted and outfitted with the newest tech he could afford. The big screen tv was turned off now. The smart lights dimmed to create a suitably dark atmosphere that Judy appreciated in her current broody mood.

Most of all, she loved coming here because it meant Nick would be with her.

"I've got it!"

The exclamation jolted Judy from her thoughts. "Got what?"

"The answer to our problem!" Nick's grin was wide, his eyes bright with a mischief that told Judy to be on guard.

"And that answer is?"

"We'll stage a coup!"

"A… a coup?"

"It's perfect. All we have to do is take down Lionheart. I doubt anyone will even fight us for him. Then we'll overthrow the government and turn it into a…um…"

"Dictatorship?" said Judy dryly.

Nick wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, we'll have to rename it, to help with PR. Maybe… Freedomship? A utopian Zoo—wait."

Judy laughed, smacking at his arm. "That plan is terrible."

Nick caught her paw in his. "Then we could run away. Leave Zootopia and start our own city. I hear there's land out west. We could call it Wilde Hoppington."

"That's even worse!"

"Ok, then what about—"

She leaned in and kissed him. Nick made a surprised, pleased sound and let go of her paw to cup her cheek instead, drawing her closer. The day's tension slowly drained away, and Judy felt Nick relax along with her own fading stress levels.

They broke apart and she cuddled up against him, humming happily as Nick's arms settled around her. His sigh was a gentle breeze against her ear. "We could always ask Cottontail for his support. He's annoyingly helpful when it comes to you."

Judy knew how much it had cost Nick to make such an offer. She gave his middle a fond squeeze. "Regardless, Ben would need to win the election first. You were right before. There's nothing we can do now besides wait and see. We'll just have to be patient." She held up a fist and gave Nick her most determined look. "Don't worry. After everything we've been through, this will be a cakewalk in comparison."

Nick caught her paw, kissed it, then pressed it to his chest. Judy could feel the steady beat of his heart. She listened to the inhale/exhale of his lungs and thought about how she might not have this every day anymore. It was enough to make her eyes sting, and she blinked them away before Nick could notice.

She cast about for a topic of distraction. "Do you think Mayor Lionheart was serious earlier? About bringing in Ro—the vigilante?"

Nick stroked her paw as he thought about it. "Hard to say with him."

"You know we can't, right? Even if he does mean it."

"It would make the wedding awkward," Nick conceded.

"He's just trying to help, you know. In his own way. He's bringing animals to justice that the ZPD isn't able to touch."

"He's breaking the law," said Nick flatly. "And bringing attention to himself while he does it. His reasons don't matter."

"Said the former con artist." Judy poked him in the side. "Since when have you become such a stickler for the law?"

"Since you."

"Ha, ha," said Judy, but Nick's gaze stayed steady and she realized he was being serious. "I never asked you to change for me, Nick."

"It's not about changing. It's about being careful to protect what we have."

"What does that mean?"

Nick lowered his voice, even though they were the only ones in the house and it was silent outside. "You've befriended a group of vigilantes, Carrots. And the closer you are to them, the worse it's going to look when Robin finally gets caught. And trust me, animals that show off the way he does always get caught. We're over here walking a tightrope just by being us; You know how many animals would love to push us off. When Robin is caught they'll say we covered for him, which won't be entirely wrong. We'll be tied into every offense he's made. At best, we'll lose our badges. At worst, we'll go to jail right along with him."

"So, what?" said Judy. "You want to turn him in? Get points with Mayor Lionheart?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that a little more distance with the whole family might be wise."

Judy knew he had a point. Still. "Marian is my friend, Nick. And she's already struggling with so much. Between this wedding, her brother, and now Fru Fru, I can't abandon her."

She expected further argument, but Nick only sighed and she realized he hadn't expected any other answer.

"Then we'll be as careful as we can, and hope that Robin and his buddies do the same."

Judy cuddled back into him. Nick had taken off his tie and unbuttoned the top of his blue dress shirt, revealing a fluffy mess of white fur. Lightly, she raked her tiny claws through it, hiding a smile when she felt him shiver.

"And if Lionheart wins the election?" she asked. "How do we prove to him we deserve an exception?"

"Tomorrow is the rhino's date of exile," said Nick. "Once he's released, we can start tracking down his underground group. That will more than prove our worth."

Judy nodded. With so much happening, she had forgotten all about it.

