Hey fans! Sorry for the long time without updates, I was on holiday. I've occasionally written there too, including this large, second chapter about Big's Gala evening. Please enjoy.

14. The Big Gala (2)

==Judy==

Inside the ballroom, many of the guests were already enjoying the festivities. Clusters of mammals had gathered at the standing tables, the tables themselves populated with some roses in a vase and the empty glasses of the bystanders. Butlers in old-fashioned suits walked around and distributed new drinks and snacks to those who were up for a second round. In the background, a music band played some gentle tunes, accompanying the soft voice of their serval singer. Although I could not understand the lyrics – they were in Italian – I could very well hear that she was not hitting any false notes. The fact that she sung in Big's native tongue had me wonder how many of the other guests were, like me myself, oblivious to the translation of the song. Nick snatched a toothpick with a slice of pineapple, stuck in in mouth and disposed of the pick on the very next table.

"Alright. Who are we gonna target first?" I asked passionately.

"Woah, woah. We're not gonna target anyone..."

I shot him a quizzical look as he dropped a pause prior to resuming his answer.

"... If you're intentionally aiming for one animal in particular, you'll end up with nothing. Getting info here requires delicacy and eavesdropping." He answered learnedly.

"Ah, your field of expertise."

"What can I say? I was born a subtle spirit."

"I meant the eavesdropping, but don't let our miscommunication get in the way of your modesty." I replied dryly.

He smirked.

"So. Which one do you want to get intel on first?"

Now he got me puzzled.

"I thought you said-"

"I did. But that doesn't mean we can't have preferences, can we?"

I glared at him.

"Sometimes you're a real pain Nick." I growled, scanning the crowd that occupied the ballroom.

"Oh good. For a moment I feared I was a pain all the time."

I sighed loudly. It sent another smirk over his muzzle, the one I found both attractive and irritating. He might have laid of the hustles, but he couldn't resist messing with my head. And after all this time working together I hadn't gotten used to it either.

"So, who's it gonna be?" He whispered when a couple passed us close by.

I tried to judge who of these animals would plan a full scale war against Mr Big. Truthfully, I had no idea where to begin. I didn't know any of these mammals. They all looked quite normal, stern, arrogant, jocular. There was no telling from the outside what lie underneath the surface. My eye fell on the back of a small, scraggy figure, dressed in pitch black with pinstripes. He had tried his best to comb his hair, in my view something he had failed to achieve. Nonetheless, his appearance had a familiar touch.

"Who's that guy? And why does it feel like I've seen him before."

"That is because you know his twin-brother."

"His brother?"

"Madam."

I got a fright as I suddenly stared into the two big, red eyes of the mammal in question. The dark brown nose, short muzzle and sly grin were indeed an exact copy.

"Weaselton." I let out.

"Ah, you have already heard of me and my work?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really." I burst his bubble, "I know your brother."

"Ah. Duke..." He spoke disappointed.

His voice was laced with a slight frustration too, betraying that apparently even Duke's family regarded him as a pain. Seeing his brother, who was much more polite, articulate and washed, I could understand that petty thief was not the job his parents had hoped for.

"That means my suspicions are right, you are Officer Hopps, correct?"

"Indeed I am."

"Alfred Weaselton. Renowned criminal lawyer, at your service. Apologies for tearing up your case last time."

"My case?"

"Oh yes. You arrested my brother for theft, remember? So unfortunate you failed to take the witness into account who saw your unbridled manner of arrest. Excessive police violence is a bad thing and your chief was very eager to release my brother to avoid any complaints from our side."

Interesting. I knew that Duke had gotten out of jail sooner than he should have, but I always figured Chief Bogo had just let him go because he thought arresting him for stolen onions had been ridiculous. Apparently he had, despite having scolded me for it, proceeded with the formal arrest of Alfred's brother. That was, until Alfred threw a spanner in the works.

"I see. Well, your brother is lucky to have you then."

"Quite so, Miss Hopps. Although he is not the first I've helped evade innocent incarceration. Many more have me to thank for their freedom. Even old Nick here has leaned on my services a time or two."

I looked up at my partner. He nodded with a smile to confirm this statement.

"Well. It had been a pleasure meeting you. I wish you both a nice evening." He concluded with an obeisance.

Once he was out of hearing distance, Nick leaned towards me and began narrating softly as I watched Alfred shake more paws.

