Chapter 11

Disenchantment

June 11, Monday, 8:30 am

Bogo strode across the ZPD mezzanine with his weekly update document in hand, as he did every week. However, its past couple of days were filled with a number of shift changes for the existing officers to make up for Nick and Judy's absence. It was not difficult, as he fell back to their procedures before the rabbit had joined, but in reviewing the ZPD's operational infrastructure, he realised how underprepared the ZPD would be in case something like Ethan Hodge happened again.

The bull had already notified Clawhauser of the situation, and he emphasised heavily not to disclose it to anyone before he officially announced it at the Monday meeting. As much as he trusted Clawhauser to withhold sensitive information, he had a hunch that the other officers present during last Thursday night's hostage situation would have likely figured things out already.

Still, most of the officers in other units and departments would need to know. He inwardly dreaded the questions he would get, let alone someone letting it slip that Judy was pregnant. They were all professionals through and through, but sometimes Bogo felt like a homeroom teacher trying to keep a classroom of hot-blooded teenagers in line.

He adopted his usual stoic frown as he opened the door. The pounding of paws on desks was nowhere near as enthusiastic as usual; like the officers could feel something was off with Nick and Judy's empty chairs in the middle. Bogo didn't even need to silence them.

'Alright, I'll address the obvious first. Many of us are likely still recovering from that hostage scare last Thursday.' His ears lowered in displeasure as his thoughts flicked back to Commander Grenn.

'Who do those council guards think they are?' Wolfard muttered, loudly enough for the room to hear.

'Wolfard, while I don't disagree…' Bogo allowed his jaw a twitch of amusement, 'I would keep those kinds of comments to yourself.'

'Sir?' Francine put her giant hand up in the air, almost touching the ceiling, and Bogo nodded to her. 'Do you have some sort of follow-up report? Considering that only Nick and Judy were able to go in the small building… it's made me think we need to re-evaluate our recruiting process.'

'Believe me, that's been on my mind lately,' Bogo said, 'but bureaucratic nonsense has held up that process. And don't get me started on the mayor's motives behind the MII…'

The bull frowned in annoyance as his own self-indulgence.

'Moving on! I think I should address the empty chairs in the room.' He gestured half-heartedly at the rabbit and fox's chairs. 'Hopps and Wilde have had their own problems come up after the hostage situation. As it stands, it's possible they may be absent for up to–'

The buffalo stopped as the wooden door opened.

'Hold that thought, chief.'

All eyes were drawn to the pair standing in the doorway, both with nervous smiles. They were in their casual outfits and out of uniform. Nick held the door open, while Judy braced herself. She wasn't wearing anything that would cover her belly up, so any keen-eyed officer in the room would spot the slight bulge. Judy herself looked uncharacteristically timid, however.

'Wilde?!'

Nick simply sighed in response to the surprised bull.

'Why is it automatically my fault?'

Bogo cleared his throat as he regained his composure.

'Didn't I tell you two there's no need to come to work?'

Nick gestured down to his clothes. 'Does it look like we intend to work?'

Bogo tightened his jaw and rolled his eyes. '…Whatever. Fine! If you're going to join the meeting, sit down already.'

The rest of the room watched in stunned silence as the pair made their way to their chairs. Bogo imagined it would have been far more awkward for Judy if the chair hadn't been resized for her and Nick.

Bogo then continued, trying to ignore the pair's presence in the room, as he talked about the shift changes in the coming weeks. However, most of the room's attention was focused elsewhere, so he couldn't be sure if he'd need to reiterate these points later.

As a result, Bogo called the meeting early. Since there were no urgent matters for the day, most of the officers approached Nick and Judy, some offering awkward congratulations, others asking how they were after the incident, a few simply watched from a distance, conflicted. Bogo was one of these, as he could guess the pair wanted to see him for some reason or another. However, he had not guessed they would come to the ZPD so soon after the weekend.

As soon as the last officers – who happened to be Wolfard and Delgato – walked out, Bogo approached the pair still in their seats, with a disgruntled frown.

'Didn't I tell you two to go through–'

Nick stopped him by raising a finger, and after a second, Clawhauser came through the door. Bogo redirected his annoyance, pointing down at the pair while facing the cheetah.

'Clawhauser! What is the meaning of this?'

'Well…' Nick said as Clawhauser opened his mouth, 'you said to go through Clawhauser first. We saw him before coming in, so… technically, we followed your instructions.'

Bogo regarded the fox doubtfully, and Clawhauser elaborated.

'They wanted to see us both, sir.'

Bogo shrugged his shoulders. 'Shouldn't you be on the desk?'

'It's fine – I left a sign up.'

'Ugh…'

Finally, it was Judy's turn to speak.

'We only wanted to see you to tell you one thing: doctors in Zootopia are being threatened by the government.'

Clawhauser and Bogo stared at the rabbit.

'Care to explain, Hopps?'

Judy frowned, trying to find the right words, and Nick continued for her.

'There were two kinds of doctors we dealt with over the weekend. Those who recommended an abortion because they were forced to, and those that demanded it of their own volition.'

Clawhauser put his paws over his mouth.

'That's… awful!'

Bogo remained suspicious.

'Are you sure you're not exaggerating like usual, Wilde?'

Judy shook her head. 'No, sir. That really does sum up how unprofessional some of the doctors were. At least Dr. Franklin was polite about it. When I pressed him about why the dangers of predator-prey pregnancies aren't publicly given, he kept looking up at the surveillance camera in the corner of the room. He also avoided the question and grew uncomfortable, just like an interrogation.'

