WingedKatt here. For those of you who needed a box of Kleenex in the last chapter, you might want a few more for this chapter. But only at the beginning. Just a fair warning. Now enjoy the chapter. It's a long one.


"Did Maige Badgersen save my life, pull me off the streets, give me a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on my plate? Yes, yes, she did," Nick replied smugly. Spreading his arms wide at Bogo's dumbfounded expression, he added, "Like I said, she was a saint."

Bogo took several minutes to answer as he tried to process this new and surprising information. Even before becoming Chief of Precinct 1, Bogo had heard about the badger who improved several components of the climate control wall as Honey had made headline news and was on the front cover of not only the newspapers, but several magazines. But then when Maige 'Honey' Badgersen redesigned their S.W.A.T. gear, Bogo was able to get to know Honey on a more personal level. She was quite the character and lived a daredevil life when she wasn't tinkering away on something.

It was several years later that the rumor of her raising a teenage fox todd began to surface. At first no one believed it and thought it was a joke, but at her insistence, they had to believe her. She told them that she found the todd in dire straits and he just needed a helping paw. It had taken a good while for her to gain his trust and get him to open up to her, but once he did, his wit, humor, and intelligence astounded her. She talked about him frequently and always with high praise—his success in school (though she never did mention what he majored in), his enjoyment and skill when joining her in her daredevil ways (rock climbing, repelling, off-roading, sky-diving, spelunking, skiing, ice climbing, and scuba diving to name a few), and his imagination in testing out her gadgets and giving her pointers on improving them, not to mention having an amazing musical talent (which, hearing how his mom, Vivian Wilde, was an orchestra-level pianist no longer surprised Bogo).

At the time, Bogo had a hard time believing just how brilliant the todd was, but Honey always insisted he was the best at whatever he did. She said that before she took him in, she'd merely been coasting through life. Her husband and young son had been dead for many years and she was simply filling the time until she could join them. But after taking the todd in, she found a reason to live again. And being able to show the angry teenager how life was meant to be lived (and not merely survived) gave greater meaning to her life. And even though at first she had to literally drag him on her wild ventures, he soon grew to love them as much as she did, and eagerly looked forward to their wilderness adventures. It didn't take long for the elderly badger to look at the fox todd as her own son, just as much as she did her own biological son whom she'd lost so very long ago. If her little Michael had survived, Honey claimed he'd be the same age as her fox (she never did tell anyone what the todd's name was) and that they would have made the best of brothers.

Bogo and everyone else at the ZPD had repeatedly invited her to bring him with her to the precinct functions—fundraisers, charity balls, annual picnics, holiday parties (she was always invited due to her contribution to the S.W.A.T. team)—and introduce him, but she always refused to bring him saying he didn't want to be in the spotlight. Seeing how the ZPD treated Wilde and his family, Bogo figured this was the real reason the todd didn't want to step within 100 feet of the ZPD. Which made Hopps's ability to bring him here that much more surprising.

With a shake of his head, he couldn't help but think how much of a boon having Wilde on the force would be. Besides having a reliable partner for Hopps, if there were any kits who'd wondered off in the woods or teenagers lost in a cave—Wilde would be indispensable in finding them and bringing them home. Search and Rescue might even try to recruit him if they ever find out Honey taught him everything he knows. And of course, any criminals trying to escape into the mountains wouldn't get very far if Bogo was able to put Wilde on their trail. Bogo wasn't sure if any of the gadgets Honey had been working on (and Wilde had been testing) would be helpful to the ZPD (she was always secretive about them), but just his adaptability in so many different environments would guarantee Wilde a top spot anywhere in the ZPD, no matter which district he was placed in (not that Bogo was willing to send him to another district on a permanent basis, but he might be willing to share if the need was great).

Of course, none of this mattered if he couldn't convince the jaded todd to join. Honey had never been able to convince Wilde to step foot inside the ZPD while she was still alive and yet here he was. With just a few words from his rabbit friend, he jumped at the chance to come. With a mental laugh, Bogo thought, Honey's mysterious fox, here in my precinct. Who would have thought? As he wrapped his head around the fact that he was finally meeting the todd Honey had so much praise for (and feeling even more of bastard for the way he treated Wilde earlier), one thought stuck out to Bogo that begged to be answered.

"She saved your life?" When Honey had told Bogo she'd found her fox in dire straits, he hadn't thought anything about it beyond him being a run away kit who was cold and hungry, and simply needed a warm place to sleep. But from everything else Wilde had told him today, Bogo felt a chill run down his spine at what more the vulpine had to say.

