I have to apologize, the chapter was ready to post on Wednesday, but my computer was in the shop and FFnet wouldn't let me manage/update my story from my phone. For furture reference, if I'm late on an update check out my AO3 account (Archive Of Our Own . org) because AO3 actually lets me update from my phone, so my chapter was up on that site.
Okay, FYI for this chapter: ZBI=Zootopia Bureau of Investigation, AIA=Animalia Intelligence Agency. Now enjoy the chapter, and again, I'm sorry it's late.
Judy couldn't think of anything Nick would get majorly angry at her for, so her curiosity was piqued on what Fru-Fru would tell her.
"Well," continued the little shrew, "Nick is highly territorial about his room. When he was staying at daddy's place, he absolutely forbade anyone from entering it. On rare occasions he'd invite someone in, but otherwise his room was off limits."
"And what did he do when someone entered uninvited?" Judy's curiosity was truly piqued now, as Nick never once showed any signs of him not wanting her in his room. He didn't even shut his door.
"It depended on who came in. He'd always give them a warning about getting out and staying out, but if they ignored his warning he got mean."
"He'd get mean? How so?" Judy asked while finishing up her pasta. Nick was pretty mean to her after she caught him hustling, but she didn't think Fru-Fru was talking about his smart mouth and cutting retorts. So what did her friend mean that Nick got mean when someone entered his room uninvited? Did he get violent? Judy had a hard time visualizing Nick as the violent type, but he had told her he was good at fighting.
"Well," Fru-Fru continued, "If the mammal was doing it simply to annoy Nick, then he'd dig up dirt or embarrassing stories about them and spread them around. Not that anyone could pinpoint Nick as the one who started the rumors, but after a few times of this happening, it wasn't hard to figure it out. Daddy had hired Nick to gather information for him, after all."
Judy nodded as she remembered what Nick did to Nakita and Stan for setting him up to be iced by Mr. Big. After swallowing her last bite of pasta, she then asked, "And if they weren't invading his room to annoy him?"
Fru-Fru's nose twitched while remembering when Nick worked for her dad and lived at their mansion. "Although Nick didn't flaunt his ability, he was one of daddy's best fighters. So when we got new hires, some didn't believe it, especially since Nick preferred talking his way out of trouble, or simply running if that looked like the safer bet. Anyway, there were many times when some of the more violent new hires thought they'd put Nick in his place." Fru-Fru shrugged as she added, "Barging into his room was the quickest way to get him to fight."
Judy was highly intrigued to hear of this side of Nick's life and got her excited about sparring with him. Although he'd admitted to being rusty, if he really was that good, then it wouldn't take long for her to whip him into shape. Turning her attention back to her friend, Judy asked, "Did he ever get bested?"
"No, not when it came to defending his room. Everyone underestimated him for being a fox, and he used that against them. He also liked to talk smack about them and taunt them while avoiding their attacks. He was a slippery little eel and would work his opponents into a blind fury before starting his counterattack. It worked every time."
Judy grinned as she could totally see Nick taunting his opponents in order to get them angry enough to make mistakes. He was an articulate fella, after all.
Chuckling at her own joke, as well as the image of Nick talking smack to those who thought he was just a shifty, weak fox, Judy then said to Fru-Fru, "Well, if being pulled into bed with Nick is my punishment for invading his territory, then I might have to come up with more ways to make him mad at me."
"Huh?" Fru-Fru murmured in confusion. "Judy, sweetie, did you hit your head the other day? I thought you just said Nick pulled you into bed with him?"
With a wide grin, Judy explained, "This morning I slipped into Nick's room to wake him up. Instead of getting up, he pulled me into bed with him. We both fell back asleep and were almost late for our meeting with Bogo." With her grin widening while remembering being cocooned by her handsome todd boyfriend, Judy leaned down and whispered to her friend, "And let me tell you, having Nick as my personal, heated blanket was wonderful."
