Judy's mouth opened wide and let out another involuntary yawn. She half-heartedly attempted to cover her mouth with a paw, but only managed to raise it to her neck before she gave up. Her eyes closed as her mouth opened, and even after the yawn subsided, she had a hard time opening them back up again. It was late, she was tired, and she did not care enough to hide it from the mammal sitting in front of her.

To his credit, Chief Bogo seemed to be just as tired as she was. His eyelids drooped low, and the left side of the fur on his face was pressed in a telltale clump where he had been sleeping until just recently. He had not even bothered to put on his full police chief uniform, instead opting for a more casual navy blue shirt and slacks.

That was still more than Judy had managed to put on. She was still wearing her pajamas underneath the heavy winter coat she had thrown on when she left her apartment. Bogo had called her up and told her to get to the precinct, right now, and that it could not wait, so she had crawled out of bed and only grabbed what she absolutely needed.

And now here she was, sitting in Chief Bogo's office, both of them clearly wishing they were still fast asleep at the moment. Bogo not only seemed sleepy, he also seemed incredibly annoyed—even more than usual. He grumbled with every breath, and he took several long seconds to find a tactful way of speaking before he finally opened his mouth to tell Judy why he had called this meeting.

"Don't you sometimes wish murder was legal, Hopps? Because right now, I want to kill Steve Hoppkins with my bare hooves." Tactful, indeed.

Judy rarely heard Bogo speak so bluntly, but when he did, it was when he was especially grumpy. That meant that, whatever he had called her here for, he was just as annoyed by it as she was sure she was going to be.

She stared blankly at him for a second before her brain could formulate the words to ask, "Who's Steve Hoppkins?"

Bogo snorted. "A very good question." He glanced down at one of the notes sitting on his desk. "I had never heard of him either before tonight. Apparently, he's a movie producer in Hollywool. Have you ever heard of a film called Letters from Building 16?" Judy shook her head. "Neither have I, but he earned an Audience Participation Award for that."

Judy wondered if it was just because she had been awakened during the wrong part of her sleep cycle, but she had a difficult time understanding the relevance of what Chief Bogo was telling her. "Sir…?" Bogo glanced up from his notes and fixed his gaze on her instead, his eyelids drooping even lower than before. "What does this have to do with…?"

The realization came to Bogo as she asked. "Oh! Right." He apologetically sat up straight in his chair and took a deep breath, perhaps trying to send more oxygen to his brain so he could think more clearly. "Steve Hoppkins called me a short while ago …" His voice dropped back down to a grumble. "Actually, his secretary called me, but…" He shook his head and continued with his original thought. "He is coming to Zootopia tomorrow to promote a new film. He will be here for the next few days."

Finally, Judy began to understand why he had called her in so late. "I take it he's arriving tomorrow before roll call?" Bogo nodded. "And you couldn't just tell me all of this over the phone because…?"

Bogo glanced over at the office phone sitting on the edge of his desk. "Well, officially, I'm not supposed to discuss business matters over the phone anymore, per our new mayor's oversight committee." He looked back at Judy, and his expression shifted, ever so slightly, to one more serious. "Unofficially, I needed to talk about this in private."

His words suddenly woke Judy up completely. Bogo had never called her in this late before, so this was already unusual as it was, but the way he was talking now, it seemed that the situation was far more serious than she had realized. She sat at attention, mentally anticipating any number of contingencies she would have to respond to. "Is he being stalked? Is his life in danger? Should I tell Nick that we are…" A realization came to her, and her words slowed to a halt. "Um… Sir, why am I the only one here?"

Bogo's fatigued look returned, and for the first time, Judy wondered if it was not simply from drowsiness. "Because Hoppkins seems to be rather paranoid about this for some reason, and demanded that I speak with you in a secure environment." He once again glanced at his phone, thinking about his earlier conversation.

Judy raised an eyebrow. "So, let me get this straight." She held open one paw. "He told his secretary…" She held open her other paw. "To call you…" She raised both paws in a shrug. "But he didn't want you to call me?"

Bogo barely had the energy to shift his eyes back in her direction. "Hollywool people," he grunted, as if that explained everything. He took a glimpse at the clock on the wall, groaned at remembering what time of night it was, and decided to cut straight to the chase. "No, Hopps, he is not in any danger. He just wants a bit of extra security during his visit." He pointed a hoof in her direction. "And he specifically requested you."