She tried not to let her unease show. She wanted to find the rhino's leader as badly as Nick did, but her fox had just started healing from the betrayal and loss of Tibor. She didn't know what kind of effect diving back into this case would have.

She leaned in, pressing a kiss to Nick's forehead, then his nose, then his cheek, imagining each kiss as a ward of protection: May no one hurt you. May no sadness touch you. May you come back to me safe, always, always, always.

It wasn't until she reached his lips that Nick finally responded, kissing her back and snaking an arm around her waist to draw her closer. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she yanked him down so that she was lying on her back, Nick stretched atop her, his mouth finding places along her throat and behind her ears that made her stomach tighten and her toes curl. He was always so careful with her. He never grabbed or pushed or held on too tight, even as Judy shoved and nipped and clung. It sometimes made her feel as if she were being too passionate, a cliché to bunnies everywhere. She didn't know how he always maintained such rigid control long after she had lost all of hers. If he didn't always look at her as he did afterwards—adoring, satisfied—she would be more worried. But it looked like this one point of contention was felt by her alone, and so she took it as a personal challenge. One day she would make Nick come undone utterly. No holding back.

Just the thought of it ratcheted up her desire, and she rolled them so that she was the one on top. Nick growled, a vibration that sent shivers through her, and she heard the popping of fabric as his claws dug into the couch cushions. She wanted to feel him grip her tight like that. She wanted his mouth on her throat, not just with sweet kisses but with scraping teeth and hot breaths. One day, she would succeed. Until then, she would enjoy the effort.

She always did love a good challenge.

It was with no small amount of restraint that Nick entered Chief Bogo's office the following morning with Judy, then stood back as she approached their boss's desk and said, "I'll be the one taking the transfer."

To give the water buffalo's credit, his only show of surprise was a slight raising of his eyebrows. He looked over at Nick. "And you are both in agreement on this?"

"Why do you think we got here so late?"

Judy sent him a cheeky wink over her shoulder; Nick scowled back at her. She was doing her best to make light of things, for his sake as well as Chief Bogo's, but Nick didn't feel like making things easy. He would go along with this because they had no choice if they wanted to keep their jobs, but he wasn't going to act like he was okay with it. He wasn't happy about losing Judy and he was even less happy she was the one taking the transfer.

They had argued back and forth about it all morning. Nick had been adamant he should be the one to go. "You got the position first," he told Judy. "It's only fair you get to keep it."

But Judy had only shook her head at him, water dripping from fur still damp from her morning shower. "It doesn't matter who got the position first. We've both more than earned the right to it since. So if that's your only reason—"

"I prefer working in the desert anyway. It's less of a hardship for me to go."

"That is a lie I am never going to buy, so you can stop trying to sell it." She'd had the nerve to grin at him then. "Any other excuse you want to try?"

Yes, but he knew it wouldn't go over well.

"Predators don't let their mates take the fall for them."

As expected, Judy had been less than amused by that. "Is that so? I don't think I learned that law back in basic. Or are you quoting from some kind of secret predator rulebook I don't know about?"

"I'm being serious, Judy. You can't expect me to sit back and let you take a punishment you don't deserve."

"Neither of us deserves this, Nick. But if you think I'm going to let you take this on just because you're the predator and I'm… what? Some weak-hearted prey?"

"That's not what I meant."

"You think prey animals don't want to protect their mates too?" Judy had demanded. "We feel the same desperation to keep our loved ones safe as predators do, you know. What if we were both predators, huh? What then? Who gets to protect whom?"

"That's… more complicated," Nick had hedged.

"Why?" Judy had stepped up to him then, putting a paw flat to his chest in a gesture clearly meant to provoke. "Does it become an alpha-beta thing then? How does that get decided I wonder?"

"That's not how that works—" Nick had started to say, but then that small paw of hers had started to move, a slow, purposeful drifting down his chest and over his abdomen that made Nick lose focus. The look in her eyes was all dare, and as her paw came to a rest on his waistband, Nick had to swallow back a growl. His instincts were leaping to meet her silent challenge, but he leashed them back. She was angry and pushing his buttons on purpose. That was all this was. He knew better than to react to it. Nick remembered how distrustful she'd been of foxes. All it would take was one slip-up, one mistake during a passionate moment to put that fear right back into her. He refused to let that happen.

So he shoved his desire back, saying as lightly as his hoarse voice would allow, "I think we both know that's an uncontested status in our relationship."

