Wilde Heart

by Libious

Something went wrong. Nick was supposed to be shot with a blueberry, but they miscalculated. Now he has to deal with a ferocious desire to hunt and take down a certain cute bunny. This is a story about friendship, sacrifice and something fluttery that grows in the chest of sarcastic, sly fox whenever he sees a familiar grey furred ZPD officer.

35. Chapter 35

Hello everyone!

It is so good to see you here, taking your time to read this story. It means so much to me that you find it interesting! Thank you!

Once again, GIGANTIC THANKS to Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for his help with editing! Be good mammals and check out his amazing stories!

Also, thank you all for suggesting so many characters! I can't promise that I will use all of them, but I will seriously consider every each and one of them. :)

I would also like to thank Ashora for pointing out the lack of emphasis on size difference in the story. Thank you for noticing it, I'll try to fix this.

Regarding the teasers I have sent to some of you, there is a small update: I have moved some of them to the next chapter and they won't appear in this one, sorry. Worry not! They are not gone, just... rescheduled. ;) If anyone is interested in new teasers, don't hesitate to PM me. :)

REFERENCE In this chapter there is something to be found. ;)

MUSIC The song played by Tegum is Sleeping on the Blacktop by Colter Wall.

One more important thing is progress on Judy/Nick/Will situation, there is a hint in this chapter what is going to be one of the main themes for the next chapter. ;) The second one would be Jackie and Judy getting in trouble with a certain organization. ;)

Let's proceed!

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Chapter 35

The morning at Precinct One was more challenging than usual for the first fox officer in ZPD. He rolled into the main lobby with an extra strong coffee in his paw. It was his third since he'd woken up. But no amount of caffeine could prepare him for meeting the bundle of joy wrapped in grey fur and body of a bunny called Judy Hopps.

His partner was sitting on Clawhauser's desk, feet hanging loosely over the edge and a big smile plastered on her face. She was engaged in light chatter with the cheetah dispatcher, occasionally bursting into laughter, most likely after some joke told by the feline.

Looking at the girl he now considered the love of his life, Nick felt as if there were two foxes in him right now. The first wanted to run up to her and scoop the beautiful bunny in his arms, showering her face with kisses. The other wished only to avoid looking at her, in fear of seeing the same mocking face as in his last dream. Being a mix of the two, he tried to figure out how to do both things at the same time.

Letting out a heart wrenching sigh, Nicholas Wilde put on his suave mask and walked forward, ready to face another day with a cute partner at his side.

And after yesterday his disguise felt heavier than usual.

.

.

Nick was staring outside the window of their cruiser, supporting his muzzle on a paw, yesterday's events replaying in his mind. A happy voice made him look to the left, where a uniformed bunny was sitting behind the wheel.

"So, where do we find this acquaintance of yours? You mentioned Sahara Square," Judy chirped, beaming at her partner. She was almost vibrating from her will to track down the escaped convict and protect the citizens.

It was magic. He couldn't find any other word for it, when her cheerful expression vaporized whatever heavy and depressing thoughts he had. A smile appeared on his face and after that he chuckled, causing Judy to lift a surprised brow.

"What?"

The fox waved his paw dismissively. "Nothing, just noticed another one of those adorable nose twitches of yours."

Her ears sprung up and a frown formed on her forehead. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she said sweetly while turning one of her ears toward him.

Nick adorned a smirk. "I was praising your bewitchingly cute nose twitch," he stated with a playful voice. The fox was curious of her reaction and he most definitely got it, when the doe's paw shot towards him and caught the vulpine's tie. She yanked him down hard and his muzzle ended up close to the level of her knee, forcing him to look up at her. And he saw the twitch of her cheek when she forced a smile on her face.

"Care to repeat that?" the sweetness in her voice reaching toxic levels.

"Ahaha," he giggled nervously. "Good to see that you're fired up already. Will you stop trying to strangle me if I apologize?"

"You can try."

"Ok, then, sorry?" he fluttered his eyebrows in a comical manner.

"Not good enough."

"Um… the lunch's on me?"

Judy raised a brow, causing Nick to groan.

"Okay, coffee too?"

She released her grip with a smirk and the fox could finally draw a deeper breath.

"Sly bunny…" he muttered, but couldn't hide a small smile.

"Dumb fox," she shrugged, still smirking.

Nick straightened up while fixing his tie. *Seriously, this girl is-* then he noticed movement outside the car's window.

"Stop the car!" he shouted.

Judy jumped from the sudden yell. "What?"

"Just stop!" and even before the doe stepped on the brakes he was already opening the door.

"Nick!"

But he wasn't listening. Just as the car was screeching to a halt the fox leapt out to the pavement and darted towards two mammals he spotted from the window. At this point a few onlookers gathered around the scene, staring at a coyote in a white apron struggling with a dirty looking kid, who was holding on to a big loaf of bread.

The child was a fox.

"Give it back, you little thief!" the canine was yelling while trying to wrestle the bread from the kid's paws.

"I paid for it! It's mine!" the boy squealed, refusing to let go.

"Like hell! Who'd believe a fox!"

"I would," said a voice right behind him, making the mammal jump. When he spun around, the baker adjusted his gaze a bit lower and saw a red fox in an ZPD uniform, with a toothy grin just inches from his face. "Good morning, sir. I'm officer Wilde," he pulled off a quick salute with two fingers, "and I'd like to hear the reason for this scene."

The coyote grit his teeth, measuring the newcomer with his eyes. Nick knew this type of mammal, 'I'm not a speciest, but everyone knows foxes are shifty bastards' kind of guy that wasn't exactly a jerk, just narrow minded. Still, the coyote saw the badge and also glanced over Nick's head, no doubt noticing the massive cruiser that stopped nearby. While he could brush off the uniform and the badge as fakes, it would be difficult to ignore the car.

At that moment the small fox decided to make a run for it

"HEY" the coyote yelled after the boy and was about to run after him when Nick grabbed his arm.

"We're not done here, sir."

"What?!" the canine's eyes narrowed, with an angry look in them. "Are you letting him get away?!" he accused the fox in a loud voice and tried to break away from the smaller predator, but to his surprise the fox's grip was far stronger than he expected.