'What about the other doctors?' Clawhauser asked anxiously.

Nick frowned as he thought up an analogy in his head. 'You know those parents who are disappointed in children that might screw up with drugs and alcohol? Basically, their attitude was "you should have known better", as if it's something we should have known without being told.'

Bogo folded his arms and glared at the floor, to the point where the others grew nervous.

'First the council, now the medical system, too? What kind of city did I sign my life away to?'

'To be fair,' Judy said gently, 'I don't think it's entirely the doctor's fault.'

Nick frowned. 'Except for those condescending assholes that ridiculed us.'

'I… think they were being lied to, Nick.'

Nick exhaled tiredly. 'You're far too forgiving, you know that, Carrots?'

'Maybe…' Clawhauser spoke up, after a few moments of thought. 'It has something to do with their upbringing. Do you two remember what I said last Monday?'

Nick and Judy glanced at him thoughtfully.

'You're talking about that woodchuck?' Judy said.

The cheetah nodded. 'She might have been taught that predator-prey relationships are not allowed, regardless of the logic behind it. It doesn't sound so different from these doctors you're talking about.'

Nick was taken aback. 'Some of those doctors were in their fifties… or more. If you're right, Ben, then this whole thing might be bigger than we thought.'

They all fell silent as they reflected on the ramifications. Bogo could see Judy looking especially nervous, and shooting her husband some concerned glances. No doubt she was not used to the idea of being pregnant and unable to help Nick if it came to more dangerous investigation work.

However, after a minute, the bull cleared his throat.

'Well, that's enough dwelling for my taste. Do you two have a goal to work towards, or are you just here to mope?'

'Chief!'

Clawhauser's scolding tone didn't make a dent in Bogo's scowl, and Judy's ears dropped for a moment.

'Look, you two burst in here unannounced at our Monday meeting and pile more worries onto my plate. I had enough as it was, being the chief of police and all. So… if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work.'

Judy sighed tiredly and nodded. 'Alright – sorry about that. We'll let you go.'

Bogo grunted and pushed his way past Clawhauser through the door, and shut it abruptly.

'Don't mind him,' Clawhauser assured them, 'he just had to work extra over the weekend to organise compensating for you two being away. Uh… from work, I mean.'

Nick and Judy's gazes still lingered on the door. 'He didn't have to be that short about it,' Nick muttered.

Clawhauser stepped closer and examined Judy more closely. He slowly broke into a grin.

'Sooo… is it a boy or girl?'

'Huh?!' Nick's ears folded back in shock. 'In case you weren't listening, Ben, the doctors didn't exactly–'

'What about names? Who's going to name him or her?'

This earned a frown from Judy.

'Clawhauser!'

The cheetah's jaw dropped for a moment, before he cupped his paws in embarrassment. 'Really? That's quite an honour, Judy… but maybe you should use my first name…'

Judy groaned and Nick shrugged at her.

'Come on, we need to get a move on too.'

'… Makes sense to me.'

Clawhauser yelped in dismay as the two slid off their chairs and hurried out the door behind Bogo.

'Waaait! There's still so much I wanna ask!'

Apart from them being out of uniform, that morning felt almost normal for Nick and Judy. Clawhauser was the only one curious enough to ask them problematic questions, but even he was professional enough to focus while on duty. Well, most of the time.

As the pair went through what resources they had, they found little to start with. The clinics they had visited didn't have much data from the ZPD's perspective. There were some violent patients due to mental illness, or delinquents outside causing mischief, but nothing specific to their case.

Nick asked Bogo for any updates regarding Ethan Hodge, but unfortunately his case was shut to the ZPD, as the Council guard had taken him in and refused to discuss the prisoner with him. Nick also asked the lion Johnson about how Gregory Sunride was doing. Unfortunately, the young lion hadn't improved much since Nick had interviewed him, but at least he wasn't starving or destitute.

Judy jumped as her phone rang around the 10:50 mark, frowning as she heard Clawhauser sipping through a straw and something going off on his phone.

'Clawhauser, if this is about–'

'Oh, Judy! Glad you picked up. I didn't think you were still here!' He gulped some drink and cleared his throat. 'I'm not sure if this is related to your "special" case, but I've got Luke Linnalo on the line for you.'

'Huh?'

Nick had been listening to the last couple of sentences, turning around to snap his fingers. 'Carrots, the assistant mayor?'

'Oh!' She tapped her forehead. 'I completely forgot about that. He wants to speak to me now? He must've been busy, I guess.'

'Yeah, so I'll–'

'Hold the phone, carrots.'

Judy glanced at Nick quizzically as the fox made some grabbing motion at her phone, and she handed the receiver over.

'Huh? What's up, Nick?'

'Ben! I just had an idea. Can you ask Linnalo if he'd like to talk to me instead? In person?'

Judy quickly caught on to the fact that her going out to see Linnalo in person was a bad idea – not to mention that her initial reason for contacting him in the first place had somewhat been flipped on its head. Nick, however, saw this as a chance to get some direct information from someone within the council, but wanted to gauge Linnalo on whether the weasel was in deep with the upper echelons.

Nick had similarly asked Judy to stay behind at the ZPD, as she would be safer there than in public. While she hadn't been too thrilled at his statement, she appreciated the thought all the same, and wished him luck.

