Some mammals had their doubts about whether Nick had actually left his shady ways behind, but Finnick wasn't one of them. He'd always known that the larger fox had more in store for him than petty hustles, and was happy- and a little bit sad- that he'd finally realized it too.

Judy blinked in surprise at the van parked in front of her apartment building, her eyes immediately drawn to the unique image painted on the side.

"Yo, bunny!" A surprisingly deep voice yelled from the driver's window. "C'mere!"

Judy approached the van curiously. "Finnick?"

The small fox rolled his eyes. "No, it's Santa Claws."

She scowled at his tone. "What can I do for you?"

"We need to talk." He jerked his thumb toward the passenger seat. "Get in. Imma drive you to work."

"It's a fifteen-minute walk, Finnick. I'll be fine."

"Yeah? Well, you owe me one." He reminded her. "It's a five-minute drive and a three-minute talk. Now, get in."

Judy weighed her options for a moment, concluding that if the fennec meant her any harm he probably wouldn't have announced his presence so loudly. He wasn't wrong about her debt to him, either. Without him, she'd never have found Nick; without Nick, she'd never have stopped Bellwether.

"Fine." Walking around the front of the vehicle and climbing into the passenger seat. Glancing over, she took in the modified controls that allowed the small fox to operate the normally too-large van. They were surprisingly similar to the system that she used to drive a standard ZPD patrol crusier, although their jury-rigged appearance did give her pause for a second. "So, your van seems to be in better shape than the last ti..."

"I ain't here to make small talk, so I'll make this quick." The fennec interrupted, starting the engine and pulling away from the curb. "Nick don't need you fillin' his head with promises you can't keep, so Imma need you to be straight with me. Can he really be a cop?"

"Oh." Judy blinked. "Well, I sure think he can."

"That don't make it a fact."

"He's got the brains for it."

"I know that." He snapped. "And it ain't what I asked."

"Both Chief Bogo and the Interim Mayer thanked Nick personally."

"Talk is cheap, rabbit." He snorted. "What I wanna know is whether they're gonna hire him or just give him the ol' two-paw runaround."

"The what?"

The fennec rolled his eyes. "You know how when a mammal smiles real wide and shakes your paw wit' both of theirs, then goes on and on about how grateful they are?"

She nodded hesitantly.

"Ever notice how those very grateful mammals never seem to do anything to back that up?"

"Being grateful isn't the same as being in debt, Finnick."

"Whatever." He muttered. "You're still duckin' the question."

"I can't give you a guarantee, Finnick. And I think you know that." She sighed, peering at the smaller mammal curiously. "What's this really about?"

"I wanna know my boy ain't getting jerked around."

"You're awfully protective of him, aren't you?" When he didn't answer, she continued. "How long have you two known each other? Must be a long time."

"What would you rather hear, rabbit?" He eyed her. "The answer you want or the truth?"

"The truth." Judy replied without hesitation.

"First time I saw Nick, I wasn't sure whether he was a red fox kit or a grown fennec beaten bloody. A couple of coyote gang-bangers he tried to hustle were whoopin' the hell outta him in an alley. I didn't show up mid-beating either; I got there for the closing act." The little fox let out a surprisingly deep growl. "I ain't no saint, but there's some shit even I know ain't right."

"You saved him?"

"Yeah, and you better believe I gave those mutts a beating they'll never forget." He chuckled darkly, ignoring the alarmed look on her face. "When you're my size and packing a baseball bat, it's amazing how many soft body parts are at convenient smashing height."

"You're talking to a cop, Finnick." She reminded him.

"So?" He retorted. "Even if you could prove anything, would you really arrest me for whoopin' the living hell outta two grown preds I caught beatin' on one little kit?"

Though she looked like she wanted to say yes, Judy remained silent.

"Yeah. Thought not." The small fox gave her a sidelong glance. "He talked about you a lot while you was gone, you know. Not always nicely, but you were never outta his head."

Surprised, she blurted out the first question that came to mind. "You two still spend time together?"

"That a problem, rabbit?"

"No! I mean, as long as..."

"Don't fret, cottontail; he ain't doin' nothing he shouldn't be. Just comes by to talk. Besides, it ain't like he's got many other friends." Finnick snorted, rolling his eyes again. "Tell the truth, he's been a real headache lately. Even worse than when you were gone."

"Worse?" Judy cringed.

"Oh, hell yeah. He brings you up every single day now. Carrots did this! Carrots said that! Like he thinks the sun shines out from under your tail."

"Really?"

"That's another thing." He turned to glare at her over his sunglasses. "Imma say this once, rabbit. If you break his heart, me and you are gonna have words."

"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to help him get into the ZPD."

"That ain't what I mean and you know it."

"I'm not sure what you mea..."

"You're too smart to play dumb with me, rabbit."

She paused uncertainly. "I won't break his heart, Finnick."

"Glad we got that settled." As he pulled over to the curb, Judy realized they'd already arrived at Precinct One. "Ride's over. Conversation is, too."

Opening the door, she graced him with a soft smile. "Nick's lucky to have a friend like you, Finnick."

"Oh, please. That dumbass little ball of red fluff was never cut out for my kind of life." He paused. "He probably deserves a better friend than me, anyway."

"I also think you're a better mammal than you give yourself credit for."

"Shaddup, bunny." He responded, though perhaps not as fiercely as he normally might have. "Now get outta my van 'fore someone sees you. Last thing I need is mammals thinkin' I'm a damn snitch."

"It was nice talking to you, too."