Disclaimer: Zootopia and all related characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, and copyrights, belong to their respective owners.

…..

Janae slid her phone into her back pocket, closed the door to Nick's room, and then jogging through the warren, she made a beeline to the kitchen to find her mom.

"Mom," turning the corner, Janae stopped herself against a counter. "Mom, what happened to Nick?"

Bonnie dried her paws on her apron and replied, "Isn't he at work?"

"No, he's not. Judy just texted me and said Nick's been hurt. I checked his room, and it doesn't look like he ever came back last night."

Bonnie pulled her apron off and tossed it in the sink, "Stuart Hopps! Come out here right this instant."

Janae heard a couple of grunts, and the squeak of a chair as Stu stood up and came out of the office. "What's going on, Bon?"

"Judy said that Nicholas has been hurt, do you know if anything has happened to him?"

Hooking his thumbs in the straps to his overalls, he nodded, "Yup, I got a call from the sheriff early this morning. He said that fox was beaten up last night and now he's in the hospital. I think they're waiting to see if he wakes up. The sheriff said someone would give a call back later today."

Stu looked back and forth between Bonnie and Janae, who were just staring at him. Shrugging his shoulders, Stu turned to go back into his office.

"WHAT!" Bonnie yelled. "Janae, call the hospital and find out how Nicholas is doing and how soon we can see him." Grabbing the top of Stu's overalls, Bonnie pulled him into the office.

"Why didn't you tell me Nicholas was hurt and in the hospital? You should have told me as soon as the sheriff called."

"Why do you care, he's just a fox."

Bonnie moved closer to Stu, "What do you mean 'just a fox?' Nicholas is a guest in our warren, and he's a good friend and partner of our daughter, Judy. If he's hurt, it's our responsibility as decent mammals to help him, and you not telling me as soon as you knew something had happened, is not being a decent mammal."

Shaking his head, "He's a fox, I shouldn't have let him stay here."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed, she was in Mom mode now. "That young mammal has been nothing but decent, kind, and very respectful of you and the rest of this family even when all he's gotten from some of our kits in return is their scorn." Poking Stu in the chest to emphasize her words, Bonnie continued, "In a room filled with hundreds of strangers, Nicholas stood up for our Judy at dinner the other night and put Lucas in his place. No one in this warren, including you, has ever done anything for Judy like that before. He deserves to be treated like the decent mammal he is."

Backing away from Stu, Bonnie put her paws on her hips and mentally went through a list while Stu waited. "Alright, this is how it's going to be. If there are any more calls from anyone about Nicholas, I want to know right away. Got it?"

Stu nodded.

"Good, Janae and I are going to the hospital to visit Nicholas and see if there is anything we can do for him. I'm also going to find the sheriff and give him a good talking to about watching out for my kits."

"That fo…Officer Wilde is not..." Stu stuttered and then stopped seeing the angry look on his mate's face.

"Any mammal living under my roof is part of my family." Glaring at Stu, finger poised to start poking him again, "I don't care if he's not a bunny, he's a good boy, and we are going to treat him like the rest of our kits. So, get over yourself and figure out how to make that happen."

"Mom."

Both Stu and Bonnie turned to see Janae standing in the doorway. "I just talked with Nick's nurse at the hospital, she said that he's awake and resting comfortably and we can visit him anytime. She also asked me to bring him a change of clothes, so I'm going to grab some stuff from his room, and then I'll meet you back here in a few minutes."

Bonnie turned back to Stu and gave him one final poke to the chest before going to get her purse and picking out a truck.

…..

'Ugh, what is that pinging noise, and who left the shades open?' Nick snuggled into the bed and put a pillow over his head to block out the noise and the 'dawn's way too early' light. 'Much better.'

Nick had almost fallen back asleep when he remembered an important fact, he didn't have a bed. Groaning, he poked his nose out from under the pillow and took a whiff. Nick knew that smell, and there was a reason he knew it; he hated hospitals.

The door to the room opened as a sturdy doe in a white uniform came in, holding a tray of food. "Good morning Officer Wilde. My name is Carol, and I'm your nurse today. How are you feeling?"

"Mm ed murts wtl nit."

"Well, that's to be expected after the night you had. I'll leave a couple of Tigrenol capsules and some juice on the table here with your breakfast."

"Lank gu."

"You're welcome, but I need you to come out from under there so I can run a few tests." Carol reached over and lifted the pillow a smidge, "Wakey, wakey, time for nurse Carol to poke and prod you."