As Nick had predicted, the weasel was delighted at the thought of seeing him again, so it wasn't long before the fox found himself waiting outside an upper-class restaurant called "The Moore" down the road from the ZPD towards the Council skyscrapers. From the entrance, there was the typical "conditions of entry" sign, and Nick could smell an enticing aroma from the Italian-styled restaurant, spotting a few pizzas through the glass windows with interesting topping combinations.

He hadn't had time to go home and change out of his green shirt and trousers, and thus felt a bit out of place as some rich business mammals gave him odd looks as they passed.

Come on, Luke, where's that good old enthusiasm…? I'm really getting a hankering for pizza here.

It took him almost half a minute to register a mammal waving at him from the carpark side, the small business car completely slipping his notice. Between the cars and the larger mammals around him, all that had been visible was Linnalo's paw for a while.

'Detective Wilde, sir! Over here!'

Nick smiled as genuinely as he could as he waved back, and he spotted that "good old enthusiasm" as soon as Linnalo's own smile came into view. To no surprise, the weasel gripped his right paw in another firm handshake, as he always seemed to do when meeting Nick in person.

'Strange twist of fate, huh, sir? The next couple of hours I have free, which doesn't happen often…'

The young weasel gazed up through the restaurant windows fondly. 'This place became a regular hangout for me once I got settled into City Hall. A lot of us council employees frequent this area.' He then noticed Nick's attire, doing a once over and raising a brow. 'Uh… You're off duty, sir?'

When compared to Linnalo's formal business shirt and tie, Nick couldn't help but squirm a little. 'You could say that. But standing out here has really worked up an appetite.'

Linnalo smiled obliviously. 'That's usually the effect on newcomers. Follow me, sir!'

Nick quickly relaxed as the glances his way immediately lessened, as Linnalo leading him into the building explained the strange fox's presence. As he looked around towards the other dark brown, shinily furnished dining tables, there were a couple of other pairs not so different from him and Linnalo. It seemed not every council worker had formal attire; he spotted a black bear and stag, with the bear wearing a hoodie compared to the stag's suit.

I guess off-duty security guard could be my cover. I just hope they don't ask too many questions…

He blinked self-consciously at that thought, since that was exactly what he wanted to do with this meeting.

If Linnalo detected the fox's nervousness, the weasel certainly didn't show it, waving to a couple of his co-workers as they passed by, as well as the owner from within the kitchen in the back. Nick managed to spot a couple of rounded ram horns on the cook before they disappeared from view. He couldn't help but gawk a little at the gold millworks lining the ceiling edges as well as the floor, capped off with a glass chandelier sparkling in the centre. Nick could only imagine how the place looked at night.

Linnalo stopped at a small table by the window, and as they sat down, Nick was able to get a good view of the next table, with the lion patron's mane towering way above the weasel's head. The velvet dining chairs were more comfortable than any restaurant Nick had been to, and his thick tail fit seamlessly through the carefully designed opening through the back.

The weasel had said it was his treat, so Nick felt a little guilty as he began to look through the menu in front of him. The first two pages covered most of the main menu, listed in assigned numbers, and much of the booklets volume was photos of each dish, also marked by numbers.

These all look so delicious… Could they? No, no way they would have–

He found what he was looking for in the dessert section – a blueberry sundae. He stared at the photograph long enough to realise he was drooling. He stopped himself before more than a couple of drops fell, but he was now aware of Linnalo studying him with a mix of excitement and amusement.

'Sooo… Nice place you got here.'

Linnalo laughed. 'You think? You remind of a kid coming to a buffet for the first time, sir.'

'Well, uh…' Nick scratched at his snout sheepishly. 'I've never been close to a restaurant as high class as this, even after becoming a police officer.'

'To be fair… neither had I,' Linnalo admitted, 'that is until the mayor invited me out. My reaction was pretty much the same as yours.' His smile faded for a moment. 'Uh… sir.'

Nick sighed. 'Linnalo… I think we're familiar enough that we don't have to do this "sir" thing every few seconds. I liked it at first, but it's worn out its welcome.'

'Sorry, sir.' The weasel's eyes widened. 'Uh… I mean–'

Nick raised a paw with a smirk. 'Settle down, sport. First off, can I call you Luke?'

The weasel hesitated, but nodded eagerly after a moment. 'Of course.'

'So then, you should be able to call me "Nick". Or "Wilde," like my chief does –it's only fair. Less syllables, too.'

'I… guess that's fair.' Linnalo smiled. 'Alright… Nick. Have you decided what to order?'

The blueberry sundae was a given, but Nick was a little too spoiled for choice for the rest. In the back of his mind, he was still deciding how he should even approach this. The weasel hadn't caught on to Nick's true agenda for this meeting, and until he could be sure the weasel could be trusted, he was willing to play along and not immediately jump to the topic at hand.

'Do you have any recommendations? Since it's my first time and all.'

Luke gripped his chin thoughtfully. 'Would you say weasels and foxes have similar preferences?'

Nick also paused for a moment to think. 'From an objective sense… yeah, I guess we would.'

'Then what do you say to a desert cricket pizza?'

Nick shrugged with a small smile. 'Honestly, it all looks great, so I say bring it on.'

'The "small predator" size is just perfect for me, but I saw you eyeballing the dessert section, so both combined should be enough to fill you up.'

