Hello everyone,
Many thanks to all readers for the time they took to go through the story!
I am very grateful for every positive review, as well as those that point out mistakes, plot holes and grammar errors! Please keep them coming, it really helps with writing and forming the story.
I've decided to put several movie references in this chapter, we'll see who can find them all :)
Important note: There is going to be a lot happening in my life soon and I'll have to take at least a week long brake with writing, sorry about that.
Chapter 24
"You screwed up." Stated the fox, seated behind a massive office desk. His office in one of the Tundratown's skyscrapers was bright lit.
"They screwed up!" Shrieked a voice from the other end of the phone conversation. "They were supposed to take down that girl and failed, how is it my fault?!"
"I am not interested in the details. All I know is that you have potentially exposed us. Nicholas Wilde is no fool, neither is Judy Hopps. If they start sniffing around and trust me, they will, then it's going to be very difficult to avoid detection."
"But…"
"I don't want to hear any argument from you. You are to leave the Hopps family alone… for now. After we complete our goals you can rampage in any way you want, but not earlier, do I make myself clear?"
He could hear some mumbling from the phone.
"I didn't catch that."
"Yes, sir…" Came a reluctant reply.
He ended the call. At the same time the door to his office opened and an elegant arctic vixen entered the room with a tablet in her paw.
"You have called for me, sir?"
"Yes, Martha. As a matter of fact, I did." He stood up and scooped a black jacket from the desk. "I'd like you to cancel all my appointments for today."
"All of them, sir?"
"Of course." He put on the dark piece of clothing and checked himself in a mirror. "My daughter is playing an important character in her school's theater play today, it would be inappropriate for me not to show up. I promised her, after all."
The vixen tapped on her tablet. "As you wish, sir. Can I help you with anything else?"
He turned to her and straightened the jacket. "How do I look?" He asked with a playful smirk.
She eyed him from head to toe, an activity she didn't mind doing.
"Sharp."
"Excellent! Then I'm off."
.
.
Nick got back to his room in the hospital and sat stiffly on the bed. He didn't move from that spot for the next ten minutes, focusing all of his attention on breathing. Long, calm intakes of air and then releasing them in a similar manner.
*Never again… Never this FREAKING close ever again!* His mind roared. He was angry. He was furious. Never before the serum made him do such stupid things. If he wouldn't regain his sense in time just minutes ago with his last-ditch effort…
They would have kissed.
A snarl started to build up in his throat. It irritated him beyond words that he couldn't lash out at something right now, release the pent-up frustration. *That's it. Once we're back in the city, I'm getting myself a punching bag…*
Just as he dwelled in dark thoughts, the phone on his bed stand vibrated. With a groan, Nick grabbed it and answered the call without even looking at the caller's name.
"Yes?" He almost barked.
"Heya, Nick! Caught you at a bad time?" Chirped a female voice.
The fox relaxed a bit. "Not really, Spots. Why?"
"You sounded like you wanted to bite my head off."
"Uh… sorry…" Nick's ears dropped a bit in embarrassment.
"Ha ha, don't worry about it. You should hear me when I have a bad fur day."
He stifled a chuckle, his body finally relaxing a little. "Ok, we'll compare it then. So… why are you calling?"
"Well, Marcus is out with his girlfriend, Rupert went to visit his family, you're gone too… It's kinda' lonely here." Jackie admitted with a sigh that made Nick feel a pang of guilt.
"Sorry, guess I should've taken you with me…"
"Heh, I'll bet it would be more interesting than the place here, wherever you are. By the way, where are you anyway?"
Nick pulled his legs on the bed and lied on the side. "I'll give you a hint: vegetables, fields and a loooot of rabbits."
She pondered about it for a moment. "Wait, Bunny Burrow?"
"Bullsye."
"Aww, must be boring as hell then."
"Oh, you know, collapsing burning buildings, assassins… normal stuff." He said while examining his claws.
"Haha, very funny Mr. Sly. Come on, I'm asking about real stuff."
"Just told you." Nick couldn't hide amusement in his voice. He started finding teasing the cheetah really entertaining. Silence after his words lasted a few seconds.
"WHAT?!"
*Bingo.* He grinned to himself.
Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a grey bunny. She did not have a friendly expression.
"Uh… I'll call you back, Spots." He muttered to the phone. The doe approached the bed with a fast stride.
"Huh? You okay, Nick?"
"Yeah, just…"
"Nicholas P. Wilde, you are under arrest." Judy proclaimed loudly with a stoic face.
"Arrested?! Nick, what's going on the-" He cut off the call.
"For what? Hurting your feewings?" The fox said before he could bite his own tongue.
"Impending an investigation and insulting a police officer." She replied with the same expression and flat voice, causing Nick's eyes to widen.
"Very funny, Carrots." He sat up on the bed. "Seriously, what are you going to do, cuff me?" Nick said in a joking manner and put his paws together in front of him. And his smile faded, as he heard a metallic click over his wrists. He glanced down to see a pair of pawcuffs on them.
"You have a right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to…"
In his mind, the doe's voice trailed off, replaced by a chilly feeling that he might have gone too far this time. *Damn… what else was I supposed to do…* Nick analysed possible solutions for his current situation and none of them seemed to be plausible in the face of an irritated bunny officer.
"Do you understand your rights as I have explained them to you?"
"Look, Fluff-" He tried to speak.
"Do you understand your rights as I have explained them to you?" She remained impassive.
"Yes, bu-"
"You will accompany me to the station for further questioning. Are you coming willingly or will I be compelled to use minimum force necessary?" He noticed a glint in her eye that dared him to resist. *Sweet cheese and crackers…* Boy, he was in trouble…
.
.
The ride to the Bunny Burrow police station was dead silent. There was only him and the bunny in the patrol car, the fox being additionally cuffed to the door. She allowed him to dress into his casual attire, so that he won't be parading in the hospital gown for the rest of the day. Thankfully, the station was nearby and soon enough she let him out, dragging the fox to the main entrance. Once inside, Nick was led by the bunny through several corridors and into a room with a plain table and two chairs on opposite sides. Upper half of one wall was a mirror. He obediently sat on one of the chairs and allowed her to cuff him to the table.
She plopped down on the other chair and put on the table a case file she got from the front desk of the reception. Her eyes studied the papers inside for a while, not paying attention to the fox. If he could, Nick would pull at the collar of his tie, the situation growing more and more uncomfortable for him. But his paws were cuffed and he couldn't move them around as much as he'd want to.
