Judy was getting a handbag ready as she and Nick would start investigating that afternoon but she felt bad for leaving her friends to handle Fru's Snow Princess campaign all by themselves. She told the shrew this.

"I'm really sorry about this. I know I promised I would help…"

But Fru shook her head, "Finding that vandal is more important at the moment. Everyone's really scared now that it's happen twice."

Giselle nodded, "Once I can handle. But twice… that is too much."

Dawn questioned in concern, "Did my mom seriously say they would have to close the school if parents don't think it's safe enough?"

Judy nodded.

Giselle said, "You know I didn't think I would see the day that you and Nicholas Wilde would ever work together."

Judy gave a small smile, "You know, it actually surprised me that he was that willing to work with me to solve this. For that one moment it felt we were on the same page of wanting to find out who was responsible. I feel with our smarts combine we might actually solve it." then she remembered the dream and her smile grew further. Dream or not, we will find the mammal behind this whole thing.

Nick was examining the wall as Judy was searching the ground. So far, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

The fox commented, "Think maybe we went way over our heads with this?"

"No way," she replied. "I will admit there isn't much to go on, but if we could just find one single… YES!"

"What? What is it?" he asked going over to her.

"I thought I lost this thing ages ago!" she held up a small ring.

He frowned, "So let me get this straight, it wasn't a clue you found but some old ring you lost?"

"I had this last year. My mom gave it to me as a going away present before I left for the academy. I was afraid I lost it and I didn't have the heart to tell her I did but now," she put the ring in her pocket, "I don't need to."

"Wow. I didn't figure you to be secret keeper from your parents." feeling genuinely surprised that Judy could hide things from her parents.

She gave a guilty look, "I don't mean to… but ever since I was a little girl I had to keep a lot of stuff from them because they worried endlessly about my safety…"

His eyes widen, "You were a rule breaker?"

She gave an annoyed look, "Yes. yes, I was, but that doesn't matter at this point. Right now, we have a job to do." she kept on searching while Nick was smirking.

Carrots, you just keep getting more and more interesting… and I like it.

He turned his head over to some bushes in the garden and something shone through the leaves. With a curious look he parted the bushes away and his mouth gapped. "Carrots, you might want to take a look at this…"

Judy came over and her mouth gapped too.

It was a black spray paint bottle. And on it had a label of what store it came from. Nick was about to pick it up but Judy stopped him.

"It could have pawpaints on it!"

"Get serious, Carrots, like the perp would just leave his paints on a can and discard it where anyone could find it."

"Technically, it was hidden from view, but you make a good point, why leave the can if it's just going to be incriminating evidence?"

"Maybe they dropped it by accident."

"I can see that. The vandal heard someone coming, was startled, and dropped the can while making a run for it."

"I suppose we could check for prints but I doubt there will be any."

Judy took out a cloth from her handbag and wrapped it around the can. "We'll make sure but I have a feeling you're right, Slick."

"Slick?" he said in amusement, "How long have you been waiting to use that?"

"Shortly after the water balloon incident. But then I thought using that nick-name on you would only increase your ego."

He gave a smug expression.

She gave an exasperated look, "I thought so."

He chuckled, "Actually, Fluff, it wouldn't be so much be my ego getting in the way when I would be really me following my motto: Never let them see they get to you."

Her eyes widen to that. She remembered him saying that in the dream.

He saw her shock face and misinterpreted what she was thinking, "Yeah, I know, how can I be a top student at the All-Boys School if I feel I need to hide my true feelings and be cynical if I got what it takes to be successful. Well, even if I do succeed, mammals are not going to trust some fox no matter their credentials…"

Her face softened and questioned in concern, "Why do you say that?"

He stood silent as if debating he should tell her or not.

She decided to ease him, "Nicholas, we made a truce. Whatever you tell me, I promise I will never repeat it."

He gave a skeptical glance.

She sighed, "I know you have no reason to trust me given our history… but would it help if I told you the real reason why I had to leave the night of the Haunted House?"

His mouth gapped, he never expected her to just admit to him about Ruby. Knowing he couldn't pretend to not know anymore. He outright said.

"I already know about that."

"Huh?" she tilted her head in confusion.

He continued, "I… I was looking for you, I was going to give you the biggest scare ever until I found you in that classroom talking to someone…"

She slightly gasped.

"Once your so-called pal left and I heard you crying, I wanted to help you in that moment but I knew I was the last mammal you wanted comfort from so I kept my distance, giving you the space you needed from whatever it was you were going through…" he looked at her with big eyes, meaning every word he meant.

Judy was stunned by this. She wasn't upset by the fact he listened in the whole time Ruby was talking to her, but was amazed that he stayed away from her so she could get over the shock of her past coming back.

She uttered, "So that's why you were never around after that night…"

"I do apologize for listening in when I wasn't supposed to. I didn't mean it this time."

She gave a slight chuckle, "I know… But I thank you for coming forth with the truth… It couldn't have been easy for you." she smirked.