Judy waited a few extra seconds for more information, but Bogo remained silent, and it soon became obvious that he had nothing more to say. She blinked in confusion. "Sir?"

"Security. Hollywool producer. Tomorrow." Bogo was speaking so slowly, she wasn't sure if he was emphasizing her new duty or simply shortening his sentences to reduce stress on his sleep-deprived brain.

"But…" A hundred questions filled Judy's mind. It was highly unusual for cops to be brought in as personal security for celebrities. And even though Judy prided herself on her capabilities, she was not exactly an imposing mammal, and would struggle to protect anyone as effectively as a rhino or elephant could.

But the biggest question of all was the one she finally managed to ask out loud. "Why did he ask for me, sir?"

This time, Bogo spoke clearly to make sure she understood. "Hoppkins is a rabbit, just like you, and he wanted a rabbit to accompany him during his visit. A female rabbit." His voice dropped at that last sentence, and it looked like it physically pained him to say it out loud.

Judy's heart dropped in her chest. "A female rabbit?" she repeated.

Bogo nodded. "Yes, it appears Mr. Hoppkins prefers to have a fellow rabbit of the fairer sex tag along with him anytime he goes on a promotional tour."

Her eyes narrowed uncontrollably. "Don't you mean escort, sir?"

"I suppose 'escort' is one way of describing…" Bogo's eyes snapped open. "Wait! No! Not at all!" He sat back up in his chair, a fresh wave of energy coursing through him. "It was made explicitly clear to me that you will not be expected to give him any favors!"

Judy crossed her arms, unconvinced. "I wasn't born yesterday, chief. A Hollywool bunny specifically asking for me to work alone with him—what do you think he wants?"

Bogo opened his mouth to protest, but quickly realized that there was no way he could win this particular argument. He let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead in exhaustion. "I know, I know," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, Hopps. I didn't want this, either. But Hoppkins was quite insistent, and his secretary gave at least a hundred promises that nothing physical will come from this."

"Nothing physical will come from this," Judy agreed, "because I'm not going to do it."

Bogo lowered his hoof and closed his eyes. "Hopps, he has—"

"You can't make me do this, chief. You cannot order me to do this, and even if you did, I'd just as soon quit my job before I—"

"Hopps—"

Judy's voice was raised almost to a shout. She leaned forward in her seat and glared at the buffalo. "Am I to understand that you called me here, this late at night, because some Hollywool hotshot thought he could bully you into getting his way? I'm surprised at you, chief! I would have thought that you'd have more integrity than to—"

"I turned him down."

The quiet interjection from Bogo caught Judy by surprise, and she suddenly found herself in an awkward position of leaning on his desk, mouth wide open, unable to find any more words to say.

"I told him that my best cop is not for sale." Bogo briefly glanced at Judy's open mouth, then met her gaze again. "And that I have much more respect for her than he obviously does."

Judy suddenly felt like a fool. Of course Bogo would never force her into such a position. He respected her, just as he respected all of his officers, and she mentally kicked herself for even thinking that he would ever do something like that to her.

She slowly lowered herself back into her seat and looked down to the ground in embarrassment. "Sorry, sir," she whispered.

Bogo waved an arm dismissively. "Think nothing of it." He picked up one of the notes on his desk and examined it for a few seconds. "Nonetheless, it seems Hoppkins is not a mammal who is used to taking 'no' for an answer. He offered to hire you privately—though, of course, I made it clear that the decision is still yours." He held the note in the air between the two of them. "After some negotiating, these are the terms we agreed to, should you choose to accept."

Judy stared at the note, and was tempted to turn around and leave without another word. She had not even met Hoppkins, but in the five minutes that she had been talking about him with Bogo, she had learned enough about him to know that he was a rabbit she hoped to never meet as long as she lived. There was no offer that she could think of that would justify spending any amount of time with him—and as much as he seemed to have insisted things would not get physical, she had a hard time believing it.

However, her curiosity got the better of her, and she plucked the note out of Bogo's hoof. After a few seconds of perusing the bullet points at the top, her eyes came to rest on the dollar amount written out on the bottom of the note.

She gasped so hard she nearly choked. "Half a million dollars?!" she screamed.

Bogo flinched at her sudden outburst. "Not so loud!" he snapped.