"Wait for it," Nick stated with trained patience.

And indeed, the boy managed to run only a short distance, before a bunny in uniform jumped in front of him, forcing him to stop if he didn't want to crash into her. Judy surveyed the escapee with a steely eyed gaze, taking in the dirty, cheap clothes, rustled fur that was in dire need of a solid grooming and the anxious face of a cornered and scared mammal.

"What's going on?" she posed a question to the boy and coyote alike.

The canine's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the bunny and he relaxed. Nick rolled his eyes at this reaction. *Of course, everybody knows the 'bunny hero'.* Not that it bothered him, quite the contrary, he was happy to see his partner realising her dream and gaining recognition for her efforts. It's just ticked him off a bit that, while wearing the same uniform, he wasn't considered as trustworthy as her. He wouldn't even give it a second thought a year ago, but since his adorable ball of fluff of a partner got his feelings back online, he started noticing things like this. *Being-a-fox thing again…*

"Well, officer. This kid," the coyote pointed at the little fox, "just stole the bread from my bakery and was trying to run away."

After hearing this Judy turned towards the child. "Is this true?"

The boy hugged the piece of food tighter. "No! I paid for it!"

The canine snorted mockingly. "As if a fox would pay, the shifty bunch-" he instantly flinched, realising that he said this in the presence of a fox police officer. However, before he could correct himself or Nick say something in return, Judy cut in.

"Sir, may I remind you that under Zootopia law, a mammal is innocent unless proven guilty, so please refrain from throwing around any more accusations. Also, your last remark I consider to be offensive and I don't want to hear it again. Do I make myself clear?" her speech shut Nick's mouth and caused the baker to mumble an apology. "Now then…" she turned back to the boy, "Could you tell us everything in detail?"

In effect the four mammals went back into the coyote's bakery to resolve the situation. It turned out that the baker's helper really did receive the money to pay for the loaf and right after went out for a smoke. So when the baker came back from the storage room and saw a fox walking out of the bakery with a loaf of bread and no one at the counter, he assumed that the kid stole the food. The problem seemed solved, but then the coyote counted the money and it turned out that it was not enough.

He was ready to lash out at the kid again when Nick's paw shot forward and grabbed his shoulder. "Mr Pattson, I believe that such a trivial matter shouldn't be a concern of the police…"

The canine puffed out his chest. "Of course! I can-"

Nick tightened his grip a bit and gave the mammal his hustler's smirk. "Now, sanitary conditions, proper trading permits and unregulated tax forms… That's an area we should be focusing on, don't you agree, Mr Pattson?"

"Uhhh…" the baker suddenly shrank under the vulpine's gaze. Also, he never gave this officer his name so he lost a lot of his confidence. Many mammals felt more cocky around police officers when they were certain that their identity wasn't disclosed yet, giving them a feeling of anonymity. However, this officer DID know his name and he also suggested that he knew a lot more about him. Meanwhile, Judy was doing her best to maintain a serious face when her partner almost replicated the items she accused him of not having any during their first meeting a year ago. "Y-yes, I think you're right!" the baker almost squealed.

The fox's face brightened up. "Excellent!" he wrapped his arm around the mammal's shoulder's in a friendly hug, but with an added strength that was less than 'friendly'. "I'm always glad to meet such upstanding citizens, such as yourself, Barney. Can I call you Barney? I feel like we've become friends these past few minutes," the canine flinched, desperately trying to figure out how the hell this fox knew also his first name. This time the bunny couldn't hold it and let out a stifled chuckle.

"By the way," Nick pointed at the little fox who stiffened a bit when the attention was drawn to him, "is this your breakfast?"

"Y-yes," he stuttered, not looking the adult fox in the eye.

"Only for you?" Nick pressed on.

"Um…" the boy clenched his small paws and his gaze dropped an inch, which was instantly noticed by the uniformed fox. *Trying to be the hero, eh kid?* He fully understood the situation the kid was in. This boy was experiencing the hardships of being a fox straight from the start and was most likely giving all he had to the rest of his family. Looking at his body, which should weigh much more at the age of 6 or 7 years, made Nick click his tongue internally. He cast a quick glance at Judy and saw that she was probably having similar thoughts, judging by the sad expression that adorned her face.

"What's your name, kid?" Nick asked.

"Felix… sir," he added at the end, but Nick only shook his head.

"Drop the honorifics, Felix. It's Nick, got it? Now, how many of you in the family?"

The boy shuffled his feet, he was clearly uncomfortable with being questioned. "Three…"

Nick immediately saw through his lie. "Not gonna work with me, buddy. The real number, please."

The little fox looked up at him with surprise. After that he rubbed his shoulder. "Seven…" he mumbled.

After staring at the boy for few seconds Nick made a decision.

"Say, Barney," the coyote in his grasp flinched again at the use of his first name. "What do you say for a chance to earn some money?"

"Huh?"

Judy gave his partner a curious look.

"Here's the deal, you will give this kid all the bread he asks you for during the next month and you'll send the bills to Precinct One, to officer Nick Wilde," he patted the canine on the shoulder. "Alright?"

Barney and the boy stared at him, speechless, while Judy gave her friend a big smile. Yet Nick didn't stop at that. After they left the bakery, the fox insisted on the boy to tag along and instructed Judy to drive to the nearest grocery store where he repeated the scenario with the shop manager there to the little fox's growing confusion.

"Okay, buddy. You're covered for a month," he patted the boy on the shoulder. "Now let me hear about your family. Your siblings, parents..."

The kid bit his lip, hesitating with the answer, but eventually he must have come to a conclusion that it would be bad to offend his benefactor by not answering. "My dad is working all week as a truck driver, he's barely at home," hearing this, Judy quickly glanced at her partner, almost expecting a wince after mention of a lack of father around. However, Nick didn't show any reaction, which, in a way, was his response.

"What about your mother?" the doe asked with a gentle voice.

"She's… sick," he stared at the pavement under his feet, where they stood just outside of the store. "A doc said she needs surgery, but it would cost a lot and… and it's also hard to find a surgeon that would…" he clenched his fists.

"...that would agree to operate on a vixen?" Nick finished for him, once again surprising the boy. "What's your address?" he asked out of the blue.

