Nick checked out a cruiser and pulled it around the front of the precinct and waited for Judy. He had an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. He had been looking forward to going undercover, but having Judy as his partner in the endeavor made it seem 100 times more real. He was grateful that he had a partner he could rely on while undercover, but hated the part she was going to play. He couldn't handle the thought of male animals ogling her, buying her! It made him feel nauseous and brought back… "No stop," Nick thought. Nick sighed and shook himself. The best way to keep Judy safe wasn't to worry about her, staying focused and doing his job would. Plus, she would kick his ass if he got overprotective.

Nick spotted Judy coming out the door of the station and fired up the engine of the squad car. Nick took care to arrange his face to his normal care-free look. Judy hopped inside and the pair took off towards Sahara Square.

Judy piped up after a few moments, "Francine said we can call it in around lunch time. I have to be back at the precinct by noon to see the doctor."

"Roger, roger," Nick replied without looking at her.

"So you going to fill me in or what," said the rabbit.

Nick repeated everything that Chief Bogo told him and the few tidbits he picked up from watching Demetri being interrogated. He left out the part about how he was there all night, but Judy was a smart bunny. She asked him why he had been at the station so early and, judging from the bags under his eyes, why he hadn't gotten any sleep last night.

"None of your business, Carrots," Nick said while flinging his sunglasses on. "Anyway, what do you think about the case?"

Judy stared out of the window, searching for any sign of crime, "I'm just glad we got a lead, anything to help stop these disappearances and murders. We got lucky that we got Ivan before anyone else had met him, it'll make getting in easier."

"I hope your right about that, Whiskers. It'll make it easier to get plugged in, but its risky posing as someone else. His best friend from high school just might show up and blow months and months of planning."

Judy gave Nick an inquisitive look and asked, "Know this from experience do you?"

"An ex-con-artist never tells the story of failed scams," Nick replied indignantly.

"Well, I hope your Russian accent is good!" Judy replied as she went back to scanning the streets.

"Vot do you tink? Iz not haff bad, eh," Nick said, trying out his accent.

"Just try not to talk too much. If that's even possible!" Judy laughed.

"You cut me, Carrots," Nick replied in a mock-hurt voice. After a few minutes, Nick asked, "How are you feeling about going undercover. You've been talking about wanting to do it for ages."

"I'm… I have wanted to go undercover, I just didn't think it would be like this. I mean, I know we have a vice unit, but it's always been a small operation. Nothing this elaborate, or… personal," Judy finished with a grimace. There was an awkward pause, then Judy continued, "Well at least it will be easier being a scared kidnapping victim than someone who chose to go into prostitution."

Nick glanced at Judy with a frown, "I don't know, Carrots. You don't do the whole damsel in distress thing very well. I don't think you'll like it."

Judy snorted, "Well, I can just keep quiet and twitch my nose the whole time and be fine. I can at least sympathize with role, I can't understand choosing to sell yourself."

"Not everyone who becomes a prostitute really chooses to do it you know," Nick said softly.

"Well the ones who are forced or tricked into it are one thing. But anyone who just does it for the money, it's just… wrong," Judy shuddered at the thought. "There is always another way to get money besides selling yourself."

Nick didn't say anything, but instead of continuing down the road towards Savanah Square, he pulled the squad car over. He sat there, staring forward, gripping the steering wheel for a minute. Judy started to get worried and called his name, "Nick?"

He sighed and pulled off his glasses. He closed his eyes and said, "You know how I told you I started my pawsicle hustle back when I was 12?" Judy was caught off guard by Nick's demeanor and the swift change of subject, but managed a, "Yes?"

"Well, when I was 11 or so. I got really sick, I don't even know what with. All I know was that I was miserable and I wasn't getting better. It was just me and my mom then, my dad had been gone for years." Judy sat riveted to her seat, Nick hadn't opened up about his past like this for years.

"She did her best, she was a librarian at the local public school. She loved her job. It didn't pay much, but we managed. Then, some of the books started to go missing, and they blamed my mom and fired her." Nick glanced at Judy and added defensively, "She never told me this, I heard about it from some of the other kids from school."

"Nick that's awful," Judy whispered.

"Yeah, but the point is that my mom was out of a job. She worked as a stenographer now and then, but it wasn't steady work. When I got sick, it was bad. I remember hearing my mom on the phone with the doctor. She told the doctor that I was getting worse, then she started to cry." Nick eyes misted at the memory. "I guess we didn't have the money to pay for the medicine I needed. The doctor didn't care."

Nick paused, gathering himself to confront the next part. "I remember her wiping my forehead and telling me that she would be back soon. She left for a few hours… When she came back she rushed to my side and gave me something. I remember drifting off, but she didn't leave my side. I woke up and she was asleep, half on my bed and half in a chair." Nick smiled sadly. "My fever had broken and my mom was so happy she drew me into a big hug."

"A-and that's when I noticed that she smelled wrong, like sweat and-and worse…" Nick closed his eyes again and shook his head. "Her dress was torn and she wouldn't stop crying…" Nick stopped again, he opened his eyes and stared at the steering wheel.

"After that… the neighborhood kids called her other names besides thief… My mom got sick herself, and she died a few months after."

Judy sat frozen in horror, her paw held to her open mouth. Nick finally turned and looked at her. "I don't know… exactly what happened that night. But my mom saved my life."

He turned away again, and said with quiet rage, "I hate prostitution, I hate that males take advantage of desperate females."

He looked back at Judy, disappointment clearly readable in his eyes, "I think… you forget sometimes that not everyone was as lucky as you. You had both your parents growing up, they had steady work. You have a big family you can turn to for help. My Mom, I don't think she had other options, Carrots."

Judy turned away, she couldn't bear to look at him. She felt the heat rise on her skin and her eyes filled with shame-filled tears.

"Carrots," Nick said sadly, reaching out a paw to comfort her. Before he could, their radio crackled.

"Unit 468, Dispatch, we have a report of a robbery in progress in Sahara Square. Can you respond, over?"

Judy wiped off her tears and grabbed the receiver, "Dispatch, Unit 468, we can respond, ready to copy location, over."

Nick hit the lights and sped in the direction of Sahara Square. The culprit was already gone when they arrived. They spent the next few hours taking witness reports and reviewing the footage from the security cameras. Around 11:30, Judy left with the patrol car to get to her doctor's appointment. Nick stayed behind to finish up their investigation. He was able to grab a ride with Officers McHorn and Wolford on their way back to the station shortly afterwards. Nick turned in his and Judy's report and clocked out, the case file for his undercover op wasn't ready yet.

He was lucky Clawhauser was preoccupied with processing a pair of rams that had been arrested for brawling. Nick didn't really feel like talking to anyone. Nick thought about waiting for Judy, but he wasn't sure she would want to see him right now.

I am such an ass, he thought to himself. He wasn't sure why he told Judy about… his mother. It wasn't…it wasn't something he really wanted Judy, or anyone, to know about his mother. He was too tired, it made him remember too much. He had been trying not to think about that night since this case started, but lack of sleep and Judy's comments pushed him over the edge.

He would get some sleep then go apologize. Judy had enough on her plate without him making her feel bad. Nick trudged the few blocks to his place and fell almost instantly into a fitful sleep.