Nick nodded. "I told you I left home a week after my 12th birthday. I was living on the streets for about 10 months or so, when a group of your legitimate"—he sneered the word—"business employees found me in an alley while trying to find the least cold spot to curl up in so I could pretend to sleep." Spreading his arms out, he continued, "They said that with me being a red fox, my coat wasn't red enough." He swept his arm through the air, indicating his reddish-orange coat, then leaned back in the chair and draped his arm across the back. With a nonchalant tone, he continued, "Since my coat wasn't the right color, they decided to paint it bright red—with my own blood." The todd's last words dripped with contempt.

Bogo watched the vulpine carefully. Although Wilde looked at ease, without a care in the world, there was no denying the rage burning deep within his emerald gaze.

"They were doing a pretty good job of it, too, when this badger showed up, hissing and snarling and brandishing her claws. The thugs scattered like the spineless jellyfish they were." There was a growl in his voice as the hated memories washed over him, and he felt the pain of their kicks and punches on his young, undernourished body once again. Their cruel laughter and snide taunts echoed in his ears while remembering how his precious blood flowed from his body and splattered against the hard, unforgiving cement.

His breathing was heavy and he tried to push the memories back into their box so he could lock them away once more—but they would not be banished. They had finally surfaced to the light of day and they refused to return to the darkness of forgotten memories.

Judy watched Nick struggle as tears flowed down her cheeks. Although he'd told her the tale already, he had been calm then, and without the rage and pain the memories were evoking now. Leaning over, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly.

Nick immediately looked down as his arms wrapped around her of their own accord. As she nuzzled his chest, he took a deep breath and began running his paw down her ears, even as his tail wrapped more firmly around her waist. In caressing her ears, he found it calmed him down as much as it did her.

Taking a deep, ragged breath, he was able to finally push the memories back down, along with most of the pain and rage he felt. After another deep breath, he slowly released it, then met Bogo's unsettled gaze. "I guess I was somewhat still conscience during the beating because I vaguely remembered the badger calling 911. I flipped out when I heard her demand an ambulance be sent. I started yelling and screaming 'No ambulance! No doctors! No hospital!' I'm not sure how understandable I was at the time, but that was what I tried to convey to her."

While the hazy memories of Honey's rescue played over in his mind, he glanced up at the ceiling and murmured, "I think I crawled away . . . or at least tried to." With a shake of his head, he looked back at Chief Bogo. "I don't know. The memories are foggy. I must have passed out at that point because the next thing I remember is waking up in a strange bed in a strange room, covered in bandages and with all my limbs in casts."

Judy's eyes widened as she looked up from where her head rested on his chest. He'd already told her about the beating, but she now realized just how much he'd left out. "Casts?" she queried as her heart broke all over again. How could he act so nonchalant yesterday while telling her about his beating when it was obviously still festering inside him? And how could she help him heal from it?

Nick nodded. "Yeah, Fluff, casts. They broke or cracked a lot of my bones. I even had a hairline fracture in my skull."

Judy whimpered and buried her face in his chest again as her arms tightened around his middle. This was too cruel. Nick shouldn't have had to suffer as he did. No one should.

Seeing her distress, Nick didn't think twice about pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her before gently nuzzling her head. Resting his muzzle between her ears for several heartbeats, he then looked up at Bogo and said, "If you want a full description of my injuries, Honey kept all the doctor notes and x-rays they took."

Bogo watched his smallest officer receive comfort from her fox friend, though at this point, he no longer wondered about them being simple friends. They moved so naturally around each other, their touch too familiar, that it looked more like a well-established habit. Whatever their relationship was, Bogo knew it went far beyond just friends, or even best friends.

With a heavy sigh, Bogo waved his hoof in the negative. He didn't need to see Wilde's medical charts unless he could convince the jaded todd to join the Academy—which didn't look promising. "Was the incident reported? I don't remember seeing it attached to your file."

Nick shook his head, then explained, "Honey reported the crime, but I was in a coma for almost two weeks, so she wasn't able to give them my name."

"And after you woke up?"

Nick barked a bitter laugh. "Yeah, they came out—once. Took my statement, the description of my attackers and two of their names, but we never heard back from them."

Bogo nodded tiredly (his chances of convincing Wilde to join the force continued to dwindle), then asked, "So why wasn't your name added to the case file?"

