Hours later, Nick and Judy had done enough work to justify going away fir the night, and with the Secure Police dropboxes now installed on their phones, they could easily carry the case home with them easily. "See you tomorrow?" He asked. "I got a thing with Finnick tonight."

"Yeah, see you later." Judy waved and left for her apartment.

Nick sighed and took the train back to his apartment in the Rainforest District. He went to his apartment and opened a long, thin box under his bed and looked to make sure nothing had been stolen, and then nodded. He heard a van backfire, followed by a honk. Finnick was there. He grabbed the box and carried it to the van.

"Hey Fin," he greeted. "You ready?" He sked.

"For the night. Yeah. For listening to your pussy ass whining all night? No."

"I missed you Fin," he smirked.

"Yeah, yeah."

They drove in silence for a little bit. "So you manage to get your knot into your fuckbunny yet?"

Nick rolled his eyes and looked at him. "You know that we don't have that kind of relationship." Finnick knew about Nick's attraction to prey species, the only other person who did. When you get caught with your knot in one hand while watching some ewe-on-ewe porn… Well, Nick might be slick, but there was a limit to what he could talk his way out of.

"But you want that kind of relationship, right?" He smirked at his former con partner.

"I plead the fifth."

"Whatever you say, preyfucker."

"I am not going to sit here and take that from someone whose idea of foreplay involves a binky, onesie and a 'Mommy.'" Nick fired back as Finnick stopped the van at a red light.

The two of them stared each other down for a little bit, and then both burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, glad to see that being a cop hasn't made you go soft."

"Please, I may be straight right now. But I'm still Slick Nick," he replied with a grin. Not a smile, a grin that showed off his fangs. This was part of why he liked hanging out with Finnick, when it was just them, they didn't need to hide their fangs. "Seriously, how the hell have you been?"

"Not too bad," he replied. "Van's holding up, Cherry's doing well. Can't complain."

"Good."

"How's detective life treating you?" He asked.

"How do you know about that?" Asked Nick. "No one's made an announcement."

Finnick laughed. "Have you not been online today?"

"Been kind of busy with a case, the same case I asked you about."

"Right. Anyway, someone took a video of you and Officer Carrottop in the restaurant and uploaded it online, along with you two talking about becoming detectives. Whole internet's gone nuts."

"Shit. We were hoping to keep the whole thing on the quiet. Avoid a media circus."

"HA!" Barked Finnick in laughter. "Good Luck, you two took down two corrupt Mayors. You may not be as big as before, but any news about you two is big time shit. Half of all the articles I read mentioned that they were looking to get an interview with the chief!"

"Fan-fucking-tastic," he muttered. "Let's just shoot some arrows and then grab some beers, okay?"

"Now you're speaking my language!" Replied Finnick as he pulled into the parking lot of the Archery Range.

Nick popped open the box he had brought with him and grabbed a bow out of it, a forest-green colored compound bow. Finnick also grabbed his, a tan-colored one, and they walked into the range, grabbing some arrows as they paid for an hour of range time.

Judy sighed and closed the door to her apartment and closed the door. She walked over to her laptop on her desk and opened it up to review the files deposited in her dropbox. She knew she should probably be taking a break, but she had a hard time switching out of "cop mode." She began pouring through the file until she started to feel sleepy, looking for something they missed. But she couldn't find anything. She and Nick had been quite thorough.

And with that, her thoughts drifted to Nick. She felt truly blessed to have such a great friend. He was her friend, right? Not that she doubted he was always there for her, she just wasn't sure of her own feelings towards him. She knew she liked him as a friend, but did she feel something more than that? That was the question that had been buzzing around in the back of her mind since their talk in the car. Nick had gotten unusually intense just them, and it had made her wonder just how she felt about him.

She knew she didn't want to lose him, and that she loved spending time with him, but those could be easily applied to either platonic or romantic feelings, and just what was the difference between the two? Intensity? She sighed and got up to go and get herself a drink of water and a few sticks of celery to nibble on while she thought.

She took a moment to do a mental inventory of how she felt about Nick. Did she like being around him? Yes. Did she like him as a friend? Absolutely. Did she like his scent..? Where had that come from? She thought about it. Rich, musky and with a hint of violets. Especially during winter when he was in his mating season-

Judy nearly fell out of her chair at that unbidden thought. She shook her head. Was she sexually attracted to Nick? No! She couldn't be! She liked bunnies! Right?

She shook her head and tried to get back to work, and pushed thoughts of Nick and his scent out of her mind.

Nick grinned as his arrow hit the bullseye. Nick and Finnick had a bet going on, whoever got the most bullseyes had to pay for the drinks. "I'm up two big guy," he taunted. "Better start getting serious."

Finnick grumbled and nocked another arrow. He pulled back the string and let the arrow loose. It hit the bullseye, dead center. "You were saying?"

"Still up by one," he reminded Finnick. "And there aren't a lot of arrows left. Better hope I screw up."

"SO better hope you preform normally?" He quipped.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Nick nocked an arrow and let it fly. It missed the bullseye. "Damn," he deadpanned.