Carol laughed as she heard a few moans and grumbles come from under the pillow until a red-furred muzzle finally poked out.

"Fine, fine, I'm awake. What happened to it being important for patients to get lots of rest?"

Carol smirked at her patient, "Oh, that's only in the city hospitals, out here in the burbs we figure it's best to get an early start on the healing process."

Carol grabbed her stethoscope and motioned to Nick, "I'm going to raise you up." As Nick was lifted into a sitting position, the sheets covering him started to slip.

"Whoa, I'm mostly naked here." Grabbing the sheet, Nick made sure it didn't fall below his waist.

"Sorry about that, I heard what little you were wearing was too torn up to salvage and last night they didn't have a gown big enough to fit you, so they did the best they could with one of the regular ones. I'll have someone check the supply room and see if we have anything that might fit better."

It took Carol only a few minutes to check the readings on the monitors and run her own tests. Next, she examined the side of Nick's head for any bumps or bruising. Not seeing anything to worry about, she moved to his chest and gently felt along Nick's ribs, checking for any swelling or tenderness.

"Ow."

Carol stopped, "Yeah, it's a little swollen right there, feels like a minor bruise. Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do about a bruised rib except let it heal. Rest and use an ice pack on it for a couple of days, and you should be fine."

Nick nodded, "Will do, but I'll need you to write a note to my bunny-kit alarm clock that I'm allowed to sleep in the rest of the week, no, I mean the next two months."

Trying not to laugh, Carol grabbed a tray of supplies, sprayed the scrape on Nick's paw pad, and then spent a few minutes replacing the bandage on his arm.

"Officer Wilde, you don't appear to have any serious bruising, and the injuries to your arm and paw pad look like they will heal fine. I want you to replace the bandage on your arm once a day, make sure you use the antibiotic cream we give you and keep the bandage dry when you take a shower. Your paw pad was only scraped a little, so it should be fine by tomorrow. The wound on your arm is the one we need to watch carefully. We shaved the fur around the puncture, so if you see the skin turning red, that means it's infected, and you need to come back right away. Otherwise, the doctor wants to see you in a week."

"Thank you, and I'm Nick, by the way, kind of hard to be too formal when all I have on is a dish towel."

Chuckling, Carol pointed to the call button on the bed and told Nick which button to press if he needed anything from the on-duty nurse. Turning to go, she remembered who was waiting to see her patient, "Nick, Sheriff Hoofson is here and would like to talk with you, I'll send him in if you're feeling up to it."

Nick yawned and nodded, "Sounds good, thanks."

Nick spoke with the sheriff and described everything he could remember from his search for the kits, how far he hiked, where he found them, their condition, and carrying them out. He also described the attack and let the sheriff know that he was exhausted, nose blind, couldn't see and too far gone at the time of the attack to be able to ID the perps or give him any useful information.

The sheriff wrote down a few notes and told Nick that he'd pass everything on to the team that had been out since dawn searching the areas around the pond and along the riverbank for anything useful that might help them identify the mammals that had attacked him.

Checking his watch, the Sheriff let Nick know that he had to go. He still needed to talk with the Thrasher kits and then get a few other things done before he'd be ready to meet with the mayor later. As he left, he thanked Nick and told him to plan on taking a few days off to recover, and that he'd call him later.

Later in the morning, and with nothing to do except watch soap operas, game shows, or the Meerkat Pawich show, Nick was staring in disbelief at the TV, 'Seriously, how many guys did that antelope doe sleep with in one week that she can't figure out who the father of her calf is?'

Nurse Carol poked her head in just as Pawich was opening the most recent DNA test results for the antelope doe, which came back negative by the way, and let Nick know that the doctor had decided to rerun a couple of tests and that she'd be back later to poke and prod him some more.

Shaking his head at the news, both Nurse Carol's and Pawich's, Nick grabbed the TV remote and was about to start channel surfing again, when he heard a light knock at his door. Turning off the TV, he turned toward the door and said, "Come in."

Nick sat up straight as Mayor Ackerbunn came into his room. Without thinking, Nick made to get out of bed and stand up but quickly stopped when he remembered that he was still half-naked with only a small gown covering part of him.

The Mayor lifted a paw, "Please, Officer Wilde, don't get up. I only wanted to see how you were doing and to thank you for rescuing Jessie and Alex. That was some impressive work you did last night. I'm told that no one else on the sheriff's staff would have been able to find those kits the way you did."

"Thank you, ma'am. All in a night's work."