Nick again shook his head as he continued to run his paws down Judy's ears. She wasn't taking his beating very well, especially after hearing he'd been in a coma for two weeks. "They didn't write it down because I didn't give it to them. They had Honey's report and the pictures she took of the attack, plus the medical records and I didn't see any point to giving them my name. It was just going to turn into another cold case file—which it did."

Bogo sighed again. "And they didn't insist you tell them?"

"They didn't really care, so I pretended I couldn't remember. I did have a cracked skull, so I played it like I had amnesia. It wasn't hard."

After running a hoof down his muzzle, he thought, Forget dwindling, my chances of convincing Wilde to join the ZPD are practically nonexistent by now. In frustration, Bogo looked over and asked, "And Honey didn't tell them?"

"She didn't know either. I told you, I was pretending to have amnesia. She came in every morning with a different name in the hopes of jogging my memory—or convincing me to just tell her my name. I think she had an inkling that I was just pretending. Anyway, it took her over a week to win my trust enough to open up to her, but I only told her after she promised not to call social services." Swiping his paw through the air, Nick said, "There was no way I was going in the system. Starving on the streets was preferable to the abuse and torture fox kits are put through by their foster parents."

Judy pushed herself off his chest where she'd been quietly listening (and trying to hold back the tears) then met Nick's emerald gaze. "Wait, fox kits are abused in foster care?" It was bad enough hearing about all the horrors in Nick's life, but now to learn it was happening to fox kits who'd already lost everything—she whimpered again as her spirits hit an all time low.

"Yeah. Finn still has scars from his time in the system. It's horrible and most who manage to escape are roped in by criminal organizations who become the closest thing to a family they've ever known. After being treated far better by criminals than they ever were by 'law abiding' citizens, most foxes never even consider going legit afterwards, nor feel bad about hurting ordinary mammals. And those that are trying to go straight and prove that foxes are more than shifty lowlifes always end up getting blamed for anything that goes wrong or gets stolen, like no other mammal could possibly be a backstabbing thief." Nick waved his arms in the air again as a touch of disgust and anger once more entered his voice.

Judy wiped her paw across her eyes, but before she could say anything, Bogo reached into his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. After putting on his glasses, he started writing and said, "I'll look into it, Wilde."

Judy's ears immediately went up and she twisted around in Nick's lap to look at the large cape buffalo. "Really!? You'll start a case looking into the abuse of fox kits in foster care?"

Bogo simply nodded and Nick said, "Seriously? I didn't know you cared." Bogo glared at him, and Nick continued, "No, seriously, I didn't think you would care. Nobody else in authority does."

Giving a grunt, Bogo explained, "You're not far off. Three months ago, I wouldn't have cared, but between you and Hopps I've been forced to eat a lot of humble pie. It's quite bitter. With as much as you've given me today, I think I should share it with the rest of the precinct."

Nick's smug grin returned, and his tail wagged. "Excellent decision, Chief. You wouldn't want to be labeled as greedy, now would you?" Bogo ignored the jibe as he continued to fill out a modified incident report (as no incident was actually reported, but merely speculated). "I can assure you," Nick smirked, "that from personal experience every officer needs a good helping of it—the officer sitting in my lap excluded."

Bogo raised an eyebrow as he heard Hopps whisper, "Yeah, I already had mine." Finishing up a few more notes on the form, Bogo commented, "Yes, that is something we'll need to discuss, Hopps."

Judy blushed upon realizing the compromising position she was in and hurriedly climbed out of Nick's lap to sit beside him. Fidgeting with her fingers, she stated, "That's one of the items on our list of things to discuss with you."

Bogo finished up the report and glanced up. "List?"

Judy nodded, but it was Nick who answered. "Yes, there are several things we need to discuss with you, but first—was there anything else you needed to ask me?" Nick figured that if he seriously wanted to be a cop and partnered with Judy, then he needed to be upfront about his past with Bogo so it wouldn't come back to bite him later.

Setting his pen down, Bogo pressed his hooves together and studied the pair for a moment, then asked, "How did you graduate high school at 16?"

"Honey homeschooled me."

Bogo nodded. Even if he was homeschooled, the fact the smug vulpine was able to graduate at 16 showed just how intelligent he was. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Why law school? Being a fox, not many mammals will hire you."