"Mr. Wilde." She said eventually placing both paws on the table and giving him an indifferent gaze. "I am going to ask you several questions regarding a certain case. As I have already told you, you have a right to a lawyer, do you wish to call one now?"
He waved his paw in an irritated gesture. "Forget about the lawyer crap, I know this game." He leaned on the table. "If you want to play it this way, you have to tell me first what exactly I am charged with."
Her only reaction was a slight twitch of her little nose. "You are here because of your possible link to the armed weasel that appeared this morning in the local hospital bearing an unregistered firearm."
Nick kept his mask of a confident fox, but beneath he cursed that brown furred female.
"Possible?" He asked innocently.
Judy picked up one of the papers. "As I have it written here, when asked about her identity she replied, quote: What, Nicky haven't told you already?" She gave him an expectant look.
"Uhh…" The fox groaned and rested his forehead on the table. "And the other offence?"
"Insulting a fellow officer, in a way that could be also considered abusive sexual contact."
Nick ears fell down as he sat up straight immediately. "Wai-… look, it's not what it-"
But she continued, without paying his words any attention. "This falls under the paragraph 920, article 120, clause D, which may be punished by court with jail time and heavy fine."
Nick had a snarky response ready for that, but managed to bit his tongue just in time. Instead, he deflated and hung his head in shame. *Serves me right, huh? Actually, spending some time behind bars might help me clear my mind…* The fox exhaled slowly. "And if the offender pleads guilty and wholeheartedly apologizes for his misconduct, uh, repeatedly apologizes?" He dared to peek at the doe.
Before responding, Judy took out her phone and started tapping at the screen, as if in search of something. "If the offender pleads guilty, it may result in a lighter sentence, reducing the jail time from five to three years." She stated.
Nick's jaw dropped down, his ears flat against his skull. One of few rare moments in his life, when he was at loss for words.
And then he was blinded by a flash of light.
As he kept blinking, trying to regain his sight, a giggle reached his ears.
"You should see your face." Judy used his earlier words. "Gee, good I had a camera."
When he was able to see her, the bunny was wearing a smug smirk, her head and ears tilted to the side, pretty much like the time she caught him on tax evasion. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." She mused, waving her phone at him.
The fox regained enough composure to speak again. "You… All right, I deserved that…" Nick sighed in resignation, but inside he was happy that this torment was over.
"You deserve much more, Nicholas Wilde, but I'm willing to bury the hatchet if I hear someone pleading guilty and apologizing." Judy pointed the phone at him.
Nick nodded solemnly and, placing both paws flat on the table, bowed his head towards the bunny. "What I have done was wrong and I am very, very sorry for that. I promise to never joke like that again."
"Promise?" The doe tapped her chin, not convinced with his statement.
"I swear on my mother's blueberry biscuits." Nick said in all seriousness, causing the bunny to stifle a chuckle.
"All right, Slick. You're off the hook." She approached him with a key to the pawcuffs. "For now. So watch it, because these can go back on your paws quicker than you think." The doe warned him as she took them off.
"Yes, ma'am." Nick massaged his wrists.
"All right… " The pair of metal rings disappeared in one of her pockets. "Right now, I'm going to put that misbehaving mind of yours to work." She returned to her seat and shoved the file towards him on the table.
"That female, who is she?"
Nick hesitated with the answer. *If I tell too much, what will Carrots think of me? No, I should play it safe for now.*
"She's… someone I've met years ago…" His words caused her nose to twitch slightly. She already had some grasp how much her friend disliked sharing information about his past. But this was different, this was an official matter.
"Nick, we need to know that. I need to know that… We're talking about someone whom you got into a fight with, almost resulting in a shooting. You knew something about her, which made you act all clumsy and stupid, just to have a pretext to drag her out of the room."
Once again, the fox was impressed with her instincts, when it came to noticing unusual things and behavior. He shook his head with a smile.
"Seriously, you're really cut out for this job." Nick raised a paw to stop her reply. "We can talk, but what I'm about to tell you will never reach the rest of your family, promise me that."
She raised her brows in surprise, not expecting such a demand. "Nick, you know I can't promise that. This is an official investigation now."
The fox leaned forward, with his elbows on the table. "Listen, what I'm about to tell you can be a major shock for them and cause a great deal of stress. Do you want that to happen?"
His words made her hesitate for a moment. "Okaay…" She said slowly. "Let's hear it first and then we can decide, deal?"
Nick glanced at the mirror behind Judy and returned his gaze to her. The doe shook her head.
"Her name is Uma The Bride Thormal. She is a professional assassin and I believe she was sent to kill your sister."
This information caused her eyes to grow wider. "Assassin?! Why would someone like that target Abi out of all mammals?" Her little nose started twitching uncontrollably.
Nick shrugged and leaned back on the chair. "All I know is that, most likely, she was responsible for the fire at the farm. I could smell gasoline there. Today she tried again." As he was talking, Judy was taking notes, but the last sentence made her lift her head.
"Today? You mean that she tried to do something… Wait, you didn't bring down that drip as an excuse to walk out, you… saved Abi again." The doe send his partner a look with a mixture of gratitude and surprise.
"Protect and serve. Isn't that one of ZPD's policies?" Nick brushed it off like something not worth mentioning. And in his eyes, it wasn't anything special. He would've stopped Uma no matter who her target was.
"Oh, Nick… if it wasn't for you…"
"Oi, don't get all emotional on me, ok? We have more important stuff to do right now. Like who sent her and why?"
"You're right, yes. But I think I should tell this to my family, warn them."
He hissed at hearing this. "No! Listen to me, Carrots! Telling them won't do any good and won't make a difference."
She slammed her paw on the table. "They have a right to know! I know I'd like to know if someone was after my life!"
"Them knowing isn't going to change the situation one bit and will just cause them distress!" He raised his voice a little.
"How can you even be so sure? They could prepare for-"
"No, they can't!" He didn't even notice that his voice rose to a shout.
"You don't know that!" Her voice matched his tone.
"I know those mammals! I know what they're capable of!" Nick stared at his friend and saw that he was played. Judy was looking at him with a smug grin and half-lidded eyes. *Oh crap…*
The doe picked a pen and noted it down, while muttering the words aloud. "He knows them…" She glanced up. "Anything else you'd like to add?"
Nick simply ran a paw down his face. "Did anyone ever tell you, that you're getting too good at this?"
"At what?" She said innocently.
He waved a paw. "Ugh, never mind." Maybe he was getting soft.
The bunny rested her chin on folded paws, elbows on the table. "Soo… Who are they?"