Chuckling, Ackerbunn nodded, "Yeah, no, what you did was special." Shaking Nick's paw, she smiled, "I heard you're going to be released later today, so I'll leave you be for now, and if there is anything I can do for you while you're recuperating, please let me know."

Opening the door to leave, Ackerbunn added, "Sarge Gardiner is here, and would like to visit with you if that's alright. It was his kits that chased away your attackers, and then got all of you here to the hospital so quickly."

"Yes, ma'am, please send him in, and thank you for stopping by."

Another knock at the door had him look up in time to see a stoutly built middle-aged rabbit come into his room. Nick realized 'Sarge' had to be more than a name, it must also be a title. Where Stu Hopps was a little soft in the middle, this rabbit looked like he was made of solid muscle, and where some rabbits could be a little nervous being this close to a fox, Sarge looked like he'd been around predators all his life and wasn't the least bit worried about them. He had a presence about him, Nick wanted more than anything to come to attention and salute this rabbit.

Reaching out to shake paws, "Officer Wilde, I'm Robert Gardiner. I'm here with my son visiting Jessie and Alex Thrasher, and they asked me to check on you and ask you if you'd be able to come over and visit with them before you're released."

"Nice to meet you, sir. Please call me Nick. Yes, um, as soon as I find some pants, I'll stop over and say 'hi.'" Nick wagged his tail to emphasize his problem.

Laughing, Robert nodded, "My kits told me you were almost down to your skivvies when they found you. Pretty damn smart using your clothes to tie those kits to your back. One of the sheriff's deputies was out early this morning with my daughter scouting for where you told the sheriff you found Jessie and Alex, and if the spot they found is the right place, that would have made for a hell of a tough hike out, especially on such a dark, moonless night."

"Yeah, well, if it weren't for your family, I don't think we'd be talking right now. Whoever those animals were last night, they weren't going to stop with just beatings, hell, I think one of them already had a shovel out and was getting ready to dig me a shallow grave."

Both mammals were quiet for a moment thinking about how close to a tragedy last night was.

Nick broke the silence, "Mr. Gardiner, thank you, and please pass my gratitude onto your family."

Robert nodded, "I will, and call me Sarge, everyone else in Bunnyburrow does."

From outside Nick's room, both heard a female's voice. "I'm looking for Nicholas Wilde's room."

"Right over there, ma'am."

A knock and a pair of ears poked around the curtain partially blocking the doorway, "Nicholas, are you in here?"

"Mrs. H., yes, yes I am."

Bonnie came rushing the rest of the way into the room, "Oh dear, Nicholas, you gave me quite the fright." She padded to the bed, looked Nick over, and then gave him a hug, "Don't worry me like that again."

Turning to Sarge, she said, "Hello, Robert. I heard that it was Abigail's team that attended to our three injured kits last night. Please tell her, 'Thank you' for me."

"Yes, ma'am, I'll let her know."

Patting Robert on the shoulder, she said, "Good, if I remember right, she likes strawberry rhubarb pie. I'll have one of my boys drop a few off at your warren for her."

Turning back to Nick, Bonnie couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Nick appeared. "Nicholas, is something the matter?"

"Uh, well, I'm hoping you brought me some clothes, this gown isn't exactly big enough to cover all of me."

"Oh."

Bonnie turned to the doorway, "Janae, would you please bring Nicholas' things in for him."

Janae came into the room carrying a bundle of clothes and a plastic evidence bag.

Nick whispered, "Mrs. H., more females in the naked fox's room was not the solution I was looking for."

Sarge laughed at the embarrassed tod. "Looks like things are well in hand here, so I'm going to head out. Before I go, I wanted to invite all of you to dinner tomorrow night. I've invited the Thrashers and a few others. It would be an opportunity for everyone to get together and celebrate your finding those kits."

Nick, Bonnie, and Janae all accepted the dinner invitation. Once Sarge left, Janae set her bundle down on the bed while tactfully averting her eyes, although she did giggle a little at Nick's discomfort.

"Nick, are you sure I shouldn't go to the store and pick you out a shirt or two? The only clean shirts I could find all had these hideous flowered prints on them. I can't believe Judy would let you wear those awful colors."

Nick huffed, "I'll have you know that those shirts are classics, and I am a big fox now, and if I want to wear a Pawaiian shirt, I can."

"Does Judy know that you brought half a suitcase of those ugly shirts?"

"Maybe."

Janae raised an eyebrow and started tapping her foot.