As Nick checked the pizza in question, he raised a brow at the weasel off to the side. 'No dessert for you?'

The weasel shook his head. 'Nah, I have to watch what I eat. I don't get the same amount of exercise that a police officer would.'

As if sensing their intent to order, and to Nick's surprise, a rabbit waiter hopped along to their table. The buck had brownish fur that reminded Nick somewhat of Stu.

'Good afternoon, sirs! Are you ready to order?'

'Come on, Zack, you don't need to call me that,' Luke said, 'though I should introduce you to Nick while he's here.' The weasel gestured towards Nick and Zack in order. 'Zack, this is Nick, a ZPD officer. And Nick, this is Zack, who is the only waiter that attends to me here, considering my size.'

Zack nodded pleasantly at Nick before whipping out a PawPad. 'So, Nick, anything catch your eye?'

Nick flashed a short smirk in Luke's direction before answering. 'Since "Sir" Luke recommended it, I'll have a desert cricket pizza, small predator size?'

The buck nodded expectantly, before turning towards Luke who was averting his gaze from Nick in embarrassment. 'And… Luke, sir, the usual?'

'Eh… heh… not this time. I'll try the creamy mushroom carbonara.'

'Drinks?'

Luke shook his head. 'I'll settle with the water. I need to head back to work in a bit, after all.'

'I'm also fine with water,' Nick said.

'Any dessert?'

Images of the blueberry sundae flashed before Nick's eyes, but he tempered his craving.

'I'll decide if I have enough space after the pizza.'

After Luke shook his head as his answer, Zack nodded and shut the PawPad case. Just as he turned to leave, Luke narrowed his eyes past Nick, and the fox looked back quizzically.

'Uh… problem?'

'… You could say that.' Luke covertly pushed his seat back. 'Excuse me for a moment.'

As the weasel left the table, Nick followed his path, with Zack stopping to do the same. There was a small figure sliding inconspicuously between tables, staying close to the larger mammals. While shrouded in shadows, it looked familiar – at least, as far as making Nick want to roll his eyes and groan.

'Weaselton!'

'Ack!'

'Didn't I tell you to stop showing your pathetic face around here?'

At Luke's callout, several of the large mammals within earshot stopped their conversations and checked their pockets.

As Nick squinted, he recognised the oddly inflated eyes of the twitchy, annoying acquaintance of his. It seemed Weaselton had attempted to at least disguise himself, but the full formal costume, even from a distance, came off as amateur and second-hand.

More importantly, the wily weasel couldn't move as well as Luke could in that baggy outfit, fleeing at the sight of the other weasel. Luke could move surprisingly fast, even accounting for his own formal attire.

The chase was over in a few seconds as Luke grabbed Weaselton's tail and began dragging the hapless pickpocket towards the kitchen. The black bear from earlier also got up and followed the weasel, his fascinated expression not so different from Nick's.

'Paws off, Linasshole! I have my rights!'

'Ewan will be all too happy to remind you of them.'

At the sound of "Ewan", who Nick guessed was the ram he spotted in the back, Weaselton's big eyes widened in terror.

'Hey… Linnalo, buddy… we can talk about this, right? From one weasel to another–'

'Don't play the "weasel" card with me!'

Linnalo ignored Weaselton's subsequent pleas, as he and the black bear disappeared from view into the kitchen. As the surrounding mammals went back to their meals, Nick realised his jaw was hanging open.

'Entertaining, isn't it?'

Zack was still there, watching Nick's expression with amusement.

'What horror did I just witness?'

'You can call it "pest control."'

Zack glanced at his PawPad in realisation even as Nick started to ask more questions.

'Whoops! Gotta get your order in –ask Luke if you want to know more.'

Nick's stomach rumbled just as the rabbit left.

Now, how to go about this…

He rested his chin on his palm as he gazed out the window. So far, Luke had done nothing to earn his distrust, nor had he really done much to earn it, either. Still, when it came to situations like this, Nick tended to go with his gut. He found it easy to talk to Luke, and as he thought more on it, he realised it was because the weasel was not so different from another important mammal in his life.

A minute later, he spotted Luke redoing his tie, no doubt mucked up during Weaselton's interception.

'Sorry about that – this place tends to be a perfect target for someone like Weaselton.'

Nick fell into his usual smirk. 'You don't say? Sometimes I wonder how that guy stays out of jail.'

Luke's shoulders sagged, and Nick knew he'd touched on a sore subject.

'That guy should have been locked up for at least two years. But he took the definition of "good behaviour" a bit far.'

'How so?'

Luke's muzzle twisted unpleasantly. 'He was so pathetic that pretty much all the guards got fed up, wanting him out as soon as possible.'

Nick glanced over Luke's head. 'So… what did Ewan do with that sad sack of a mammal?'

Luke shrugged apathetically. 'Depends on whether he's got any stolen money on him. Either way, he's getting thrown out the back by Gary.'

'Gary being the black bear?'

Luke nodded. 'He can't see the smaller mammals, so he, Ewan and I have an… arrangement of sorts.'

'You seemed to handle him pretty well,' Nick said. 'Have you had any training?'

'Growing up in a town of desperate weasels, you tend to wind up learning self-defense in some form or another. Me – a red belt in taekwondo.' He tapped his chin in recall. 'Actually, I was one of the few applicants for my position that had that kind of experience.'

Nick mulled the words over. 'Wait, so you double as a bodyguard? Sounds like you're worked to the bone!'