Judy's brow had pinched, her mouth tipping into a troubled frown. It hurt Nick to see it, but he didn't have the self-control to try and console her right now. Just standing there and not touching her was taking all the willpower he had.

She'd let her paw drop then—thank the Great Turtle—and stepped back from him. Her tone turned brisk and business-like. "Then you agree? I should be the one to take the transfer."

"If it will make you happy."

"Being with you makes me happy," she correct him, and this time when she touched his chest it was a gentle press over this heart.

Nick covered her paw with his own. "Me too," he said, and she smiled and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

As she pulled away she added, "Besides, I'm the only one with a legitimate reason to go anyway."

"And that is?"

She'd given him a determined look. "I might find a new lead on Fru Fru this way."

"But that means…"

She'd nodded.

"You want to go to Tundratown?" Chief Bogo said it like she had asked to go live in the Wildlands.

"Yes, sir," said Judy. "I feel like I have a good rapport with Commander Stelmaria and could help solve some cases there."

The water buffalo grimaced at the mention of the snow leopard who ran the Tundratown precinct. "No one has a good rapport with that hellcat. But if that's where you want to go…"

"It is."

"Then consider it done."

"Thank you, sir." She looked at Nick. "Well, I guess I will see you after work, part—um, Officer Wilde."

"Yeah." Nick swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. "Be careful out there."

"You too."

And then she was gone, striding out the door with her ears held high. Nick had never been prouder of her—or felt more dejected.

"I"m sorry, Wilde."

Nick turned to Chief Bogo. His boss was watching him, a unnervingly sympathetic look on his face. Nick said nothing. He knew he meant it, but if the water buffalo thought Nick was going to forgive him just like that, he had another thing coming.

When it was clear Nick wasn't going to respond, Chief Bogo sighed and rose. "We should probably get going then. The exhile is taking place in an hour."

"I don't think so, sir."

Chief Bogo, who had been reaching for his hat, paused with a frown. "Excuse me?"

Nick cleared his throat and said more loudly, "I will not be going with you, sir."

"You're not going?"

"Oh, I am definitely going," said Nick. "Just not with you. I'll find my own way there."

At this Chief Bogo snorted, his posture relaxing. He finished putting on his hat and stepped around the desk. "I thought you were going to be more mature about this, Wilde."

Nick shrugged one shoulder. "I debated it. I know you didn't have a choice in terminating our partnership. I get that. At this point, there's been too many complaints, and the law's certainly not going to back us, so what else could you do?"

When Chief Bogo started to comment, Nick held up a paw. "But here's the thing, Chief: This was not a sudden issue. These complaints built over the course of months, during which time you warned no one and did nothing."

"And what would you have had me do, Wilde?" asked Chief Bogo. "You and Judy already knew the risks. Telling you about the complaints wouldn't have stopped anything."

"Why do you assume I wanted you to tell us anything?" asked Nick.

"Who else would I talk to?"

"We both know who most of those complaints came from," said Nick. "An officer who hasn't exactly been employee of the month, has he? Picking fights, starting rumors. He's been just as much of a problem as Judy and I have ever been. And yet, because he's not technically breaking any policies, his behavior gets to slide."

"Wilde—"

"That's why," said Nick, raising his voice, "since this precinct seems to love technicalities so much, technically speaking, it's your fault Judy and I are in the position we are now. So as far as I'm concerned, until Judy and I are reinstated as partners, you and I are not on speaking terms for anything except official work business."

"Which means… no carpooling?"

"Have Clawhauser radio me if you need anything."

And giving his boss a mocking salute, Nick turned on his heel and left.

Behind him he heard Chief Bogo grumble, "This is going to be a long month."

Didn't Nick know it.

The first place Judy headed was to the Corsac's restaurant. It wouldn't be opened for several hours yet, but everyone who knew Marian and her brothers (and now Robin and his sister) knew that this was the family's true watering hole, not the quaint row-house four blocks down.

The sign on the door said closed, but the door was unlocked and Judy could hear multiple voices inside. She went in, the bell on the door handle announcing her entrance with a cheerful jingling.

Conversation faltered as four heads turned: Marian, Reynard, Scarlet and Will. They sat at one of the nicer tables, with a window that overlooked a small garden outside where Marian grew vegetables for her dishes. Warm morning light spilled onto the table, illuminating scattered stacks of papers and oversized coffee mugs. It reminded Judy of Nick's desk when he was in one of his procrastination moods.