"Uh Oh! Looks like Big Finnick is on the rise!" His diminutive friend laughed.

"Laugh it up, by the end of the night, you'll be the pone paying for the drinks."

'Okay, one more time, I am NOT sexually attracted to Nick. I. Like. Bunnies,' Judy told herself. 'I only looked at Sheena's hidden Knotty Dogs magazines once or twice or six-plus times out of curiosity!' She had her face in her paws as she tried to deny the unfortunate reality that she might be attracted to a fox of all mammals, and not just any fox, her partner! Her best friend! What if he found out and their friendship was ruined? What if he didn't feel the same way? 'What if he does?' Whispered a treacherous part of her mind.

"Shut up, I like bunnies," she muttered.

'Really? Name a single Buck you've been attracted to?' challenged that same part of her mind.

"Well, there was… I mean, I was into… There was definitely…" She racked her mind to try and figure out a single solitary male rabbit that she had ever been attracted to. "I was focused on getting into the ZPD," she rationalized. "I didn't have time to pursue a relationship."

'Whatever you say.'

Judy sighed and went back to nibbling her celery, suddenly very tired. She went to undress and go to sleep. She curled up in her bed and soon fell asleep, confused by the thoughts buzzing in her head.

Nick ended up losing and bought two six-packs for him and Finnick to share out of the back of his van.

"So what has Cherry beam up to anyway?" He asked Finnick. "She still trying to get you to move out of your van?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking down at his can of beer. "She wants me to move in with her."

"Go for it man! Do it! It's not like you'll lose the van, you can keep it and not have to sleep in it and instead sleep with Cherry!" he encouraged.

"I… I don't know man, I like Cherry, but I don't know, this seems… Serious… I'm…" he sighed. "I'm scared."

"I get it," replied Nick. Leaning back. "You're not sure you're ready for a real relationship."

"I'm still figuring out if I'm even capable of having one!" He replied. "I'm a small-time hustler who lives out of his van! I am not the stuff a stable boyfriend is made of, Cherry deserves better."

"Then be better," encouraged Nick. "You've kept this van running for years past when it should have crapped out on you. You could get a good job in a garage somewhere, Bet they would love a guy like you to get into all those tight spaces they bigger guys can't reach."

"You callin' me short Wilde?" He asked, not able to muster up his usual venom with regards to his height. "I bet they would keep me for a week before some stuff goes missing and they blame the fox," he scoffed.

"Maybe. But Finnick, what makes a good boyfriend for Cherry, is that willingness to try. Just go for it and maybe the job doesn't work out, but doesn't Cherry at least deserve the effort?"

Finnick didn't say anything, just took another drink. "I just don't want to actually mate with her, you know, for real, and then trap her in a relationship she might hate."

"Then make it a relationship she won't hate."

Finnick gave a heavy sigh. "Outta all the things we evolved out of, why did we have to keep that whole, 'mating for life' thing?" He sighed.

"Because the universe hates foxes and wants us to suffer?" Offered Nick as a suggestion.

"Fuckin' a-men to that."

They finished drinking and Finnick said goodbye to Nick as he left to go walk, slightly tipsy, to the train station. He got in a train and headed back to his apartment in the rainforest district and climbed into bed.

Judy woke up the next morning bright and early and ready for work, although the low-quality sleep last night had taken the spring out of her step. Nevertheless, she was determined and optimistic to present what they had to the Chief. She met Nick in the Bullpen and sat down next to him.

"Morning partner," she chirped. "Ready to make the world a safer place?" She asked, holing out her fist for a fist-bump.

Nick smiled and looked at her, her enthusiasm always made him feel warm. "You know it Fluff. Here, decaf." He slid her over a rabbit-sized cup of coffee with carrot creamer. He returned her fist bump.

She smiled and took it from him, accidentally brushing fingers with him and almost blushing at the contact. The thoughts from last night still rattling around in her head.

"A-TEEEEN-HUT!" Shouted Higgins. Bogo walked into the room shortly after.

"Alright! No time for funny business! We have violent street gangs with military-grade weapons and no clue where they are coming from!" He reminded all of them. "This is Priority One, Two and Three Hopps! Wilde! You had better have something."

They got up and Nick gave Judy a boost so she could stand on top of the lectern that the Chief used for the morning assignments. At her signal, Nick dimmed the lights and turned on the projector.

"This is Darius Fangson, also known as 'Big D,'" began Judy at the image of the lion that cable up on the projector. He was tall and broad, with a splotchy, irregular red dye job around his claws and muzzle, supposed to be evocative of blood splatters. A popular thing among young street-tough preds who wanted to look intimidating. "He's one of the big players in the Pride that is confirmed to still be alive. We want him found and brought in for questioning." She began. "We know that he frequents several establishments, such as a liquor store on the corner of third and Pack Street and a strip club known as 'The Kitty Klub,' and that he lives in the fifth street projects." She flicked through the relevant slides as she spoke.

