Author's Note: Tada. As promised Chapter 4 is a longer chapter this time. It will have to last you guys for the next 7 days, as I am on holiday. Chapter 5 however is written, so I will definitly update next weekend. To respond to one of the reviews, and to anyone else who might feel that Judy is a bit too harsh on Nick: I am not following exactly what I know of the old Zootopia story, mainly because I know too little, and because this is a sort of AU. I think in a darker world, Judy would be wise to he be cautious of a supposed killer. As always, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 4

Jump.

The next morning, Officer Judy Hopps was on her way to Outback Island with new found determination. Everything looked better in the day light, and the guilt and concern she had felt the day before had been replaced with a stern calm.

She had the radio turned up loud and the window rolled down. Crisp early spring air rushed past her ears. Judy was convinced that she would find some lead with Nick Wilde's help. He knew something – she was sure of that, even if that something was not exactly the answer they were looking for.

Killer or not, the fox had once claimed to know everyone. Judy found herself believing him. Perhaps she would find herself believing him when it came to other matters also. Had he killed that sheep? Maybe. Maybe not. After her conversation with chief Bogo, the righteous and somewhat wishful voice in her head told her to keep an open mind.

The bunny cop had brought a Tupperware container full of blue berries from her family's farm, and was certain that together with a more open mind set and perhaps less remote-control, Nick would be willing to forgive her and confide in her.

A few clouds decorated the otherwise bright morning sky. The bridge to Outback island momentarily offered her a great view of the sparkling channel.

Sometimes 'Tomorrow is another day' was actually followed by a better day. The bunny sang along to the lyrics on the radio and enjoyed the ride. Even the looming presence of the jail complex could not intimidate her today. She was out to do the right thing, and make the world a better place!

By the time she passed through the gates of the compound and confidently stepped out of her car, she had several messages on her phone blinking for her attention. Judy however had carelessly put the phone into her pocket. She checked her bag, assured herself that she had a copy of the case file, the fox repellent she had been reminded by her father to take along, and the blueberries of course.

It wasn't until she was inside, leaning on the desk with the glass wall that separated her from the koala receptionist, that the smile was wiped off her face with a few simple words.

"Officer Hopps? You're here again for Nick Wilde?" The lady paused for effect, or perhaps it was simple hesitation. Judy couldn't quite read her expression. It was grim. Or perhaps just tired. "Something happened."

Nick Wilde couldn't remember being in this much pain before, with the exception of a few years ago, when a Bison had caught onto a hustle and beaten him to a pulp over a lousy few dollars.

He felt the bruise on his arm first, although it was the lesser evil, and then noted the tremendous pain at the side of his waist second. His lids felt too heavy for him to open his eyes, and his head was fuzzy and numb. They had put him on pain killers when he had woken in the night only to pass back out screaming when his collar went off from feverish panic and pain.

In the merciful blackness his closed eyes enveloped him in, he could pretend that he was safe, and that the numbness all over his body was just the result of an especially deep sleep. Without interrupting the darkness, he perked his ears and listened. There was the beeping of a heart monitor machine and the rustling of a newspaper. Someone familiar to him cleared their throat, a deep, guttural noise. Ryan. Nick faintly remembered Ryan finding him when he had been curled up on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. His lips twitched into a distorted smile. There was another noise too. A constant, impatient tapping against the pristine floor of the prison infirmary. The tapping grew quicker and more obnoxious with every few passing seconds, and was eventually underlined by a small weight pushing down the cot on which he lay.

His calm ruined by general discomfort, Nick forced his eyes open and immediately flinched back further into the single pillow on the (slightly more comfortable than his cell) cot. Wide, amethyst bunny eyes were staring down at him with obvious concern. The eyes blinked. The nose twitched violently. A bunny paw was pressing the mattress down on one side.

"Mr. Wilde?", murmured the concerned Bunny.

