The room was flooded with a silence that made Nick very uncomfortable. He shuffled around in the seat while he waited across the desk of Bogo for him to say anything. The fox had planned for the buffalo to get furious at him for going behind his back and disobeying orders to try and look into Judy's disappearance. He also figured he wouldn't like the fact that he got in contact with the mob boss he was told to cut connections with when he joined the police. The chief and Judy are the only ones on the force who know of Nicks past life. The mayor also knows of the misdeeds he has committed, but decided to overlook them due to his involvement in solving the Nighthowlers case. The only stipulation was to cut all ties with his old life. For the most part he complied, except for Finnick who is basically family. He hadn't had any contact with Mr. Big or anyone who works with him for over a year, but when Judy got kidnapped he knew he had to call in a favor from them, and since Judy did save his daughter's life he figured the shrew would help, which he did to an extent by giving him the letter.

It had been nearly ten minutes since Nick entered the office, explained what was happening, then gave Bogo the card and the letter that tied everything together. The fox figured at this point in time that the chief would be going ballistic and yelling at him which tends to happen quite frequently. However, Nick was left anxious as Bogo just studied the two pieces of paper over and over again. Nick envied his partner, McCabe, who he had stay outside the room while he conversed with Bogo. The only thing is Bogo hasn't said a single word and it was starting to worry the fox. He just knew Bogo was going to have to take disciplinary actions against the fox, he just hopes it won't be too bad.

"Wilde," Nick looked up startled from the sudden voice, seeing that Bogo was looking straight at him with a bitter expression that was evident on his face. "Normally I'd be furious that you disobeyed a direct order," he said gruffly, getting the fox to slump down farther into his chair. "However, where whole squads couldn't even find a trace of fur, within a short amount of time you were able to find the only lead that connects two cases together, and as of right now it is the best chance we have for solving them. And as for this," he said holding up the letter given to the fox be Mr. Big which he knew was going to get him in the most trouble, "I'll just say it was an anonymous tip."

Nick looked at him surprised. This is the first time the chief hasn't punished him for breaking the rules; instead he's just going to act like it just didn't happen? Slightly confused he just had to ask why.

Bogo sighed as he set the pieces of paper down. "You must understand, Wilde, that you aren't the only one who wishes for Hopps to return back safely. There are plenty of us here that would do anything to get that bunny back," a small smile crossed his face as he thought about that damned bunny. He used to dread the thought of having the rabbit under his command, when he first heard about it he wished nothing more for it to be a joke. However, over time those feeling have changed into nothing but pride and respect, and also the occasional headache, for his smallest officer. It's a little hard to believe, but he wouldn't doubt if she became chief herself one day.

Bogo shook his respond, realizing his mind was wandering. "You are one of the best this precinct has to offer with the amount of knowledge you have about how this city works. It might be against protocol considering how deeply you are connected, but I think it would be the best option to put you at the head of this investigation."

It took him a second to process what he was hearing. He figured he'd have to be fighting for this for a little longer; assumed that he'd have to be sneaky and a bit of a trickster to do anything that involves Judy's case. Instead, he's just been given the whole thing to lead. He's gone from being sidelined to leading the team, and he was, without a doubt, shocked; but still pleased beyond words.

"I don't know what to say, thanks chief!" Nick expressed joyfully, already ready to get started.

"Just remember to treat it like any case. I know it's Hopps, but we can't let our emotions get the better of us, and I'm going to warn you now that if you do anything stupid I will not hesitate in pulling you off the case again," Bogo stressed, wanting to get it through the foxes head.

"Don't worry Chief, I can control myself just fine," Nick smiled standing up in the chair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an officer to find." The fox jumped down to the floor and walked out the door, all while Bogo watched anxiously.

"Just please don't do anything that we will both regret," he mumbled, before turning back to the stack of papers on his desk.

"I going to assume by your smile that it went well?" McCabe asked, standing up his chair and joining Nicks side as he walked downstairs. He had only been able to hear muffled talk between the two, not saying he was trying to listen in to their private conversation.

"A lot better than I thought, I will tell you that," Nick chuckled, having a bit of a spring in his step. A feeling lost to him a week ago finally returned as he was hopeful again; hopeful that he will be able to see Judy alive again. He knows he can find her, he just knows it, it's only a matter of time.

"So what happened then?" the wolf asked with rising curiosity.