Judy intensely examined the rest of the writing on the paper. Not only was she offered half a million dollars—in cash—but Hoppkins additionally offered to pay her what wages she would have missed from work, including benefits. He also wished to book her an entire suite just for herself in the Palm Springs Hotel, the fanciest and most expensive hotel in all of Zootopia. He would pay for every single meal she ate while he was in town, he would make sure she had access to a free limousine, and even after all of that, she would receive a twenty percent bonus when Judy's job was done and Hoppkins returned to Hollywool.

"A formal contract is being drawn up as we speak," Bogo explained as she continued to stare in disbelief at the offer. "If you accept, you can sign it via email in the morning. If not…" Bogo stared at the clock on the wall again. "Then I would really like to go back to bed."

She read and reread the offer over and over again, making absolutely sure she had not misread anything. It was all correct, clearly written, no mistake. It was a huge offer for her, and all she would have to do was spend the next few days mingling with Steve Hoppkins. There was some fine print about what was expected of her, but it mostly consisted of the usual duties of working security: be within eyesight of Hoppkins at all times, personally escort him from meeting to meeting, keep pesky fans at a safe distance, those kinds of things.

Hoppkins had his own little column of expectations as well. True to his word, Bogo had written down, in big bold letters, that Hoppkins was not to approach Judy for any "favors" during her time working for him, and that if he did, she would be relieved of duty and still be paid in full. She would be required to be with Hoppkins only while he was working, so as soon as his events were finished each day, she would be free to live her life however she saw fit. The suite in the Palm Springs Hotel was one of the best the hotel had to offer—she could only imagine how much it must have cost per night—and it was made crystal-clear that she would be the one and only mammal allowed a key to go in or out.

There were some other little notes written in legal jargon that she glimpsed, but overall, Bogo seemed to have ensured that this job would be as fair and safe for Judy as possible. She was poised for a big payday—more money than she thought she would ever see in her lifetime—and all she was expected to do was work security. Hoppkins would not be allowed to make a move on her, or even insinuate it. He wouldn't have access to her phone number, or her home address, and Bogo had even volunteered for the money to be transferred to himself first so that Hoppkins wouldn't even have her bank information.

She had to admit, it was an enticing offer. Mere seconds ago, she had thought that there was no way she would accept, but now she found herself seriously considering it. In fact, she was sure that any other bunny girl would have been happy to take the job for even a fraction of what she was promised. The money, the luxury experience, the exposure to an influential Hollywool producer…

And yet, Judy was still hesitant. She had spent most of her life dealing with stubborn male bunnies who wanted to date her, and most of them had a hard time accepting her rejections. She had spent the entirety of her teenage years working hard towards becoming a cop, while most of the other bunnies in Bunnyburrow—male and female alike—spent most of those same years dating, often brazenly. And even after she had become an adult and finally became a cop, she still had to deal with a few rabbits who simply refused to believe that she was not looking for a romantic partner. For all the fine print that Bogo had undoubtedly spent a long time fighting for on her behalf, she could already tell that Hoppkins was one of those kind of rabbits, and she was sure that he would try and make an advance on her at some point if she agreed to the deal.

Bogo seemed to read her thoughts, and after she was quiet for so long, he decided to speak up again. "The decision is yours, Hopps. And if you decide to decline…" He blinked, perhaps a bit longer than he meant to. "Then you can take tomorrow off to make up for this inconvenience. Fully paid, of course."

Judy tentatively looked up from her note and met Bogo's gaze once again. "And if I accept?" she asked cautiously.

"Then you will meet Steve Hoppkins at the airport. A limousine will be at your apartment to pick you up at oh-nine-hundred. You will be on the clock starting then." He folded his hooves in his lap and leaned back in his chair. "I'd like to say that you can take your time deciding this, but…"

He was right. It was late at night, and both of them would be lucky to get just a few more hours of sleep at this point, no matter what decision she made, and if she did accept, Bogo would have to contact Hoppkins' lawyer immediately to finalize the details of the contract before the rabbit arrived in Zootopia in the morning.

"Two things." Bogo nodded, silently allowing her to continue. "I want a clause that guarantees he will not give me passion fruit flowers." The chief raised an eyebrow. "It's a kind of rabbit thing. He'll know what it means."

Bogo pondered what that could have meant, but ultimately let it slide. "Done," he agreed. "And the second?"

This one was a much bigger ask, and Judy already knew what the answer would be. Her ears flattened against the back of her neck and she looked to the ground. "I take it I can't bring Nick with me?"

As she expected, Bogo shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hopps. This is an assignment just for you." He caught her eye again. "Is that a deal-breaker for you?"