'Well, I would be, if Gilesby wasn't such a workaholic himself,' the weasel said with an appreciative smile.

Nick's smirk fell a little. 'Sounds like he treats you well, huh? As well as he did a year ago?'

Luke tilted his head. 'I don't see why not. We've only gotten better at our jobs, working together as closely as we do. It's quite an honour to work under a mayor that takes their job as seriously as Gilesby does.'

'Yeah… I guess it would be, huh?'

Luke's expression shifted into concern as he studied the fox, but their meals arrived not a moment later. Nick changed the subject, and they chatted for a while about their jobs and other dealings with scoundrels like Weaselton, while Nick had to stop himself from shovelling the scrumptious pizza down his throat. While on the topic, Nick found it interesting how Linnalo disagreed with Gilesby on one thing: he wanted harsher penalties imposed on mammals like Weaselton, especially after abusing the goodwill Luke had granted in the past. Apparently, Luke had offered Weaselton some honest work, but the greedy weasel couldn't help but slack off and steal things from his construction site. Luke then got the weasel thrown in jail, but thanks to his "good behaviour", he was out in six months.

They slowed down after they finished the main course, and Nick ordered his blueberry sundae. Then, Luke's expression hardened slightly, leaning forward and folding his paws together as they waited.

'Well, I'll admit, it has been a delight for me, treating you like this, but what's in it for you, Nick?'

The sudden shift in tone caught Nick off guard, but he maintained his smirk. 'What makes you say that?'

'I haven't forgotten what Judy had asked in her original request. And you haven't mentioned her at all during our meal. Frankly, I'm surprised she isn't with you. Is she alright?'

'Yes… and no.' Nick let his smirk fall. 'It's complicated.'

When Nick didn't elaborate, Luke closed his eyes reflectively.

'So… If I'm reading this right, there's a problem – probably to do with the Council – but you're not too sure how to approach it. You hope I can help you, but you don't know if you can trust me, because I am employed by said Council. Sound about right?'

Nick managed an impressed smirk. 'Well… it seems your Assistant Mayor title isn't just for show.'

Luke chuckled with some embarrassment. 'That comes with the territory – both growing up as a weasel, and dealing with Gilesby's patrons.' His smile fell as he glanced out the window for a moment. 'Is there something I should know?'

Nick's ears perked up and swerved about. There was a consistent liveliness to the restaurant, to the point where he doubted they'd be overheard. Nevertheless, he opted on the side of caution, fixing Luke with a searching look.

'What do you think about Gilesby? As a mammal?'

His firm tone got the message across – Nick wanted his personal, honest opinion. Luke fell silent and folded his arms, leaning back in his seat.

'He's passionate. Truly believes in what he preaches, unlike other politicians I've dealt with. He also puts actions behind his words, which I can respect. And he values the skills of any mammal, no matter what species they are. I'm the prime example of that, after all.'

Luke didn't leave much to Nick's imagination. That all lined up with the impression he'd had of the mayor. In fact, he remained unsure of how much Gilesby really knew, at least compared to Commander Grenn.

'Alright.' He spoke softly. 'Moving on… How does your job work outside of business hours? I mean, do you stay at his side twenty-four-seven, or…?'

Luke frowned quizzically before shaking his head. 'One tenet he's enforced is that I keep my private life separate from my work, or I'd burn out. So no – after 5:30, I generally head home or to the gym or something. Why?'

'So… you wouldn't, say… know where he was last Thursday night? Or if he mentioned someone by the name of Ethan Hodge?'

'No… why would he? Sounds like a badger's name.' Worry creased his brow. 'Wait, did something happen? I don't remember Friday being any different for him…'

'Surely there was a news report about it?'

Luke shook his head slowly. '…About what? It's part of an assistant mayor's job to know about every appearance he might make on the news.' He paused and counted off his right paw.'The last one was an interview he had with ZNN's chief anchor Catherine Hoarfield last Saturday at 3:30pm. And that went smoothly, since I was there.'

Nick stared at him for a moment. Then they even cover things up when it comes to the media? Then again, Grenn recited some rules that screamed "hush-hush."

'If… Gilesby hasn't said anything, then I suppose I shouldn't either.'

'Should I ask him myself?' Luke said nervously. 'It's not like him to keep things like that from me. I keep telling him to not overwork himself… is it something like that?'

'In a manner of speaking.'

Nick paused again, taking another moment to scope out the sound in the room. It didn't seem any different, despite the turn their conversation had taken. What I wouldn't give for Carrots to be here right now…

'Uh… Nick? You're looking a little tense – and your fur's kinda sticking up.'

The fox took a deep breath. 'Sorry. Was just thinking about my partner.'

Luke leaned in closer to study Nick's face, paying particular attention to his whiskers and his ears. 'You said it was "complicated". Are you sure you can't tell me? I can understand if you can't trust me with something so personal, but… I have learned to pick up on these things, keeping Gilesby's health in check.'

Nick gazed into his eyes further, as it was dawning on him that he either needed to take a risk on this weasel, or come up with nothing.

'Complicated… is putting it mildly.' He paused, images of sneering mammals from the past couple of days flashing in front of his eyes. 'Random question, but have you ever heard of predator-prey couples?' He caught himself hastily, since Linnalo had seen him and Judy together on multiple occasions. 'Aside from me and you-know-who.'