Nick snorted. "Not any that can pay me, that's for sure." At Bogo's raised eyebrow, Nick explained, "My mother was the victim of a heinous crime and I wasn't going to let some backstabbing lawyer screw her over even more than she already had been."

Bogo tried to maintain what he hoped was a neutral expression (though it came off more stern than anything) while remaining silent. The smug todd he'd written off so easily was even more of a force to reckon with than the bunny he was snuggled up to.

Nick spread his paws out and said, "Let me paint a scene for you and see if it doesn't ring a few bells." Moving his paws to outline a large box, he stated, "During the fall, sixteen years ago, a box about yay-big arrives at the precinct with no return address and no noticeable smell."

Bogo's eyes widened as the description of the box alone rang several bells.

Nick continued. "In the box there were several newfangled DVR's with recorded videos and audio files of several doctors discussing and administering an experimental drug on their low-income, unsuspecting patients. There were also samples of said experimental drug, a list of the patients being experimented on, medical charts showing the effect of the drugs on them, and in a small icebox there were blood samples of a few of the victimized patients."

Spreading out his paws, Nick asked, "So any bells ringing yet?" Interlocking his fingers, Nick rested his paws on the edge of Bogo's desk and leaned forward a little with his ears cocked forward and his grin smug and sly.

Bogo didn't know what to say at first. He knew exactly the box Wilde was talking about, for it contained the evidence needed to open the case that launched his career and set him on the path to becoming chief. Taking a deep breath, Bogo leaned back in his chair and stared at the sly todd. He didn't even need to ask how Wilde knew what was in the box. And although he wanted to know how the vulpine had been able to gather all the evidence, Bogo didn't feel like he had the right, not with how he and the rest of the ZPD had treated him and his family.

With a snort, Bogo crossed his arms and said, "I won't ask how you know that." Wilde's grin grew smugger and Bogo snorted again.

"Anything else you'd like to know, Chief?"

Bogo shook his head, but then said, "There's plenty I'd like to know, but I think I'll save it for another time."

Nick nodded, then leaned back into his chair. "Good, because there are several things I should probably discuss with you"—Bogo raised his eyebrow—"but first: What kind of reward is there for helping bring down 2 corrupt mayors and saving the city from terrorist rule?"

Bogo didn't respond at first, for this was the last thing the Chief expected to be asked. After several moments, he carefully said, "There is a monetary reward, of course, but I'm guessing that's not what you're asking about."

Nick smirked at the chief, even as Judy tilted her head to give him a curious look. "So you didn't get to be Chief on your good-looks alone. I'm impressed." Bogo glared and Nick's sly grin widened. "You're right. Money is nice, but there are more important things in life."

Bogo nodded, being only slightly surprised by his words. The fact that the smug todd pushed himself through such a demanding degree even knowing it would never pay, simply so he could defend his mom told the Chief that the vulpine valued his close relationships above anything else. And Hopps, it seems, had somehow earned the same level of commitment and loyalty from the smug todd.

"So what is it you want?"

Nick took a moment before answering as he glanced at Judy. Thinking about what he needed to admit to made him nervous. He didn't have a criminal record, so the easy thing to do was to keep his mouth shut. But meeting Judy's bright amethyst gaze, he knew he couldn't take the easy way out. He had dealings with criminals in his past, and could even be considered one himself, so if he did become her partner and something from his past came up, the chief needed to know about it now. Otherwise, he could very well end up in jail himself and he couldn't leave Judy with the fallout if that happened. Not only would she be out a partner, but she could be incriminated by association. Nor would he put her through the heartache of having her husband incarcerated.

With a sigh, he turned back to Bogo and squared his shoulders as a resolute gleam entered his eyes. "I want immunity for any past crimes I might have committed."

Bogo's eyes widened. Wilde had no criminal history (at least he was never caught for any criminal activities) so why would he fess up to any now? Furthermore, when criminals wanted immunity, it was always for something big.

Nick watched the play of emotions across the cape buffalo's face. Shock, confusion, caution, and then a hardness entered his gaze. Lifting a finger, Nick spoke up before the Chief could answer. "Before you say anything, just let me clarify. In asking for immunity, I have never killed anyone, I have never bought, sold, or smuggled drugs, nor was I involved in any grand theft."