Fru-Fru was speechless. There was no way they were talking about the same Nick Wilde. The Nick Wilde she knew couldn't be paid enough to kiss somebody and cuddling with anyone in his bed—hell would freeze over first.
Watching her friend's stunned expression, Judy felt almost giddy with happiness. Nick had shown her a side of him—the real him—that he'd shown to no one else. This soft, passionate, and caring side of Nick was for her and her alone. After swallowing a bite of salad, she said to her friend, "Like I told you on the phone yesterday—Nick will never break my heart because he's already given me his."
…...
Nick drove across the old, stone bridge where Judy had found him just two days ago. It seemed like forever and a half ago. He still couldn't believe she'd tracked him down to ask for his help again. And then her apology—it still warmed his heart to think about it since no one, absolutely no one, who wasn't family (and yes, he considered Honey and Finnick family) had ever apologized to him without making some excuse and pushing responsibility for their actions onto someone or something else. No one but Judy, who was not only a rabbit (which was shocking in and of itself), but also a cop. And after all the injustice and prejudice he'd suffered directly at the paws of so many different officers, this fact alone knocked him off his feet and left him feeling dazed.
Taking a deep breath while following the gravel road, he passed through the overgrown, weed infested lot that once stood as the large parking lot, though you couldn't tell to look at it now. Nature had sprung up to reclaim the abandoned lot and choked it out with tall grasses, small shrubs, and several seedling trees. Stopping the jeep in front of the warehouse, with its once brightly painted sign now faded and peeling, Nick took a deep breath while looking over the dilapidated building. The inside was in much better shape, but it was safer to maintain the building's abandoned look.
Turning the jeep off, he opened the door and slid out, then hurried to the employees' entrance on the building's side. Since he had to deal with traffic, his timeframe to pick up his stuff was limited. Pulling out the ancient key, he quickly unlocked the heavy deadbolt and opened the door wide, which illuminated the dark hallway. Not bothering to flip on the hall light, he relied on his night vision as he made his way further into the large, cavernous warehouse.
…...
Bogo slammed the phone back on the base and glared at it for several moments. The city council had just ordered him to an emergency meeting to discuss involving the ZBI and AIA, seeing as Bellwether's plot was viewed as an act of terrorism.
Groaning, he slumped back in his chair and ran his hooves over his face. As if he didn't have enough on his plate already, now he might have to babysit the feds. The meeting wasn't scheduled until after lunch, so he had a little bit of time. Glancing down at his desk, he saw once again Wilde's ZPA application and the incident report on the foster care system.
Reaching back over, he grabbed the phone and dialed Officer Bransen's extension. When the large, brown Kodiak bear answered, Bogo said, "Bransen, I need you to relieve Staggson of his post for a few minutes. There's something I need to discuss with him."
"Okay, boss," the older bear drawled. "Anything else ya need?"
"Yes, there is. Once Staggson returns to his post, I need you to go down to records and bring me the evidence box for case number C6328-9531."
"Number C6328-9531?" Bransen repeated back as he scribbled the number down.
"That's correct."
"Got it, boss. I'll be up with it just as soon as I can."
Bogo didn't bother answering but sat waiting for the deer officer to arrive. When he did, Bogo barked a loud, "Enter." As officer Staggson slunk into the office, the cape buffalo motioned to the chair with a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
Staggson sat with his ears penned back and Bogo asked, "Do you mind telling me why Officer Hopps and her friend were late to their meeting at 10?"
"Well, sir, I didn't know the fox was with Officer Hopps. He just looked like another shifty fox to me."
"Another shifty fox? And what does a shifty fox look like? Because the fox that arrived in my office was clean, well groomed, and dressed for an interview." Which he was, Bogo realized in hindsight. Wilde had arrived with the clear intention of having an interview for his new career choice. It spoke well of the todd that his desire to join wasn't a last-minute decision.
Anger and disgust entered Staggson's voice as he spat out, "It was a filthy fox wanting to join the ZPA! Of course, he was shifty!"