"Judy!" Marian waved her over, her smile bright. Even Scarlet and Will, who were usually pretty aloof with their feelings, perked up at the sight of her.

"Join us," said Marian. Even as she said it, Reynard was on his feet, pulling over a chair for her.

"Oh, no, that's okay," said Judy. "I can't stay long."

"Please, stay," said Reynard, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "If you have any mercy in you at all. We could use the break."

Judy sat, scanning the papers they had been looking at more closely. Dozens of pictures of wedding dresses, flower arrangements, and meal ideas covered the table. There were fabric swatches, scribbled notes with different names, dates, and locations. A half-buried tablet showed a looping video of a deer in a wedding dress walking down a snowy, forested lane holding a bouquet of holly.

"Is this all for the wedding?" she asked, feeling overwhelmed just by the sight of it.

"This isn't even half of it," said Will. "We keep whittling the lists down, but—"

"Robin keeps adding news things to it," finished Scarlet.

"He means well," defended Marian, half to Judy, and half to the mutinous looking trio seated around her. "He just wants me to have the perfect wedding, so he keeps finding these things to suggest…"

"No one needs a hedge maze made out of twelve different kinds of roses," said Will.

"Even so, it would be rude to tell him no without even looking it over first."

Scarlet snickered. "That's so naive it's adorable. I can't wait to see you after a few years of marriage. A hundred buck says she learns to say 'no' in four months."

Reynard eyed his sister. "Two. She already says no to us all the time."

"Your her brothers. It's different."

"How d'you figure?"

Scarlet smirked in a way that made the young male wrinkle his nose. "That's disgusting."

Scarlet laughed, deep and husky. She elbowed Will next to her. "What about you, cat? Care to place a wager?"

The caracal scowled. "No bet."

"Boring as usual, I see."

Those bright fox eyes turned to Judy. The bunny held up her paws. "Officers can't gamble on the clock."

"Shame. Still, you can always find me after work if you change your mind."

"That might be difficult…" Judy admitted, and the hesitance in her voice caught her friend's attention. Marian leaned towards her, concern in her eyes. "Has something happened?"

So Judy explained about the ZPD's policy on partners dating and how she was transferring to Tundratown for a while.

"What a ridiculous policy," said Scarlet.

"Sounds reasonable to me," said Will.

"Cold cat."

Will shrugged. "The policy is there for a reason."

"Anyway..." said Judy, "I don't plan on it being for long. Nick and I are going to do everything we can to get an exception made—"

"That's the spirit!" said Scarlet.

"But until then, I won't be able to stop by as much. I just wanted to let you know."

"Of course you must focus on your work," said Marian. Judy was grateful for her friend's understanding, but she still felt guilty. She had promised to help her with the wedding plans, but that wasn't going to be possible now.

"If only Fru Fru were here," said Marian, voicing Judy's thoughts. Fru Fru would have been ecstatic organizing the wedding.

"I'm hoping going to Tundratown will help me find her," said Judy. "Her family's from there, after all."

"You're talking about Mr. Big's daughter, right?" said Scarlet. "That arctic shrew who ran in the underground for a while?"

At Judy's nod, she pursed her lips. "Hmm. Interesting. You know, I'm very good at finding things—mammals, items, you name it. I could help you out, if you'd like."

Nick's warning about getting too close to Robin and his friend's came back to Judy then. Though she wasn't about to end her friendship with Marian, she had to admit that hiring Scarlet, who was a close associate of Robin's, might not be the wisest move right now.

"That's okay—" she started to say, but Scarlet cut her off.

"Please. It will give me an excuse to take a break from all this wedding craziness. No offense," she said to Marian, who smiled weakly.

"Robin told you to lay low for a while," said Will.

"I can't do both? You underestimate my abilities, cat."

"You overestimate your abilities, fox."

Scarlet bared her teeth at him.

Will sipped his coffee, unimpressed.

The Corsac siblings sent Judy identical looks of apology.

Scarlet turned back to Judy. "I'll find your shrew for you. I won't even charge you for it. That's how good and selfless I am, unlike other mammals who never do anything for free." She said this with a dirty look at Will, who rolled his eyes.

"That's…" stammered Judy.

"I know. You're touched, right? To get these kinds of skills working for you. I'm the best in Zootopia, you know. Could have been a cop myself if I hadn't been—"

Will coughed loudly.