Nick could tell the weasel knew who he was talking about, but Luke maintained his calm composure and answered.

'I… guess so? It doesn't happen often, but I've met a few. I remember a rhino and cheetah couple that ran a burger stall when I first moved here. The rhino's name was Carl, and he was a lot nicer to me than other prey at the time. Too bad I haven't seen them around recently, though – those burgers were delicious.'

A sinking feeling ran through Nick's gut.

'And… anything about pregnancies in said couples?'

Luke frowned. 'Huh? Strange question. Well… I haven't heard of anything like that. Conventional wisdom would say such a thing is impossible.'

'Yeah… I guess that would make things easier, huh?'

The weasel squinted at Nick, but the fox averted his eyes.

'What do you–?'

'Excuse me.'

Nick froze at the deep, gravelly voice. Only just now, he realised the lion up in front of him had turned around – along with Gary towering over their table.

'Hm? Boris?' Luke looked between the lion and the bear. 'And Gary – I thought you'd thrown Weaselton out a long time ago. What's up?'

'Doing my job… off duty, as it were. As I did with Weaselton.'

Boris glared down at Nick. 'And also with your "Detective Wilde" here.'

Luke frowned up at both of them, then broke into a slow laugh. 'Ohhh, I get it. Scare him a little to break the ice, huh? Well, you're going to have to try harder than that. Surely you've heard of the Night Howler case?'

However, their scowls didn't go away. Instead, Gary grabbed at Nick's shoulders with his enormous paws. Luke immediately stood up, mouth wide in protest.

'What the f–!'

Boris brought his paw down and pinned the weasel to his seat in one paw, despite his muffled protests.

'This doesn't concern you, Luke. Stay out of this… for your own good.'

Luke continued to struggle, staring after Nick in horror as he was dragged away. Nick's reflexively pulled and squirmed within the bear's massive paws, but like Linnalo, there wasn't anything he could do against such a larger predator.

As Gary swiftly moved through the restaurant, he was forced to look at the rest of the mammals' reaction; about half of them gave him a similar scowl to Gary's, while the other looked confused or scared. Nevertheless, none of them came to his aid.

When they reached the swinging glass doors, Gary tightened his grip around Nick's neck, bringing the fox up so he could growl in his ear.

'Predators like you give us a bad name.'

He pushed open one of the doors with his free paw and threw Nick out onto the pavement, before shutting the door in disgust. The fox laid there on the ground for a moment, then slowly pushed himself up. He paused while still kneeling –that last remark stung far more than he expected. He let out a weak, pained cough.

I've heard that kind of drivel a million times before… So why does this one get under my skin?

First off, how much did Gary know? While he and Judy kept their relationship under wraps in public, they never denied it when asked directly. If that information had circulated among the council employees, then it was plausible most or all of them would know about their relationship.

And if that was true, then it was clear why he was being thrown out, if Rosalinde Lemmingham's reaction was any indication.

As for why it bothered him… that was another question entirely.

Did I… do something wrong? Is it actually my fault?

In technical terms, the answer was obvious. If it wasn't for him, Judy wouldn't be pregnant, and she wouldn't be in this kind of danger.

Was I careless? Maybe… if I had just been a bit more careful… If I hadn't acted on my feelings so recklessly…

He tried to shut such thoughts out, as Judy would have put him in his place if he said such things out loud.

Nevertheless, these thoughts continued to run through his head, and he slowly, aimlessly began to wander back in the direction he came from. However, he was jolted from his spacing-out by a distant voice behind him.

'Nick! Wait!'

Nick turned to see the weasel dashing down the path after him, as he stared at Nick, eyes wide open with shock, examining the fox for injuries.

'Are you alright?'

Physically, Nick was fine, as he didn't feel any scrapes or his arms or legs from the relatively smooth pavement. Mentally, however…

'… I've been better.'

Luke wrung his paws out in front of him. 'What just happened?! I've never seen Gary and Boris act like that… I even called out Ewan to explain, but he just shook his head at me!'

He doesn't want to get involved.

'I don't know what to tell you, Luke. Like I said – complicated…'

As he turned to leave, Luke called out again.

'Wait… Where are you going?'

'Back to the ZPD.'

Luke furrowed his brow, paying particular attention to Nick's listless gait.

'I'm not letting you go back on your own… not like this. Come on, I can drive you.'

At first, Nick's fur stood on end at the thought of going back near that restaurant. At the same time, he couldn't feasibly get to the ZPD on foot, and the subway would be packed with mammals around lunchtime…

He took a deep breath, and reluctantly nodded.

'…Okay.'

The fox reluctantly turned around to follow the weasel. At first, Luke was able to hold his tongue, but eventually, his confusion resurfaced.

'Gary and Boris… was it something to do with that whole predator-prey pregnancy thing?'

Nick swiftly grabbed Luke's shoulder and shushed the young weasel with a warning look while keeping his voice low.

'Not here. Look, Luke – right now, I'm choosing to trust you. And in turn, I'm going to have to ask you to trust me until we get to the ZPD. When you see Judy, we'll answer all the questions you want… capiche?'

Luke nodded obediently, but the confusion didn't leave his eyes. The pair stuck to the edge of the carpark and avoided direct sightlines into the restaurant, and Luke opened his silver mini, and Nick was able to comfortably squeeze into the back seat. Luke started the car and carefully backed out, frequently checking on his despondent passenger, who spent the trip back staring out the window.