Bogo simply stared at his officer for several heartbeats, then, with steel in his voice, asked, "Tell me, Officer Staggson, is it your job to determine who is qualified to enter the ZPA."
"What, sir?"
"Is it your job to determine who enters the ZPA?"
"Well, no, sir. It's not."
"Then why did you act like it was? If someone wants a ZPA application, then you give it to them. There are others who are hired to review the ZPA applications and to approve or reject the applicants. That's their job, yours is to be helpful and informative to anyone coming into the ZPD."
"But he's a freaking fox! There's no way he'd be allowed in the ZPD!"
Bogo raised an eyebrow at the deer's outburst. If this is how all the officers thought about foxes, and Wilde specifically, he was even more surprised at Hopps' ability to convince the jaded fox to join. Bogo's respect for the smug todd increased as well, seeing better what the vulpine had willingly signed up for—all in order to keep his friend safe. Of course, actually getting paid to spend all day with her certainly helped, he was sure.
After studying his bigoted officer a moment longer, Bogo then reached into his desk and pulled out the fox shock collar he still had there. Tossing it to his stunned officer (who nearly dropped it in surprise), he asked, "Tell me, Staggson, how would you like to wear that all day every day? How would you feel seeing it on your wife and fawns?"
The deer turned the device over in his hands for a minute before realizing what it was, then quickly tossed it back onto Bogo's desk like it was a live wire. With ears flat against his head and in a quavering voice, he asked, "Sir?"
"That evil little device is what Bellwether had in store for every predator in Zootopia and the surrounding towns. The only reason she was stopped was because of Wilde."
Staggson's brows furrowed. "But Hopps . . ."
Bogo nodded, "Yes, it was Hopps' case and her clues that brought the Nighthowler conspiracy to light, but Wilde was the tipping point. Hopps would have died if Wilde hadn't been with her. The evidence of the nighthowler serum would never have been collected and Bellwether's plot would never have been discovered nor her confession recorded. It was all thanks to Wilde that Hopps succeeded and we were able to put an end to Bellwether's terrorist plot."
Staggson's mouth dropped open and he stared, stunned.
Leaning forward, Bogo tapped his desk with his hoof, saying, "So you better think twice about how you treat that fox the next time you see him."
Staggson gave a shaky nod and Bogo leaned back in his chair, the insincere smile returning to his mouth. "Now, about the slew of citations Hopps wants to slap you with." Staggson's eyebrows climbed his forehead, and Bogo continued, "Hopps and Wilde are willing to drop the charges, but only if I properly punish you. So I hope you enjoy your temporary transfer to Tundratown—as their newest meter maid."
"What!? No! I can't go to Tundratown! I'll freeze."
Bogo's grin grew wider. "Then you better dress warmly." Putting his hooves together, Bogo continued, "You'll finish your shift today and then tomorrow morning you'll report to Precinct 5 at 8 o'clock sharp. Once you return from your 3-month stint, I hope to never hear or see any speciesism from you again."
"You can't do that!"
"I can and I will."
"But I'm not the only one who's specist on the force!"
"Yes, I know. But as I stated in my morning briefing, which, unfortunately, you missed, all that is going to change. I will no longer tolerate speciesism in the workplace. If you don't like a species, I don't care, but it will no longer be acceptable behavior when you're on the clock. Anyone else I catch dishonoring their badge with specist remarks or uncalled for behavior will be joining you in Tundratown."
Staggson ground his teeth in frustration and anger, so Bogo gave him another option. "If this seems unfair to you, you can always wear one these delightful little shock collars for your 3-month punishment."
The buck froze in terror at the thought of the little electrical device being strapped around his neck. Shuddering, he tried to push the nightmarish thoughts away and met Bogo's stern gaze. "I'll report to Precinct 5 first thing in the morning, sir."
"Good." Sitting up a bit straighter, Bogo then hollered, "Dismissed."
