Author's notes: Sorry, please don't lynch me. I was way busier than I thought I would be last week, that's why I didn't get out a new chapter. This is why this one is a bit early. Well that and the fact that I had two weeks to work on it. If anyone's interested, I went back and cleaned up my previous chapters and closed a few plot holes I noticed. That is all, enjoy.
Chapter 9: The meeting
Judy was the first to wake and made her way to the shower. She ran the water and heard footsteps in the hallway. Nick, obviously still mostly asleep, opened the door to a naked Judy. She saw he hadn't seemed to notice her somehow and decided to wake him up.
The rabbit stepped over to the fox who was making his way to the toilet and grabbed his paw. She spun him around and kissed him deeply. Nick was startled for a moment before pressing back into the kiss.
"Hey Carrots, fancy meeting you here." he said before looking down "Hey, you're naked."
"I've notice" Judy giggled.
Nick left her to her shower and went to the other bathroom. He began preparing breakfast for them.
I'm going to have to set something up for us sometime soon he thought as he cooked.
Soon enough, Judy emerged from the bathroom in a robe and sat down to eat. Nick served her some carrots and potatoes while he took a bug omelet and some blueberries.
After finishing breakfast, Nick went to shower himself.
After he finished, he realized he couldn't smell Judy's mar anymore. Must have washed it out. We haven't marked each other for a while.
He returned to the living room to see Judy fully dressed in the cloths she was given and he did the same.
Judy sniffed the air "Hey, Nick, come here so we can mark each other."
Nick turned to her and shook his head "We shouldn't. That would be a mistake."
Judy began to feel hurt. Nick noticed this and quickly corrected "Oh, no. It's just that if whoever we go to meet, if they smell our marks, they may realize who we are. And if they don't, they may still not work with us because we're an interspecies couple."
Judy sighed "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Aren't I always." Nick smugly replied.
Judy punched him in the arm and said "Har har, not always. You'll learn."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Nick whined to himself as he tilted his bead back.
They got in the car and Judy started it up.
"So, what do you think we can expect." Judy asked.
"Well, this will be an associate of Big's, my guess is whoever it is, they will be armed, and probably have some back up with them." Nick replied, thinking through the possible mammals they could be meeting.
"I guess it's a good thing we're geared up then, huh." She said.
Nick only grunted in reply.
"So, um Judy. I should probably take the lead in this meeting." He said.
Judy was a little irritated "Nick, I'm still the senior officer. It's my job to take the lead. Do you think I can't handle this."
Nick shook his head "No, it's not that. It's just that, well, for one, I spent most of my life lying to mammals and getting them to believe and do what I wanted them to." he paused before continuing and sighed "Plus, I'm a pred. A fox at that."
They had arrived at the precinct at this point so Judy parked the car and turned to Nick. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Nick shook his head and sighed "For one, foxes are in general expected to be shifty and sly. If I'm not in charge, they will doubt my usefulness since you're a bunny." He breathed in deeply before continuing "And they will doubt my strength if I'm under a bunny. You don't have any family ties so there is no reason for you to be more powerful than a pred. On top of them doubting me, they will doubt the legitimacy of our story."
Judy took a moment to consider this "You're right. When we go to meet them, you're in charge."
Nick nodded and they headed into the precinct.
Seeing they weren't dressed in their normal ZPD uniforms, Clawhauser asked "What's up with the cloths."
Judy responded "They're for a case."
"So Spots, how's it goin?" Nick asked as he leaned against the desk.
Clawhauser looked at him with caution "I thought you knew everything."
Nick laughed "I don't know everything, just a lot. Mostly the juicy, embarrassing facts mammals don't want getting out."
The cheetah laughed "Oh yeah, well then it's a good thing I don't have any of those."
Judy saw the smirk spread across the foxes face as he said "How about last New Years?"
His eyes widened and his laughing stopped "Y-you can't know about that. I've never told anyone."
Nick's smirk only grew at the cheetah's panic "Now, buddy, I would never tell another living soul. Though you might just want to remember what I know. Not everything is just embarrassing."
Nick walked off toward the bullpen, leaving a shocked and terrified Clawhauser and a confused Judy.
It's a good thing he's on our side Clawhauser thought.
Judy ran after Nick and tentatively asked him "What happened at New Years?"
Nick chuckled "Trust me, you don't want to know."
A thought suddenly hit Judy "What do you have on me?"
Nick simply laughed and walked on. "Seriously...Nick. Nick! NICK!" Judy said, growing nervous.
Judy sat next to him at their seat and asked once more "What do you have on me?"
"Okay, here, I'll tell you if you cook dinner tonight. Deal?" he said.
"Deal." she said, not minding having to cook dinner.
"Eleventh grade. That's all I'm going to say" Nick said.
Eleventh grade, what's that supos... Judy thought when the memory hit her. Her entire eleventh grade was horrible. From the cloths to...