"He put me in charge of the investigation," Nick gave off a smug smile. He knows Bogo knows that he's the best chance they have at finding both Judy and that moose, Mr. Asher. There isn't anyone else the fox could think of who could do it from such little given to them. Well maybe one, but unfortunately she's who he has to find.

The fox looked at his phone for the time as saw that it was starting to get really late. "You know, McCabe, I think you should probably get home and get some rest. It's been a long day today and will be an even longer day tomorrow," Nick said to the young officer.

"Are you sure," he questioned, "I can help you with whatever you need," McCabe offered.

"That's alright, I'll be fine," Nick assured his rookie partner, noting the wolf's selflessness.

"Alright then, I guess I will see You tomorrow then," McCabe said, giving a little wave as he left. Nick watched him for a moment before he turned and went a separate way.

He made his way over to his desk and hopped onto his computer. Within a few seconds he was looking through everything they had on the kidnappings of Judy and Mr. Asher. As he went through them he noticed that they indeed had barley anything. A few pictures of both the mansion and the apartment; a couple pictures of Judy's trashed room; a dead guard in the security box on the Asher estate, and finally a picture of the card he had found earlier that day. This isn't very much to go on, but that didn't discourage the fox. Nick sighed and rubbed his head, "This is going to be a long night."

Time flashed by and by the time Nick looked down at the time on his computer, it read 4 am. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and let out an audible yawn. His eyes haven't left the monitor for about 5 hours. He was trying to dig into everything they have, which is not a lot, going to every little nook and cranny searching the term Tides Of Change. He couldn't find hardly anything on the thing, at least nothing that would help him. It's when he started digging into Mr. Asher that things started to get interesting.

Nick had heard the moose's name before, and really only heard good things about him. However, from what he's found there have been multiple accounts of animals accusing Asher of practicing shady business deals and calling him out as being corrupt. But as far as Nick can tell, all accusations were waved away and quietly swept under the rug. The fox began putting something together, though he's not so sure how accurate it is. Still, it's early in the investigation.

Nick stretched out his stiff limbs and jumped down from his chair, deciding to get some coffee; he definitely was not planning on sleeping tonight. As he walked to and from the coffee machine, he had a strange feeling run through his body but he couldn't quite tell what it was; maybe it was the lack of other animals in the building. It may be the middle of the night, but there's usually somebody walking around working the graveyard shift. The fox decided to just shrug it off, and brushed it aside as paranoia.

However, as he got back to his desk something was really wrong. Everything around him seemed to grow darker and darker as he walked closer; the only thing he could make out was a low hue of light coming off from his monitor. When he got closer, he noticed it wasn't the same thing it had been when he left. He got up right next to the screen and his eyes shot open. It was a live camera feed of Judy. She was tied to a chair, gagged, and blindfolded in the middle of a cement room that looked almost like a prison cell.

He wanted to scream out her name, but his voice had escaped him and nothing came out. What was this? How were they doing this?

"You could have prevented this, Nick," A disembodied voice said from the computer.

"Who are you, why are you doing this?" Nick screamed as he slammed the desk, tears starting to pool out of his eyes.

"This is your fault, and now you get to watch your mistake," the voice was deep, almost demonic like.

"No, please let her go," the fox cried out, but there was nothing he could do. There was a loud bang and that was it. Nick saw Judy's body go limp as blood seeped out of her chest, pooling below her.

Nick couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. His partner, his best friend, was killed right in front of his eyes. He wanted to scream out, to react in any way, but his mind was in too much shock for his body to do anything. Without her, his life is meaningless.

A creaking noise from behind him got him to slowly turn around and look at what it was. In a flash, his vision was nothing but the disfigured, decomposed face of Judy, her mouth dripping blood and her eyes missing from their sockets. The vulpine looked in terror as the demon began screaming over and over at him:

"How could you let this happen to me Nick."

Nick jolted up awake from his desk, breathing heavily. He jerked his head around, trying to gain his bearings. He was still at his desk and he determined it was early morning from the light shining in from a different room. He let out a soft breath and closed his eyes "Just another nightmare," he whispered calmly to himself, trying his best to slow his breathing. He must have passed out from exhaustion while researching Asher.

"Nick?" The fox jumped from the sudden voice and turned around with fists clenched and raised, only to find a startled looking McCabe.

"Uh, you alright?" The wolf asked.

Nick put down his fists and quickly apologized, "Yah, just had a long night." He said, thinking about his latest night terror, already trying to shove it out of his mind.

