Chapter 8

I awake in a bed that is not my own, but, on the plus side, is also not in a jail cell or a hospital room. Well, unless jail cells or hospital rooms have started to provide silk sheets since the last time I've been in one. I slowly look around the room and see the windows covered in black out curtains open just enough to cast the room in a comfortable gloom. My head is still pounding as if I'd gone on an all night bar hopping binge.

If I am dreaming, then I need new dreams, I think as I swing my legs over the edge of the bed. The bed itself is a little on the small side for my size but still surprisingly comfortable. I rub my paws over my face. "Old fox told me there would be days like this," I mutter to myself.

"Magic is like a muscle boy; if you over do it you'll pay for it later," I hear his grizzled voice say in my head. "Guess I over did it," I mumble.

I feel a bit dizzy as I stand up, but at least I can stand unassisted so that's a plus. I walk slowly over to the door and test the door knob. Much to my surprise it turns easily in my paw and the door opens. The hallway is better lit than the bedroom I'd been put in.

The hallway has dark hardwood floors with a plush red carpet running the length of it and stark white walls. I hear the distant sound of what I can only assume is a kit's TV show. I turn and walk toward the sound, placing my right paw onto the wall as I go to steady myself.

"Mr Nick!" came the high pitched squeal as I entered the cavernous living space. My eyes go wide as she patters across the floor and leaps at me. I catch her and somehow manage not to fall over in the process as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"Mama said you needed to sleep and there was this white lady fox with her and a buffalo and you've slept for a long time Mr. Nick!" Cotton says to me, her face buried in the fur of my neck. "I was worried about you, Mr. Nick."

"I'm sorry I worried you Cottonball; how long have I been asleep?" I ask.

"Two days," Judy answers from across the room. "You started to worry us, but the vixen that showed up just said you vastly over did it."

I nod and walk over to sit down on the couch. Judy has already turned off the TV. I'm not even certain I could light the candles in my apartment right now so the TV is probably safe from me for the moment.

"She said that it wasn't safe to take you to the hospital and that you just needed sleep." Judy frowns. "For some reason I felt like I should trust her." She smiles at us. "Anyway, with your apartment door still buried in rubble this was the only place I could think of to bring you."

"Your godmother's?" I ask. As if on cue Fifi waltzes into the room. "Oh look, it lives," she says upon seeing me. "I had thought we would need to call the body collector to remove him from the spare room."

I study Fifi for the first time. When I originally met her I'd assumed that she was just a speciest skunk, but now I'm not so sure. There's something off about her.

"That's not nice!" Cotton exclaims.

"Fifi…" Judy says shooting the skunk a glare.

"My apologies Mr. Wilde." She turns and walks out of the room. I watch her; there's something about her eyes and the way she moves. I frown as I try to remember something that my grandfather told me, something important.

"How long has she worked for your godmother?" I ask.

Judy looks thoughtful. "A month or so I guess," she answers.

My stomach chooses that moment to growl and it's suddenly hard to concentrate as it's been two days and a lot of spell slinging since I've last eaten anything.

Cotton giggles from beside me. "Mr. Nick is hungry Mama!"

Judy's eyes got wide. "Sweet cheese and crackers! I'm sorry Nick; here, I'll go get you something to eat," she says quickly as she gets up and rushes toward what I could only assume is the kitchen.

I lean my head back against the back of the couch and close my eyes as I wait.

"Are you still tired?" Cotton asks.

I nod slightly. "Yes; I used magic a little too much."

"Like when Mama runs too much?" Cotton asks.

"Exactly," I answer and feel her snuggle into my side even more.

"You're my hero, Mr Nick," she says softly and then adds, "You and Mama; you can have two heroes right?"

"You can have as many as you can find Cottonball," I answer. There is something refreshing about having the young rabbit around. As odd as it may sound it feels as if some of the weight is lifted off of my shoulders and my aches and pains are not so great.

"Can we have story time tonight?" she asks.

"Not tonight Cotton; my head hurts pretty badly."

"Aww… okay," Cotton says. I can hear the minor disappointment in her voice.

"I should be able to tomorrow," I tell her; my magic induced hangover should be gone by then. I'll still be sore from the fight with the demon, but that shouldn't keep me from being able to tell a story to the young rabbit.

"Here ya go Nick," Judy says as she comes back into the room carrying a plate. "Hard boiled eggs, toast, and some blueberries from my family's farm."