"Alfred over there is from the same litter as Duke, only he inherited a pair of brains. He's a successful lawyer and rarely loses a case, mostly because there always seems to be evidence that has been overlooked by the police. Therefore, he is the first many ruffians call if they're in trouble. That included me not so long ago."

"What do you mean: 'always seems'? You think he plants it?"

"Hmm, maybe. It's just a little too convenient sometimes. Anyway, his work gave him plenty of ties to the underworld. That's why he knows so many of the guests."

In my head, I made a few scribbles of his personality and relation to Mr Big. Luckily, Nick knew a lot about a lot of mammals. We repeated this course of action a few more times: we briefly spoke to someone and afterwards Nick gave me some background info on the animal in question. I regretted not having my notepad with me. There had been some major events prior to the day at which the attacks on Big commenced. Events that might be a lead to the culprit. After some time, we headed to the buffet where Nick poured me some punch and got himself another glass of wine. I mused over the information I had gathered thus far. So many suspects already. Hopefully I'd be able to recollect everything once I got home. I took a sip from my glass of punch and bit down on a cherry. It was a sweet titillation to my tongue.

"Sorry, can you hand me those peanuts please?"

A female elephant with peculiar markings all over her trunk beckoned me for a bowl of roasted peanuts. Her face struck me as familiar and by the time I handed her the snacks, I recollected wherefrom.

"Hey, you're Nanghi right?"

"Do we know each other?" She questioned.

"We do! We met at the Blue Spring Oasis!"

"Oh. You are in my class."

I raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm Officer Hopps. I visited you with my partner Nick during the Bellwether case. Don't you remember?"

Inside the ZPD, the case was known as the Nighthowler Case, however the media had reported it to the outside world as the Bellwether Case. I suppose it sounded more dramatic as it involved a well-known politician and thus made the papers sell better.

Nanghi eyed me curiously, then drew a pitiful conclusion.

"Not at all." She said, taking a trunk-full of peanuts from the bowl.

Almost instantly, another elephant I had come to know emerged to smack the nuts from her grasp, spilling them over the table and the floor. I had come to know this elephant as Ganesh, head of a group of mercenaries, and the major competitor to Vlad and his Nighthowlers. In contrast to Vlad accepting solely canines, Ganesh adopted all kinds of animals into his 'company'. This gave him far greater numbers which he could sell at low rates. This kept him from being out competed by Vlad, who's soldiers were better trained.

"Nanghi! You can't have those. Remember your peanut allergy!" He reprimanded her firmly.

He gave me a hasty apology and without bothering to clean up, he took her paw and guided her away. I looked at them stunned.

"How peculiar, an elephant with peanut allergy, wouldn't you agree?"

I turned around, identifying a Red Panda as the source of the words. He wore a wine-red shirt, topped with a radiant white suit and tie. The colour of his shirt was identical to the darker parts of his fur; his tail being one of these parts as it curled upwards behind him as he talked. What I thought to be whiskers were actually outgrowths of facial hair, braided into two pointy wisps to form a thin moustache. His English was impregnated with an oriental accent, most likely Chinese.

"Almost as rare as one with a memory like a sieve." I blurred out.

I slapped my paw in front of my mouth. Insulting others was not my preferred kind of humour. Nick had a bad influence on me! Luckily it brought nothing other than amusement to my interlocutor. He introduced himself as Yao Chang, proud resident of the rainforest district. He told me he had read about my work at the ZPD in the newspaper and asked me why I was now here. I explained to him that I had befriended Big by saving his daughter.

"Ah yes. Big holds his family in high regard, does he not? Good. Family is priceless." He nodded wisely.

My eyes wandered off to Nick, who stood a little further at the buffet table. He was speaking to a female leopard in an elegant black dress. I felt a slight sting of jealously in my chest. It wasn't fair though, it was the first time of the evening he had left my side; I shouldn't be sticky.

"Do you have a lot of family, Mr Chang?"

His smile mirrored upside down.

"Sadly not. I am an orphan you see."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I said, regretting the topic.

"Don't be. My business is my home now and my employees are my family."

I opened my mouth, shutting it again without a sound. Nick told me asking anyone about their business was deemed inappropriate here. Instead, I decided to embark on an alternate route to find it out.

"You don't seem like a mob boss. What brings you to this evening?"

It was an honest question. In comparison to the others, Chang was alone, not very large and seemingly quite tender. He laughed.

