A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews guys. This chapter gets a bit more real.

I don't own shit.

Chapter 7 -Consequences and conditions

Nick stood just outside the door looking down at Judy, her fur still stained by her earlier outburst. His muzzle seemed to have adopted a permanent smirk. His eyes radiated confidence and smugness making her feel like she was no longer in control. As if he could simply will her to do anything after hearing her confessions. And it pissed her right off.

Leaping to her feet , she practically ran at Nick, throwing a punch into his shoulder that would make even McHorn take notice. Watching Nick rub the spot without ever losing that dopey look on his face, Judy calmed down enough to gaze at him more closely. She had always been able to see past his facade. His conman days had trained him too well to ever be fazed, but because of that one slip-up to her last year on the tram, she had always been able to read him like a book. Hidden beneath that smirk, the casual laid back appearance, was a genuine smile and a sense of concern for her.

"So Carrots, Nick said, his voice trembling slightly. "Where do you want to go from here?"

Before Judy could respond, Chief Bogo came up behind Nick. "Where you go from here is my office. 5 minutes."

Judy and Nick exchanged wide-eyed glances before trudging up the stairs.

Sitting in the large chair in front of Bogo's desk, neither officer bothered to speak. Judy fidgeted nervously while Nick simply put his hands behind his head and propped his feet up on the desk. Considering how tall the desk was, this made him look rather awkward, but the statement was what mattered, not the appearance.

The door opened and Bogo entered the office, closing the door firmly behind him. Seeing the fox with his feet propped up, Bogo took the long way around to his seat, shoving Nick's legs off the desk hard enough that he nearly fell out of his chair. The shock on the officer's face lasted less than a second, but it was immensely satisfying.

Bogo sat behind his desk and stared at a report for a few minutes. Judy, who was known to be extremely impatient even among rabbits, started fidgeting wildly, one foot thumping against the other. Nick however was perfectly at ease. Years of conning had taught him that patience is key to to all things in life, whether scamming $10 on the street or wheedling his way out of a problem with his boss.

"Hopps." Judy sat up straight, looking at the chief. "2 weeks suspension. Unpaid."

The look on the rabbit's face was almost heartbreaking. She struggled to say something but couldn't come up with anything besides a strangled gasp.

"Now hold on, Chief. What did sh-"

"Shut it, Wilde! You know exactly why. Excessive force on a suspect. One that is lucky to have survived with minor injuries after our doctors treated him. You know better than this Hopps. I don't care what your state of mind is. We're the police. We swore an oath to protect and bring perps to justice, not dish out our own just because we're having a rough day. If you had hit that tiger any harder he would have been paralyzed at best. You're off the force for the next two weeks starting now."

Nick struggled to contain his anger. "Chief this is bullshit!"

"You too, Wilde. 2 weeks unpaid suspension."

This time it was Judy who spoke up. "What?! Why are you suspending Nick? He didn't do anything during that fight."

Bogo held up his hand and read from the document in front of him. " 'I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't even do my job. Nick even had to falsify records to keep me from being fired yesterday.' Do you know what happens to cops that falsify reports, Wilde?"

Nick's face might as well have been made of stone as he slowly nodded. "Falsifying reports is grounds for dismissal and may include charges being brought against the officer or officers involved."

Bogo snorted. "Said as if reading direct from the textbook. Yeah. Your little stunt could very well cost you your job," He paused before continuing, "However. Due to a rather exemplar beginning to your career, your extraordinary marks at the academy, and my belief that you might turn into a very good officer one day, I'm pulling some strings to get you off with the lowest punishment I can get. 2 weeks starting now. Badges, guns, and cuffs. Now."

Nick lazily pulled out the items and laid them on Bogo's desk. Judy, the very role model of an officer even when being reprimanded, handed hers in with perfect procedure. As they began to leave Bogo called them back.

"Here is where the unorthodox part of my job needs to come into play. There's something between you two, and while secrets never stay buried long here, today they were blatantly revealed to everyone. I want you to use these two weeks to examine how you want to proceed with this. I don't know how serious this is between you two and honestly I don't think you do either."

Bogo sighed before laying all the cards on the table. "There are no regulations about cops dating each other. There are against partners doing so." Nick and Judy looked at each other in alarm. "You two will need to decide if you feel you want to work together as partners, or be together as a couple. If it's the latter, I will be reassigning you to new partners immediately."

Bogo stood and made his way to the door. "You have two weeks to let me know your decision, but when you come back and put those badges on, you better be damn sure of your choice." With that he left the office, leaving a very stunned fox and rabbit in his wake.