"A-address, si- Nick?" the boy instantly corrected himself, which made the adult fox smile.

"Ah! A fast learner, I like you already!" he chuckled and rustled the fur on Felix's head with a paw. "If you give me your address, then I'll be able to help your mom with a surgery," he crouched down to be at the same level as the boy. "See, I happen to know a very skilled surgeon that wouldn't mind performing her operation."

"Re-really?!"

"Of course," Nick chuckled and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Come on, we'll get you home. Right, Carrots?"

Judy nodded with a broad smile. "With pleasure!"

The drive was only five minutes long. They hopped out of the cruiser in front of an old apartment block in a poorer neighborhood. Seeing the sorry state of the building, the doe recalled Nick's words from their visit at the junkyard long ago. Sorry for coming from a poor area. She sent a brief, sad look towards her partner who now once again crouched in front of Felix.

"Alright, buddy, we're going in with you and explain the situation to your mother. So lead the way. We're right behind you."

The boy nodded and led them through the main door, down the corridor filled with nasty, obscene graffiti, some of which caused Judy to blush and avert her eyes, and directly to a paint smeared door. It looked like someone was trying to scrub off the vulgar words and pictures from the door.

Felix knocked few times and they waited. After several moments there was a shuffling noise from behind the door and a muffled voice posed a question. "Brother, is that you?"

It was rather high pitched, most likely coming from a young girl.

"It's me Lisa, you can open the door."

The police due exchanged glances, as they've both noticed the eyehole in the door, but apparently whoever was on the other side was too small to reach it. After a few more rustles the door opened, revealing a little vixen that was younger than Felix. Her eyes shot wide open when she saw the uniformed mammals.

"P-p-police?!" she squeaked.

Judy quickly raised her paws in a calming gesture. "It's alright! You're in no trouble and neither is your brother, ok?" she said with a soothing voice. Her small, non intimidating frame and a friendly voice managed to calm the scared girl and she nodded. "May we come in?" Judy continued.

"It's okay, Lisa," Felix assured her sister and walked in, motioning the police duo to follow.

Once inside, Judy could look around and take in the surrounding housing conditions. Her first impression was very similar to her own place. Small, in dire need of renovation and with the same amount of furniture. The difference was that she was living alone and here she could see four pairs of nervous eyes staring at her with anxiety. It was like Felix had said, four sisters none taller than Judy, him and their parents, seven foxes in all. And the girls were gathered around a rickety bed which was currently taken by a middle aged vixen, lying on her back.

The boy approached the side of the bed. "Mom, I'm back. How are you feeling?"

"Felix?" she gasped and tried to get up but her face contorted with pain and the vixen fell back on the bed. "I'm so sorry sweetie, my back is no good today, I-I had to lie down…" Judy's heart sunk when she saw a tear rolling down the female's cheek. She opened her mouth, but at that moment was passed by Nick who approached the suffering vixen and kneeled by the bed.

"Ma'am," he said gently and the vixen flinched slightly at the sight of him. "I am officer Nicholas Wilde from the ZPD along with my partner, officer Judy Hopps. We've escorted your son home after meeting him at a nearby bakery," seeing a panicked expression forming on her face, Nick smiled and placed a paw on her forearm. "It's alright, he's not in any trouble. He is a fine young fox, I'm sure you're proud of him."

Her features softened and the tension disappeared, but left a portion of nervousness behind. "Um… if I may ask, why are you here then?"

Nick kept smiling. "We've heard about your condition and I would like to offer my help. I know a doctor that would be happy to examine you and even perform a surgery if necessary. Would it be okay if I invite her here to see you?"

The vixen's eyes scanned Nick's face in a frantic motion. "But… a visit… the cost…" she shut her eyes tightly when a pang of pain traveled up her back. When she opened them again, they had a determined spark to them. Nick was almost certain what he was going to hear next, as he knew what she was going through. Even the poor had their pride. "I'm grateful for your offer, but we'll manage. The cost-"

He didn't let her finish as he took her unresisting paw in both his, holding it slightly above the bed. "Let me worry about the cost, Mrs Lomasi. Allow me to help you, please..." the vixen's eyes widened and so would Judy's if she hadn't witnessed this before. The doe was getting used to the fact that her partner knew virtually everyone in Zootopia, though she still hadn't figured out how.

Besides, her mind was too focused on the emotional impact of this scene. It was difficult to hold back her tears at the sight. A group of small, thin children gathered around their sick mother who couldn't even rise from her bed and now was shedding tears from the words of a fox beside her. Nick almost looked out of place in this picture. A poor family in a rundown, tiny apartment with obvious lack of food and him, a grown up fox in a neatly pressed uniform, with a physique, which, as Judy noticed on patrols, caused young vixens to turn their heads after him on the streets.

The mother of five children couldn't say anything more when tears of gratitude were rolling down her facial fur. Nick kept smiling and patted her paw gently. "You need to rest. Don't overexert yourself. Also, I have already discussed the food issue with your son, so you needn't worry about that either."

Hearing this, the vixen frowned in puzzlement and tried to get up again, but Nick put a paw on her shoulder and gently pushed her back onto the bed. "Rest, please," his paw returned to hers and he gave it a small squeeze. "Trust me, I know what you're going through right now. Just treat this as one fox helping another. If I'd just let you be then my own mother would smack me hard enough to see all kinds of stars, alright?" he finished with a smile and a little joke. The sick female finally relaxed.

With tears still rolling down her cheeks, Mrs Lomasi showed the faintest shadow of a smile. "Thank you," she whispered with her eyes locked with Nick's.

He patted her on the paw. "Don't mention it."

.

.

After their meeting with Felix's family, and following his mother's request, the boy walked both officers back to their car. Once there, Nick crouched in front of the little fox to be at the same height.

"Okay, buddy. I'll ask the good doctor to come as soon as possible and meanwhile, behave yourself, got it?" he warned him by waving a finger. "If I hear that you stole something or worse, then we're going to have a less friendly conversation, alright?"

The boy nodded with a smile.

"Remember, if you get caught while doing something illegal, then this nice officer," he pointed with a thumb at Judy over his shoulder, "will have to arrest you, okay?" he sent the boy a wink.

"I won't!" the boy beamed at the bunny.