"You are right, I'm not a mob boss. I own a few delivery services and since a while back, Frost Transport included..."

I was familiar with that name. Frost Transport was the main supplier throughout Tundra Town and was famous for its reliable and timely deliveries. I had no idea, that its ownership had been transferred. Not that I knew who previously owned it.

"... Mr Big has always used its services and he figured this to be a decent opportunity to get acquainted."

Suddenly, a soft, yet sharp bell rang and all attention was directed towards our tiny host. He stood on a small desk near the music band. In between us and his plateau, a few polar bears had begun removing the standing tables. I wondered what was going on. I looked at the clock and noted it was ten to twelve. Would the gala be over so soon? The shrew held a small microphone, which he tapped twice to make sure it was on. Then he began preaching with his unique, somewhat raucous voice.

"My friends. Thank you all for attending my gala. It is good to see you in such numbers, else I would've been stuck with a lot of surplus food as I do not eat that much myself..."

Here and there, a laugh and a snigger arose from the crowd to Big's self-mockery.

"... down to business. For those of you that aren't familiar with my galas, it is tradition that I personally announce the beginning of the midnight dance. Each of you willing to participate in it may choose a partner and step forward onto the clearing my workers have prepared."

A dance for couples? I glanced at Nick. He stood a few mammals left of me, next to the leopard lady in the black dress. I guess this was a detail of the gala he had left out. With a heavy heart, I also concluded this to be the reason why he had suddenly turned to the feline beauty a few moments ago. Maybe it was for the best, all in all, I wasn't a very good dancer anyway. Unfortunately, this thought only made me feel more miserable. The fact that Nick preferred another to dandle with over me, strengthened my fear that my affection for him probably wasn't mutual. And that idea, left me shattered.

"Shouldn't you be choosing a partner, Miss Hopps?"

I was startled from my sad trance. Mr Chang, of whom I had lost sight when the crowd gathered to listen, reappeared as the guests split up to either make their way to the dancefloor, or to the sides to watch the spectacle from a distance.

"Nobody wants me, I'm afraid." I replied open-hearted.

It wasn't what I wanted to say, although it more or less slipped my tongue as I was still doleful about Nick ditching me. I quickly continued to avoid him asking about my self-pity.

"Do you dance, Mr Chang?"

"Oh no. I'm too old for that. Besides, you should find someone younger and prettier like yourself."

I smiled. Mr Chang was a nice man, and it wasn't until he pointed out that he was too old that I reckoned from some of his features that he likely exceeded my father in age. It was really hard to see.

"Miss Hopps!"

A shiver went down my spine by the sound of that voice. Great. Not only had Nick left me, that horrid rabbit also showed up.

"I see that you are once again shy of a partner?" Jake Hare posed, looking left and right to answer his own query.

"Indeed I am." I replied.

It was useless to deny the obvious.

"Then you are lucky I happen to have caught sight of that, for I too am in pursuit of a dance partner."

His perfidious manner of talking made my stomach restless. If my father were here, I'd be sure to point out Jake Hare as one of the jerk bunnies that I know.

"No thank you, I was just in a conversation with... huh?"

I tried to use Mr Chang as my escape, albeit he was no longer present. For someone who was 'too old' he sure was fast.

"You were saying?"

"I said, no thank you." I corrected myself.

"Come now, don't be rude..." he kept soliciting.

"Sorry, I'm not that much of a dancer." I replied irritated.

He frowned.

"Very well then."

Upon his departure, I let out a sigh. Better alone than with that snake. I sought a stool next to one of the empty tables and sat down. I looked my dress over and preened the soft silk again. All this money for nothing. I was such a dumb bunny.

"Carrots! There you are!"

I got a fright when Nick emerged in front of me.

"C'mon, it's almost time." He said, reaching for my hand.

"W-what?"

"The midnight dance. It's about to start."

"I-I thought you didn't want me."

"What? Why?"

Unintentionally, my gaze shifted to the Amur Leopard standing on the other side of the room. She was preoccupied with donning a pair of black, satin gloves. He followed my sight and smirked at me.

"What's this Carrots?" He asked amused, "Are you jealous of Marilyn?"

I was too annoyed by the name Marilyn to give him a witty reply. I just stared at him with my arms crossed before my chest.

"Why didn't you tell me about the dance part?"