Judy turned to Nick who was now talking to Fangmeyer "How could you know about that. I've never told anyone. Not even my parents. It would ruin my career if that got out, no one would ever respect me."
Nick looked into her eyes to respond "Like I said, I know a lot. Plus you mumble in your sleep. It's quite cute." emphasizing cute.
Judy was ready to pounce on him when the chief entered, calling everyone to attention.
He got through the assignments quickly and asked Nick and Judy back for a meeting.
Once in his office, Bogo asked "So what's your plan."
Nick took charge "We're going to pose as possible business partners. I'll pose as the boss, Jew...Officer Hopps will pose as my partner. We'll try to use this contact to get close to the traffickers and, hopefully, take them down from the inside."
Bogo listened closely Perhaps this fox is due for a promotion, along with his partner he thought after Nick finished. "Sounds like a good plan. We can only hope it works. Just remember, if you see their operations, don't attempt to stop them. We want to take them down at the top, which may mean letting a lot go unanswered for until we can take them all down."
Nick and Judy nodded their agreement and saluted before leaving the office.
Nick quickly poked his head in to say "Um, sir, we're going to need a car."
Bogo snorted "Okay Wilde. What are you thinking."
Nick perked up "Something that will blend in but still conveys a message of 'I have money' and 'I will kick your ass.' Do we have anything like that?"
Bogo looked at Nick for a moment, giving him an icy glare before laughing. "I'll have something ready for you."
Nick decided to get out of there before the chief's attitude changed.
He met Judy at the motor pool and they approached the guard.
He was an old wolf, probably only a few years from retirement. His black fur was turning grey and his back was hunched. "Ahh, Wilde and Hopps, good to see you. Chief told me to get you a little something set up for you."
The old wolf led them through the motor pool and stopped in front of a covered car. He pulled off the cover and Neither fox nor rabbit could believe what they saw.
"I didn't even know we had something like this." Nick said once his surprise subsided.
"Yep, we just cleaned her up for ya." the wolf answered.
Judy turned to him "Thank you Mr.?"
"Wolfard. Yes, my son is one of the detectives here." he responded.
Nick and Judy's eyes widened at the new information but they remained silent, deciding to instead focus on the car.
Nick wanted to know more "So, it's pretty nice. I'm guessing it's a few years old."
"Yeah, decided you needed to be a little showy. The chief said you also wanted something that said 'I will kick you ass' so just wait till you here this muscle car roar." Wolfard responded.
Nick's smile grew "Okay, so we have a, I'm guessing three year old, black muscle car to play with. I love this assignment already."
Judy rolled her eyes "I'm driving."
Nick shook his head "Nuh uh, I'm taking charge, remember. That means I drive."
Judy sighed and said "Fine. But I want a chance to drive this at some point."
"Fair enough Fluff." he said.
The wolf tossed Nick the keys and walked off. Nick and Judy climbed in and Nick started up the engine.
"Listen to that purr." he said.
Judy shook her head and rolled her eyes "You know where we're going, right?"
"Yeah yeah. Remember, I grew up on these streets." he said as he pulled out.
Neither said a word until reaching their destination. A beat, old, warehouse in Sahara Square.
Nick pulled into the ally and turned off the car, putting on his shades as he exited the car, Judy doing the same and following after him.
They entered the building through a side door and were greeted by a hyena. He led them to a room with guards of different species lining the walls and a white wolf sitting in the middle.
"You know, when Big said I would be meeting a fox and a rabbit, I didn't really believe him." he said as he rose from his chair. "You would be?"
"You can call me fox and her rabbit. I'll call you wolf, sound good?" Nick replied.
"What, scared to tell me you names?" the wolf said mockingly.
"I prefer cautious." Nick responded.
"And I prefer alive, so can we skip the pleasantries." Judy said.
"Ohhh. Feisty bunny." the wolf laughed.
Judy narrowed her eyes at him, though they were concealed behind the shades.
"You have no idea. But she's right, lets get this moving, shall we." Nick said.
The wolf turned to him "Well of course fox."
The wolf walked a few steps before saying "So what is it you came here to discuss with me."
"Business." Nick stated plainly.
The wolf smirked "Well of course. What type of business?"
Nick's expression hardened "The kind I only discuss with some one who can get me what I want. Now, I don't think you're the mammal for me to be talking to, so I guess we'll be leaving. Lets go rabbit." and with that, Nick turned to leave and beckoned Judy to follow.
When he reached the door, a bear moved to block his path.
"You see, I don't thing you came to discuss business with me. I think you came to take me down. Isn't that right Officer Wilde and Officer Hopps?" The wolf said.
They turned in time to see the gun drawn and noticed the others in the room drawing their own weapons.
The wolf moved closer to the pair "Now why don't you kiss your cute little bunny good bye."
Judy could have never guessed what happened next, she heard the gun go off...