"Carrots?" Nick pulled a disdainful smile. "If I am dreaming you, I am very disappointed with my subconscious. Please, stop tapping your foot. Sounds like thunder to my headache."

She huffed at him. The tapping of her foot on the floor finally stopped.

"Wilde…Nick. What happened? They told me you were stabbed."

The fox made an effort to sit up. The tight bandages around his waist restricted his motion at first, and his right paw was pulled back during the motion. A chain rattled. He was cuffed to the cot. Of course. With a silent sigh the prisoner surveyed the infirmary. There were two further cots, both empty, and a barred window looking out onto the wide river. The rhino guard, Ryan Thick, was sitting on a chair by the door, calmly browsing through a newspaper.

Nick scanned the bunny officer for a remote control, but could not find one in her hand. She had a casual backpack swung across her shoulder. The only weapon he saw on her was the tranquilizer gun on her belt.

"Yeah…that's about as much as I remember too.", Nick murmured. He lifted his free paw in greeting. "Ryan, old boy. You were there."

The bunny turned her head to eye the guard by the door. Unbeknownst to the injured fox, the guard had insisted to watch over him and take on the guard duty during his visit. Now the rhino was folding his newspaper in his lap and looked up, eyes tired and features grim. As always.

"Don't ask me, Wilde. By the time I found you laying in the laundry room, there was no one else in sight. But don't worry. They'll look through the security footage sometime today."

"Sometime today, huh?", Nick rose an eyebrow. "Glad to know they care for me so much."

Without looking up from the title page of the paper, the Rhino shrugged. "They don't."

It was the bunny's turn to get exasperated on Nick's behalf. She was turning between the two men so hastily that it looked as though she was dancing on the infirmary floor, shifting her little feet around with frantic energy. "Bu-but that's terrible! We need to find out what happened, and why! Mammals don't just get stabbed for no reason."

Nick leant back into the pillow, his thoughts racing. In the bunny's expression he found a sincere combination of concern and remorse. She looked at him as though she truly regretted ever having hurt the poor fellow. After all she was not carrying the collar remote, at least not openly. And…Nick's nostrils widened as he sniffed the air. The metallic scent of blood, sweat in his own fur, thick, sweet smelling medicine…and was that….blueberries?

Within seconds he had put together a plan in his head. His heart was racing with the giddiness of it. He clutched his wound, wiped the smile of his face. He willed his eyes to dart across the room with concern.

"I don't understand…", he said just loud enough for the bunny to hear. "Before yesterday, I wouldn't have thought I had any enemies in this place…"

The bunny's ears shot up eagerly. She was ready to play detective, piece together the motives and suspects. "Before yesterday?", she repeated. Her eyes widened and she tapped her foot excitedly. "O-oh. I saw you yesterday! This…this isn't because of me, is it?"

She fell for it hook, line and sinker. Nick shrugged innocently. Let the mark think of the answer themselves – let them offer you what you want. Make it their idea.

"Don't take too much credit, Carrots…I am in a high security prison. The place is full of predators after all. The only reason there is rarely any violence here is because of the collars."

"Wait – the collars!"

"Besides, I sure didn't tell any other inmates about our little meeting yesterday…"

"Inmates! I know! The only people that knew were the Chief, the receptionist, Officer Stomp and me!" The bunny's face fell with shock. "But that means…it means your attacker…Oh, no. Nick, Nick, what were you going to tell me? What does someone want to shut you up about?"

Nick feigned fright. He widened his eyes, let his ears fall back, and awkwardly shifted back on the cot. "Fluff, hang on a minute…I can't talk about this here. You saw what happened…Listen, Carrots, I don't want any trouble. My life might not be exactly great, but I sure as hell don't want to die!"

The bunny's excitement at having come to a conclusion faded from her features rather quickly. She blinked at him, her little brain working hard behind her furrowed brows. She stepped closer to Nick's cot, placed her paws gently beside him.