All the fox could do was to sigh in defeat. "It doesn't have a name or anything like that, generally it is referred to as 'the organisation'. It's a group of killers and assassins for hire. No questions asked, no client names ever divulged. You pay, you get yourself a kill."
"And you know this because…" She implored of him.
Nick covered his face with both paws. *Please don't hate me for this…* He prayed in his mind. "Because I was a member."
Silence that followed his statement made him suffer with every passing millisecond. He knew that a revelation such as this may give her many ideas to what kind of a person he is or was. And just the thought, what conclusions she might come up with after hearing this, terrified him.
Eventually, she spoke. "When?" Came a short question
"Fifteen years ago." He didn't dare looking her in the eye. "I quit after a year."
"Have you also been an assassin?"
He swallowed hard. He didn't like the tone she used for this question. Not one bit. "Not per se…" His head started aching and nausea also made its comeback. "It was more of a… logistic type of thing."
"Explain."
Her lack of any audible or visual emotion or judgment made him shift uneasily. *Why does it always have to be her? Why is it this bunny, who puts me in situations that force me to talk about myself?* These thoughts were followed by panting and one of his paws grabbed his chest, as if in fear it might explode. *Damn it all! Not again!* He put the other paw on the table to support himself. But then he heard a short thump, with which made the table shook slightly and felt that Judy was now getting closer. This made him hold his breath.
Judy actually walked over the table and sat on the edge of it, right by the fox.
"Nick." Her paw rested on his and remained there.
Only then he dared to raise his head and look at her. She wasn't scared, she wasn't angry. There was no trace of resentment in her eyes. She didn't ask to torment him, but to know him. It surprised him, how relaxed it made him feel. His breathing returned to normal and the rest of the symptoms slightly subsided.
Nick swallowed again. "Sorry, Carrots… it's just… it's not…" He mumbled with a hoarse voice.
She graced him with the kindest smile he ever received. "It's okay, Nick. You don't have to say it."
"Sorry, I…"
The doe placed a finger on his muzzle. "Shh. Like I said, you don't have to say it or explain yourself. If you'd like to talk later, that's fine, I'll always be there to listen. But you don't have to push yourself."
"But… the case…"
Again, a smile. "We'll work on the lady for now. You've already told me enough about the rest."
Somehow, he also managed a smile. "Thanks." She patted his paw.
"Don't mention it." The bunny slid off the table and returned to her chair. "So, can you give me any more information about her?"
This topic was a bit safer for him so he answered. " Age roughly the same as mine, prefers using knives, but is familiar with various types of sabotage, at least she was. I mean, that was fifteen years ago. Though I can confirm that knives are still her forte." He tapped the fresh cut on his chest.
"Good that you had all the academy training. I can't imagine what would have happened if not for that."
"Uh, thanks for believing in me?" He snorted with sarcasm.
"You're welcome." She went back to her notes. "Why The Bride?"
Nick shrugged. "She always was going on and on about how she will find her perfect husband and how her wedding will look like."
That made the bunny let out a small giggle. "You think she succeeded?"
"Not with her character." A dangerous thought ventured into his mind, another one of the 'double edged' type. *Ah, what the hell…* He shifted in his seat. "I know that she had trouble getting along with her boyfriends, heck, she almost stabbed one to death."
Her ears perked up. "Really?"
Certain that he grasped her attention, Nick undid two top buttons of his shirt. And before she was able to do anything else then blush, the fox pulled the material to the side, revealing a bit of his chest. His fingers parted a piece of the fur, showing a scar right next to his heart.
Judy's eyes shot wide open at the sight. "No way… you were her BOYFRIEND?!"
Nick shot her a grin. "Guilty as charged."
The doe was about to say something, when a sudden commotion erupted outside and in the next second the door flew open.
"Nick!" A spotted blur darted to his side. Meanwhile the receptionist, a black and white rabbit, leaned on the doorframe, wheezing. "Sorry, ma'am… she's… she's too fast…"
The fox blinked with disbelief. "Jackie?! What the hell are you doing here? Ow!" The last sound was caused by the fact, that the cheetah grabbed one of his ears.
"Giving you an earful for telling me something like that over the phone, getting arrested and hanging up on me!" She barked right next to his head.
"Ow! Sorrysorry, ow! Pleaseletgoofmyear!" The fox whined, squirming in her grasp.
"Excuse me! Who are you?!" Came a loud voice from the other end of the table. Judy was standing on the chair, both paws on the table.
The feline shot her an unfriendly look and Nick decided to jump in and defuse the situation before it escalates any further.
"Jackie, meet my best friend, Officer Judy Hopps. Carrots, meet Jackie Spotters, a fellow cadet, friend and valedictorian of our year." He said quickly.
.
.
After the introduction and exchanging formal greetings, Nick was forced to explain himself. Which he did, intentionally omitting the part with him and Judy on the grass. However, Jackie pressed the matter and the bunny, seeing Nick's embarrassment, was eager to share the awkward details, just to get back at him a little. At that time the fox got a look from Jackie he wasn't exactly able to decipher. His wild guess would be a mix of irritation, displeasure and…. Disappointment? Apart from that, he was surprised to see her so openly… female. The nine months they spend in academy, Jackie hiding her gender, made him rather accustomed to the tomboyish look and attitude. But now she came here, wearing a green, sleeveless spring dress which made her look like… a real girl. For Nick it was a new and weird experience, seeing her like this. A unilateral decision was made to take the conversation into a more leisure place – meaning the local bar – and they walked out of the interrogation room, heading for the exit of the precinct.
Nick was still under the effects of surprise with Jackie's choice of clothing and apparently he was looking for a bit longer than a mammal would normally do. Judy elbowed him on the side.
"You're staring, Nick." She said, playful accusation in her voice.
"No, no I am not." He replied quickly.
Jackie didn't respond to that and just smiled.
"Judy!" Called out a voice behind them.
They turned around to see a brown buck not too far from them. He had a desperate look in his eyes.
"Judy." He repeated. "We need to talk, please."
The doe was about to answer when Nick gave her back a slight push. "Go on, Carrots. We'll wait outside." The fox said and left the building, paws in his pockets, not even looking back to the irritated look he got from the bunny. Jackie's puzzled gaze went from Judy, to the buck, to Nick and back to Judy again. She nodded and followed her friend.
The doe's ears perked up when she heard William approaching. She let out an annoyed sigh. "All right, Will. Say what you have to say." Judy folded her arms.
He had a tormented expression of someone who had more guilt on his conscience than one's heart can hold. "Judy, I… I know that you're angry about what happened during the fire…"
"No, I'm not. I'm enraged and disappointed in you." She nudged him in the chest with a finger. "How could you stop me back then?!"