As soon as the pair pushed through the front doors, Clawhauser gaped at them before picking up his phone – Nick guessed he was letting Judy know they were back.

He wasn't expecting the suspicious glances thrown Luke's way, though, which continued until they got within earshot of the reception desk.

'Nick!' He narrowed his eyes down at Luke. 'And the Assistant Mayor? Care to explain what happened?'

'I don't know!' Luke threw up his paws defensively. 'Well… Nick said he would give me some answers once we got here.'

Nick nodded weakly. 'He's with me, Ben. Once Judy gets here, you can hear everything, alright?'

Clawhauser nodded and immediately prepared a few small seats behind the counter. Nick saw him preparing another "on break" sign. He managed a small smile; despite the awful lunch out, Ben was skirting his duties for his and Judy's sake twice in the same day.

It wasn't long before Nick heard the familiar "ding" of the elevator arriving on the ground floor. He stood up, and Judy rushed over to hug him around the middle, with him quickly entwining one paw in hers.

'Nick… What happened?'

The whole time, Luke was staring at her in disbelief, even rubbing at his eyes and double checking the rabbit, which didn't go unnoticed by her.

'Linnalo? Why are you back here with Nick?'

'Well, Judy…' Ben said from the desk, 'Nick was about to fill us in. Right?'

Nick nodded, and as the three small mammals sat down, with Clawhauser swinging his chair around after putting up his sign, he found it difficult to start.

He started by telling Luke about Judy's pregnancy, and together, they recounted their experience with the doctors over the weekend. Luke's disbelief grew as they went, and was speechless before long.

Nick then relayed to Judy and Clawhauser what happened at The Moore, prompting the cheetah to cover his mouth in horror on multiple occasions. Judy, however, looked appalled, angry, and ashamed at one point or another by the time Nick had finished.

'… I should have been there with you.'

Nick shook his head firmly. 'This was exactly why I needed to go alone, Carrots. They might've–'

He trailed off, his gaze lingering on Judy's belly. She was unable to say anything to that.

Meanwhile, Luke was also staring at Judy, still in disbelief. After another moment of silence, he clutched his temple with both paws as if wracking his brain.

'Am I seeing this right? Nick, are you sure it's yours–?'

Nick and Judy, along with Clawhauser, shot him pointed glares.

'…Right. Sorry. It's just…' He shook his head to himself. 'I can't wrap my head around this. Do you know anything about the baby? Can it even be born safely? What even is it? And why haven't we heard–'

Nick stopped the weasel before he could go any further. 'Believe me, every question you have is one Carrots and I have tried to ask. But all the doctors and specialists we've tried to see so far don't want to touch this with a ten-foot pole. Some because they really think it shouldn't be allowed on principle, and others…'

He grimaced uncomfortably, prompting Judy to continue, who continued to regard the weasel suspiciously.

'We think they're being silenced, or threatened, by the Council, Linnalo. Your Council.'

Clawhauser winced, and Judy's ears drooped for a moment. She didn't mean for it to come out so pointedly.

Linnalo's demeanour gradually changed from one of confusion and disbelief, to miserable realisation. The weasel slowly pointed his snout at the floor as his body slowly sagged.

'I thought… I thought I knew them… That I could take pride in my work for once…'

Nick and Judy exchanged a short glance, Judy shrugging at her husband apologetically.

'Look at it this way, Luke,' Nick said gently, 'Your work, and Gilesby's, by extension… has been good for the city. It's a lot better for folks like me and you, for starters. If our,' – he did some air quotes with both paws, '"problem" wasn't actually a thing, like we were all led to believe, then I couldn't find too much fault with the Council from that perspective.'

Judy nodded and smiled.

'You shouldn't feel like you haven't been doing a great job. You have. But…' her smile fell, 'you haven't been told everything.'

Linnalo's despondent gaze slowly morphed into one of disquiet as he raised his head to look back towards the entrance.

'I could file charges against Gary and Boris. They had no legal right to throw you out. And obviously, I refused to pay Ewan after that display.'

'How do you know that?' Clawhauser said. 'I would think that "discussing predator-prey pregnancies" wouldn't be something to put on signs.'

Nick lowered his head for a moment in thought. 'I read the conditions of entry, and there was, indeed, nothing about that, Ben.' However, he shook his head at Luke. 'I wouldn't go openly filing charges like that if I were you. Despite our situation, you do have a good thing going, and I'd hate for you to lose it all on our account.'

Luke's anger dissipated for a moment. 'Lose it all? What do you mean?'

Judy stared at her husband in realisation. 'You mean… lose his job?'

Nick nodded. 'I can't think of a better reason for Doctor Franklin to be as scared as he was. Qualified professionals like him would lose credibility as a doctor, and given how hard it is to earn that...' He shifted his gaze to the weasel. 'And I can only imagine how difficult it was for a weasel such as yourself to land a job like this.'

Luke's brief silence confirmed his suspicions.

'What can I do, then?' Luke asked. 'I can't just keep doing things as I always have, after what I saw today.'

'What if I asked you to do exactly that?'

They all stared at Nick for a moment, but Judy was the first to catch on, studying Linnalo again.

'… Yeah… we might need it.'

Clawhauser, along with Linnalo, glanced between them cluelessly.

'Uh… guys? The cheetah and weasel are lost. Please explain?'

Luke nodded up at the cheetah. 'Yeah… I'm not sure where you two are going with this.'