"Because it was meant to be a surprise." He smiled.

"Yeah right."

He frowned.

"Oh, don't be so silly." He said earnestly, taking my hand. "Let's go."

"No!" I replied, tugging myself free, "Just go dance with Marilyn."

I realized that I sounded even more jealous now. I didn't care. He had ruined what was meant to be our night. Me and him. Like Fru Fru had foreseen. Like I had foreseen. Like I had hoped…

"But I don't want to dance with Marilyn. I want to dance with you."

"Why?"

He placed his paw under my chin and made me look him straight in the eyes.

"Because you are my partner. And not Marilyn. Or are you getting back on that now?"

At any other given point I might be hesitant to believe the things he told me. Not now. His emerald irises glistened to me with nothing except honesty and pride in what he stated. With a few words, he had toppled my emotions and I let him gently take my hand and escort me to the centre of the floor. We were just in time.

"Does everybody have a partner?" Big resounded.

"Yes!" He cried in unison with the others, waving my arm.

I know he only acted so foolish to amuse me. Still it worked. I punched him softly against the chest.

"That's the first time you seem proud to have me as you your partner." I quipped to him as he took my other hand and we adapted the starting pose.

He leaned forward and my ears perked up as he whispered something in my ear that made me quiver on my feet.

"It's also the first time that you look so beautiful."

==Nick==

The clock struck midnight. As the music began, so did the crowd, including Judy and me. I had no idea where I had found the courage to say what I had, yet the timing had been right and I was glad that I had. The possible consequences of my words for our partnership at the ZPD had seemed irrelevant. She was beautiful and she deserved to know that she was. As we began to sway on the rhythm of the music, Judy warned me that she wasn't a very good dancer. Taking heed to her comment, I took the initiative to lead. Without argue, she followed. It soon became clear that her self-doubt was unfounded. Every move she made was as dainty as a silver swan. Our ballet was nothing short of a well-rehearsed performance and we blended in so well, nobody noticed that single time Judy stepped on my tail. I wasn't even sure she did, but that didn't matter. At this moment, I cared for nothing except that pretty girl in my arms. Right now, she was my bunny and the rest of the world was allowed to think of that whatever they wished.

I had no idea how long we danced. Time was rendered inert. I was glad that I had taken the lessons Big had offered me a few years back. Back then, it had been my first gala and he had urged me to beget the proper skills for his traditional midnight dance and the class he had put me in excelled at the style he played at his galas. Sadly, I had found no partner that night; I was still a fox after all. Strangely, I had continued to take lessons in dancing even afterwards. I had convinced Finnick it to be a useful tool for hustling, whilst in truth I had simply enjoyed it. Of course that had come to an abrupt stop once I had sold Big that rug and our friendship had splintered.

As the rhythm of the music lost in speed, the entire style changed. Knowing that this would happen, I effortlessly seeped into the required pattern. Judy seemed less capable in doing so, however at the slower pace it was easy to guide her. Moving to the music once again made me realize I had missed the thrill. Or was it just being with Judy that made this moment so exciting? I spun around her and she around me. Her dress created a lilac circle around us as we did. Her earrings scintillated in the low light. Or were it her eyes? I couldn't really tell. As I performed the move on experience-based instinct rather than actual memory, I bent forward and she bent back, my arms preventing her from falling. She followed my action without hesitation. She had completely confidence that I wouldn't let her hit the ground. And I wouldn't. She smiled to me brightly as we held on to this pose. She was so beautiful now. I had to try. I leaned forward, whilst holding her steadily and not breaking eye-contact. Hours passed, or were it just seconds? Every inch closer to her felt like another defiance of faith. Our muzzles were only a breath away. Her nose twitched. She didn't seem to fight me on what I was attempting. On the contrary. It was as if her eyes asked me to push on. Was the alcohol playing tricks on me? How was this really happening. I had dreamt of this moment, yet it had seemed so far away. Now, she was so close, it almost-

"What is the meaning of this?!"

My dream collapsed like a house of cards. The irritation spat at us was so out of the blue, I pulled Judy and myself back up in reply. I knew immediately I had lost my chance by doing this, although I managed to hide that disappointment as well as I covered up all my emotions.

"You told me you didn't like to dance!" Jake Hare shouted.

He was sure to swiftly position himself in between us, forcing us apart and shutting me out of the conversation.

"Well, apparently I do." Judy retorted irritated.