Both officers laughed and Nick stood up. "One more thing," he reached to his breast pocket on his shirt and took out something that looked like a business card. Judy squinted her eyes and saw a number printed on one side. The fox passed the card to the boy. "Here's my number. If there's any trouble, just call me, no matter the hour."

Felix's smile faded a bit. "Um…"

"You don't have a phone?"

The boy shook his head apologetically.

"Okay," the adult fox crouched again and put a paw in the pocket of his pants. "That thing over there, does it work?" he nodded at the nearby phone booth.

"Yeah…"

"Good," his paw returned with several coins. He took the boy's paw and placed them in it, wrapping Felix's fingers around the money. "Use this for calling and remember," he gave the boy a boop on the nose with a finger, "Any hour is fine."

Felix nodded, tiny tears forming in the corner of his amber eyes. Suddenly, he jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Nick, surprising the uniformed fox.

"Thank you…" the boy whispered and Nick, after a short moment of paralysis, gingerly patted the boy on the back.

"Y-your welcome," he stuttered a reply, not used to such direct acts of sympathy towards him.

When the little fox eventually let go and disappeared behind the entrance door of the building, Nick , still a little dazed from the recent direct contact, heard a chuckle behind him.

"What's so funny, Fluff?" he asked, standing up and turning to his friend.

She grinned at him while holding a paw on her hip. "Look at you, Mr Philanthropist!"

"Har, har," he muttered while they climbed back to their seats, Judy in one, elegant jump and Nick with the help of his claws. "Go on, tease an old fox."

"I'm not teasing you, I really think that what you just did is amazing!" her eyes glittered when she praised him, but the fox just waved a paw dismissively.

"You're overreacting. I just made use of my contacts and money surplus, anyone could do that." His voice was still a bit sour. What he didn't expect, was her partner bursting with laughter. He stared at her with a surprised look.

"Nick," she said after her laughter turned into occasional giggle. "There are a lot of rich mammals with connections, yet I don't see them running around the streets and helping mammals like you just did. I told you before, you're a good mammal, Nick!" she started the engine.

Nick sighed, staring outside the window. "Selfish, would be a better word here. I just did it to quell my own feeling of guilt…" he muttered in a somewhat distant voice.

Judy's ears shot right up when she heard him say this. She knew this voice. Nick spoke in the same manner many months ago, during their ride in the gondola. It was the first time when he opened up to her a little. She realized that once again she had a chance to learn something more about her partner.

"I think it's rather noble of you," she said with caution, not wanting to let this opportunity slip away. "You didn't have to do this, nobody asked you to and most likely nobody would never know if you had chosen not to help them. I mean, I didn't notice that boy from the car…"

"I appreciate the sweet talk, but I know what I am, Carrots."

"And what would that be?" she decided to be blunt at this point.

He cast her a brief glance with the corner of his eye before focusing his eyes outside again. "A fox with enough bad deeds in his record to never earn a peaceful night's sleep. I've harmed enough mammals as it is, Fluff. So if I can even the score just a bit by things like this," he pointed at the run down apartment building, "then I'm going to continue doing them."

Judy tilted her head to the side, her ears flopped a bit. "That's not all to this, is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" he muttered not looking at her this time.

The bunny let out a sigh. "Nick, you're not fooling me this time. Your tail gave you away when Felix hugged you."

This got the fox's attention and his head turned a bit in her direction.

"I saw it waggle then. Not much, but I could see it," she sent him a wink. "You were happy to be hugged by him."

Nick shot a panicked look to his own tail, which was innocently lying on the seat right next to him. "Traitor…" he mumbled and heard Judy's stifle a laugh. "Wha-" Nick turned his gaze towards Judy and the sight of her trembling shoulders and merry expression made it click in his mind. "You… you made it up!"

"Yes, yes I did!" she calmed down enough to speak. "It was just a guess on my side and voila, a bullseye!"

Nick groaned and sunk in his seat.

"Oh, come on, Slick. I know that there is more to your motives than just fun or a coincidental whim," Judy gestured towards Felix's home. Seeing Nick's puzzled expression she let out a chuckle. "Remember on graduation day? The moment I pinned that badge on your chest?" she nodded towards the object in question on the fox's shirt. "There is no way in the world that the smile and look you gave me then were fake, Nick. You were happy, you were proud. You want to make some good, past wrongdoings or not. Besides, you have said this yesterday: I want to be something better."

The fox sat absolutely still for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Seriously… what's the point of building any walls when you got an inbuilt x-ray vision?" he asked with a faint smile tugging at his lips.

She gave her partner a grin. "Yep. You better watch yourself, because I'll learn about your every secret!"

"I really hope not," he said in all honesty, eyes fixed firmly straight ahead.

"Oh? Are you hiding something from a ZPD officer, Mr. Wilde?" she asked playfully, giving him a smug smirk.

Nick twitched internally. *You have no idea…*

"Say," Judy said, starting the engine and joining the traffic. "Did you talk with your mother yesterday?"

He frowned, not sure what she was coming at. "Yesterday? No. Why?"

"Well, I thought that you'd be interested about what she's planned for the girls," the bunny shrugged while paying attention to the road as she changed lanes.

"I'll see her sooner or later," the fox muttered to the window, where his was looking out at the world passing by outside again.

"Really, why are you still so reserved in seeing her?" Judy pressed.

"Hey, the world doesn't revolve around my mother, okay?"

"Not a family guy are you?"

Nick shrugged, watching the buildings they were driving by. "Hey, foxes are solitary animals by nature, Fluff."

"Oh, come on! You have a rabbit partner! Some of my attitude has to be rubbing off on you!" Judy sent him a playful wink. "Why don't you just go this evening and give Vivian a hug? I'm sure she'll be thrilled!"

This time the fox let out a slight snort. "Are you trying to give my mother a heart attack?"

"Are you trying to keep your distance for the rest of your life?" the doe suddenly posed a much more serious question, keeping her eyes on the road.

Nick kept silent for a while before answering. "A hug, huh? I'll think about it."

With a red light before them, Judy turned to her partner, a big smile on her face. "See? I knew you could do it! So, when are you going to visit her?"

"Maybe today…" he muttered, slightly amused by his friend's persistence.