"You're not going to die, Nick. You survived his attack…they will find whatever member of the prison staff did this, and the culprit will be taken care off. He'll have a lot of explaining to do!"

"No- No.", Nick violently shook his head. He regretted it immediately when the headache came back with a vengeance. "You don't understand – they don't care what happens to me. You heard Ryan say it! They won't bother! I'm just a predator to them…Please, Carrots. I want to help you. But somebody here doesn't want me to do that."

The cop had taken a hesitant step back from his cot and was watching him intently. Nick played his act well, but he didn't have to. He wasn't lying. If the bunny decided to leave him there, he might very well end up murdered within the next few days. He knew what they didn't want him to say. It hadn't mattered before because no one would have listened – but the bunny had come back to do just that. She was just about willing to maybe believe his unlikely story. Even if the culprit was found, they'd send another one. And another one.

Nick's stance was submissive. He had his tail quite literally between his legs and was looking at Judy pleadingly. Come on, Carrots…come on. You feel bad you shocked me. You want to make up for it. Come on…you believe me…I know you do…

But her gaze was full of doubt. He realized with painful resignation that she still believed she had once misjudged him, still believed that he had somehow killed without a shred of remorse. She didn't want to make the same mistake again. She didn't want to fall for his trick. He very much wanted her to fall for it.

"Judy.", he pleaded. "Please…"

She turned to Ryan, seeking some sort of hint in his face. Nick too turned to the Rhino and his face fell. It was obvious to him at once that the guard knew exactly what he was up to. Ryan was staring back at him with warning, dark eyes, blowing air out of the side of his snout. He had his strong arms folded, the newspaper had slid off his lap uncared for. Nick's shoulders sunk in defeat.

Then, to the fox's surprise, the Rhino looked up at Judy and nodded. A single, barely notable nod. Yet it was enough for the bunny. She turned her back to both of them and pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialled a number lightning fast, and held the little device to one of her long ears.

"This is Officer Hopps. Mhm. Yes, I read your texts. I went anyway."

She began pacing, listening intently.

"We need to move him. I need a secure transport van and maybe two more officers. Yes, I'm sure. Yes, he knows something. No, he won't talk. I'll make him. Sir, with all due respect. If a citizen is in danger for his life, no matter who it is….yes, but, Sir…I….yes. I will vouch for him."

Her eyes were nervous, maybe scared. Nick, who kept up his humble stance the entire time, saw her looking back at him with uncertainty. She had to convince her superiors for him. Of course no one thought it was a good idea. How many security protocols would they abandon with such a hurried transport?

"Yes, I can do that. Okay. Okay. Thank you, Sir! I won't let you down."

Painfully slowly, the bunny lowered the phone and clicked the call away. She turned back to Nick, stared him down with a stern intensity that made him shrink back in earnest. The little dumb bunny had some fire in her, he had to admit. He almost felt bad for double crossing her. He swallowed, waited. She kept him waiting for a torturing minute.

"We will transport you to a secure location in one hour.", she said. "You will be cuffed. I will carry a remote. And when we get there you will tell me everything you know. I want names. One wrong move, Wilde…"

The fox nodded eagerly. He thought he saw out of the corner of his eyes how Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Officer."

Judy sunk down on a stool by his bedside. He tried to make himself comfortable and put no strain onto his wound. It was hard to relax under her relentless, watchful stare. He even pulled on the handcuff chaining him to the bed to remind her that he was not going anywhere. It took him a while to realize that it was not suspicion that kept her close, but something else.

After ten long, silent minutes, she reached into her back. Nick almost expected her to pull out the shock remote again just to make herself feel a little safer, but instead she pulled out a Tupperware container. When Nick realized the contents of the box, his eyes lit up.

"Fluff! Those for me? Oh, you really needn't have…" he said, already reaching his free paw out for the box. His smile stretched from one pointed ear to the other.

She pulled the box away, just a few centimetres out of reach. His smile dropped.