"Thank you," I say to her as I take the plate of food and dig in. Cotton giggles at me as she steals one of my blueberries and munches on it. As I eat my meal, my head starts to clear and I'm able to think just a bit more. I remember something about scent from the first time I met Fifi.

I pop one of the blueberries into my mouth as I think about this. It's juicy and sweet yet tart and oh so very delicious. Judy must have seen the smile on my face. "My family grows the best produce in the tri-counties," she says with a warm smile."

I nod my agreement. "Why did you become a cop?" I ask her.

She went quiet for a moment. "Because I want to make the world a better place," she finally says. "Not just for her," she says, looking at Cotton, "but for everyone; I've come to find out that the world is bigger than I thought, though."

"Noble goal," I say as I pop another blueberry into my mouth and shrug. "But the world you're aware of now is no different than the world of yesterday."

Judy nods and looks over at me, taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "I think I've come to realize that I'll need some help."

I pop another blueberry into my mouth as I look over at her. I hear a question in that statement, one that I'm not sure if she's really asking me or not.

"Chief Bogo wants to talk to you tomorrow," Judy continues. "I filed a report about the last few days."

I tense slightly. "What did you tell him?" I ask.

"Everything; finding the…. site," her eyes shoot to Cotton at my side, "running from my house, how you took us in, all of it." I nod at her explanation and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be going to jail now; this knowledge more than likely shows as my body tenses and my ears splay to the side.

"Relax," she says. "I'm reasonably sure he's not going to arrest you."

I chuff at that and reach down to grab another blueberry, only to find that they're all gone. I eye Cotton, who smiles up at me mischievously.

"Cotton!" Judy exclaims, and I can't help but chuckle in amusement.

I raise my paw and grin at Judy. "It's fine."

I look down at my empty plate; my headache has dissipated quite a bit since I've eaten and I generally feel better, more like myself. I stand, finding myself a bit stronger. "The kitchen is around the corner?" I ask

Judy nods and moves to stand up. "I'll take that for you…" she starts.

"I'm fine Fluff. I need to move a bit anyway." I shoot her a wink and grin. "Besides, it's just around the corner so if I hurt myself I'm sure you'll hear me."

She nods and looks away from my gaze as I start to walk toward the kitchen. "Then I'll get Cotton ready for bed," she says as she stands up.

"Aww, but Mama…" Cotton starts.

"Don't but Mama me young lady. I let you stay up past your bedtime because Mr. Nick got up, but now it's time for good little bunnies to go to bed."

"Kay…" Cotton says. "Good night Mr. Nick!"

"Good night Cotton," I say to her kindly smiling at her as I round the corner to the kitchen.

The kitchen, like the rest of the apartment, is lavish, The appliances are well polished stainless steel, the counter tops are all granite, and the cabinetry is a deep rich red wood of some kind. Just as I place my plate in the equally polished sink and turn to head back to the living room, my ears perk up.

I hear a song being sung; it's hauntingly sad and speaks of all the things a long-lived being has lost. Lovers, children, familiar places, all gone. I stand quietly in the kitchen and turn toward the sound. There's a set of rooms down a short hallway that could be best described as a mother-in-law suite, or maybe a servants quarters.

I take a step closer toward the song when a sudden realization strikes me: the song isn't being sung in the common tongue of mammals. I pause as many things click into place for me, then turn and pad quietly back into the living room.

My thoughts are jumbled as I sit back down onto the couch and run the fingers of a paw through the fur under my chin. I'm so lost in thought that I barely notice when Judy sits down beside me a few minutes later.

"She likes you," Judy says pulling me out of my thoughts.

"So you've said." I look down at her.

"She hasn't liked most of the males that I've brought around." The frank confession surprises me to say the least.

I grin down at her. "Maybe she's a good judge of character." I wink at her. "I mean, I am awesome after all."

The barely suppressed chuckle only makes my grin grow wider. The look she shoots me is a mixture of amusement and annoyance, but there's a slight up turn of the corners of her muzzle so I'll take it. "You asked me to dinner a few days ago; were you serious?" she asks.

"I honestly thought you had a hot date with the way you tore out of here," I grin at her minor snort. "I guess in a way you did."

"I had arranged for a late pick up of Cotton and had even almost exceeded that time. I have to pay out of pocket if I'm late and the city picks up the rest as a benefit of being a city employee." She gives me a side eyed look. "But you didn't answer the question; were you serious?"