After the buck stomped out of his office, Bogo thought about Wilde's request for immunity. If he was already meeting with the city council today, he could bring it up afterwards. There were only 5 council members with the power to approve or deny it, so he wouldn't have to discuss Wilde's possible criminal activities with the whole council—which was good. The fewer mammals who knew about it, the better. The foremost, of course, would be intern-Mayor, Timothy Bisiorn, an Anamalian Bison who was the former District Attorney before moving on to politics, so he should know Wilde from his time in court. Of the other 4 council members, only one should be a problem—an Iberian lynx named Karl Kushka. He was fairly prejudice and quite outspoken about it, so he would need something drastic to convince the lynx to approve Wilde's pardon.
Thinking of the large amount of evidence they'd collected on Bellwether and her terrorist plot against predators, Bogo figured he could borrow some of it to drive the point home to the specist council member on what exactly Wilde had prevented from happening to him and his family. Seeing as Koshka wouldn't have been spared the horrors Bellwether planned to unleash on the whole predator population, Bogo figured an object lesson should sway his mind—he hoped. And if not, then the other council members should.
While waiting for Officer Bransen to enter with the file box, Bogo made one last phone call to Sargent Higgins to prepare the evidence he needed and have it ready for him when he came by shortly to pick it up. It was only a few minutes later that the large Kodiak bear knocked on his door.
"Chief, I brought what ya asked for," the large, brown bear drawled.
"Thanks, Bransen. Set it on my desk and take a seat."
Bransen raised an eyebrow, but did as he was asked, then watched the Chief open the box and glance inside.
Satisfied with the contents, Bogo then met his officer's curious gaze and asked, "Do you remember the Meadowlands Medical Center Scandal from about 16 years ago?"
"Yeah, I do," Bransen muttered. "Nasty business that. All those poor mammals being experimented on." He shook his head sadly.
"Yes, very nasty business." Waving his hoof over the box, Bogo said, "This is the evidence sent to us that opened the case. I want you to sniff this and see if you can't catch the scent of fox on any of it."
"Fox?" Bransen asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. I have reason to believe a fox was the one who gathered all this evidence and sent it to us."
Bransen shrugged, then stuck his large, black nose inside the box and took several deep breaths. All he smelled was the faded, stale scent of the several officers who'd handled the evidence all those years ago. At Bogo's nod, the brown bear began taking items out one at a time and sniffing them extensively. Everything he brought out simply smelled of the officers who'd handled them.
With just one item left, he didn't have much hope. Picking up a small, foam icebox, Bransen flicked an ear in question.
"That held several blood samples laced with the experimental drug."
With his keen sense of smell, Bransen stuck his nose in. At first, he didn't smell anything but styrofoam, but in the bottom corner a faint scent tickled his nose. Sticking his nose up against the spot, he inhaled deeply. The strong smell of styrofoam about made him dizzy, but he did pick up the slight scent of fox musk. Lifting his face to look at Bogo, he said, "It's really faint, but there is fox musk in there."
With a nod, Bogo handed Wilde's application over while asking, "This fox musk?"
Bransen took the paper and sniffed it. Sneezing as the pungent scent of fox musk flooded his sensitive nostrils, he shook his head to dispel the strong odor, then stuck his nose back in the styrofoam box. "Unless he has a brother, I'd say it was the same fox."
Bogo snorted. "Had. Had a brother." At Bransen's questioning gaze, he explained, "His brother was the victim of a drunk driver. We let his killer walk." Bransen's ears penned back against his head. "We didn't bring in his father's killer, either, even with two eyewitnesses."
"What!"
"They were foxes," Bogo growled out bitterly, "Nobody cared."
Although Bransen didn't have the greatest view of foxes, he took his job seriously and would never have overlooked murder, no matter who the victim was. With an angry snort, the brown bear folded his arms and stared at the wall. No matter the victim's species, no killer should be allowed to walk—and for such an injustice to happen, not just once, but twice, to the same mammal and his family—it was just sick and wrong. So why would the todd go out of his way to help those who continually wronged him?