"For supper?"

"Maybe…"

"Where did you get the money?" she asked in that same, playful voice.

Nick's body did it's job in not flinching at the sudden change of topic from innocent banter about family to the fox's finances. *A dangerous bunny indeed…* His mouth formed a smirk. "Nice try, Carrots. It won't work, but I'll give you an A for effort."

Judy let out a disappointed huff. "You do know that I will find out eventually? Why not share it of your own will?"

Nick chuckled at her words. "You're a mighty stubborn one, to try again and again! One, you have a snowball's chance in hell to find out about it. Two," he finally turned to face the determined, beautiful gaze of his partner, "why do you want to know? Would it change anything?"

Judy's ears drooped and the doe let out a sigh. She rubbed her forehead with a paw. "Nick… We're police officers. We can't be dealing with illegal things-"

"What difference does it make how I made my money?" he cut in.

Judy's brows formed a concerned frown. "Nick, if you want to pay that bakery and grocery store with illegal money than I'll have to-"

"Let me tell you something, my naive fluffy friend," Nick interrupted her again with a stern voice. "You're making a wrong assumption that if money comes from a non-legal source than it should be considered evil. Newsflash, objects do not have a moral attribute. What you ought to be concerned about is what that money is used for. Examples? A young boy steals money to buy a meal for his starving siblings, a desperate father swindles mammals to get money for a lifesaving surgery for his daughter, a single mother that sells her body to provide a living for her child…" at the third example his mask cracked for a split second and the briefest wince crossed his face. Judy's eyes noticed this immediately, but she decided to put it off for later and instead focused on the argument at paw.

"And what if those who lost their money can't buy food or get a treatment they need for themselves? How would that be fine? There's a reason some sources of money are declared 'illegal', Nick. The law is the same for everyone. A beggar can't steal from a rich mammal and a rich mammal can't steal from a beggar."

Nick stared at her for a second and after that he sighed and put his paw on her head. "Seriously, I hope that you will never change your attitude, despite whatever the world will throw at you."

She was about to protest when her partner showed her a gentle smile, so rare to be seen on his face. Judy kept still, too surprised by his expression to do anything else.

"Carrots, you are a fine girl. Bright, optimistic and you have the light in you that made me believe that we can make the world a better place. But I…" he closed his eyes and breathed out before opening them again. "I've seen so much of the darkest parts this city has to offer that I lost my light. I had dabbled with things that go beyond dark and lost my hope on the way," he shook his head. "It's true that I have profited from morally questionable activities, but what's done is done. I can't change the past, so the only way left for me is to use what I have in a good way."

Once again Judy tried to speak, but Nick raised a finger to stop her from doing it.

"I assume that you'd like to convince me to get it legally taxed and disclose all my finances to ZPD. While it would be the legal way, it's not the right way in my eyes. You see, I'm not letting the government getting its paws on my money, so they can waste it in ways only they can come up with, no. I will use it to really help someone in need, real mammals that require a little support to stand up on their own. Sorry if that's different from what you have imagined, but I'm not changing my mind on this," he finished and removed his paw.

Judy stared at him and processed all that he said so far. She wanted to be able to say that he's completely wrong, but she couldn't. Not after her last talk with Bogo about… The doe let out a sigh. She wasn't a dumb bunny and was perfectly aware that the world is not a perfect place. Real life was messy… However, she did not intend on giving up on her dream to make it better. And with Nick by her side, she managed to learn that some mammals have their own way of doing it. Still…

She gave him a scolding glare and folded her arms. "How am I supposed to know that you really will use that money for a good cause?"

Nick smiled at her question. "Are you questioning your partner's honest motives? You wound me, Fluff," he chuckled.

"Okay. So you won't mind me tagging along with you 24/7 to make sure that you're really use it properly?" she asked sweetly with a smirk. And that smile widened when Nick's eyes went wide and ears lowered at her words.

"Well…" he croaked after a second. "Thank you for your offer, but if I remember correctly you already have a boyfriend?" Nick managed with a nervous giggle.

The doe's expression became even more smug. "Oh? Didn't you say that you already have a girl in your sights, Mr Casanova?"

The fox had a briefest moment of panic. *Oh shit, oh shitohshit!* His only idea for getting out of this situation was to raise up the ante. He put on the best smirk of his own that he could muster. "Well, after seeing how cute you are, maybe she'd be willing to share," the fox quipped at the bunny, counting on her usual reaction to the 'c' word and praying that she wouldn't figure out that he had no girlfriend.

And a reaction he got, when one of the doe's eyes twitched. "Really? Then why not give me her phone number so I can personally ask her what she thinks of her two-timing fox?"

Nick leaned back in his seat and raised both paws in a defensive gesture. "Do I look suicidal?"

"You tell me," she actually growled at him and her hindpaw started twitching in the air.

Lady luck blessed Nick with her grace and an angry horn sound made them both jump. It appeared that they missed the fact that the light has already turned green and a small line of cars formed behind the cruiser. Judy quickly stepped on the gas and moved them forward, while Nick stuck his head out the window and yelled to the back. "Sorry!"

Once on their way again both friends refrained from talking, but it took only a minute of shooting short glances between them before they couldn't hold amused snorts anymore and right after that openly burst with laughter.

It took them several minutes to calm down and wipe the happy tears.

"Okay, that was awkward!" Judy went first.

"You'll find no argument from me on that one," Nick chuckled and stared at his partner. "Say Fluff, I got a selfish request..."

She gave him a kind smile. "Shoot, Slick. I'm all about helping poor foxes in need."

Nick cursed his wicked mind for suggesting him how these words could be interpreted. "Whatever happens with Bellweather, our job or anything… would you mind still being my light of hope?" he gazed into her amethyst eyes, doing the best he could to keep his voice calm.

Her expression showed surprised at the seriousness of his words, but it swiftly shifted into a graceful smile that warmed him up. "Always, Nick. Always."

He smiled back at her. "Thanks, Fluff."

.

.

Upon arriving at the contact's 'office' and getting out of their cruiser, Judy had to fold her arms and tap her hindpaw on the ground, raising a tiny dust cloud from the sand covered pavement.