I sigh. "Nothing gets past you does it Carrots?" I ask playfully. "Yes, I was serious. I've been told I could use more friends. So yes, I would like to take you to dinner." I grin at her. "Even Cottonball is invited."

"Really?" she asks.

"Sure, who am I to neglect inviting my biggest fan?" I ask.

The smile that cracks Judy face truly lights it up. "True," she agrees and shakes her head. "How about Friday?" she asks.

I stare at her for a moment, not expecting that; before she can take it back, I smile at her and say, "Friday sounds great."

"Great!" Judy exclaims happily. "Well, umm, I need to go to bed, and don't forget about your morning appointment with Chief Bogo."

"I'm going to sit here for a bit longer before I go to bed," I tell her.

"Ok, have a nice night Nick," she says before walking away.

I watch her go and smile. I don't know why but the thought of taking those rabbits to dinner leaves me with a warm feeling. What was it that Serendipity told me? I ask myself. Right, red tulips.

My eyes drift back toward the kitchen and hold there for a moment. I sigh, then stand and walk back into the kitchen. The kitchen is much the same way I left it. I look toward the room where the singing came from before and see that the light is still on from under the door.

I knock softly, and I hope politely, on the door and wait. I don't have long to wait until the door is opened and Fifi stands before me. "Mui cow na- bar a i mui duck na- flae." Peace and long life to you alfar, I mean you no ill intent, or at least that's what I hope I've said and not something far more sinister like, I'm here to kill you prepare to die.

Her stance as well as her features soften just a bit. "Svartalfar," she corrects me. "Please let us converse in common before you butcher any more of my language."

"Thank you," I say. "Just how badly did I butcher it?"

"You said 'My cow is home alfar and my duck is ill.'" She smiles toothily. "But you tried."

"And that was enough to change your attitude toward me?" I ask.

She shrugs. "I'm on sojourn for 75 years. I'm to learn of this plane then return home. I was warned against making contact with members of the White Council of Mages." She pauses and stares at me hard. "But from your stumbling attempts at my native language I take it you wish to talk?"

I nod. "I do."

"Then talk."

"Mrs. Otterton hired me because she feels as if she's being hunted" I explain. "It started about the time you started to work for her."

"I see." She looks away embarrassed. "I mean Olivia no ill will; she took me into her household and offered me work."

I nod. "I figured as much."

"I followed them to a party, saw others watching them,"

"Others?"

"Gray ones, they do not belong here either." She looks up at me and tilts her head to the side.

"Are they still around?"

"No, they left 5 maybe 6 days ago. I kept watch."

I frown. "Gray ones?"

"They are they who walk behind."

"They who walk behind….." I say quietly, as if I should know that phrase.

She nods. "If there is anything else…?"

I nod. "I would like to learn your language."What can I say? My grandfather told me that knowledge is power, and I'd like to make a good impression on any others of her kind that I may meet in the future.

She nods. "I will trade for some knowledge at a later date."

"Only social or economic information, nothing on magic," I counter.

"That is acceptable."

I nod and hold out my paw. "Deal then?"

She shakes it. "Deal."

It's not long after that I make my way back to my room. The apartment is quiet and I curl up on the small bed to drift off to sleep. My mind keeps running over the phrase, " they who walk behind; " it reminds me of something but of what I can't quite nail down. I pass out with no answers to my questions. My dreams, while pleasant, are nebulous at best and slip from me when I'm awoken some time later to a light rap on my door and the smell of freshly cooked bacon.

"Nick?" Judy asks as she cracks open the door. The delicious smell of breakfast wafts into the room through the open door.

"Mmmmm?" I groan from the bed.

"It's time to get up; we can take Cotton to daycare then be at Precinct One for your meeting with Chief Bogo just after he passes out assignments in the bullpen," she tells me.

I sigh as I realize that there will be no more sleep for me that morning. "Is there time for a shower and some coffee?"

"Shower is down the hall and Fifi has made a fresh pot this morning; hurry or Cotton will eat all of your breakfast as well."

I uncurl myself from the center of the small bed and stretch, my back popping a few times. "Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes."

After a hot shower, (Karma I could really get used to a hot shower.) I follow my nose to food.

"Good morning Mr. Wilde," Mrs. Otterton greets me as I step into the dinning area.