She allowed herself a few seconds to consider it. She always preferred for Nick to be at her side all the time, but sometimes it just wasn't possible.

And this was going to be one of those times.

She made her decision. "No." She placed the piece of paper back on the table, sat back up straight, and puffed her chest. "Sir, I accept."

A small sigh escaped Bogo's mouth—a sigh of relief, from the sounds of it. "Very good." He reached for his phone with one hoof and picked up the note with the other. "You'd better tell Wilde he'll be working alone the next three days."

Knowing she had been excused, Judy slipped out of her chair and fell to the ground below. "I'll tell him," she promised.

"And I'll miss seeing my best cop," Bogo added, bringing their conversation to an end. He turned his attention to the phone as Judy turned to leave. She could just hear him begin to talk with someone else on the other end of the line as she shut his door behind her.

It was a short walk from Bogo's office back down to the reception area downstairs, but even so, Judy's mind spent so much time thinking over her new job that it felt like it took ages. All of her hesitancy aside, the money was just too much to pass up. As tempting as it was to think about all the expensive things she could buy with so many zeroes in her bank account, she already knew she was going to be smart: she would be able to set up a decent emergency fund, contribute a lot to her retirement account, fix up her car, and buy some new clothes to replace her aging wardrobe. Then she could splurge! Maybe she could buy a new PreyStation and some games to play with Nick; perhaps she would spend a day at the spas in the Canal District; and she sure wouldn't mind upgrading her phone to the latest model available.

She was just thinking about what percentage of her paycheck she would set aside for wasteful spending when she reached the lobby. Purrcy, the leopard who worked the front desk during the night shift, waved to her politely as she walked past, but before she could wave back, the front door opened up. She turned her attention to the door, and when she saw who was walking in, her eyes widened in surprise.

Nick was escorting an arctic fox vixen into the lobby. She was dressed in a form-fitting outfit that clearly indicated she had not planned for the cold weather, and from the layer of snow that clung to the edges of her fur and clothes, it looked like she had been out there all night. Her eyelids drooped low, and it was obvious she was struggling to stay awake. Nick was behind her, gently guiding her forwards.

Judy ran over to them. "What happened?" she gasped.

Nick smiled at her as she approached. "Oh, you're still here, Carrots?"

The vixen, still walking automatically forward, raised an eyebrow. "Carrots?" she murmured in a groggy voice.

Judy ignored her and kept talking with Nick. "Yeah, I guess it took a while to get all the details ironed out." She waved her arms at the vixen. "What happened?" she repeated.

Nick's smile turned sly. "Details, you say?" When she shot him an annoyed look, he relented and finally answered. "Found this stray wandering around the back alley. Thought I'd bring her out of the cold for a few hours." He kept walking, leading the vixen in the direction of the back hallways. "Now, what's this about details?"

Judy immediately realized that Nick was escorting the vixen to the cots in one of the back rooms. She had more questions about who, exactly, this fox was that Nick had quite literally dragged in from the cold, but she figured it was best not to pry for further questions right now. Instead, she decided to bring Nick up to speed. "Have you ever heard of a Hollywool producer named Steve Hoppkins?"

Nick prided himself on knowing everyone, but this seemed to be an exception. He thought about it for a minute, then shook his head. "Can't say I have. What movies has he made?"

"I don't know, I never heard of him either before tonight." Judy glanced at the arctic fox, unsure of how much she was willing to share in front of a total stranger—as out of it as she seemed. "Whoever he is, he's coming to Zootopia tomorrow, and he asked me to work for him as security."

Nick wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, well, well, look at you! Getting to work with a Hollywool mastermind that nobody's ever heard of!" Even though his voice reeked of sarcasm, Judy knew that he was still excited for her, and his face shifted to a more lighthearted expression before he spoke his next words. "I'm gonna miss you at work."

"You and Bogo both." By now they had reached the resting room, and Judy stayed back as Nick led the fox to one of the medium-sized beds inside. "Don't worry, though. It will be worth it."

The vixen walked up to the bed that Nick had singled out and lazily grabbed the top sheet. Before either Judy or Nick knew it, she was lying on top of the mattress, head on the small pillow, eyes closed and breathing slowed down. Her two hind legs had not even left the floor.

Nick stared at her for a second, before turning to Judy and shrugging. "I guess she wasn't kidding when she said she hadn't slept in two days."