"They're soooo comfortable though."

A huff, followed by more tapping.

"Fine, if you promise not to tell her, I'll go with you to find some new shirts."

Bonnie and Janae both laughed as Nick picked up his clothes.

"Janae, it's going to be a little bit before the doctor is in to check on Nicholas. Why don't you go over to Gideon's Bakery and pick up something for Nicholas to eat. I'm going to find the sheriff and have a word with him."

Patting Nick on the arm, Bonnie let him know that they would both be back in a little bit and then went to find a certain deer buck and give him a piece of her mind.

Janae was following her mom out of the room when she turned back to Nick, "Hey Nick, Judy has been trying to get hold of you. She called me earlier, and she sounded pretty worried."

Nick nodded as the does left, and then he changed into his clothes. After he was done, he dumped the contents of the evidence bag out and was happy to see his wallet, badge, keys, and especially his phone.

Nick tried to turn on his phone and then remembered the battery had died last night. Walking out to the nurse's station, he asked if they had a spare charger. He searched a box full of forgotten chargers and found one that would work.

Once plugged in, his phone blew up with texts and voicemails, almost all of them from Judy.

Nick scanned his email and texts and didn't see anything he needed to jump on before calling Judy except…, "No, no, no! What is she thinking?"

…..

"Cucumber beetles, he still hasn't texted me back." Dropping her phone on the seat next to her, Judy crossed her arms and fretted.

"Stop worrying, Hopps, he's fine."

Judy harrumphed, "He should know that I'm worried about him and text me back."

Pawson thought about making a comment on the fact that telepathy was more a female trait, but was quickly stopped by a 'don't you dare say it' glare from Judy. 'Damn females, how do they do that?'

"How about you call the hospital? I'm sure they can send a nurse to his room and ask him to call you."

"No. I'm still mad at Nick, and I don't want him to think that I'm that worried about him."

Pawson raised an eyebrow, this was a lot like talking to his girlfriend. Deciding to play it safe, he replied, "Uh-huh."

Judy brightened suddenly as she thought of a great idea, "You text him." Smiling like she'd just found the last digit of Pi, she nodded for Pawson to start texting.

Not wanting to get involved, at all, he replied, "I uh, can't. I'm driving."

"Fine, you can do it next time we stop."

Pawson checked the car's gas gauge, three-quarters full, and then interrogated his bladder, half-full. Smiling, he figured he had two hours before he had to stop. Wilde better…

Judy's phone rang. In the blink of an eye, she had the phone in her paw and was staring at a picture of Nick with his phone number on the screen. The phone rang again.

Pulling the cruiser over, Pawson asked, "Aren't you going to answer it?"

"Not yet, angry bunnies wait for three rings."

The phone rang a third time, barely, as Judy swiped her finger on the screen to receive the call and then put it on speaker and set it on the console between her and Pawson.

"Hey, Carrots. Miss me?"

"Nope."

"Hmm, fourteen texts and six voicemails say otherwise."

Judy harrumphed again, folded her arms, and then nodded toward Pawson.

Picking up the hint, Pawson took over. "Hey, Wilde, this is Pawson, Hopps wants…"

"Connor," whispered Judy.

"I meant, I want to know if you're okay."

Judy was glad this wasn't a video call, she didn't need to see the smirk on Nick's face.

"Well, thank you for asking, Officer Pawson. Since you are obviously concerned about a fellow officer who was critically injured in the line of duty, hospitalized, poked, prodded and then hooked up to a machine that goes ping, I feel comfortable telling you that, all things considered, I'm doing quite peachy."

Judy blurted out, "Oh, Nick, please tell me you're okay, I was so worried." And then covered her mouth to stop herself from saying anything else.

Nick heard the concern in Judy's voice and decided he'd teased her enough. "Carrots, please don't worry, I'm fine. My left arm is bandaged up, my paw is a little scraped, and I have a few bruises from whoever beat me last night, but I'm good. The doctor said he's going to release me pretty soon."

"Alright, I forgive you."

"You do?"

Judy huffed, "No, I forgive you for making me worry." Glancing at Pawson, she continued in a quieter tone, "I'm still mad at you for the other thing."

Nick chuckled, "Alright, just for you, I'll try not to get beat up again."

Frowning at Nick's joke, Judy replied in a cool tone, "Bogo briefed everyone on what happened this morning and then called with an update a little while ago. He said the sheriff contacted him and filled him in on all the details of the investigation so far, and from what Bogo told me, it doesn't sound like the sheriff was able to find anything that he could use to track down the animals that attacked you."