"Second POI is Franklin Cubbs," she explained as the picture of a lanky hyena popped onto screen. "He's one of the bigger members of the Spots. He has a pretty sizeable record and is a bit skittish. So he might go to ground to stay out of sight. He mostly hangs out at his home in the eighth street apartments and the gang's hideout somewhere near the edge of the Happytown where it meets with Sahara Square. Apparently their leader likes the warm climate of Sahara Square. We don't have an exact location so we're going to cast a wide net and have several unmarked patrol cars in the general vicinity. For the other places, one unmarked car for each location. You see either of them bring them in. WE have plenty of probable cause so don't be afraid to slap the cuffs on them."

"All relevant information has been distributed to your dropboxes. We want these guys brought in for interview and possibly interrogation," explained Nick as he turned the lights back on. "We have other POIs but these are the two big targets. The information on he others will be added to your dropboxes later today after we get the files down to the guys in tech."

Judy hopped off of the lectern and hefted up a stack of red case tiles that was bigger than she was, which Bogo took with one hoof.

"You heard the bunny. Come here and take the files with your assignments."

The red folders were handed out to various officers and detectives, and when they were all finished, the rest of the bullpen were given assignments unrelated to the case Hopps and Wilde were working on. When everyone had left, they met with the chief in private. Nick had something he wanted to discuss with him.

"Make it quick Wilde. I'm very busy."

"Chief, I was thinking last night, and I think things are about to get a lot worse." He began. "Two street gangs in the same place at the same time, each getting this kind of firepower? There's no way that was a coincidence. I think there's something bigger going on."

"You think I'm naïve Wilde? Of course there is. All the more reason to find the dealer of dealers and bring them down quickly. The sooner we find out what's really going on, the sooner we can shut it down." He sighed. "But still, you arrived on that conclusion on your own, so you might just be a competent detective after all."

"Wow, chief, that was almost a compliment."

"Don't you have work to do?" He asked with a deadpan expression. "Go on."

"Yes sir." Judy grabbed Nick and dragged him away.

"Well, Carrots? Shall we?" He asked when they got into the unmarked car at the motor pool and buckled up.

"We shall." She started the car and drove them away. "Let do this!"

"Ugh! This is so boring," she moaned for the third time in the last hour. They were sitting outside the building that Cubbs stayed at. "How has he not shown his face yet?" She asked.

"We expected this Carrots," Replied Nick as he snacked on some grasshopper fries from BuggaBurger. "After a stunt like that it makes sense that he would go to ground. This gut isn't big or strong, but he is smarter than your average gangster. That's how he went so far."

"I know but how is this not unbearable to you?"

"It's a predator thing. We're used to this. Lying in wait, knowing out prey is just out of our reach, waiting for them to make one fatal mistake before we… POUNCE!" He pretended to lunge at her with his claws out and his teeth bared.

"Nick!" Judy laughed. "Come on! Be serious." She admonished playfully as she tried to calm down her racing heart. Nick's "Pounce" had excited her in ways she didn't want to deal with at the moment.

"You know that's a tall order, right?" He smirked, cracking the window to get some fresh air. Breathing her scent in for the last few hours was pure torture. He was just glad that he had a case file to cover his lap with.

"You know, this is nice," she said after a few moments of comfortable silence. "I know this is important work, but it's nice to spend time with you like this."

"Same, Fluff, same."

"Dispatch this is car ZPD-A118, we have apprehended Darius outside of the Kitty Klub. Bringing him in for questioning. Over."

"ZPD-A118 this is Dispatch," came Clawhauser. "Solid copy, preparing an interview room for you."

Judy snatched the radio handset. "Dispatch this is car ZPD-A113, Hopps and Wilde, coming into the station for interview. Over."

"Solid copy, ready to receive you."

Judy replaced the handset. "Who goes to a strip club the day after starting a gang war?" She asked incredulously.

"Someone who is not very smart," answered Nick.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on Slick. We have a lead to chase."

"What about Franklin?" He asked.

"We'll get him another day. Besides, if he hasn't shown his muzzle yet, we probably won't catch him. We have a perp to interview, we can always come back and get him later. We know his pattern."

"All the same…"

"Attention all cars assigned to Franklin, keep the stakeout going. Cars assigned to Darius join up with them. Hopps and I will need him found in case Darius clams up."

"This is Car A115, this is Delgato and Higgins, copy that, we'll head over and keep watching his house for you two while you head back to the precinct."

"Solid Copy. Thanks." HE hung up. "What have I told you over and over? Cover all your bases, Carrots."

She punched him in the shoulder with a grin.

"Police Brutality!" He cried, rubbing his shoulder playfully.

"I prefer to call it 'tough love,'" she replied with a smirk of her own.

"Just drive the car, Carrots."

Author's Notes

Sorry about the wait. it took a bit longer than I expected to get this chapter up and running. But the good news is that the story is FINALLY getting going. Hopefully the momentum will build from here and more people get interested in what is going on. As for why Nick and Finnick went to an Archery Range, I'll explain that a little in future chapters, but it's also because I wanted them doing something a bit more interesting than just sitting in a bar and drinking.

As always, feedback is appreciated. Anything you can think of that you like or anything that you think needs improvement, please shout it out in the comments.

Love you guys.