"Oops.", the bunny retorted. It was her turn to smile smugly. "Did you want something? Funny, because I seem to remember me asking you nicely yesterday, and still not getting what I wanted."

"You call zapping me asking nicely?", growled the fox. He scowled at her, wriggling his outstretched claws in the air despite the fact that he would never reach the blueberries as long as he was cuffed to the bed.

"I was going to make up for it with blueberries, but it seems I am making up for it by, oh, I don't know…saving your pelt!"

"Yes, yes, and I am a very grateful fox. Really. I love ya, I owe ya, now, come on, Carrots. Don't leave me hanging! Do you have any idea what they feed me in here?"

He was half hanging in the air, stretching his stabbed waist. The strain of it started to hurt badly. He had to lean back into the cot, his scowl distorting into a grimace. As if to torture him further, the bunny opened the box and took a sniff of the blueberries that, admittedly, smelled like the best blueberries he would ever have tasted. To add insult to injury she went ahead and offered them to Ryan, who raised a hand and denied silently.

"What do you want to hear?", Nick whined.

The bunny smiled slyly. Nick swallowed. He knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could turn around and shake your fuzzy little tail, and say "Please, Officer! I am just a dumb fox!""

Nick narrowed his eyes at her, but in amidst his annoyance he couldn't deny feeling at least a little amused. Ryan had pulled the newspaper back up to hide his smirk.

"I'll say please. Take it or leave it."

"Deal."

Judy Hopps prayed that she had made the right decision.

In the daylight the small window in the infirmary had provided, Nick Wilde hadn't looked so frightening. It had helped of course that he had been chained to a bed with his shirt unbuttoned and the bandages visible underneath them. It had helped that he had wanted, no, needed Judy's help. Last but not least she could not be frightened of someone so sincerely happy about her family's delicious blueberries. Nick had needed her help, like any other innocent, endangered citizen. It was a cop's job to save his life.

But he wasn't innocent.

…Right?

A part of the Officer's mind really hoped he was. She would feel a lot better about risking her job for an innocent person than she would for a murderer. But surely, if she believed Nick to be such a bad animal she would not have done any of this in the first place. The bunny had no choice but to trust her gut instinct, and somehow that instinct told her to believe in Nicholas Wilde.

Chief Bogo had not been happy with the idea of taking Nick out of a high security prison and transporting him in the company of just two other officers. It was risky – very much so. But the force was worn thin by the murders shaking the city. There had been news about further unrests at the borders to predator communities too. If Nick Wilde, notorious criminal or not, could help them solve the issue, it would be worth it. That was as long as Nick Wilde did not indulge himself in further killings.

Judy swallowed heavily and looked up at the fox walking by her side. She had cuffed his paws behind his back, but had undone that action when he had winced and whined and shifted uncomfortably. She had looked him up and down dubiously, and he had forced a smile and said, in a pained tone, "I'm fine, carrots. Injury's acting up, is all…"

Judy had offered to cuff his hands in front of him instead, and he had humbly assured her that he could take it, and then just grimaced further. She didn't like to see him, or anyone for that matter, in pain, so she cuffed his hands in front of his stomach with a stern warning.

"Thank you, Officer. I appreciate it. I shan't cause you any trouble. So kind, really."

She should have noted his sarcasm. She should have dropped her own feeling of generosity and proud righteousness and paid closer attention to his tone, the lightness of his step, the mirth in his eyes.

No one stopped them. At the reception, the rhino, officer Thick, exchanged a few words with the koala at the desk. The chief of police had called them beforehand and explained the move and the reason for its urgency, with the assurance that they would bring the prisoner back into their capable care once they found the culprit and had what they wanted from the fox.