"You didn't stay up all night did you?" McCabe asked.

"No, I passed out sometime in the middle of the night and just woke up a couple minutes ago."

"Oh, that explains why you weren't present this morning," McCabe said, getting him a questioning look from the fox. Nick looked at the time and silently cursed himself. It was almost ten already. Nothing he can do about it now.

"You hungry, I need something to eat?" Nick asked. Working with no fuel in the system wouldn't do him any good, and he is absolutely starving at the moment. Also, be needed to do something that would take his mind off of Judy for a little bit, he was still a little shaken from his dream.

"Sure, I could go out for a bite."

Half an hour later and they were sitting down at a café waiting for their food. Nick made it a point not to go to his usual spot where him and Judy would go everyday. Nick sipped on some coffee as he gave the details of his findings to McCabe.

"So someone's mad at Asher for being corrupt so they kidnapped him? But then where does Officer Hopps come into play, why do they need her?" McCabe wondered, seeing if he was on the same page as Nick.

"That's the question, isn't it?," Nick stated.

The next couple minutes were spent in silence as they waited for their food. Nick kept his eyes on his phone, still looking into Mr. Asher's past as best he could from his mobile. Eventually they were given their food and the two began to eat.

"You know, Nick," McCabe spoke up after swallowing a chunk of food, "You never told me why you became a cop," he stated, bringing back the topic of conversation from yesterday before they got to the Asher estate. He wasn't really in the mood to go into the whole backstory of how he ended up joining the force, but he felt like he owed the wolf considering McCabe told him why he joined the force.

"It's kind of a long story," Nick sighed as memories flooded his head, "It all started on Judy's first day on the job," Nick halfheartedly smiled. He was about to continue until his phone began buzzing in his paw. He looked down at the number calling him and didn't recognize it. He rarely got calls from anyone anymore when it didn't relate to work, or it was Judy, so it was odd to him that he was getting a call. Then the thought of Mr. Big popped into his head. It could be another contact with more information that could really jumpstart everything. He answered the phone and brought it up to his ear, "Hello?" What happens next will just add to the unavoidable nightmares.

"Nick, Nick is that you?" a barley audible whisper came through the phone, but Nick would know that voice from anywhere.

"Judy?!" he nearly shouted, getting a few animals near by to give him a look, but he was unfazed. McCabe nearly choked on his food when he heard her name.

"Nick, I don't have much time, they're already looking for me," she was in a panic, her breathing short and raspy. Nick could hear noises in the background of animals shouting, obviously looking for Judy.

"Judy, do you know where you are. What can I do to help?" The fox asked, wanting nothing more than to just pull her through the phone and out of dangers way. He needs to fully embrace her and make sure she never gets taken away from him again. What he would give anything just to see her.

"I don't know exactly when I am. It's dark, wet and cold, and everything seems to be made out of cement. Nick, I don't know how much longer they're going to keep me alive, please you need to save us. They're going to…" she was cut short as a different voice appeared.

"There you are, bitch," he said. Nick then heard loud thump followed by the phone falling to the ground. A few moments later, the sound of footsteps grew louder until they were right next to the phone and then the call was ended.

Nicks paw slowly fell as shock began to take over. McCabe looked at Nick wanting to know what was going on. Nick said nothing and just sat there with a blank expression. 'She's alive,' he thought to himself. Out of all of that, it was the only thing to stick in his thoughts. She isn't dead, he was able to hear her voice again telling him that his Carrots was alive. And she was in trouble. She needed him more than ever. The case may have started with nothing, but as Nick looked at his phone he realized Judy may have given him just what he needed, a phone number.

Nick flung a fifty on the table as he stood up and marched out of the café towards the cruiser, McCabe staying hot on his tail. Nick knew he needed something and the phone Judy called from could be the key.

"I'm coming for you Judy," He mumbled to himself as he sped towards the precinct.

Well, how aboutb that little 'reunion' huh. I hope you enjoyed the little twist. As for Judy, seems she is still alive for now. And to those of you asking for Judy's pov, stay around for a few more chapters and you may just get it.

I know this chapter took s little longer to get out, but I'm back at college so unfortunately I'm not going to be able to get chapters up as fast, so sorry for that but schooling comes first.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the story this far, I really appreciate it. It always puts a smile on my face seeing that someone has left a comment of followed and favorited, so thanks a whole lot.

Keep On Keeping On

Peace Out