"Good morning Mrs. Otterton. I must thank you for taking me in."

"Think nothing of it Mr. Wilde." She studies me as I sit down and Cotton scoots closer to me. "Judy and Cotton had quite a story to tell about you Mr. Wilde. Have you had any chance to do anything about my other problem?"

"I believe that has been sorted out," I answer and smile at the plate that is put in front of me. Bacon, eggs, toast, and a small bowl of blueberries that I deliberately move away from Cotton.

"I thought it might have since I haven't felt that presence in a few days."

I nod as I start to enjoy my breakfast. I can feel the bunny beside me eyeing me and then my blueberries. "I believe we're square on expenses and I can send you over an itemized expense list by the end of the day."

"Don't worry about it Mr. Wilde; any overages I shall consider a tip for a job well done." She took a sip of the liquid in the mug in front of her. "About helping Cotton and Judy though…"

I waved a paw. "That was me helping friends, Mrs. Otterton. I neither need nor desire any compensation for it."

She nods and keeps her eyes on me. "Nonsense; I feel a reward should be given. Deities know the city won't." She looks thoughtful. "Judith told me of your dinner date on Friday."

My ears perk up slightly and I shoot a glance over to Judy. She glances away from me, her ears behind her back. "Come on kiddo, let's get ready to go to school while Mr. Nick and Grandma Olivia talk."

"Aww Moooom….."

"I'll be going with you guys to your daycare," I inform the young bunny.

"Really?'

"Yep, better go get ready."

"Yay!" she shouts as she scampers off.

"Now, Emmitt and I have…" she pauses and sighs, "or had standing reservations at Lucerios; do you know where that is?"

"I do." To be honest there isn't a predator in the city, maybe even the world, that doesn't know where Lucerios is; it's where lab grown meat made its debut. But it's way, way outside of my budget.

"Judith has been there with Emmitt and I a few times. She quite enjoys their vegetable casserole." She pauses and looks hard at me. "I insist that you take them there this Friday Mr. Wilde. I'll make the proper accommodations for your dinner."

"That is quite generous of you but…"

"No buts, Mr. Wilde."

"Thank you for your generosity then."

"You're welcome; now finish your breakfast." I can't help but grin slightly at her motherly tone.

I finish my breakfast and move to take my plate to kitchen. "I'll take that Mr. Wilde," Fifi says, taking my plate. "The Hopps' are waiting on you."

I nod and walk into the living room. Judy is standing there with my staff in her paw as Cotton dances around the entryway. "She'll have to go without her backpack today, but I was told they should have the alley to your apartment cleared today.

I nod as Judy hands me my staff. "That'll be good. Was there any damage done to the building?"

Judy shook her head. "Somehow that's the only building on the street that survived without even a broken window." She eyes me suspiciously. "I wonder why that is?"

I shrug and give her a sly grin.

The walk to Cotton's daycare is rather quite. I notice Judy walks a little closer to me this morning than she has in the past while Cotton holds my paw.

"Are you feeling better today Mr. Nick?" Cotton asks just before we get to the daycare.

I nod. "I'm feeling a lot better today Cottonball."

"Can we have story time tonight?" she asks.

I look to her mother, who nods. "I don't see why not. I'm sure I can come up with another story to tell you."

"Yay, thank you Mr. Nick!" She jumps up with her arms and paws extended. I catch her with my free paw and hold her tight as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"Have a good day Cottonpuff." I tell her as I sit her back down on her feet.

"You'll wait here?" Judy asks and I nod. I watch as Judy and Cotton disappear from view.

The familiar scent of cherries announces her presence a split second before I hear her voice say, "You did well Nicholas."

"Did I?" I ask.

I see Karma nod out of the corner of my eye. "Serendipity approves as well. You gained not just the rabbits as friends but a potential ally in the Svartalfar as well." She turns and looks at me fully. "You'll need friends and allies for what is to come."

I frown and turn to ask a question but she's already gone. Always more questions than answers, I think to myself.

"Ready to go?" Judy asks as she walks back up to me.

"Yeah… sure," I say absently, still mulling over what Karma did or didn't tell me.

"You ok?" she asks.

"Sorry, just mulling some things over."

"What did Olivia have to say?" She looks up at me and I can see the curiosity in her eyes.

"Oh, just wanted to make sure I would take you and Cotton someplace nice on Friday."