Nick cleared his throat. 'For all we know, you could be the only Council employee who is not in on this. Unlikely, but we don't exactly have the time to screen every government employee in the city. We might need your help down the line… if you know what I mean.'

Linnalo met his gaze for several seconds, before he slowly nodded. 'Alright, if you think that's best. I could at least give you my personal contact details, when or if that happens.'

Nick reluctantly accepted the information, as he and Judy recorded his personal mobile and email.

'… I have to say, though, it's likely that your personal communications are being monitored too. I'm not sure how we can keep in contact without endangering your position.'

Linnalo, for once, looked strangely confident. 'If I can help, I can handle that. I am a weasel, after all, so I have other ways. At the very least, you can contact me, and I'll find another way to relay information to you – so you don't have to worry about me.' He frowned worriedly. 'You have enough problems, I think.'

'You can say that again,' Judy said, letting her shoulders slump tiredly. 'And I'm not looking forward to the last couple of appointments we have tomorrow,' she said quietly.

Luke glanced between the fox and rabbit as their expressions darkened. He grabbed his work phone and began scrolling through his contacts and notes.

'There might be something I can offer you officially,' he said while turning towards Nick, 'as it's not really related to your "problem." I'd hate for you to go empty-handed after what I put you through.'

Nick shook his head modestly. 'I keep saying, Luke, you don't–'

'This might be a stupid question, but do the names "Bellwether" and "Lionheart" mean anything to you?'

Clawhauser smiled slowly as he glanced at the fox and rabbit. 'I think you probably know why that's a stupid question.'

Luke nodded shortly. 'Well, I can give you permission to see them both; the day after tomorrow at the latest. How does that sound?'

'How would that even work?' Judy asked. 'Bellwether's still in prison, and Lionheart's off on an indefinite vacation.'

'Since you both were heavily involved in that case,' Luke explained, 'then all I need to justify it is a follow up on the Night Howler incident. There is a catch, however…' He tightened his muzzle. 'The prison is going to be fully recorded – there's no way around that.'

'Well,' Nick said heartily, 'let's hope jolly old Lionheart has something useful to share.'

'That would be great, Luke,' Judy said appreciatively. 'How soon can we see them?'

'Depends. Do you intend to see them together, or separately?'

Nick and Judy gave each other a questioning look.

'Which would be quicker?' Nick asked.

Luke's gaze swivelled to Judy's belly again, and he hesitated. 'If you saw them alone instead of together, it would be a faster approval process.'

The rabbit nodded without hesitation. 'Let's do that, then.'

Nick watched her worriedly. 'Carrots…'

'I'll be fine, Nick. If it makes you feel better, I can see Lionheart, while you go see Bellwether. My relationship with her might make it more complicated...'

'Why would that make him feel better, exactly?' Clawhauser asked.

Nick exhaled. 'The big lion tends to hang around golf courses out and about. So there'll be other mammals around, and it's unlikely they'd do something like Gary and Boris did…' His mouth tightened. 'Still, I don't like it.'

Judy looked up at him sympathetically. 'I know, Nick, but we don't have much time to burn. The prison and Bellwether aren't going to be cakewalk, either. Will you be alright?'

Nick shrugged. 'I made a promise, Judy, and I intend to keep it. For better or worse.'

'Are you both sure about this?' Luke warned. 'Just how much time do you have?'

'From what Franklin said,' Judy said, 'until the end of this week. Then it'll be dangerous, abortion or not.'

Luke's eyes widened. '… Damn.'

Nick chuckled without a hint of joy. 'Couldn't have said it better myself.' He frowned and examined Luke again. 'Speaking of dangerous –you really have no idea who Ethan Hodge is?'

The weasel shook his head quickly, at the same time as Clawhauser and Judy shifted uncomfortably. 'I don't. Who is that, anyway?'

'If my hunch is right… one of the Council's recent victims.'

Luke stared back at him nervously, but nodded after a moment.

'If that's true… I could look into that.'

Nick frowned. 'I suspect you could get into trouble, if they haven't told you already.'

'I got the message, Nick,' Luke said placatively, 'and I'll keep my head down.'

'That's all we ask,' Judy said.

Clawhauser turned around as they heard some braying out the front. 'As interesting as this conversation is, I think I've stretched my receptionist privileges as far as they can go.' He frowned apologetically. 'Sorry guys, but we might need to wrap this up for now.'

Luke froze in momentary panic as he checked his phone, and his shoulders relaxed, as Clawhauser turned to address the zebra out in front. 'I can make it to my next meeting without being late, but I have to go now. Sorry to cut this short, you two.' He stood up and brushed his clothes down, bowing his head to them. 'Again, I'm sorry about today… about everything. I hope you can find better help than me.'

Nick and Judy stood up, and Nick held his paw out. 'We'll do our best. Thanks for listening… and keep your guard up, okay?'

Luke smiled one last time as he shook Nick's paw gently this time, taking one last miserable look at Judy, before the weasel made his way out back to his car.

Despite seemingly winning themselves an ally, it was a bittersweet moment. It dawned on Nick and Judy that the weasel's work and livelihood wouldn't last much longer, if things stayed the same. And if he got caught trying to seek justice for them, he might lose everything. And yet, in the face of losing their child, they had no other choice.

Nick once again spared a glance at Judy, his thoughts swarming with worry – both for her and their unborn child.

I can only pray… that we're not in over our heads.