Judy kept her paw on Nick's elbow so that she could grab him if it should become necessary. His legs were shackled with about as freedom as his hands. He could walk easily, but running would be hard. She had the keys for the cuffs in her pocket so they could manoeuvre him easily. In the same pocket rested the remote control for the shock collar. She had her free paw hovering above the clothe separating her and the essential device at all times. If he acted up, she would press it and be done with it. She had done it before and she could do it again.

When they stepped out of the fluorescent light of the claustrophobic indoors, Judy welcomed the fresh air and the cold that came along with the overcast sky. It had begun to rain slightly. She was stepping straight ahead. A van had been prepared for them. Officer Higgins and McHorn stood by its side and waited by the open backdoor. Judy was heading straight towards it, when Nick stopped dead next to her. She was about to protest, about to reach for her weapon, when she looked towards him and just found him standing open mouthed with his nose pointing towards the sky.

She thought she saw water in his eyes, and it sure as hell wasn't the rain. His usually smugly smiling lips were pressed tightly together and his fists were clenched and shaking. Judy hesitated, decided to give him a moment as he absorbed every single tiny rain drop that graced his fur.

"Come on.", she said gently after a few seconds had passed, and he looked first at her, then at the van, and his eyes set hard. He gave her a short, abrupt nod and moved forward, fidgety and on edge.

"You're not gonna press that button again, are you, Fluffs?", he asked without looking at her. He had said it quietly enough for Higgins and McHorn not to notice. She bit down onto her lip, stared at the ground.

"Not if you behave."

"I'm starting to get scared of police brutality." He said it with a faint smile, jokingly, but she did perceive a note of nervousness in his voice. "You're not taking me from the fire into the frying pan, are you?"

Judy tried to smile encouragingly, only to wonder why. "No way.", she assured him, before forcing herself to stand firmer. She had to stop letting him play the victim! "Besides, you are going to talk without any trouble now. That's right, isn't it, Wilde."

With the gravest of expressions, he ducked his head and stepped up into the van.

Higgins and Judy herself took a seat in the back. Judy shared a bench with the cuffed Fox whilst Higgins sat opposite them, his eyes firmly glued on Nick, who in turn glanced out of the open doors towards the prison complex he was about to leave. Ryan Thick was standing by the entrance in the mild rain, staring back to them with a bored, or perhaps concerned, expression. Judy couldn't quite tell. But she took note that Nick nodded towards him with a grateful sincerity she didn't know the reason for.

McHorn finally closed the doors, reducing the light in the back of the van to a narrow fluorescent light bulb at the ceiling, and the small rectangle of light flowing in from the window. Soon enough the engine started roaring and they took off. Judy was so close to Nick that she thought she could feel his heartbeat racing. She didn't look at him, and he didn't look at her. It was Higgins who did all the staring.

They drove on in silence for a good ten minutes. Judy didn't like it in the back of the van. It felt dark and claustrophobic, just like the prison had done, and she struggled to keep track of the emotions passing Nick's face. She couldn't tell whether he was frightened, relaxed, nervous or…determined.

In her mind, Judy recounted the journey from the city to the prison, and counted the minutes to figure how far they were. They would be getting close to the bridge crossing the river soon, and then they'd be back in what could be considered the main city. Not that much more of the journey left, she noted with some relief.

They rattled over a speed bump as they ran over the bridge, and then the whole large vehicle shook and tilted with the force of a hole in the street. Judy remembered it from her way there twice now, but hadn't quite expected what sitting in a van sideway would do to her when the vehicle shook. She found herself sliding against Nick, who in turn slid towards the wall, and they both got thrown about for a second. She hit her head on the wall of the van.

The road settled again and all three of them took a deep breath. Higgins had cold sweat on his forehead. When Judy asked him if he was quite alright, he just said: "It's the tightness. Get a bit claustrophobic."

She was in the process of nodding understandingly when a chain came down before her face and pulled back. The bunny shrieked in horror. Nick's arms had come down on either side of her, with the chain between his hands pressing her firmly against his slender chest. "Wi-"she was about to protest when she felt something press against the side of her neck. She held her breath. Higgings jumped up from his seat when the road threw him back down onto the bench. He was reaching for his tranquilizer gun but something made him hesitate.

