Judy stared up blankly at the ceiling as she lay in bed, her mind replaying what Nick had told her.

"You can't stop crime. But you can control it."

Judy was surprised to learn of the less-than-legal ties to her current job and 'family', and that alone had her on edge and debating if she should leave them. She was a mammal who wanted to do good for everyone she could, and to make the world a better place. She had grown up thinking that the best way for her to do that was to be a police officer – something she had put her entire life into. But after that had gone down the drain, she had been kept distracted by the demands of life from finding an alternative.

And then, with that simple sentence, Nick had presented to her a different path.

Yes, she would sully her self-image of the virtuous bunny cop she had always wanted to be and, deep down, still was. Yes, she would need to resort to crossing the line between legal and illegal. Yes, she would have to take all of her childhood dreams of being a righteous, pure protector of the law to someone who actively and purposefully went against it.

But if it was the best way for her to make the world a better place after being a cop, then so be it. While she knew the path of crime was relatively dark, she could be her own light, her own hope, that led her through it. She wouldn't let herself be consumed and corrupted; she would rise above it. She would make the world a better place.

The only problem, was how.

~ óÓÒò ~

The next morning, Judy went about her routine as usual. Wake up, shower, eat breakfast, get to work, and do her job. There was one little interruption, though, an unexpected little bump that caught her off guard and changed her entire day.

When she went to eat breakfast, Nick was in the kitchen, chatting with a polar bear. This was strange, seeing as how she never saw the fox up and about at this hour – usually only late at night, or sometime just after noon. The reynard glanced in her direction and flicked an ear, his lazy-eyed smirk ever-so-slightly irritating her as she made her way to the fridge for a pastry. She was searching through the fridge before finally spotting a suitable breakfast – a blueberry tart, all alone in a small box in one corner. She began to reach for it, only to jump as Nick's voice sounded behind her.

"Hope you aren't trying to steal my breakfast, Carrots," he said. Judy whipped around and looked at Nick, almost smacking into his chest as he snickered. He reached beside Judy and grabbed the box, his muzzle brushing just against her cheek, before pulling out the box and turning it a bit, showing his name written on a previously hidden side in marker. Judy sighed softly in disappointment, turning back to the fridge to find something to eat as Nick stepped away and opened the box, taking a loud bite of his pastry.

It didn't take long for Judy to give up on her search and turn from the fridge, getting ready to shut it before Nick set his paw in the way, the other holding the tart to his mouth in mid-bite. "Hang on, Carrots," he said, though it was muffled by his food. He reached over Judy, almost forcing her to duck as he reached for something. Judy let out a grunt of annoyance as she brushed at random crumbs that fell onto her as Nick held his pastry in his mouth, using both paws to reach for something as she glared up at the fox until he pulled away.

He stepped back and offered Judy a similar box to his own, turning away as he used his free paw to remove the tart from his mouth. "That's for you," he said through a mouthful of food. Judy looked up at him warily, slowly accepting the box and opening it. Inside was a cream cheese danish, with shreds of orange something on top – a something that smelled a lot like carrots.

"This is for me?" Judy asked carefully. The fox nodded, continuing to eat his food. She watched him for a moment, noticing how he was eating around the center of the blueberry-filled pastry. She shook her head and lowered the box, eyeing the fox. "Who are you and what have you done with Nick?" she asked in a half-serious manner.

The fox paused as he was about to take another bite, looking at Judy curiously. Judy rolled her eyes. "We were stuck with each other yesterday and you were less of a jerk than usual. You paid for our dinner – which you insisted on having – and got me a dessert. And now a breakfast? And you haven't done anything rude to me aside from calling me Carrots, so I ask again: who are you and what have you done with Nick?"

Nick continued to stare at Judy, eyebrows raised in some level of disinterested curiousity as he lowered what was left of his meal into its box. "Who's to say I did any of that? Paid for dinner, got you your breakfast, all of that. Mr. Big did tell us to get along, so not pushing as many buttons is a given if I want to keep my tail. Besides, a cute bunny has to have the most important meal of the day, right?"

Judy grit her teeth at being called cute again, but sighed and let it go. "Right, sure. I just didn't expect you to be... Kind."

"Mm. Well, guess your day is full of surprises. Mr. Big wants me to tag along with you to work today to help out." Judy's ears fell in disappointment at the news, already regretting her decision to get out of bed this morning. "I'm guessing it's so we get along better," Nick continued, turning the center of the blueberry tart on his fingertips, as if examining it, before eating it all in one bite. He let out a satisfied 'Mmm' and shut his eyes, clearly savoring the taste.