He smirked back, "No. No, it wasn't. But being in your good graces has eased that."

"But it's only fair I understand why you go by this 'Never let them see they get to you' saying." she led him to the foundation where they had took that unfortunate dip at the dance and had him sitting next to her on the stone base.

"Touché, Carrots. Alright, fine, I was a young kit with hopes and ambitions kind-of like you were when you first came here. I think that's why I picked on you so much. You reminded me of well, me."

She gave him a sly grin, "Really?"

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, really…" he sighed, "The All-Boys Academy is my dad's old alma meter. He had plans for me to attend once I was old enough and I wanted to do that for him so he would be proud of me. He even told me that by having a great education I could be anything I want to be."

"Anything you want to be…?"

He smiled, "Like you my dad lived by that slogan. And my dad managed to bring in lots of money to our home, I was so used to living a good lifestyle that I believed his words." then he frowned, "But… it wasn't to last… there was… an accident… some idiot had too much to drink and my dad was driving home…" his throat started closing on him and his eyes were glossing over.

Judy's eyes down casted from seeing him like this and softly said, "I get it… What happen afterwards?"

He took a deep breath, "Without Dad to support us, Mom was forced to look for work and she had to take me with her but during those job interviews I would always hear the distrust in the employers' tones… Like hiring a fox was bad thing… As I grew older I became more aware of mammals hating foxes because they were," his eyes went dark, "shifty… no good… untrustworthy…"

He then sighed again, "Before I came to school, I had argued with my mother about the trust fund my father left for me so my tuition would be paid for at the academy. I told her Dad would have wanted her to use it to pay the bills to keep us afloat but she insisted that that money was for my education and that Dad would have still wanted me to go. We fought for days about it."

"What made you decide to go after all?"

"In the end, I realized my mom was right and that it would have been an insult to my father's memory to not go to All-Boys when he had such high hopes for me to go in the first place. Do I like being here? Well… yes and no. Since it was here I made friends that actually liked me.

"Finnick's parents forced him to come here mainly because he kept getting into trouble while growing up, so they hoped by sending him to a boarding school he would shape up. Clawhauser was mistreated because he was a predator but that didn't stop him from liking everybody. Gideon had some anger issues when he was kit but shortly after coming here, he found his calling as a baker. Flash is slow but he's a lot of fun to hang around with. These are the only guys I actually like. The rest of the academy is either boring or bigheaded. Like Buffalo Butt and Lionfart."

Judy had to contain in her laughter because she knew she shouldn't laugh but it was hard not to. Nick was just naturally witty. Then she gave a concern look as she thought of something, and asked.

"What about me? Am I a good thing or a bad thing of you being here?"

He looked surprised for moment and then went deep in thought. She didn't know if he seriously was considering her as a bad thing.

Well, he did say I reminded him of his younger self… so maybe by picking on me when I first came here he was trying to get rid of those memories… by forcing me to be less starry-eye and to become more realistic. Then there are the times of me trying to up him. But… we have a truce now, so maybe it isn't so bad anymore?

She looked to him as she waited for the answer. Then to her surprise, Nick took both her paws and was looking straight into her eyes. The gaze made her shiver but it wasn't freezing her rather it was an intense stare that was filled with passion.

He spoke, "You were always a good thing. In fact, you were a big reason why I stayed in the school as long as I have… When my classes get boring and I start slacking off, I think about you and how hard you must be working next door, so I force myself to stay on top to be at your level. So those are the three things I stay in school for: my parents, my friends, and you. Judy… I loved our rivalry; it showed me how much of an equal you were to me… With each passing week, I slowly realized I gained a small crush on you…"

Her mouth gapped at those last words.

He chuckled, "Yeah, I know, it was stupid, but I couldn't help it. I don't let anyone get to me and yet… you did."

Judy's heart was accelerating, she thought about her dream, then the dance where she told him how much they were alike even though she was just stringing him along. But thinking it through now, she realized how true those words were…

"It's not stupid." she replied looking straight into his eyes and this time she was the one giving off the intense stare causing him to shiver. "Nicholas Wilde, from the first moment we met, you were nothing but rude and mean to me but later on, I enjoyed the challenges you had set before me. You had infuriated me with them, yes, but it made me think of better challenges afterward. You're right, the rivalry showed us as equals. And at this moment and time I cannot think of a better team than us solving this mystery. With our smarts we're bound to catch this vandal."

He slowly started smiling, "Does this mean…?"

She quickly said, "I will admit, I am starting to feel attracted to you but there was still that little bug episode…" she crossed her arms playfully.

"Ah…" he rubbed his neck, "Almost forgot about that."

She smirked, "But we're getting there. As long as you're on your best behavior from now on, we'll see what happens."

He smirked back, "As you wish, Carrots. But answer me this." his face grew serious, "Is it possible? For us to be together?"

There was a pause before she gave him a sweet smile, "Yes. Yes, it is possible."