It didn't take Judy long to figure that what the fox was holding against her head was her own pistol. She felt her side and found her holster empty.

"Nobody move.", Nick demanded calmly. Judy barely heard him next to her own frantic heart beat and the blood rushing through her ears. She struggled mildly, Nick just held her tighter.

"STOP MOVING, Carrots", he shouted into her ear. The bunny flinched. "Knock on the wall.", the fox demanded of Higgins. "Stop the car."

"Wilde. Don't do anything you'll regret", said the hippo officer. "All you have there is a tranquilizer gun. You can't do much with that, now, ca-"

"Oh, yes I can.", Nick said calmly. "Knock on that wall and STOP THE CAR, or I swear I will first shoot her, then rip out the dart, and drag it all across her nicely exposed throat. You don't want to see Hopps blood spilled, do you?"

"Your collar won't-"

"I am Nicholas Wilde. I dare you – try me.", Nick smiled. Judy could hear him smile. She tried to reach the pocket with the remote, and was smacked across the hat with the pistol. "You looking for something, Officer?", Nick asked sweetly. Higgins had leant over and knocked firmly on the wall to the front. The car came to a stop.

"You need to work on your poker face, fluff. Constantly having your paw at your pocket made it kind of obvious. Now. Open the doors."

Higgins did as he was told. Judy saw the fear on his face and found herself surprised. She herself was scared, and yet not as terrified as she thought she should be. She looked onto her own capture as though it was happening to someone else. In the back of her mind she just numbly repeated her defeat. He got her again. He had her again. She had made the same mistake a second time, made the mistake to trust the fox.

With the doors open, Nick shifted him and her both outside. A very confused officer McHorn had slipped out of the driver's seat and stared at them with widening eyes. "Where do you think you're going, Wilde!"

He pulled them backwards. Judy saw the van, and the low wall of the bridge behind it, and beyond…water. Her eyes widened and her nose started twitching when she realized what would have to be behind them, too. There was no way to escape the bridge. No way that didn't involve…

Thump. Their combined bodies hit the wall, and Judy, struggling, realized that her captor had jumped up onto the low wall and was pulling her with him. She didn't dare look back. Didn't dare look down. Her right foot felt the edge of the wall behind her.

Distantly, she heard her own voice. She was begging in a high pitched tone. "No-no-no, Nick, you'll kill us, Nick, please, no-no, you can't do that. Nick, let's talk about it, okay? Nick, we can talk this out. You'll regret this. Let's come down and talk about it", and so on, and so on. It was an endless stream of unheard pleas, going under in the horrified sobs escaping her tightly entrapped throat.

His snout was next to her face. She saw him from the corner of her eyes, his green eyes, staring back at her, his fangs exposed. White needles confined in his tense smile. "Carrots. Just so you know.", he whispered almost tenderly. "It's nothing you did. Wish me luck, sweetheart!"

And with those words he lifted the hand cuff chains over her head. Then the weight of his body behind her was suddenly gone. The world was moving in slow motion. Judy turned around on the edge to see him falling away, smiling at her, the rushing river beneath him.

She remembered herself thinking that he was crazy. And then she remembered herself thinking that she was crazy too. Because she reached out and grabbed the hand cuff chain, shouting against the rushing wind and her own racing thoughts: "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, NICK WILDE!"

Then his weight dragged her off the edge with him.

And they fell.

Another Author's Note:

I am aware that this chapter is sort of full of plot conveniences. As a writer, I would understand if I let some of you down with how I handled this escape, however I had to remind myself that this is casual writing for me, and if I start fussing over too much logic, I will lose enthusiasm and stop writing this fanfic all together. So for the sake of this story continuing, I hope you can excuse the fact that this high security prison is hardly very secure. See you all next week!