He put his paws in front of him in a begging gesture. "I wanted you to be safe."
"I'm a police officer for God's sake! As are you! By definition our job is not safe, we risk our lives every day, so why? Tell me why you dare stop me when my own family is in danger." She yelled at him.
"Because I was scared!" Will shouted back, surprising the doe. "Because I was scared…" He repeated in a whisper. "I know, I know what kind of a job we have, where are duties lie, but… but I still couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you."
Her thoughts were conflicted at the moment, balancing between compassion for the crestfallen buck and anger for what he did. "You do realize what would have happened if not for Nick? If you had stopped me and he wouldn't be there?"
"I know, I know…"
"How could you know?! Was anyone of your family in a fire?!" She mocked him, yelling.
And right then, already looking down, he deflated even more. "Yes." Will whispered.
Judy flinched. Not so much from what he said, more from what his eyes told her. Grief. Lots of it.
"When I was ten, our house caught fire…" His voice made her ears droop. "…the family got out, we thought everyone was safe, but then we heard a scream. Two of my little sisters were still inside. Then Robert… my eldest brother… wanted to go inside." Judy could almost see the distant fire flickering in the buck's eyes. He completely lost focus of the present time. "I grabbed his arm and said: Brother, what are you doing? He replied: Don't worry, I'll bring our sisters back. With that, he disappeared inside. And… everything collapsed." Will drew in a deep breath, his eyes closed. "I still hear the crack of wood, the sound of crumbling walls and that silence… that deafening lack of the voices of my siblings…"
Only now the brown buck glanced at Judy with glistening eyes. "If I only held on to him a few seconds longer, if I held him right there…" He swallowed hard. "After the funeral, I swore to myself, that I will never allow anyone else important to me to die in such a situation." He reached with a paw and wiped the forming tears. "I know that you're angry. I know that you wanted to go in. And you can blame me all you want, I don't mind. But I just wanted you to know that I'm happy that you're safe, as well as everyone else." William took another breath to calm his emotions and half turned, ready to walk away. "And just for the record… You can think me a coward, but I'd do it again, you're too important for me to just let you disappear like this." He tried to make a smile, but failed. "I'm going back with an early train tomorrow, so I'll see you in Zootopia. Bye." And he left.
Judy stood alone in the lobby of the police station for a good while, trying to process the information she just heard.
.
.
"Who was that?" Jackie asked of Nick, while they were waiting outside of the building.
"Her boyfriend. They had a fight after the fire." He gave her a simple statement of the facts.
"Oh… Um, tell me, you know each other long? Officer Hopps, I mean"
"Not really, just a few weeks before the academy training."
She raised her brows in surprise. "And she's your best friend already? Wow, you sure don't waste time."
Nick shrugged with a small smile. "Guess all that stuff we've been through speeded up things a bit."
"Oh, what kind of stuff?"
The fox leaned back on the wall. "Well, she kinda' saved my life during the Nighthowler case."
Jackie was suddenly much more interested. "Really? You were part of the case?! What happened?"
"You know, wild chases, savage animals… Not exactly the safest activity around."
"Come ooon." She took few steps towards him. "Spit out some more saucy details."
Nick stared straight ahead and folded his arms. "There are none."
She gave him a playful smirk. "None at all?" Jackie asked innocently, her eyes searching his stoic expression.
Only then he turned to face her. "What are you getting at, Spots?"
"You like her?"
Again, an indifferent shrug. "Of course not, why being else friends with her?" He replied with a big serving of sarcasm.
Jackie folded her arms behind her back. "That's not what I'm asking." But right as she said that, the feline could feel a sudden drop in the temperature. And now Nick gave her a stare that was much colder than before.
"Not what you're thinking. And it never will be." He hissed.
She flinched seeing the change in him, just from mentioning this topic. Her usually perked up ears now dropped down. "Nick…" Jackie started in a low voice.
"Hey guys! Sorry for the wait!" Judy bounced toward them with a happy face, though Nick noticed tiny remains of wet fur under her eyes.
"Everything ok?" He asked her, suppressing the concern in his voice.
"Yup, you could say we've made up." She said with a broad smile.
.
.
When all three were seated in the small, but cozy bar two streets from the precinct, Judy was very eager to hear stories about the time in academy and Jackie was equally happy to share them. Despite the rather unpleasant first impression, they got on well pretty quickly and soon were chatting away about things connected with the ZPD training program.
The bunny was not the least bit surprised hearing how was Nick's relationship with sergeant Hartmammal and his attitude towards the regulations.
"No way! You also did night training?" Her ears perked up at this story and she gave the fox a surprised glance.
Nick raised a brow. "What's with that look?" He said, as he gulped some tea.
"Well, I didn't think that you had it in you. To join the valedictorian girl in an ambitious plan of improving yourself." She gave out a small chuckle.
Jackie grinned while resting her chin on a paw. "Actually…" She paused for the briefest moment to catch nervous signals Nick was sending her over the bunny's head. "There was four of us, well maybe not Rupert, but he joined us on the evening sessions." The feline finished smoothly.
Judy sipped her carrot flavored milkshake. "And how about the fighting test?"
"First place!" Jackie's paw shot up.
The doe eyed Nick. "What about you, Slick?"
He returned her stare. "Didn't participate."
"What?! How could you not? How did you even graduate?" These questions instantly bombarded the fox.
"I had an knee injury. Too much sparring with Marcus." Nick said with a straight face.
Judy frowned hearing this. "Ok, Slick. I've known you long enough to notice statements that could be either truth or a lie." And she spun towards the cheetah. "Did he really hurt his knee?"
Jackie slurped her drink and nodded. "Yep, he moped about it for a whole day. In my opinion he lucked out, in other case he'd have to spar against Marcus for real and even I barely managed to pull a victory. That tiger sure knows how to fight."
"Well, that must've been an interesting match." Judy's ears perked up. "Now I'm curious myself, so maybe we'll get a chance to test our skills in the training ring at the precinct, hm? What do you say, Jackie?" The doe openly proposed a fighting match with the cheetah
The feline looked surprised at first, but then put on a smirk. "Why not? But let me warn you: I'm fast." She sent the bunny a wink.
Judy supported herself with her elbows on the table. "Interesting… so am I." She grinned.
Both were distracted with Nick clearing his throat. "Before you start a ZPD's edition of a weird MMA tournament, we have an attempted assassination to deal with."