"Dry Throat? Seriously, Nick?" she shoved her paws in the air, pointing at the neon sign above a pub's entrance.

"Of course, my little Cottontail," the fox replied and ignoring her irritated huff, walked through the door. "The place might not look like much, but trust me, it has a very devoted clientele, among them the guy we want to talk to."

"He'd better be here," the bunny said next to his elbow, as soon as she caught up to her partner. "Or I will personally tell Bogo that you're dragging us around pub-hopping in a middle of investigation." Nick gave her a cheeky grin at her choice of words, only to receive a deeper glare from the bunny. "That isn't helping your case, Nick."

"Worry not, my fierce, blackmailing bunny, " he chuckled when they walked through a dimly lit corridor and arrived at another door. "He is here all the time," the fox winked at her at opened the door, holding it open for her.

Judy gave him a stern look and walked in.

The interior of the place was quite cozy, she had to admit. Giving off a sense of a wild west saloon. From the bar with a llama in a cowboy hat mixing a drink, the round tables looking as if taken straight from Sergio Lione's movies, to wooden walls with old rifles hanging from them. And the place was bustling with clients, ranging from mice to giraffes, most of them dressed in attire matching the style of this place.

And at the end of the long, rectangular room where the pub was placed in was a small stage, currently occupied by a pangolin wearing a brown jacket with rolled up sleeves, a black stetson hat firmly placed upon his head. His paws were busy tuning a guitar. Just behind him was a kicker that allowed him to play a drum, using only his heel.

Nick clicked his tongue looking at the stage. "Well, looks like we'll have to wait."

"Wait? Why?" she followed his gaze and noticed the pangolin.

"Because the guy with the guitar is our mammal and I'd hate to piss off the entire place by interrupting his performance."

Just as he said that the first tunes sounded in the air and the general noise gradually died down when the gathered mammals focused their attention on the stage.

The pangolin's claws hit the strings and he started singing.

"Sunshine beating on the good times…"

.

.

After the pangolin stopped playing, Judy joined in the crowd's applause and also clapped her paws. It wasn't exactly her favorite genre, but she knew good music when she heard it.

"That was really good!" she turned to her partner.

Nick, who was leaning against a wall with arms folded, straightened up and headed towards the scene. "Maybe. Not that I could tell…" he muttered, earning a puzzled look from his friend.

Once both officers approached the stage, the fox waved his paw in the air to get the musician's attention. The pangolin noticed them and put down the beer he was currently sipping.

"Ah! Now who is this?!" he called playfully while walking to the edge of the stage and striking the strings again. "Don't you know the Devil wears a suit and tie…" he sang with a dramatic voice before breaking into a chuckle. "So, where did you lose your old tie?" he addressed the question to Nick, nodding at his attire. "A new trickery?" he picked up his beer and took another swig.

"Not really, Tegum. You could say I'm here for official purposes," he made small step to the side a pointed at Judy with his paw. "Meet officer Hopps, my partner at the ZPD."

The pangolin's beer holding arm froze mid-air and his eyes narrowed. "Cops? You're tellin' me that you switched teams, Devil? So what is this, you came here to arrest me or somethin'?" he snarled, his gaze switching from the fox to the bunny. He already was taller than her, but standing on the stage made it even easier for him to look down on her.

Judy took a step forward. "Sir-"

Nick raised an arm to stop her, his eyes not leaving Tegum's face. "Nothing like that, old chum. Just here to ask for a favor from a friend."

The pangolin gave a harsh reply. "I ain't friends with the blue bugs."

"Tegum, we are not here to accuse you of anything, nor to sniff around what you do in your free time. You know the game as well as I do and all we need is a piece of information," after that the fox lowered his voice a bit. "This is about Night Howlers."

The last sentence caused the mammal's cheek to twitch. After a moment of silence the mammal put down his guitar and jumped down to the floor.

"Follow me," he grumbled, passing between the officers. Leaving the main hall and heading to a brightly lit corridor, the pangolin lead them to a set of concrete, unwelcoming stairs. The armored mammal walked down the steps and Nick followed him, apparently unfazed by the dark and cold passage. Judy trailed after them and shortly they arrived at a solid, steel door. Tegum fished out a key from his jacket's pocket and opened it.

Inside Judy could see something that could actually be called an office. A huge desk was placed in the middle, riddled with pieces of paper of different types and colors, a laptop sticking out from the sea of paper.

All walls were hidden behind long shelves filled with labelled boxes and folders, except for another door. The whole underground room was giving off a feeling of being overloaded with content.

The pangolin sat down behind the desk and eyed the duo. "Short and simple, what do you want and what's it have to do with Night Howlers? You know the rules, Devil," he pointed a claw at Nick.

Judy folded her arms and shook her head. "We're not entitled to revea-"

"We're investigating a Night Howler antidote theft and we need to find a person that might know something about it." Nick cut in, to the doe's shocked expression.

"Nick!"

He turned to his partner. "Carrots, we'd have to tell him eventually, if we are to ask about the transfer. No point in keeping it secret."

Tegum raised a brow, ignoring their squabble. "That person being?"

"Dawn Bellweather," the fox answered, looking away from the scowl on Judy's face.

"Alright…" the scaled mammal muttered. "What do you want?"

Judy let out a sigh and looked at Tegum again. "We need to find out origins of a fake prisoner transfer request that helped Bellweather get out of prison. Nick has mentioned that you might know something."

The pangolin's gaze wandered to the fox. "How many more cops have you told about me?"

Nick quickly raised his paws. "Nobody else, just her. Don't worry, apart from being cute she can also keep her mouth-OUCH!" he yelped at the end, due to the bunny's hindpaw stepping on his toes.

"Sorry, I got restless-paws that attack occasionally," she said innocently, not looking at Nick.

Seeing this scene Tegum burst out with laughter and bent double on his chair. "Bwahaha! Never thought I'd live to see The Devil on a bunny's leash!"

Judy shot him a questioning look. "Okay, I've had it," she pointed at Nick with a thumb. "Why do you keep calling him that?"