She grins. "So are you?"

I nod. "I said she made sure of it didn't I?"

"Fine," she huffs. "Keep your secrets for now, but I know you're up to something!"

I give her a sly grin in response. She just shakes her head and we walk the rest of the way to the precinct building in a comfortable silence.

Setting foot into the Precinct One building this time is different. There is a silence that slowly comes over the normally noisy reception area when we enter the building. I can feel the eyes of dozens of mammals all suddenly directed at me.

"Oh my goodness!" Clawhauser squeals from the receptionist desk. "He even brought his staff!" I watch as his eyes shift between Judy and I. "You two look really cu…. I mean good together."

"Hey Clawhauser!" Judy says cheerfully as we walk toward the receptionist desk. My staff taps on the tile floor as we go. "Nice catch; is the Chief done with the morning briefing?"

"Yeah, he just finished a few minutes ago." His gaze turns toward me. "He's expecting you."

Judy must have seen my tension, as she grabs my forearm and I look down at her. "Relax Nick, it'll be fine." She smiles at me. "Come on, I'll walk you up."

I follow her up the stairs to the second floor and along the walkway that allows mammals to look down over the reception and office areas. Most officers have gone back to their paperwork or whatever they had been assigned, though one or two still tracked my progress to the chief's office.

We stop outside of the massive door and Judy knocks on it. "Enter," comes the gruff voice from the other side and Judy reaches up and opens the door.

"I've brought Nick, I mean Mr. Wilde to see you as you requested Chief," Judy says as we enter the office. The office itself is massive, with one window behind the desk and another that would let him see out into the atrium. The wall with the door on it is covered in awards and photographs, and the wall opposite is covered in a massive map of the city.

Chief Bogo stares at us over the rims of his reading glasses before finally taking them off. "Mr. Wilde, please have a seat. Officer Hopps, please wait outside." I climb up into the chair opposite of the chief's desk. I'm sure that if I'd gone to public school, having to climb up into this chair would be how it would have felt to be sent to the principal's office; as it stands I'm not overly intimidated.

Bogo thumbs through a stack of folders on the left side of his desk and pulls one out, flipping it open. "I should charge you with a multitude of offenses, including tampering with a crime scene, destruction of public and private property, obstruction of justice, hindering an officer in discharging their official duties, and possession of an incendiary device inside city limits."

"Really, this is what you wanted to talk to me about?" I ask. "A list of trumped up charges that won't even be able to stick because then you and the DA would both be forced to try to make the public believe that magic exists?" I chuff as I slide out of the chair. "And just how are you going to do that? Force me to violate my fifth amendment rights?"

Bogo takes off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his muzzle. "If you are done Mr. Wilde, I said should." He snorts. "I also have reports that you single pawdedly faced down what can only be described as a two story bull. In addition to those reports, I have a report saying that if you had not intervened one of my officers and her child would more than likely be dead."

I nod and wait for the other shoe to drop.

He picks up a stack of folders and thumps them down on his desk. "As it stands, I have cases that either cannot be explained or have leads that just disappear into thin air." I look at the stack of folders; some have reams of paperwork in them, while others have only a few pages.

I shrug. "This city has always been a little on the strange side."

Bogo nods in agreement. "But the strange is getting worse, and after the warehouse in Sahara Square, I'm not convinced that we are prepared to deal with it."

I raise my eyebrow at the frank admission.

"The mayor wants me to open an office to investigate the….. strange things that happen around this city."

"Just what are you offering?"

"You're a licensed private detective, correct?"

"I am."

Bogo stares at me. "I'm offering you a job as a special consultant to the ZPD; you'll have an office here and a partner that can hopefully keep you out of legal trouble."

I study the Cape buffalo for a minute. "At what kind of pay?"

Bogo snorts. "You'll be paid the same as any of my first year officers with the same benefits."

I mull that over for a moment, as that's still probably more than I make working for myself. "Who will my partner be?"

"Officer Hopps; she's the only one that I have in your size class that would be willing to work with you," Bogo answers.

At least I trust Judy to have my back, I think to myself. "I accept."

"Hopps!" Chief Bogo bellows.

"Sir?" Judy says as the door opens.

"Take your partner down to Mammal Resources for in processing."

"Come on Nick," Judy says from the door and I turn to see her huge smile. "Let's get your in processing done so we can make the world a better place."