"Ah, sure…"
"You're right…"
Nick rested his muzzle on one paw. "My advice: forget about the organisation. You won't find them and you won't stop them, if they want your sister killed…"
Judy slammed her paws on the table. "You're telling me to abandon Abi?! That's not happening, Nick!" She yelled, drawing few surprised looks from other guests.
The fox raised a finger to stop her outburst. "Let me finish. You can't stop them, but you can buy some time. Hide her, bury her underground if you have to, make sure she has as little to do with the outside world as possible, it'll slow them down for a bit."
"Wait, how do you know all this?" Jackie interjected, looking puzzled about his words.
Nick let out a tired sigh and rubbed his temples. *Here we go again, but since she's already here it would be only fair to keep this on even grounds.* He glanced at Judy, seeking her opinion on this and noticed a barely visible shrug. Essentially, she was leaving the decision to him.
The fox opened his mouth. "Because he was one us, many years ago." Said a voice from the table next to theirs. It came from a wolf, sitting with his back to Jackie. All three friends froze for a moment.
In the next one, Nick leapt over the table, landing between the cheetah and the speaker, pushing Jackie behind him. He placed himself in a way, that both females were behind his back and the wolf right in front of him.
"Wha-"
"Who-"
"Don't!" He barked over his shoulder to his friends, fully aware of their tendency to jump straight into the fray. *But not this time. Not with THIS guy.* Nick could feel a feral growl building up in his chest. He raised his claws in a fighting stance, ready to jump at the enemy at any moment. In his mind, he cursed himself for this reaction. It was instinctual and stupid, considering who his opponent was.
"Do not be so alarmed Nicholas." Said the wolf with a calm voice and stood up to face them. His fur was initially brown, but time painted it with grey and white strands. And even with a walking stick in one paw, his body moved with grace and dangerous elegance. A black fedora rested on his head. But most characteristic part of him was his face, decorated with three horizontal scars, that ran from his ear all the way to the tip of his muzzle. That attack had to wreck his eye, as it was hidden behind a black eyepatch. "I am here merely to talk. You know that I am a mammal of my word." He stated and stood before the fox, both paws on his walking stick. A silver signet on one of his fingers.
Nick relaxed a bit and straightened himself. "Why are you here, Mr. Pink Plushie?" He said in all seriousness.
Before the elderly predator could respond, a stifled chuckle came from behind Nick's back.
"Wait…" Despite the nervous situation, Jackie couldn't help herself. "He's called Mr. P-" The fox spun in a blur and his paw landed on the feline's mouth, forcing it shut. He leaned to her and whispered only for Jackie to hear. "Listen to me! If you want to live this building alive, DO NOT laugh! If you can't manage that, you'll force me to knock you out! Got it?!" The aggressiveness in his voice shocked the girl.
Hoping that he got the message through, Nick let go and turned back to the wolf.
"Apologies, sir."
The greyish predator raised a paw. "No need, Nicholas. Privilege of the youth… Anyway, I am here to inform you that the contract for Miss Abigail Lightpaw has been cancelled. That is all. Consider this information a gift for your earlier service to me."
Nick swallowed, glad that he couldn't sweat through skin. "Thank you, sir."
The wolf tipped his hat and turned around to leave. But then they all heard a click of the safety catch of a tranquilizer gun. The fox froze in place, his face a mask of terror, and looked down to see Judy by his side with a determined expression and her weapon aimed at the elderly predator.
"Sir, you are under arrest for assisting in attempted murder of Abigail Lightpaw, additional charges may appear during further investigation." She stated with a firm voice, though her finger trembled on the trigger. After all, she was facing a mammal, who, to the best of her knowledge, had something to do with attempts at her sister's life. But she absolutely did not expect what happened next.
Nick's paw came down hard, knocking the gun from her paw. In an instant, he was behind her, one paw around her mouth, second wrapped around her waist and arms, locking them in place. His legs went around her own, blocking any attempt of jumping or moving from the spot she stood.
"My humble apologies, sir. I hope you can ignore this ignorant outburst." He said to the wolf with a respectful bow of his head.
Mr. Pink Plushie simply smiled and turned back to them, approaching them slowly. Nick put his muzzle right next to the violently struggling doe's ear and whispered. "Carrots, I beg of you… Don't move, don't speak, just keep still. I'll explain later, please trust me on this." It seemed to have some effect, as Judy stopped wriggling in his grasp, but still panted through her nose at the sight of the nearing wolf.
"Miss Hopps, wasn't it?" He said to her. "It would be best for you to appreciate the actions of your friend, as I would not allow myself to be arrested. And let me be clear about one thing." The predator leaned down to the bunny. "Regarding your sister, it is nothing personal, it's just good business." The wolf straightened up and gave one last nod at Nick.
"Nicholas." He turned around and headed for the door, all other customers keeping their distance from him. "If you ever change your mind, we'd be glad to have you back."
For a brief moment after this statement, Nick bit his lip, thinking quickly about one more thing. And he came to a decision. "Sir!" He called out, causing the wolf to stop again, right by the door. "Can I ask of you to spare Uma?" His request made the elderly predator's brows to rise and Jackie to take sharp intake of air. Judy also mumbled something into his palm and struggled again, her muscles bulging in her small body, but his arms wouldn't budge.
"Empathy?" The wolf asked of Nick. "This is something I didn't expect from you. If I am to respond, I would like to know the reason."
"It's… a debt I have to pay… from the old days." The fox explained, not really keen on divulging the details.
The old predator scratched his chin, apparently considering his words. "Very well, I will grant your wish. But that's all you get." Last sentence had a warning sewed in it. He walked out of the building, leaving scared customers and the trio of friends in an awkward silence.
It was broken when Judy managed to open her mouth enough to bare her teeth and bite Nick's fingers.
"YOWCH!" He yelped and shook his paw violently, releasing the bunny from the hold. In that instant, two sets of paws grabbed him by the shirt.
"Talk!" Both females demanded.
Nick looked at them with a very worn out expression, sucking on the bleeding fingers. With his other paw, he indicated the audience they had. "Shomewhere elsh?"
.
.
They relocated to the Hopps' family farm, Judy asking one of the officers to give them a lift with a patrol car. Once there, Nick was allowed to bandage his fingers, though Judy was still fuming over what happened at the bar. Jackie's mood wasn't any better. They locked themselves in Judy's room after the doe made sure that none of her siblings were eavesdropping.
"They won't?" Nick wanted to be sure.
"Not after what I told them what I'd do if they will." She gave him a nasty grin and suddenly the fox was completely convinced that no one is going to listen to their conversation.