"You really like blueberries, huh?" Judy asked, deciding to try and take her mind off the inevitable frustrations she knew would come later in the day.

"Is it obvious?" Nick chuckled, licking his lips.

"Just a little," Judy said, giving a single quiet laugh. She began to take small bites of her danish, her stomach rumbling as she did so. She was hungrier than she thought, though, and began taking larger bites as she quickly devoured the pastry. Nick watched in amused silence, letting out a chuckle as the rabbit wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Did you even taste it?" Nick quipped, resting against the island behind him.

"I did," Judy confirmed, licking her lips. "And it was delicious. Where'd you get it?"

"I know a guy who runs a bakery," Nick shrugged. "Little out-of-the-way place. Maybe I'll take you there someday, if you're a good little bunny."

Judy rolled her eyes, tossing her napkin away as she considered getting a drink before leaving. "Well if you're coming with me, you should get ready soon," she said. "I have to leave in a few minutes."

"What, you mean you wouldn't want to see me wearing this around you all day?" Nick chuckled, holding out his arms. Judy gave him an unamused glance, looking over the fox dressed in green boxers and a white tank top.

"Somehow, I don't think so." Judy said, smiling as she saw Nick's ears flick before he let out a chuckle.

"Alright then, party pooper. I'll be back." He turned around, flicking the rabbit's nose with the tip of his tail as he strode off. Judy suppressed an annoyed hiss at him, before walking over to the fridge and retrieving a bottle of water sized about for her. She shut the fridge and leaned against the door, sighing as she opened the water bottle and took a drink. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the cold, white aluminum.

She stayed like that for what seemed like a minute, snapping her eyes open as she heard Nick suddenly speak beside her. "Having a little nap there, Fluff?"

The rabbit jumped away, nearly losing her bottle of water in the process. She took a moment to get her breath under control, before shaking her head. "What time is it?" she asked worriedly.

"About time to get to work," Nick said, folding his arms. Judy gave him a quick once-over; the fox was dressed in slacks, a green-yellow tropical shirt, and a loose blue tie with purple stripes. He looked down at the watch on his wrist, ears falling and eyes widening slightly. "No, seriously, it's ten 'til."

Without a word, but rather a panicked expression, Judy began to make a sprint for the door. Nick followed behind her, thankfully keeping just as quiet as Judy snatched her jacket from the closet by the front door and sprinted into the freezing cold outside. She was nearly to the sidewalk before Nick called out for her, pointing to the garage. "It's faster to drive than run," he said, jingling his keys in one raised paw. Judy let out a sigh of slight relief as she turned and ran after him into the garage, jumping into the already-started car. She barely had time to shut the door before Nick was taking them out of the garage and onto the slick streets.

Neither one talked on the way there, instead letting the sound of faint thrash metal emitted from his radio. Judy kept her eyes glued to the clock at all times, willing time itself to go slower so she could arrive on time. More than a few times, she felt the vehicle slide uncomfortably far as Nick took corners faster than he should've, but each time they kept going. Clearly, he was just as much in a rush as she was.

When they arrived at the Tundratown Limo Service, Nick paused long enough for Judy to jump out and run inside. She greeted the moose at the desk as she ran to punch in, giving a sigh of relief as she glanced to the clock. It had only just struck 8, the time she was meant to be there. "Cutting it a bit close there," the moose commented.

"Sorry," Judy replied, slipping her jacket off. "I think I had a little trouble staying awake."

"I see," the moose said, not even looking to Judy as he straightened a stack of papers on his desk. "Make sure to get more rest tonight, then. Can't have you falling asleep on the clock."

"Of course, sir," Judy said, nodding slightly as she went into the back room. She set her jacket down on one of the lower bars of the coat rack, ears perking as she heard the front door open again.

"Ah, mister Wilde. I wasn't told you would be in today. Do you need anything?" The moose at the front desk asked.

"Actually, I was told to tag along with our newest hire for today." Nick replied. "Do you know where she is?"

"In the back room, getting set up for the day."

"Wonderful, thank you." Nick said. A moment later, the fox walked into the back room, paws in his pockets as he looked around, casual smirk back on his muzzle. "It's been a little while since I've been here."

"Oh?" Judy asked, looking around for her small cap she was supposed to wear. She knew it was around here somewhere. "Didn't think you'd ever need a reason to come here."