Judy blinked, wondering if she had heard him correctly. "Two days?" She watched as Nick gently lifted the vixen's legs off the floor one at a time, then spread the top sheet over her sleeping body. "That poor girl," Judy whispered.

Nick finished tucking her in. Judy could not read the expression on his face, but she did see him take an extra moment to brush his fingers through the fur on the vixen's forehead. Nick rarely exhibited such behavior toward other mammals, and the fact that he was doing so now—especially in front of Judy—told her that whoever this fox was, she had been through a lot and needed to be consoled.

"Who is she?"

Nick gave the girl's shoulder one final pat, then left the bedside and returned to Judy in the doorway. "Her name is Skye Frost," he answered, "but that's all I know for sure." They started walking side-by-side back to the lobby. "Caught her trying to break into the car."

"Whose car?" Nick responded by simply giving her a knowing look. Judy's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding."

"Wish I was. She told me she had just arrived in Zootopia today, and all she was looking for was a safe place to rest."

Judy thought out loud as they crossed the lobby and exited the building. "Just arrived in Zootopia, hasn't slept in two days, looking for somewhere safe…"

Judy was used to dealing with troubled animals; it came with the job. But there was something about the way Skye looked that was different from the others. Past her exhausted, weary demeanor, Judy had seen a glimpse of something… else. She was a mammal who was carrying far more baggage than she let on. Where had she come from? Why was she running? It wasn't any of Judy's business, of course, but there was something about the vixen that made the bunny wish she knew more about her.

What is it about foxes that keeps drawing me to them? The thought was a mixture of sarcasm and irony, and made a small smile of amusement appear on her face. She quickly shook it off and turned to look at her partner. "Do you think she's in trouble?"

The cold night air hit the two of them with a punch as they left the precinct. Judy inhaled sharply and shoved her paws into the warm pockets of her heavy coat. Nick seemed contented with folding his own paws behind his back; his thick fox fur combined with the trendy sweater he wore were plenty to keep him warm. They both started walking down the sidewalk in the direction that Nick had parked the car earlier that evening. The whole reason Nick was here at all was because, after Judy had received the late-night call from Bogo to come to the office immediately, he had volunteered to drive her since all public transportation had ended for the night. Now he was going to take her back home.

"I'm not sure," Nick answered.

The tone in his voice betrayed his inner thoughts, and Judy shot him a smirk. "Are you going to keep an eye on her?" she teased.

He didn't even bother to deny it. "Hey, it's not like I'll have anything else to do while you're gone." Judy only rolled her eyes at the quip, and Nick pivoted back to their previous conversation. "So." He clapped his paws together. "This new assignment will be 'worth it', you say?"

"Oh, yes, very worth it." The car was in sight now, and Judy gave him a mischievous smile. "Bet you can't guess how much he's going to pay me."

Nick made an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Oh, I'm sure it's a lot of money for a cute little bunny like you!" He raised a paw and spread his fingers. "Was it four thousand dollars?"

Judy snickered. "More."

Nick's look of surprise seemed less exaggerated now. "Five thousand?"

They had reached the car by now. Judy had to stifle a laugh as she walked over to the passenger door. "I told you, you couldn't guess!"

Nick spent a few extra seconds thinking while he dug his keys out of his pocket. "Fifty thousand?" he guessed, though he did not seem to think it was possible.

Judy smiled as the door finally unlocked. She threw it open, jumped in her seat, and fastened her seatbelt while Nick continued to fumble for his door handle. "More," she called. His jaw dropped and he stared at her in utter shock. She settled into her seat and allowed herself to start giggling at his reaction.

True, she was going to be lucky to get even just a few more hours of sleep before having to wake up in the morning. True, she was mere hours away from starting a job that was both unflattering and uncomfortable. True, she was going to spend the next several days away from Nick. And true, the fox that he had brought in—Skye Frost—had peaked her curiosity.

But right now, Nick's voice had a squeak to it when he finally managed to make his next guess, still nowhere close to the actual number. Judy forced herself to focus on the moment. Her job could wait. Skye could wait. Nick, though, could not wait, and started begging for her to spill the beans.

She only stuck her tongue out at him and told him to guess again. As the car started rolling down the street, her drowsiness finally returned, and she felt herself start to drift back into slumber.

The last thing she remembered was telling Nick "More" one last time, then letting out an involuntary snicker when he called her a liar in disbelief. Then, long before the car came to a stop, she was fast asleep, dreaming about living in a mansion.