"Now then…" Judy began.
"…where were we?" Jackie finished.
Nick resigned himself and rubbed his forehead, migraine starting to act in his skull. "All right… You have just met the head of the organisation and that's quite something, because usually you don't have the luxury of breathing after meeting him. And NO, " he raised his voice to stop them from cutting in "you can't arrest him, or you can't beat him up. One, it's highly unlikely for you to best him in combat, despite his age. Two, even if due some miracle, you'd be able to incapacitate him, you'd have the entire organisation on your ass. So drop the idea of either chasing him or tracking him down, because I'm not looking forward to fishing out your corpses from a nearby lake. Is that clear?" And he didn't wait for an answer, but went on with his speech.
"Secondly, we close this case. We know that they've stopped targeting Abigail, so be happy with that, Carrots. And we know that, because he really is a mammal of his word and would never lie when talking business. No point in banging your head against the wall. Any questions?" He finished, folding his arms.
The two females didn't respond at first, but exchanged glances. Jackie was first to raise a paw. "What's the deal with… Uma, was it? Why did you ask him to 'spare her'? Isn't she one of them?"
Nick folded his arms before responding. "Those who fail twice are those who never come back. One of the organisation's rules. She couldn't take out her target in two tries and that means she was to be killed."
"That's…" Jackie started saying, looking for an appropriate word.
"…cruel?" Nick interjected. "From their perspective it's efficient. They have a reputation to uphold."
"Oka-y, but why would you care if she's alive?"
Judy leaned back on the floor, supporting herself on her paws. "Because she's Nick's old girlfriend." She muttered, giving the fox a cold glare from her half-lidded eyes.
"FOR REAL?!"
"Well, it-" He wanted to explain but was cut off by Judy.
"And I heard she almost stabbed him to death." She continued in the same, irritated tone.
"WHAT?!" Jackie's ears shot up and she glanced at Nick. He wanted to disappear under the wooden floor and not be subjected to anymore questions.
"What I'm more interested in, is why do you insist I just let it go. I'm a police officer, Nick. I don't let criminals escape just because it's convenient for me at the moment." Judy pressured him with the matter regarding the organisation.
"I know that, Fluff. But it's crucial to know when you face a fight you cannot win. No,NO, listen to me!" He raised a paw to stop her incoming reply. "I know you're strong and confident in your skills, but it's not about you. It's about realising that you cannot put out a forest fire with only a glass of water. You can't breathe without air and so on. This is not giving up, but accepting that there are rules in this world that are bigger than ourselves. There is no shame in admitting that sometimes you have to give up on some things, because getting yourself killed in the process is no way to live." He started panting. "I can't physically force you not to chase him, but I need you to understand the consequences of your actions! You may dedicate yourself to hunting this one guy, but you'll end up with all the bridges burning behind you, your family gone and put in the ground by groups of assassins and after all that, maybe you'll win. But I'm asking you now: will it be worth the price? Are you looking for such a Pyrrhic victory? Do you really wish to be one, bitter bundle of grief fuelled by thoughts of revenge and empty phrases like 'justice' and 'court', which won't mean a thing as those kinds of people never get prosecuted, they always slip the noose? Tell me, do you want to ruin your life and life of mammals close to you in the blind pursuit of the rules?"
"Nick!" Jackie scolded him and that made him blink. Judy was sitting on the floor of her room, shaking and sobbing, her eyes stuck in the carpet they were sitting on. The cheetah sat by her and put her arms around the doe's shoulders.
"Y-you're telling me… th-that I can't… I can't change a-anything? After all… that… that we've been through… a-already?" She wept, fur on her cheeks getting damper from the streams of tears.
He grunted and grabbed his head to rearrange his thoughts. Only now he realized he was practically screaming at his friend. *Carrots, believe me, I hate doing this to you… But you need to understand the rules of the game if you're to keep that little cottontail of yours safe.* Nick crawled from his spot right next to Judy and gently scooped her small paw with his.
"I'm not saying that…" He said with a lot softer voice. "You've changed a lot of things, you even managed to change me and my mother can tell you it's a nearly impossible feat." That managed to get a small, nervous giggle from the bunny. The fox reached out and lifted her chin to look into her eyes.
"Carrots… I am far from discouraging you from being the most stubborn, lawful and radiant bunny in all of Zootopia. I wish for you to stay the way you are. But please believe me, when I sometimes stomp on the brakes to avoid a crash, I do it solely out of concern and never to run away from duties. You're one fine police officer and keep it that way, okay?"
She was gradually calming down during his speech and eventually all her tears and sobs stopped. Judy wiped her eyes. "Okay." And then she smacked him right on the head. He let out a small yelp and massaged the hit spot. "That's what you get for messing with a bunny." She told him with a weak smile.
"Heh, my bad, I guess."
Jackie was silent for the whole time, but now she gave Judy's shoulders a gentle squeeze and grinned. "Hey, since he was such a jerk also to me, can I smack him too?"
The doe showed a mischievous smirk. "Sure."
Nick stumbled backwards, waving a paw in front of him. "Oh no, nononoOW!"
.
.
"Ok, why are we here again?" Nick followed the two females through the corridors of the hospital. "I thought we've decided that the assassination case is closed?"
"Oh we are." Judy replied with a strangely amused voice. "We're not chasing the organisation anymore… BUT, we have to interrogate a certain weasel regarding her crimes, before she'll be formally prosecuted."
"Mhmm." Jackie joined with her own cheerful expression. "I'm dying to meet the girl, that managed to bewitch you to a point of stabbing you. Plus, it'll be good practice to see a real life interrogation. Right, Officer Hopps?"
The doe showed her a smirk. "Exactly, Officer Spotters."
Nick ran a paw down his face.
Few minutes later, all three were allowed to enter the room where Uma was placed. Both of her arms were cuffed to the bed and one of her arms and one leg were in casts. Still, she grinned seeing the visitors.
"Oh, how lovely… And Nicky too! Missed me already, handsome fox?" She mused, settling herself on the pillows
Nick didn't reply, he simply folded his arms and leaned on one the walls, his gaze avoiding the weasel.
"Uma Thormal, we are here to ask you a few questions about two assassination attempts at Miss Abigail Lightpaw's life." Judy sat on a stool beside the bed and took out her notepad and pen. Jackie stood right beside the doe, arms behind her back
"Too bad, 'cause I've got nothing to say. And I imagine Nicky has already told you plenty." The weasel eyed the silent vulpine.