The scene drew the attention of the mammals around us. It even brought the music band to a halt.

"Then you should have danced with me!" He sparked, grasping her paw tightly.

"Hey…Ugh… Let go!" Judy started to cough.

The stress was causing her injured lungs to ache, that guy was assaulting her! And I was just standing here! It was well past time to step in. I placed my paw on his shoulder.

"Listen bud-"

Without warning, he whirled on his axis and hit me against my nose. I fell backwards on my butt on the marble floor. I rubbed my sore muzzle. The blow had been so unexpected that I needed a moment to fathom what had happened. In that brief lull, Judy took the opportunity to return Jake his gift. From what I could see, she landed her fist against his lower jaw with such force that he was thrown on his back. I got up and saw his eyes roll backwards into his head as he fainted. My god. Judy had done that? Being able to knock a guy out cold so swiftly and without thinking...

Laughter arose from the crowd that had formed around us. Jake wasn't the most loved animal at this party and seeing him get his butt kicked was a scene many could enjoy. Regrettably, Big was not one of those. Koslov's size forced a hole in the wall of muzzles around us as he stepped towards us. Simultaneously, we were surrounded by a few of his congeners. In his hand, he held a disappointed Mr Big.

"Sir, he... ugh... He is the one who began!" Judy defended.

He shook his head.

"My rules are clear. No fighting at the gala. Escort them to the exit."

Piqued at first that she was getting the blame for what Jake started, her tantrum soon snuffed out when the polar bears pushed us to the exit.

By the time we drove off of the premises, she still hadn't said a word. Her ears hung flat over the sides of her head, covering the elegant jewellery that she was wearing. She stared out of the side window with her arms crossed, occasionally letting out a cough. On her lap was a cute little purse, made of purple texture with silver trims. I halted the car in front of a red traffic light. I opened my mouth to say something, but she beat me to it.

"I can't believe Big threw us out!"

"Well, rules are rules. No fighting means no fighting."

"So? I should have just ignored the fact that he punched my partner?"

"I think he would have wanted you to let his men handle it."

"The hell with his men. That creep was harassing us."

I nodded and pushed the pedal with my foot when the light turned green, slowing accelerating to avoid too much strain on her chest with the seatbelt.

"Besides I didn't start it. He did."

I laughed.

"Yeah, but you sure did finish it."

I spotted a glimpse of a smile, one she forced back into a frown as she wanted to be mad. I gave her a gentle thud.

"Don't be mad, Carrots. We had a great time hadn't we?"

I leaned on the car door with my left elbow and acted cool-headed. Deep down however, I was infuriated. Jake had ruined what could have been a dreamy kiss with the rabbit I loved. Sure, he had paid for it dearly, and by he, I meant his jaw. Nonetheless, there would come a day that I would personally let him pay the bill.

"We did, until that worm-"

"Uh!" I interrupted. "Did we have a good time or not?"

I reckoned I sounded like her father. Still, I didn't want Jake Hare to ruin the memory of this night any further than he already had.

"We did."

"There you go. That's all that matters."

"And we got some good suspects now too."

I nodded again.

"That was the prime reason for our visit right?" I lied.

My sole reason had been Judy and Judy alone. If I had to choose between the whole of Zootopia and her, my choice would always be the same.

"Yeah. I guess that's more important than some stupid gala."

Arriving at Judy's apartment building, all the lights were already out. I crossed the street, parked next to the sidewalk that led to the front door and turned off the buzzing engine.

"Pangolin Arms, here we are."

She unbuckled.

"Tomorrow at seven thirty again?"

"Meh, make it eight."

"Eight o'clock. Got it!"

"Thanks Nick. Tonight was fun!"

She stepped out, closed the door softly and made her way around my car. Despite her image fainting in the lamppost-lacking street, I followed her easily with my night vision. She fumbled in her purse to get her keys, when suddenly she stopped and her ears sprang upright. She placed her bag next to the door, turned around and toddled towards my car. I opened the window in advance, having it fully open when she reached me.

"Hey! Forgot someth...?"

As if the night hadn't had enough surprises yet, I was smothered by her lips as she pressed her muzzle against mine. My eyes fell shut as her kiss froze me up. When she pulled away I could hear her hop across the pavement. I opened them again when I heard the wooden door close behind her.

"Yeah..." I mumbled to myself, "tonight was fun."