Tegum calmed down a bit and sent her a wink. "That's because 'the devil is in the details' and your shifty friend is the very embodiment of this phrase," he leaned back in his seat with claws folded on his stomach. "See, he always came to me with requests for papers so detailed, for such elaborate swindles that he earned that nickname alright," he turned to the fox. "Seriously, for you to degrade to pawpsickles after-"

"T!" Nick snarled, cutting off the pangolin's speech. He was gritting his teeth, his ears lowered and his tail flailing in agitation. Normally he wouldn't allow himself to show so much emotion, but it happened in an instant, as he didn't want Judy to know the part of his past.

And the doe glanced from one mammal to another, trying to understand what just occurred. For sure, she learned that Nick had another thing in his past that he wasn't willing to share with her. In a way, it stung her a bit in the depths of her heart. She was his friend after all.

The scaled mammal gazed at the angered fox and sighed. "Fine, fine…" he waved his paw dismissively, "It's history anyway. And going back to your question, I assume that you meant if I have made transfer papers for Bellweather? Sorry to blow your candle out, but no, I didn't make them. You should know that, Devil."

"Will you stop calling me that?" the fox ran a paw down his face. *Another bit of baggage I'd like to get rid of…* he groaned in his mind. "And yes, I know that, but maybe you did something similar or a blank template to just fill in the name? Or maybe you know someone else that could do it?"

Tegum rested his cheek on a paw. "Can't help ya' there. Like I said, I haven't done anything of that sort for the past year and I don't know who could make a paper like that, you'd have to ask them yourselves."

At those words, Judy took out her carrot pen and a notebook. "Could you give us their names then, sir?"

The pangolin gave her a blank stare before turning to Nick. "She's for real?"

The fox shook his head. "Hey, cut her some slack. She's a stickler for the rules and an idealist at that."

Judy elbowed him with a huff. "Well, sorry for having some moral backbone, Mr. Devil."

Nick placed one paw over his eyes and the other one on his hip. "I will buy you lunches for an entire week if you will forget that name," he stated, but with a sinking feeling that it's not going to happen.

"Not a chance," she showed him a vicious grin that Nick interpreted as a promise of embarrassing comments at the precinct in the near future.

"Ehem!" the pangolin's less than polite cough caught their attention. "If you're done flirting, then get out of here before my place starts reeking with the stench of cops," he directed his gaze towards Judy. "And I ain't tellin any names, missy, so don't waste time. Mine and yours."

"Hey!" Nick pointed a finger at the scaled mammal, with a frown on his face. "I'll have you know that I wash myself up to two times a week!"

With a disappointed grunt, which was followed by a glare at Nick, Judy put the pen and the notebook back in her utility belt. "Would explain why you have that smell around you all the time," she muttered to her partner, before addressing Tegum again. "Sir, if you would really want to help us stop another Night Howlers crisis brewing then it would be great if you could give us some clue how that document was made."

It was a bit of a gamble on her side, but she saw how the pangolin had reacted when Nick mentioned Night Howlers earlier and was almost certain that playing that card again could gain some benefit.

The twitch on the mammal's cheek told her that she wasn't wrong.

"We can stop Bellweather again, but we need your help," she stated and took a small step forward.

Not for the first time, Nick was impressed with Judy's way of handling things. She put away the pen and notebook that could indicate that she was writing things down, leaving a material proof of their talk. Then the doe proceeded to talk in a way that Nick perceived as a form of art, but to her it was probably something that was completely natural. She was direct, honest and humble. Promising that she will do her best, that she's capable of doing the impossible, but at the same time she didn't shy away from asking for assistance.

And in most cases it worked. It was charisma. Judy was believable because of her bright personality and sense of justice that seeped into her words. Her way of speaking put mammals at ease and made them not just hear what she was saying, but also believe it.

It was something that Nick could never achieve. His way of dealing with obstacles through speaking was focused on outsmarting his interlocutors and twisting words in a way that would suit his purposes. However, some mammals would instinctively sense that there was something missing in his speeches and turn him down. Honesty was something that was never part of his oratory skills.

It was another trait that he could admire in his fluffy partner.

Tegum was silent, his muzzle resting on one of his paws, while a claw of the other tapped at the chair's arm support. "Fine," he spoke eventually. "Try Gregson in the South Paw training center in Rainforest District or Alyssa in the Meltdown on Outback island. Just tell the staff there this line: 'I got your ink'."

The bunny's face brightened up with a wide smile. "Thank you, sir!"

Tegum pointed a claw at her. "But don't let me catch you putting this info in any of your notes, files, whatever, or there'll be hell to pay!" he warned her with a stern look.

Judy nodded, her smile not fazed by his harsh voice. "You have my word!"

.

.

Once they got back to the cruiser Nick's phone buzzed and he opened the car's door while fishing out the device from his pocket. It was a text message.

Got something NEW! You HAVE to see this!

Octavius

Minding the presence of his sharp eyed partner, Nick kept his face relaxed, not letting it change expression to that of surprise or worry. Still, there was no escaping Judy's sensitive hearing.

"Mom inviting you for family supper?" she asked with a wink when they settled in their seats.

"Nope, just a text from an acquaintance of mine," he raised his head from the small screen. "What's with you and my mother? You seem insistent on finding new ways to get us together more often."

Judy let out a chuckle. "I'm a bunny, remember? I'm naturally inclined to be all cuddly and close with my family members, so I thought that maybe you'd try to do that too. After all, you've got a lot of catching up to do, eh?"

"Carrots, please… of all mammals, not you…" Nick groaned and rested his head against the seat. "I already have enough pestering from my mother about visiting her. So just don't, okay?"

"Even when I know that you like spending your time with her?" she gave him a knowing look.

Nick replied with a slightly puzzled gaze. *Wha- oh, right… Thanks a lot, mom…*. The fox knew that when your mother and your partner team up against you then you are doomed.

"Let's focus on the case, alright? We got a lead after all, however small it is."

"You're right, but you know what bugs me the most? Why is it that there is no trace of this anywhere? They should have left some trail, even a faint one behind. And this looks as if they'd vanished into thin air!" she sighed rested her forehead on the steering wheel.

Nick nodded with a serious expression. "You do realize what this means?"

The doe straightened up and bit her lip. "Yeah, someone is trying really hard to stop us from finding Bellweather."