"Oh, he told us everything we need to know to form a solid case against you." The doe said, writing something down. "We only need to smooth out the details. Of course, you could always plea guilty and maybe the sentence will be less severe."
Uma raised a brow, not fazed by Judy's words. "A testimony of an ex-assassin like him would hardly be considered evidence."
Nick grinned inwardly. He knew that the weasel would be a tough nut to crack and it's near impossible to get a confession out of her. And they would need it, as Uma was too good to leave any physical traces at the crime scene. *Let's see how you're going to deal with this, Fluff.*
"We're not talking about his confession" The bunny said innocently. "It's about yours."
Uma burst out with laughter. "That's a good one! And why would I talk, eh?"
"I don't know…" Judy tapped her chin with the end of the pen. "Maybe, because we're the only ones that can save your life?" She stared directly into the assassin's eyes.
"Really?" Her voice was sarcastic, but the doe caught the slightest hesitation hidden in it, as well as the tiny movement of her eyes, when she cast a glance at Nick.
"You failed twice, Miss Bride. That means the end of the line for you." Now Judy folded her arms and decided to drop the bomb. "Of course, we could ask Nick to talk with Mr Pink Plushie and negotiate your safety."
This hit the nail right on the head. Uma flinched visibly, hearing her boss' name. "Nick… you told them abou-"
"Oh, we've met him already." Judy cut in with a smile. "Very distinguished gentlemammal, though I am curious about the eyepatch."
The female weasel swallowed, her gaze wandering from the bunny to the smiling cheetah and finally to the fox. "Nicky… Nick, you wouldn't let me bite the dust like this, would you?" Now she had a pleading look in her eyes. The vulpine remained silent. "Come on… for old times' sake?"
Only then Nick turned to her and barked one word. "Confession."
Uma bit her lip and her healthy paw gripped the bed sheets. "Fine…" She muttered eventually.
It took several minutes for Judy to write down the all the given details. When they were finished, Uma glanced at the fox again.
"A deal is a deal; I'll talk to him. He still owes me a favor."
She let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, sweetheart." She sent him a kiss.
Nick clicked his tongue and pointed a finger at the wounded weasel. "Don't push it, Uma."
"Uuu, scary." She giggled like a naughty girl. "Or what? You'll break my leg? Oh, wait… you already did." Uma tapped the cast with a grin.
At that moment Jackie joined the conversation. "You're awfully friendly with Nick, considering he beat you up." She pointed out.
Uma waved her paw dismissively. "That's the job. We don't take quarrels like this personally." The female winked at the fox. "Right, sweetie?"
"Trying to cut up your ex-boyfriend could hardly be considered a 'quarrel'." Judy chimed in.
"Aww, you told them about us? You break my heart, Nicky. With all that we've been through together… By the way! You got a girlfriend now? Or maybe I can apply?" She sniggered.
Nick replied with a stare colder than Tundratown's weather.
Uma sighed with resignation. "Fine, fine, I get the point…" Then she leaned towards the two females. "Why don't you two try your chances?" Despite being the composed interrogators, both pairs of ears perked up. "Let me tell you, when it comes to kissing, that guy is a beast. I can only imagine the progress he's made during all these years." Her voice was now nearly a whisper and she licked her lips.
This resulted in two female faces going pink and Nick slapping his face with a paw.
.
.
Later, with most of the tension gone, the three spent the rest of the Saturday on touring around the Hopps' farmlands, with Judy showing them the most interesting spots. Earlier, Nick was given an 'ok' from the doctors at the hospital, something he was sure about, considering his abnormal healing rate. They shared more stories from the time in academy, some details about the Nighhowler case and Nick threw in several anecdotes about Zootopia.
But during their leisure time, Nick couldn't ignore the few weird glances Jackie shot him when she thought he wasn't looking. Plus, all the teasing he got from the girls about what Uma said at the hospital.
Judy playfully nudged his ribs. "Sooo…. How did you get so good with this stuff?"
"I refuse to talk without a lawyer." He mumbled, refusing to look at her or Jackie.
And the cheetah in question was also took part in all the teases. "You know, Judy, we only have her word for it, maybe she was overstating things a lot."
The doe sent a wink at the feline. "Maybe he actually is a really pure fox, waiting for the one, true love and saving his first kiss for her."
Jackie giggled. "So, Mister Fox… Have you kissed or not?"
And Nick had enough and decided to jump at the opportunity to counter their comments. He turned towards the cheetah and gently, but firmly grabbed placed his paws on her cheeks and brought her face down to the level of his muzzle. Her eyes widened and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her nose.
"Want to test it?" He challenged her, staring directly into Jackie's eyes. The girl's breathing accelerated, along with her heartbeat.
"W-wait…"
He pulled her slightly closer. "Yes or no?"
"I…" She was about to say something more when they heard a gasp from the bunny. As they glanced at her, Judy had her ears standing up in alert and a finger, brushing her lips. She would never say it out loud, but the sight of those two so close together made her lip twitch with a strangely familiar feeling. Judy buried the feeling deep in her chest, the possible implications too unimaginable for her to consider.
"Uh…um…" She stammered with a panicky expression. "You really look nice together, ahaha." The giggle at the end was the one she used to do, whenever she was too embarrassed or nervous.
Nick took away his paws and took a step back. "I'm tired." He stated flatly. "Let's go back." With that, he turned around and headed towards the Hopps' house, leaving the two females in very awkward silence.
.
.
In his room, Nick took the sleeping pills and tried really hard not to think about anything, but the images of the recent day assaulted his mind relentlessly. He predicted it may happen, so he doubled the dosage, wanting to knock himself out, to free his imagination from the pictures replaying endlessly before his eyes. Still, it took several hours before Morpheus eased his mind and sent him to the world of dreamless slumber.
.
.
Next day seemed to be more promising, as Judy announced that she's going back to Zootopia earlier, along with Will and – surprisingly – Uma. Doctors gave their permission to transfer the prisoner on a wheelchair and it was not a problem with the train. That meant Nick and Jackie had to return on their own. And the cheetah surprised her friend with a proposition.
"Go back by car? Why not use the train?"
"Because I'm not a great fan of trains and I came here by car, so I have to get it back with me to Zootopia." Her arguments were solid and he didn't actually mind such an idea. *As long the car is not some rusty old, pickup truck…* Of course, Bonnie wouldn't let them go with a basket of homemade sweets for each of them. After a warm goodbye, Stu dropped them off at the precinct, where Jackie left her car. And suddenly all of Nick's worries were blown away by the sight of jade green Lamborghini.
"THAT'S your car?" He said after the initial surprise subsided.