"Yeah, it was a bad night, I wish I could have given him something he could've used, but I couldn't."

Judy sighed, "You know, If Bogo hadn't stopped me, I'd be on a train to Bunnyburrow right now."

"And have half the town's population in a lineup by tomorrow night, right?" added Nick.

Judy smiled, "Yup."

"I'd like that, especially the part where you're here."

Judy took a quick glance at Pawson, and then quietly replied, "Me too."

Pawson watched as Judy, lightly biting her bottom lip and stared at the phone without saying anything. Hoping some police strategy talk might break out, Pawson waited.

And waited.

And…, "Alright, you two, how about we talk about this Thorn character that Hopps is supposed to talk to."

Pawson heard a coughing noise from the phone, and then Nick replied, "Not going to happen."

"What!" Judy yelled and then more calmly said, "Nick, I got a report from Dr. Badger's lab this morning, and they weren't able to come up with anything from either Katie's blood or the smashed vial, except that the fluid was a botanical, so Thorn is our only lead. We have no choice, you have to help us."

"No, Carrots, you don't know these guys the way I do, if they're not handled just right, you could end up in a lot of trouble. How about you give me a week for my arm to heal completely, and then I can meet with him."

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, I am as capable an officer as you are, and I have been trained to handle situations exactly like this. We need to talk to this informant, and we need your help now."

"Carrots…"

"Nick, please, I promise I'll be careful."

Judy waited for a response and then rolled her eyes when she heard a rumbling noise. "Stop your growlin', you sound like an old bear or something. Just say yes, already."

"Fine."

Judy fist pumped, "Yes."

"Pawson, did she just fist pump?"

Pawson looked at the gloating bunny next to him and replied, "Yes, she did."

"Alright, I'll do it, but I have a couple of conditions. First, you both have to promise me that you'll follow my instructions to the letter. Second, Pawson…"

Pawson leaned closer to the phone. "Yes?"

"I want you to swear on your pack that you'll watch out for my partner, I need to know that you've got her back."

Judy huffed, "Nick, we're all cops, it's our job to watch out for each other."

Nick was firm, "Carrots, this is different, I only know a little about Pawson, I respect what I've heard about his reputation, but I also know that not everyone at the ZPD can be relied on in a pinch, so I need more before I agree to this. He swears or no deal."

Pawson looked between the phone and Judy. An oath on your pack was not something a wolf did lightly, and there were significant risks in getting involved with these two at that level. Pawson remembered the stories some of Hopps' temporary partners relayed to him before Wilde became her partner. They all said Hopps was a good cop, really cared about helping others, a terrific friend, and a relentless hunter. If you were a bad guy, you did not want Hopps on your tail.

What worried him was that she didn't always think about the consequences of her actions to herself or to those around her. Sometimes she was so single-mindedly tenacious, that she could be like a crazed bull in a china shop, leaping first and pounding anything that got in her way. Hopps still had the department record for property damage set in her first six months as an officer. Fortunately for the department, her damage tally leveled off after she'd partnered up with Wilde.

And then there was Wilde, he was the precinct enigma. The few mammals that had partnered with him when Hopps was off, and hadn't already written him off just because he was a fox, said that he is a thinker, always looking for a subtle angle, and then he'd want a contingency plan just in case. Like Hopps, they said Wilde was a good cop who really cared. One big difference between them was that Wilde didn't have any close friends on the force except for Hopps and maybe Clawhauser. Putting these factors together meant that Wilde would sometimes overthink a situation, didn't always trust others to give him alternatives, and occasionally would take longer to work a case when a more direct approach could have resolved it faster.

Individually they were good cops, but partnered up they were something much more. Each of their strengths compensated for the other's weaknesses, and the end result was a team exponentially better than the sum of its parts. The two of them were able to communicate on a level no one else could understand, anticipating each other's actions, feed off of each other's ideas, and be able to piece together evidence and make leaps of logic that left others scratching their heads. Among all the ZPD teams citywide, they had the third-highest case closure percentage, which is astounding considering they'd only been partners for six months.

Pawson shook his head, maybe a compromise over the oath was possible.

"Wilde, Hopps said it right, we're all cops who've sworn to serve and protect, and that includes accepting the risk that we could get hurt or killed in the line of duty." Now focusing on Judy instead of the phone, "So I'll do it, but I have a condition for you Hopps."

Judy nodded for Pawson to continue.