"—already under contract." The fox winked at him. "I love a good mystery. Do you now that in my entire life, there's only been one mystery I couldn't solve?"

"What mystery was that?" asked Judy, curiosity getting the better of her.

Scarlet shook out her tail, smacking Will not-so-accidentally in the side of the face with it. She jabbed her thumb at him. "Why he's such a stick in the mud."

Will put down his coffee mug and stood. "I think we're done for the day."

"B-but we've barely gone over anything!" said Marian, looking a bit desperately at all the papers in front of her.

"I'll see about getting my secretary to come over and help. He's better at these kinds of things anyway."

Scarlet sniffed. "I bet his rates are cheaper than yours anyway."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?"

With a curt nod to Marian, he left.

Judy rose as well. "I should get going too. They're going to be expecting me at the Tundratown precinct."

The front door jingled. Will sidestepped as Craven stalked past. He made a beeline for the kitchen, not acknowledging any of them. Marian watched her brother go with sad eyes.

"Is he doing any better?" Judy asked quietly.

Marian shook her head. "No. And he's so distant these days. He keeps disappearing, sometimes for days at a time. Reynard's been trying to keep an eye on him, but he's good at losing tails he doesn't want. Short of tying him down, I don't know what to do."

"Should I try talking to him?" offered Judy. "Or maybe Nick?"

Marian shook her head. "I don't think it would do any good. We've all tried... but he refuses to open up. Yesterday he even snapped at Todd. He's never done that before. He was always such a kind kit, even as a teen he was always so sweet and thoughtful..."

"It's probably just some belated growing pains," said Scarlet. "Even the most even-tempered kit goes through them."

"No, this is different," said Marian. "I worry he never dealt properly with what happened to us last year. He tends to overthink things. And he was left alone in that hospital for so long while we were... out there. He's always been a worrier." She rubbed at her eyes. "I just wish he'd talk to us."

Scarlet reached over to give her should an awkward pat, Sharing a worried look with Judy.

Reynard shot a black look at the kitchen. "What he needs is a good beating. Apparently almost dying in that fight ring wasn't enough for him."

"Do you think he's trying to reconnect with that group?" asked Judy, and Marian looked up with horrified eyes.

"I don't know," said Reynard. "If he is, he hasn't found them yet. He's not that good at hiding things from me."

There wasn't much to say after that. Judy took her leave, making Marian promise to call if she learned anything or needed any help. Scarlet also promised to look into Fru Fru's disappearance. Though Judy told her not to push herself, the fox was adamant about helping. There was nothing Judy could do but thank her and hope she was as good at keeping a low profile as she was at finding things.

Surprisingly, Will was still outside when Judy exited the restaurant. She joined him on the sidewalk, and for a moment they stood together, watching the building and thinking of the foxes within.

Will broke the silence first. "Be careful working with Scarlet. Trouble follows her everywhere. And while she's good at getting out of the messes she makes, I have a feeling that won't be as easy for you as an officer."

Not for the first time, Judy wondered at this cat who worked so closely with Robin. He obviously knew the truth about the fox's less-than-legitimate activities, and yet he seemed like such a strait-laced lawyer. It made her wonder how they had first met, and what held them together still.

"You sound like Nick. Always thinking about the worst case scenario."

"Someone has to be the reasonable one. Even if it is a thankless position."

"I'm always thankful," said Judy. "It means he worries about me. Just like how you worry about all of them." She nodded towards the restaurant.

The caracal's mouth twitched. "For all the good it does. They'll ignore my advice, just like always. I should charge Robin more for having to put up with such annoyances."

"You won't." Even as she said it, Judy realized it was true. Even more than that... "You don't charge Robin at all, do you? You're doing all of this for free. Even when Marian and her brothers were in court last year, and the same with this wedding."

Will slid her an appraising look. "What makes you think that?"

But Judy knew she was right. She couldn't say how she knew, but whatever kept Will around, it wasn't money.

"Why do you let them all think you're being paid to help them?"

The caracal sighed. "Because it's easier that way."

Easier than just being friends? wondered Judy. She wanted to ask, but Will was already walking away, and she knew even if she chased after him that she wouldn't get a satisfactory answer. The caracal was a mystery, definitely; Scarlet had been right about that. But Judy had too many other more important mysteries to figure out first. So she let him go, instead heading off in the opposite direction towards the snowy mountains of Tundratown. It was time to face her cold new reality.