Turning back to Bogo, he voiced his question. "So why help? Collecting all this stuff couldn't have been easy? So why bother?"
Bogo nodded, then said, "He knew a fox would never be taken seriously, hence why he sent the evidence anonymously and tried to keep his scent off of it." Picking up the list of victims, Bogo flipped through the sheets until he found the name he knew would be there—Wilde, Vivian Anya—Wilde's mother. Flipping the sheet around and laying it at the edge of his desk closest to his officer, Bogo jabbed his hoof at the name.
Bransen leaned forward to read the words, then glanced up at Bogo.
"He did it to save his mom. After watching his father's and brother's killers walk, he wasn't about to let these criminals murder his mother and get away with, too."
Bransen studied the vixen's name again as he considered what the todd was willing to do to save the woman dearest to him. Knowing he'd be the one in jail, or dead, if he was caught gathering the evidence, the young todd still took the risk to protect his mom. Bransen's respect for the sly vulpine increased. Turning his gaze back to the paper that contained the todd's scent, the old bear's brows climbed his forehead again as he realized what the form was, and then did a double take when he read the name.
"Nicholas P. Wilde?" Bransen questioned, then added, "As in Nick Wilde? The fox who helped Hopps?"
Bogo nodded, then pounded the desk with his hoof. "Helped her, saved her and the evidence, and was key in Hopps getting a confession from Bellwether. You and every predator in the city would be collared by this time next year if not for Wilde's decision to stick with Hopps and keep her safe."
Bransen studied the list of victims again as he considered what the todd was willing to do to protect his mom. Looking back at the ZPA application, he realized that Nicholas was willing to go above and beyond even that to protect Officer Hopps, who was not only a cop but a rabbit. Both could be considered his enemy.
Studying the application a moment longer, he looked up to the Chief and asked, "So why would he apply to the ZPA? We've done nothing but wrong and humiliate him and his family."
Bogo didn't immediately respond as he considered the question. There were so many ways he could answer that, some of the information he was sure Hopps and Wilde wanted to keep to themselves for the time being (he still couldn't believe they planned to be married in under a month in a half). Finally, he said, "Because he doesn't trust us to keep Hopps safe. He knows that with her gung-ho, overachieving attitude she's liable to wind up dead or seriously injured and he wants to be there to prevent it. He understands her explicitly and can ground her like no one else can." With a shrug, Bogo added, "She asked him to be her partner and he jumped at the chance."
Bransen was speechless. Why would a fox todd go to such lengths to protect a bunny? A species who took great delight in tormenting his own. After several tense moments of silence, the bear finally stammered out, "Why . . . would he . . . do that . . . for a . . . rabbit?"
"Why indeed?" Bogo muttered. Sitting up straighter, he answered, "Wilde gave several reasons, but the big one, I think, is the simple fact that Hopps believed in him. She trusted him. She was the first mammal in a very long time who looked beneath his red fur and triangular ears to see the mammal beneath."
Bransen nodded his head in thought. Finding that kind of trust and loyalty was rare, especially for a fox. Looking at the evidence Nicholas had gathered to protect and save his mom, then back at the application that the vulpine filled out in order to protect the second female in his life to believe in him—it spoke volumes about the fierce loyalty the fox had developed for the dedicated, hyperactive bunny.
Bogo allowed his officer a moment of thought, then picked up the modified incident report he filled out earlier and glanced it over. Seeing the bear's gaze focus on the paper, Bogo said, "Moving on,"—he handed the paper over—"this is the other reason I had you come in." As Bransen took the paper and glanced it over, Bogo explained, "In the course of our interview, Wilde stated that fox kits are severely abused in the foster system. I'm giving you this case to look into. Track down all the foxes in foster care and look up their medical and school attendance records. Find out which ones have unnormally high absences from school and frequent doctor visits. See which ones are accused of being clumsy—that'll be a huge red flag as all foxes have above average agility."