"Every day I go to work, I tell my mate I'll be back home that night. Hopps, I need you to respect the fact that I'm not Wilde and that we don't have the same connection that you and Wilde do. I can't read you and anticipate what you're doing the same way. So, you need to keep the crazy stunts to a minimum, and if it looks like we're facing a bad situation that you'll be willing to call in backup."

"What crazy stunts, I'm a by the book cop."

"Hopps, you grabbed a subway car right out from under a terrorist gang, nearly collided it with a commuter train, rammed it into a building, and blew up a rail station."

Judy stammered, "That was over a year ago, and it just sort of happened."

Both Pawson and Judy turned to the phone as Nick added, "Carrots, jumping our cruiser over that gulch and crashing it into a van of fleeing Nip dealers was a touch crazy."

Pouting now, Judy replied, "Was not. They were about to get away."

Pawson countered, "How about when you two took down those bank robbers. I saw the security camera footage. Wilde, you were like a ghost moving between the fixtures and furniture darting your targets, while Hopps was some sort of acrobatic nightmare bouncing off counters, chairs, and walls tranqing everyone else."

Nick chuckled, "Pawson, you had to be there to see her in action, that gang of weasels never stood a chance against her."

"But that's what I mean, I'm not like you guys, I'm not stealthy, and I'm not bouncy. You want a door caved in, I'm your mammal, a straight-up fight with a grizzly, I got it. What you guys do, not so much."

After a few quiet moments, Nick broke the silence, "Carrots…"

With her best pouty face on, she replied, "Alright, I'll be a good bunny."

Pawson took a breath, "Okay, Wilde. I swear on pack Black Paw that I will support Judy Hopps as I would another member of my pack. If I fail to uphold this oath, then I will accept the judgment of my Alpha even if I am made to be an Omega and shunned by my packmates."

"I thought your family was in pack Silver Claw."

Frowning, Pawson replied with a more bitter tone than he intended, "They still are. I had to change packs when Olivia and I decided to become a couple."

Judy rested a paw on Pawson's arm, "I'm sorry, Connor. No one should have to go through that."

"It's okay, Black Paw welcomed us in as a couple, and they treat Olivia like they would any wolf." Chuckling a little, he added, "You should have seen her at the last pack Howl. Olivia can't howl to save her life, so she ended up spending the night trying to teach a half-dozen young she-wolves how to roar, it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen."

Nick laughed, "Alright, back to business. Thorn's full name is Axl Thorn, he's a Sand fox, smaller than me, ears almost as big as Finn's and short limbed. Thorn also has a real pale coloring, not an albino, but a very light sandy colored fur. It's important that you don't let his size and looks fool you, he's quick, tough, and fights dirty. Imagine a young, upstart Mr. Big as a fox and include a posse of predator gang bangers."

Judy interrupted, "If I'm going to be talking with a crime-boss wannabe, why don't I just give Mr. Big a call and ask him for help? He likes me, and I haven't been by to see Fru Fru or little Judy for a while."

Pawson coughed, "Hopps, you know Mr. Big, and you're still alive, how does that happen?"

Judy nodded, "Yeah, I saved his daughter, Fru Fru, from being crushed by a doughnut in Little Rodentia, and now I'm the godmother of his grandchild."

"Carrots, let's keep talking with Mr. Big in your back pocket for now. We have to be careful who you end up owing favors to and owing Big could come back to bite you."

"Okay, Thorn first, then we'll see."

"If he's agreed to this meeting, he wants something. I'm guessing that Finn hit a sore spot asking about information on a new drug on the street or mammals going temporarily savage."

"Do you think he wants to help us?" Pawson asked.

"Probably, but he's not going to give us any information for free, and he's going to expect us to ask for help in a way that makes him look good in front of his gang."

Pawson made to ask Nick something when Judy held up her paw, "What do you mean by making him look good?"

"Carrots, it's like what we did to hustle Bellwether into spilling her guts on the Nighthowler case. Thorn knows you're a cop, and you know he knows so you have to play to his gang and convince them that you're legit. That way, he can help us by making it look like you're asking him for a favor, all while his gang watches him get what he wants from you. Even if some of his gang recognize you, they'll keep quiet because Thorn is playing the famous Judy Hopps. Bottom line, if you play it right, you get the information, and Thorn wins with his gang and gets what he wants."

"That sounds really complicated, how about a little bunny persuasion instead?" Judy made a fist and punched it into the palm of her other paw.

Hearing the slap of Judy's paws, Nick replied, "Ah, no. We're trying to avoid violence if we can."