Bogo studied the red todd. The smug, sly grin he'd worn for most of the interview was nowhere to be found. He looked determined and sincere. Glancing at Hopps, he saw that she'd slipped her paw into the vulpine's and gave him an encouraging smile. Wilde must have shared at least part of his past with her, and yet she still trusted him. That had to count for something. As Bogo considered his answer, a hundred different questions flooded his mind. But one stood out and he needed to know the answer. "Why? Why bring this up now? You have no criminal history, so why incriminate yourself?"

To answer, Nick reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, he replied, "Because I don't want my past to ruin my future." Meeting the Chief's surprised gaze, Nick handed him his ZPA application.

Bogo took the small paper with one hoof while reaching into his desk for a large magnifying glass with the other. As the paper came into focus, the chief's eyes grew wide as saucers. After scanning it to make sure it was filled out properly, he glanced up at Wilde, back to the paper, and then up at Wilde. "Why? Why would you want to be a cop after what we put you and your family through?"

"Simple. Judy asked me to."

This wasn't the answer Bogo was expecting. "You'd turn your whole life around and work with mammals that have severely wronged you just because a bunny asked you to?"

Nick's ears flicked back and he narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Of course not. There's no way I'd make such a huge change in my life just because some bunny asked me to." Bogo was shocked at Nick's statement, and Judy shifted uneasily beside him, but he continued before either could say anything. "I'm turning my life around for Judy, who is not just some bunny." With a wide grin, Nick added, "You could search the world over and you still won't find another rabbit quite like Judy. She's one of a kind, the only one like her on the whole planet."

Judy cheeks and ears turned several shades pinker at Nick's compliment. She still wasn't used to them, but she couldn't deny how warm and fuzzy they made her feel, especially since she knew he meant every word.

Raising his paws and spreading them out wide, Nick explained, "Judy is brilliant and determined and driven and fearless and has absolutely no sense of self-preservation. Which means she needs a partner who is just as brilliant, determined, and driven in order to keep up with her and stop her from leaping blindly off a cliff in her hot pursuit of justice."

"Ni-ick!" Judy hissed. She was torn between feeling happy about the complements and annoyed by him saying she'd leap blindly off a cliff.

"What? I'm merely stating the obvious. It wasn't me who hijacked a train without getting any videos or pictures of the crime scene or the criminals involved. I tried to talk some sense into you, remember? But you ignored me. We were nearly taken out by said criminals when they didn't take kindly to you stealing their lab. And you didn't even stop to think that driving your stolen train car onto a main railway track would mean running into the trains that used the track. We're just lucky there was a separate line we were able to switch to."

Leaning down and grinning, he added softly, "Nice job kicking that ram onto the switch board, by the way. That was brilliant and your accuracy was superb."

Judy's ears turned several shades darker with embarrassment at both her failings and at Nick's compliment. With a heavy sigh as her ears drooped down behind her back, she stated, "And it was you who grabbed the only evidence available just before the train crashed and blew up all the rest." With a heavy sigh, she fiddled with her fingers and said, "You're right, Nick. I have no sense of self-preservation or self-awareness. I see a course of action and just take it." Glancing up at him, she murmured, "Sorry, Nick, for nearly getting us killed."

"It's okay, Carrots. So long as you learned from your mistakes and will at least discuss your ideas with me, then we can look at every aspect and come up with a plan of action that saves the evidence and has the least chance of us dying. Deal?"

Looking up with a watery smile, she sniffled a bit and whispered, "Thanks, Nick."

"Hey, that's what partners are for," he said while reaching over to wipe the tear pooling at the corner of her eye. "You're not alone anymore, Judy. You don't have to go it alone. You have me now, so please rely on me." Giving her a soft smile, he waited for her heart-felt nod, then turned back to the cape buffalo sitting across the desk from them. "So, Chief, what will it be? Will you approve my application into the Police Academy?"

Bogo leaned back in his chair and studied the odd pair. He'd known from the missing mammals case that Hopps could be reckless, but to see how Wilde was able to call her up on it and actually have her take a close look at her failings, and then to take measures to correct those failings—it was obvious the smug vulpine understood Hopps better than anyone else the Chief could partner her with.

With a snort, Bogo turned his attention to the rabbit watching him expectantly. "Is this true, Hopps? You want Wilde as your partner?"

"Yes, sir." At Bogo's raised eyebrow, she gave her reasoning. "Until I met Nick, I was always alone. Even when I was surrounded by other mammals, I was always alone when it came to fulfilling my dream. No one would help me. Everyone discouraged me. They said I couldn't cut it. That it was impossible for a bunny to achieve and that I should just settle. There was never anyone I could rely on. Not even her at the ZPD. Not until I met Nick."