Bransen's ears flattened against his head as he considered the implications. Even if they were foxes, no kit should be abused. Nodding his head, he rolled the incident report up to avoid creasing it.
"Once Officer Hopps returns from medical leave," Bogo continued, "I want you to bring her in on the case."
Bransen's eyes widened. He was a large, brown Kodiak bear and she was a tiny, little rabbit. "Um, are you sure?" At Bogo's hard glare, he quickly clarified, "Are you sure she'll be fine working with me? A large predator?"
Bogo's ear twitched in surprise, even as the images of Hopps snuggled up to Wilde flashed in his mind, followed by her unflinching concern for the enraged vulpine snarling with his sharp fangs in plain view just inches from her sensitive ears. He took a deep, slow breath, and then broke out into a loud, hardy laugh that, after all the stress of the last few months, he was desperately in need of.
Bransen's jaw dropped while watching his commander practically double over in pure mirth. He'd known Bogo for a very long time, and even considered him a good friend off the clock, but in all that time he'd never seen the chief find something so funny. What exactly Bogo found funny about his concern for the much smaller prey officer, he wasn't sure, but it had to be good.
As Bogo laughed himself out, he pulled himself together and looked up, some of his mirth still present on his face. "Trust me," he stated, "Hopps has no fear of predators. I mean, she did move in with one." At Bransen's incredulous look, Bogo explained, "Hopps had no place to go when she came back from Bunnyburrow, and with her leg injury she needed help getting around and taking care of it, so Wilde put her up in his spare bedroom. After spending two days with the smug vulpine, she decided to make it a permanent stay. In her words, it's the perfect location, the perfect house, and the perfect roommate. She assured me there was no way she could possibly find anything better—or even comparable—and so has no intention of moving out."
Speechless, Bransen had to pick his jaw up off the floor again. "Wilde is fine with her moving in with him? On a permanent basis?"
Chuckling again, Bogo waved his hoof through the air as he recalled the vulpine's smug smile as he declared his intention to marry the determined rabbit beside him. "She's his best friend, and as such, Wilde has no intention of kicking her out. As long as she wants to be there, his door will always be open to her."
Bransen nodded, then his mind turned inward in thought. Glancing at Wilde's ZPA application still on the desk, he considered the lengths the red fox had gone, and was willing to go, all for the sake of protecting his friend. His best friend. With a shake of his head, he had a hard time wrapping his head around the notion of a predator and prey being best friends, let alone living together. The idea didn't bother him, but it was odd, and would take some time to get used to.
Bogo watched his officer for a moment, then reached down and picked up the small paper still on his desk. Folding Wilde's application back up, he tucked it into his shirt pocket, then stood up and said, "I have to run over to the courthouse and see if I can't catch Judge Princeton for lunch. I have a matter to discuss with him. If you care to join me, I think it'll be very informative about the fox named Nicholas P. Wilde."
Bransen was a bit surprised at the invitation, but with as far back as the two of them went, he readily agreed. He was extremely curious about the red todd and jumped at the chance to learn more about him—especially since he aspired to be the first fox officer on the force and agreed to partner with the first rabbit officer. The pairing was strange, and he wondered how it would work, but if they were already living together, than he had to assume they'd be able to make it work.
It only took a minute for the two old friends to leave the office. Bogo stopped at Higgin's office long enough to pick up the locked box with the evidence in it, and then the two made their way towards the elevator. Both were lost in thought as they wondered what the esteemed judge had to say about the sly, smug fox who helped save the city.
WingedKatt here. Judy learned a bit more about her sly fox's time with the Bigs and then threw Fru-Fru for another loop. And what did you think of Staggson's punishment? Bogo already has a case lined out for Judy once she returns. And what will the esteemed judge have to say about Nick? Find out tomorrow when I post the next chapter. We'll get to see Nick show off his mammal reading skills and his smart mouth as he has fun at another's expense. Expect some good laughs.
Chapter 36: Impressive Skills, will post Saturday. I hope you had a great week and I'll see you tomorrow. As always, if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them.