Judy huffed, "Fine, then what do you think he's going to want?"

Nick was quiet for a few seconds, "Well, from me, he wants a favor and probably the boost to his reputation from having me owe him."

"But you won't be there, I'll be doing the meet."

"If it comes to a favor, that needs to be on me, Carrots. I won't let you be compromised by someone like Thorn."

Pawson leaned over the phone again, "Alright, Wilde, how do you want us to play this?"

"Carrots, you need to treat this as a business meeting between mob bosses. You need to act like Big, the head of an organization, no fear, raise an eyebrow, and a mammal's legs get broken, you snap your fingers, and someone dies. As far as everyone watching is concerned, you and Thorn are equals making a deal over lattes."

"If Hopps is the brains, I suppose that makes me the brawn," sighed Pawson.

Nick replied, "Yeah, you're the muscle, so I need you to act like it, big and dumb. Carrots is in charge, you're furniture. She nods, you move. If anyone wants to talk to her, you're the door they need to go through first.

I want Thorn's crew to respect Hopps, and with someone like you on her payroll, they'll figure she's either a major player or a serious badass. This way, if they are going to go after someone, it'll be you. Muscle is a known quantity, and they'll prefer a straight-up fight with you if the meet goes bad."

"So, I'm the decoy," Pawson whined.

"And I'm the badass!" Judy shouted, adding a fist pump for good measure.

"Pawson, did she fist pump again?"

"Yep, sure did."

"THBPBPTHPT."

"Nice there, Carrots. Any mature responses or questions so far?"

"Nope," said the bunny flexing her muscles.

"Good, now a few details. Pawson, find yourself a dark suit that looks good with a holster and not for a tranq, you need to carry a lethal. Don't take your service pistol, use your backup piece, and borrow another one to wear on your ankle or get a big knife. You need to be armed and dangerous and look ready to take on a whole pack."

"Oooh," rubbing her paws together, Judy asked, "I've got some nunchakus, can I take those?"

"Carrots, ah, we've already said 'no' to bunny persuasion. Instead, we're going to need to play to one of your natural strengths because you have to do this meet unarmed and not in uniform."

"WHAT!" Judy yelled.

"Yeah, and you made me swear on my pack. What the hell, Wilde?"

"Carrots, you going to the meet unarmed and out of uniform helps in two ways. First, it lets Thorn think you respect him which helps him with his gang, and the second reason, the one I'm counting on the most, is Thorn has a weakness for beautiful things, he likes to have them, show them off or just be surrounded by them. In some ways he's like Clawhauser is with doughnuts, he can't help himself."

Pawson could see the confusion on Judy's face as she asked, "What do you mean like I need to bring flowers or a pretty gift to this meeting?"

Nick chuckled, "No, all you need to bring is you. You're a beautiful girl, and once we find you something to wear besides your uniform, he won't let anything happen to you because it would be like breaking a fine bottle of wine or damaging a priceless Rambrandt painting."

"What? I hope you're not telling me that I have to get all dressed up to meet this slimeball. The only pretty dress I have is the one that Janae gave me when I graduated from college, and I'm not wearing that to visit the docks. I'm saving that dress for a date with someone…special."

Judy looked up from the phone to Pawson and then back down. Fortunately for her, Pawson didn't know bunnies very well, or he might wonder why her ears were pinker than they had been a moment ago.

"Ah, you mean that purple dress hanging on the rack in your apartment? The one that exactly matches the color of your eyes. You know, the backless one, made of a silky, glisteny material that's going to accentuate your gray fur as it plunges all the way to your fluffy tail, while the side slit that starts mid-thigh will show off your perfect legs. Is that the dress you're talking about?"

Judy flipped her ears over her eyes, "Moldy berries, I can't believe you saw it in my apartment."

"It was kind of hard to miss since you don't have a closet, but don't worry, Carrots, you can't wear that dress anyway, it's not right for this meet."

"Why?"

"What we need for this meeting is understated beautiful, not hot. You wearing that dress is hot, and no way anybody in Thorn's gang is going to believe someone that attractive would willingly talk to a mid-level fox gang-leader, you show up in anything like that dress and the whole meet will go south in a hurry."

Judy peeked around an ear and glanced at Pawson and then back to the phone. "I'm not hot, I'm not even pretty. You've seen my sisters by now, they're pretty, all curvy and with perfect fur." Her voice went to a whisper, "You don't know anything about rabbits, compared to most of my sisters, I'm just a boring, drab-looking bunny."