She showed him a smug grin and tossed the keys in the air, catching them swiftly. "Yep! Much more fun than a train."
And when, minutes later, they got to the highway, Nick wholeheartedly agreed with her. He never spent his money on sport cars, but always wanted to know what it's like to experience a ride in one of them. And Jackie used the vehicle's potential to the fullest, overtaking car after car on the road.
"With the way you drive, it's no wonder that you got to Bunny Burrow that fast."
She shrugged with an innocent smile. "I just had a lot of practice."
"I bet, Rich Girl."
"Not anymore… My father cut me off. I only have some savings and this car left."
"Well, welcome to the real life, where we – regular mortals – struggle to make ends meet and don't roll in the money."
"Har, har…" She said, but her face turned serious. "Nick, I'm glad that you helped me pull through the academy, but there is still one big issue: I'm a female an-"
The fox faked a shocked expression and grabbed his chest. "NO! How could I not notice?!"
Jackie snorted at his reaction, but the solemn face returned right after that. "Nick… I'm talking about my file in the academy. They all know me as Jack, not Jackie. It's a high chance they will refuse to let me graduate."
The fox simply leaned back in his seat and folded arms behind his head. "I wouldn't worry about that." He said with a sly grin, dropping a pair of sunglasses on his muzzle.
"Uh… you sure?" Jackie didn't sound convinced and she got a peek from Nick's green eye over his specs.
"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"
"If you put it that way… nope." A smile returned to her face and they drove on in silence for the next few minutes, before she spoke again. "Hey, Nick… Remember the time you almost smashed my head?"
The fox groaned, being reminded of that embarrassing moment. *Not that I remember much of what actually happened…* He lifted his sunglasses to get a better look at Jackie. She was blushing slightly and chewing her lower lip, eyes betraying some complex thinking going on in her mind.
"Why do ask?" He inquired with caution, not sure where this was heading.
"You… you promised me some flowers as an apology…"
Nick furrowed his brows. "Yes… I did. And?"
"I'd like to change that… I… I'd like something else…" She stated with her eyes fixed straight on the road.
"O-k, like what?"
Her blush deepened. "A date…" She mumbled to the steering wheel.
For a long moment, silence filled the car.
Nick took a deep breath. "Spots…" Her ears twitched, hearing the tone of his voice. "I told you already…"
"I want a date." She repeated, this time more firmly.
*Bloody hell, girl… Don't do this to yourself.* The fox shook his head. "Jackie…" Now, he also spoke with a more serious voice.
"I want a date, Nick." The feline insisted.
"Look… this is not a good idea."
Suddenly the car jerked forward, as Jackie stomped on the throttle. Nick was pressed into his seat, but caught the sight of the speedometer with the corner of his eye and the needle climbing up the scale.
"S-Spots!" He hissed, fighting the pressure from the speed.
150 mph.
Her eyes were determined and paws gripping tightly the steering wheel.
170 mph.
"Slow down, dammit!"
190 mph.
Several cars flashed by, as their own darted next to them. Nick could swear that they nearly grazed one of them
200 mph.
He gave in. "All right, we'll go on a date!"
Jackie lifted her leg and the car started losing speed, eventually dropping to an acceptable level. The feline had a victorious smirk on her face.
*What the hell have I gotten myself into again?* He slumped in his seat.
.
.
It was Monday, several hours before the official graduation ceremony for this year's ZPD cadets. Acting mayor Amanda Roundsson, a young female hippo who, due to recent events, regarding Lionheart and Bellweather, was appointed to this temporary position. She was next in line when it came to the authority in the city hall and nobody objected the idea. It was still few weeks before the election and she had to attend the ceremony as part of her duties, which was one of crucial events, if she wanted to run for the office. Now she was getting dressed, but was interrupted by the ring of her phone. She checked the screen while zipping up her dress.
Caller unknown.
The hippo shrugged and tapped the green icon as well as the speaker, so she wouldn't have to pause her preparations.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"Hello Amanda." Said a low, computer deformed voice that gave her chills. "You don't know me, but I know you. I want to play a game…"
.
.
The ceremony itself was rather boring and long, especially speeches made by the acting mayor and chief Bogo. Nick had to hold back a yawn through the whole ordeal, occasionally glancing around to look at his friends, standing to attention in official uniforms, just like him. Jackie had a slightly nervous expression, having trouble with looking calm. Nickwas allowed to use his sunglasses to protect his eyes from the strong sunlight. And now he actually started listening, when a small, grey bunny entered the stage and made her speech.
"When I was a kid, I thought this city would be a perfect place where everyone got along and anyone could be anything. Turns out, life's a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations. We all make mistakes. Which means, hey, glass half full, we all have a lot in common. And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try. So no matter what kind of animal you are, from the biggest elephant to our first fox…" She glanced at Nick with a warm gaze. In return, he lifted his sunglasses and sent her a wink. "I implore you: Try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you."
After that, they were separately called on the stage and received their badges. Jackie did her best not to look like someone not walking to her execution, but she had no chance of fooling Nick's conmammal eyes.
And nothing happened.
She received her badge, the name 'Jackie Spotters' carved on the plate in which the brass shield was placed. After saluting the police officer who gave it to her, Jackie left the stage, glancing over to Nick. If innocence could be expressed with money, his face would be worth a fortune.
Eventually it was his turn, being the last on the alphabetical list. He wasn't surprised to see Judy as the one to hand him his badge. The doe approached her friend with a proud smile and pinned the shield to his uniform. She took a step back and, with happiness and pride beaming from her eyes, saluted to him. He returned the smile and also saluted, his heart now filled with a mix of joy and gratitude, as he looked at the bunny who transformed his life completely and made him believe once again that mammals can change, him included.
With all formalities done, all cadets let out a loud cheer and threw their hats high in the air.
.
.
Acting mayor Roundsson barely left the stage, when her phone rang and once again an unknown caller popped up. She answered with a trembling finger.
"Y-yes?"
"Hello Amanda." Said the familiar, low voice.
"I did what you asked!" She hissed, quickly covering the phone with her other paw. "That recruit's file was changed!"
"Congratulations. You have cleared the game. Most mammals are so ungrateful to be in public spotlight. But not you. Not anymore." And the cryptic voice hung up, leaving the hippo breathing with relief.
.
.
In the middle of the crowd of cadets, Nick Wilde lowered his phone and turned off the voice morphing app. A devilish grin decorated his face.
"Boom."
Feeling the satisfaction from a successful hustle, he put on a friendlier expression and headed to see his mother and friends.