"Oh, I don't, unless work leads me here."

"Work as in..?" Judy asked, looking to Nick curiously. The fox let out a short laugh.

"You don't know about my day job, right. Well, you'll find out about it tomorrow, if Mr. Big keeps this up." Nick yawned, shaking his head. "So remind me what you do here all day, Carrots?"

Judy let out a small 'ah-ha' of success, finding her cap behind the coat rack. She turned to Nick as she dusted it off, before setting it on top of her head. It was a little large for her, but the black flat-topped cap was the only real thing she needed to wear on a daily basis here. "Clean the office and limos, organize and help fill out paperwork. Boring stuff."

Nick clicked his tongue, nodding. "Well, I'm here. So your day just got ten times more exciting."

Judy scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yes, because a fox that tells bad jokes makes my day exciting."

"Exactly," Nick chuckled. "So, what do we do first?"

"Well first," Judy said. "I need to make sure there's no customers anytime soon. Come on," She said, walking back out to the front.

~ óÓÒò ~

Judy grit her teeth as a small ball of paper bounced off her cap. "Nick, for the hundredth time, will you stop that?" she hissed.

"Actually Carrots, this is just the seventy-third time." Nick quipped, tossing another small ball of paper at her cap. This one was larger than the others, nearly knocking her cap to the floor. "Seventy-fourth," he corrected.

Judy shook her head and tried to focus on the paperwork before her. Her day was almost over, her shift would end in about an hour or so. She just had to avoid killing that stupid fox until then.

All day long, Nick had been the single most irritating thing on the planet for her. Between his bad jokes, constant (failed) attempts at comedy, puns that made her want to tear her ears off, and his overall infuriating ability to hamper her progress, Judy had just about had enough of the fox. Pop-Pop was right, in a way – only the devil could make something this annoy-

Something sharp poked Judy in the cheek. She whipped her head around to see Nick leaning back in his seat, ears folded against his head and eyes wide. The rabbit looked down to try and find what had poked her – a paper airplane, made from a sticky note.

The bunny looked between the mess of paper balls and the lone paper airplane on the floor around her desk and the fox, slowly taking her cap off of her head and setting it over the paperwork she had been working on. It could wait for a few minutes, she decided.

Nick clearly realized what was about to happen, and slid down from his chair. "N-Now Carrots," he started. The rabbit didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence, leaping from where she stood and tackling the fox to the ground. He let out a yelp as Judy grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him up to her slightly.

"Nicholas Wilde, if you don't stop that incessant acting up I swear to you I'll -"

A cough interrupted the rabbit, making her and Nick turn to look at the doorway. The moose from the front desk was stood there, his coat slung over his shoulder as he stared down at the two with concern. "Uh... Goodnight, miss Hopps. Shift's over. And, please, don't kill the fox? We kind of need him."

Judy grit her teeth again as she let go of Nick, the fox resting on his elbows. "Sorry, sir, I guess I let my temper get a hold of me," she said.

"Believe me, miss Hopps, no one blames you. Few can stand to be around mister Wilde for a whole day. Have a good night, though." The moose nodded again, before walking out of sight.

Judy sighed and stood up, taking a few steps back from Nick. The fox didn't seem very frustrated, instead wearing an amused expression as he stared up at Judy. "You know, I was starting to think I wouldn't get you hopping mad," he joked.

Judy shot him something of a death glare, before sighing and rubbing her paw against her face and returning to her paperwork, filing it away to finish another day. "Are you trying to get me to lose my temper?" Judy asked. "Because if you didn't notice, I literally had you against the wall in under half a minute."

"I could've gotten you off of me," Nick replied, standing up and brushing himself off.

"But you didn't."

"But I didn't," he confirmed.

Judy took a moment to continue getting her things together, before an idea struck her. She turned to the fox, a sly grin spreading across her face as he raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why Nick, are you insinuating that you enjoy being under a bunny?"

The fox's ears fell and Judy swore the inside of his ears gew more red, before his usual smirk returned. "I'm not sure, Carrots, are you insinuating that you like being on top of a fox?"

Now it was Judy's turn to blush, the insides of her ears growing pink and her cheeks growing warm. Nick grinned in victory at this, chuckling as he turned and began to walk to the exit.

Judy shook her head and began to walk after him a moment later, muttering just low enough that Nick couldn't hear.

"Dumb fox."