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I admit that at first, he only grudgingly helped and wasted a lot of my time, but when he stood up to you and demanded that you give me my last 10 hours, it was a first. It was the first time anyone had stood up for me. And then he went out of his way to see that I succeeded. He could have left me at any time, and anyone else would have. I was just the annoying bunny who was forcing him to help me—but Nick never left. And even after I thoughtlessly betrayed his trust, he still forgave me and then risked his life to help me again."

At Hopps' reminder of their time in the Rainforest district, Bogo felt even more of jerk than he already was after listening to Wilde's tragic past. Humble pie indeed—if he didn't want them forcing anymore down his throat after today, then he needed to do a serious re-evaluation on his life.

Glancing up at Nick, Judy flashed him a bright smile and added, "We've come to understand and read each other so well that I really can't imagine partnering with anyone else long-term." Turning back to Bogo, she said, "He's one in a million, Chief, and I'd be stupid not to keep him."

Bogo frowned as her words could be taken several different ways. After meeting her steady gaze for a moment, he turned back to Wilde and asked, "Are you absolutely sure this is what you want? You're not going to quit when things get difficult or boring."

"I'm absolutely sure of my choice and there is no way I'd quit just because the job became difficult. And boring? As long as I have Fluff with me, the most mundane tasks will be worthwhile."

Bogo snorted. It was now obvious that the two had feelings for each other, though whether or not they realized the depth of their emotions was yet to be seen. Focusing on Wilde, he asked, "And you want immunity for certain activities you might have participated in while you were . . . younger?"

"That's correct. I haven't participated in such activities in the last five years."

Bogo nodded. For the todd to have chosen not to participate in such activities for so many years meant the chances of him falling back into them was highly unlikely, especially now that Hopps was in his life. She'd keep him honest. "And you're willingly to go on record with said activities?"

"Yes. As long as I'm guaranteed not to be arrested for them and that the file is locked. I'm not going to run the risk of Judy's reputation being tainted by association because of something I did over 5 years ago."

Bogo nodded. The fact that the vulpine was more worried about Judy's reputation and how his incarceration would affect her negatively spoke of his integrity. And the fact that Hopps had once again slipped her paw in his and was beaming up at him with such trust and devotion told him that whatever Wilde might have done, it wasn't something she couldn't accept or live with.

With a heavy sigh, the Chief nodded and said, "Yes, I will sign your application. The rest is up to you, though." As he reached for his pen, he added, "But we'll need another signature to get you in on the Mammal Inclusion Initiative."

Nick nodded, asking, "Can a judge sign it?"

Bogo froze with the pen held in the air and replied, "Judge?" At Wilde's nod, he answered, "Yes, a judge can sign it."

"Then ask Judge Daphyd Princeton to sign it. If he knows it's for me, he won't hesitate."

Bogo studied him for a moment, then nodded. With Wilde's lawyer background, it wasn't too surprising that the smug todd knew the esteemed judge, but for Wilde to recommend him as the other signer was a surprise. He was very curious to hear what the judge thought of Wilde's request. But as he dipped his pen down to sign the application, it suddenly disappeared from under his hoof. Glancing up, he saw Wilde holding it.

Nick saw Bogo frown, but he didn't give the Chief a chance to talk before speaking himself. "Before you sign this and I go through the hell of the academy and the mountain of paperwork I know will be waiting for me once I receive my badge, there is one minor detail we need to discuss." Raising a paw, Nick held his thumb and pointer finger a centimeter apart.

"Minor detail?" Bogo said irritably.

"Yes. Can you guarantee that Hopps and I will be partners once I graduate?"

"As long as you graduate in the top 5% of your class, then yes, I can guarantee it."

"What about the fraternization rules?"

"Fraternization rules?"


WingedKatt again, along with another frustrating cliffhanger. You'll be happy to hear this is the last of Nick's tragic past, so you can put the Kleenexes away for the time being. Next chapter will finish their meeting with Bogo and start the lunch date with Fru-Fru. It'll be another long chapter with lots going on. Expect some good laughs.

Chapter 34: A Losing Battle, will post on Saturday. As always, if you have any thoughts, comments, or questions let I'd love to hear them.

And a special thanks to XmanOne for a comment he made that allowed me to add more background to the chapter. And a thanks to BearlyThereUpstairs for helping me finetune the section I added.

I hope you all have a great week.