"Lately, I've had a number of mammals tell me that I don't know anything about bunnies. You're right, I don't know all about bunnies, but I do know about you…"

Pawson was trying to figure a way to bail out of the cruiser and get away from these two. No way were they just ZPD partners, hell, he'd been with Olivia for years, and he'd never had a conversation like this with her. Thinking about it, maybe he needed to. He could take her to a fancy place so they could get dressed up, pick her out a cocktail dress, or perhaps some lingerie. And then he'd–

"…Pawson, back me up and tell Hopps she's hot."

Pawson's train of thought derailed, and he started sputtering, "What…wait. Oh, hell no, Wilde. Not in a million years am I going to do that, do you think I have some sort of death wish? Olivia may be smaller than I am, but her claws and fangs are much sharper than mine, and she's not afraid to use them. Believe me when I say that this male is not dumb enough to comment on the hotness of any female except his own mate. So, you two go find a room, or a counselor, or whatever, but leave me out of this conversation."

Pawson opened the cruiser door and leaned toward the phone, "Wilde, I think I know my part in this, so I'll let you two 'partners' talk privately. Be back in a few, Hopps." Stepping out and closing the door behind him, Pawson shook his head, between Wilde's version of a mission prep and Hopps practically hotboxing him with her scent as Wilde spoke, he needed to be out of there.

Taking a last look at Hopps before stepping away, Pawson huffed, 'Friends my furry ass, I'd always figured Clawhauser was a couple crullers short of a variety pack when he talked about those two, but now–'

Stopping in mid-thought, Pawson remembered that just a few moments ago he'd been in the middle of his own version of a mission prep. As visions of lingerie popped back into his head, Pawson pulled out his phone and sent a text to Olivia. A moment later, he got back a couple of winking cat emojis. Pawson smiled, he loved it when a plan came together, now if there were only a Valerie's Secret or a Frisky Feline store around nearby…

After the cruiser door closed, Nick carried on, "Fine, never mind Carrots, trust me you're hot and the fact you don't know it works in our favor. Just be your normal self, and you'll do fine. Instead of the dress, wear your newest blue jeans and your purple blouse. Oh, and wear the silver necklace I got you for Christmas."

Ears bright red now, Judy took a deep breath, "Okay, anything else?"

"Yeah, when you're in front of his crew you need to let them hear you tell him, 'Nick Wilde respects your knowledge of the docks and the influence of your organization.' Once you've done that and you're alone with him, you should be able to get him to talk business.

"If you have to give up a favor, tell him I will owe him a small favor, but nothing that runs contrary to my position at the ZPD. If he needs proof that you can speak for me, show him that picture Aidan took of us at the Greytail's den."

"What's so special about a picture of us sitting on a couch that Thorn would care?"

"It's a fox thing. Hopefully, he'll just take your word for it."

Judy started to play with her ear a little, "Alright, Connor and I will get ready and wait to hear from Finn."

Nick paused and then continued in a nervous tone, "Judy, promise me you'll be careful."

Hearing him use her name and not one of the many nicknames he usually called her, was a sure sign that she had a worried fox on her paws. Trying to soothe her fox's concerns, she replied, "I promise, no crazy bunny stunts."

"Still mad at me?" Nick whispered hopefully.

Judy mustered up the best fake mad voice she had and replied, "Yup," making sure to pop the 'p' as cutely as she could.

Hearing the forgiveness in her voice, Nick's tail began to wag as he said, "I miss you."

Judy sighed, "I miss you more."

…..

Janae opened the door to the hospital ward, waved to the duty nurse, and walked to Nick's room. She wasn't exactly sure all the foods Nick liked, so she'd decided to play it safe and get him a couple of Gideon's blueberry pastry turnovers. They smelled good and had to be better than the glop the hospital served.

The door to Nick's room was open, but the privacy curtain was partway closed. Janae was about to knock on the door frame and walk in when she overheard Nick talking to someone on his phone.

"Still mad at me?"

Janae put her free paw up to her mouth to help stifle a laugh. Nick must be talking with a girl, she'd heard her brothers use that lonely-lover tone with their girlfriends, especially when they knew they were in trouble for doing something stupid.

"I miss you."

Janae lightly knocked and then padded into the room. Peeking around the curtain, she saw Nick staring at a contact picture on his phone, tail wagging, and a goofy look on his face.

Definitely a girl.

…..

A/N: Sand fox = Ruppell's fox