"Which means trouble. Whoever got her out of the slammer has both money and influence to arrange something like that and cover their tracks. Hope we're not dealing with some psycho-millionaire-conspiratorial mammal…"

"You've watched too many James Bond movies, Nick."

The fox slumped in his seat. "Not really…" he muttered. "Never had the time or the mind to watch pretty much anything…"

Judy's ears drooped when she heard that. "Wait… are you telling me that you didn't watch movies because of…"

Nick shrugged and a hint of sadness flashed on his face. "Last time I've seen a movie was with Irene…" he muttered, internally a bit surprised with himself. Once again he let his inner thoughts slip in front of his partner. *This girl really is my weak spot…*

And she didn't miss that comment. The doe tapped her finger on the wheel, eyeing her partner. "Say, Nick… have you thought about watching something now? You know, something light, maybe a comedy. I'm sure that with good company you'd really enjoy it!"

"Well… you might be right…" he was reluctant to imagine such a scenario, but didn't want to turn her down.

After those words he heard a thud. Judy slammed her fist on the steering wheel. "Alright, I've decided!"

Nick raised a puzzled brow.

She turned her head towards the fox. "I'm taking you to the movies this weekend!" Judy declared with a smirk and a glint in her eye.

Nick lowered his muzzle and glanced at her over the edge of his aviators. "You are? What is this, a date?" he teased her, waiting for her to blush.

But she didn't give him the satisfaction. "Not a date, you dumb fox! Just a couple of friends hanging out," she corrected him.

He raised a brow. "Really? So that means you're that good company, eh?"

Her smirk turned into a wide grin. "You won't find any finer!" the doe declared proudly.

*I can agree with that...* Nick thought.

At that point Judy's phone rang with an incoming text and the doe looked at the screen. "Oh, Will is free right now, we can go for lunch!"

Nick's mood dropped by ten points. Judy turned towards the fox. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you but I promised him that we'd go for lunch today. Could we-"

"Sure," he offered her a smile. "Go and have fun, in the meantime I'll deal with some stuff of mine."

Judy raised her ears. "You… you won't mind? I mean, most of the time we eat lunches during our duty days," she waved her paw back and forth between them. "I always enjoy them and you too look that you like them, so I thought-"

He placed a paw on her head, effectively cutting her off. "Carrots, it's fine, really," he told her with a smile on his face and pain in his heart. "Go on and eat with Will. But I'm making dibs on you next time, okay?" the fox gave the bunny a wink.

Her ears flopped down, a thing that happened whenever she was emotionally moved, and a big smile appeared on her lips. She jumped up a bit and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Nick! You're the best!"

"Of course I am!" his tongue answered without any help of the brain. His arm reached for the door handle. "Since I'm not that far from my destination I'll just take a walk," he pointed a finger at her. "You'll be most likely eating at the usual place, right?"

The doe nodded.

"Then I'm off," he pulled off a quick salute with two fingers and jumped out.

"Okay, I'll see you later then!" Judy called after him.

"Of course you will, Fluff! After all, I know where you work," he replied with a wink, closing the door behind him.

The bunny started the engine and drove away. Only after the car turned around a corner, Nick slumped against the nearest building's wall, holding a paw to his cheek. His mind was completely blank and all that worked right now was his body. And the body decided to put on a goofy smile and wag its tail like crazy after receiving such a gift from the bunny. Every part of him felt a wave of warmth that had nothing to do with Sahara Square's temperature. Instead, it came from the spot kissed by Judy, his cheek radiated a pleasant heat which felt like a miniature sun.

It took around five minutes before his mind finally came back online.

.

.

After arriving at the Zootopia General Hospital, Nick got to the mad scientist's den, knocked on the door and entered the office after hearing an invitation.

"Hey, doc. What's so important to drag me here in the middle-" he didn't get any further as two paws grabbed the front of his uniform and yanked him down to the badger's level.

"I WAS WRONG!" Octavius half yelled, half sang into the fox's face.

Nick broke his hold and repeatedly slapped the side of his head, hoping to regain at least some of his hearing. "The hell?! When will you learn to talk like a normal mammal?!"

The badger waved his arms in an apologetic gesture. "Ah, sorry, sorry! I just got so excited aboutitandthoughtthat-"

With one paw grabbing his own skull, Nick pointed a finger from the other one at the doctor. "Slow. Down," the fox ordered.

"Yes! Right! Of course!" he did slow down, but still was as giddy as Clawhauser, if the feline got a backstage pass to a Gazelle concert. "But this is something completely outside of my calculations!" he clapped his paws together and hurried off to the laboratory. "Come on! You have to see this!"

Nick's ears stood up in alert. *Follow a mad doctor into his lab when he's insanely excited about something? Uh-oh…* with his senses switched to an extra-careful mode, the fox went to the other room.

Pawsregmont was waiting by a microscope while a selection of samples in glass casings was laid on the table next to it.

"Is that…"

"It's you," the badger beamed at him, before waving a paw. "Well, not exactly you, but a piece of you. And after doing some tests I've discovered several fascinating things!" he took one of the samples and put it under the microscope. "Following our last conversation on the properties of your new body I decided to analyse it more thoroughly."

"New body…" Nick muttered. "You make it sound as if I dumped the old one in a trash bin and got myself a new model."

"That is because your current self is so vastly different than before that it cannot be considered the same as before the mutation!"

At first Nick's eyes widened and then his brows furrowed. "Mutation? What the hell are you talking about?!"

The doctor simply pointed at the microscope and urged the fox to look.

Giving him a worried look, the fox leaned to the device. "This is the point when you tell me what's going on?"

"Well, can't you see?" the doctor replied.

"Imagine for a moment that I don't have a degree in biology, doc."

The badger's paws replaced the sample with another one. "How about now?"

Nick looked at the new portion of cells. "They… look a shade darker in some places…"

Octavius nodded vigorously. "Yes! That's because they've mutated into a different, more condensed form!"

Nick didn't like how the mammal kept repeating the word mutation and needed a clearer explanation. He straightened up and stared directly at the badger's face. "Doc, plain english, please. I don't have much time before my break ends."

"Oh, right!" Octavius corrected the glasses on his nose. "At first, I assumed that your body underwent devolution into an ancient, true predator form. However, the last test results had proved me wrong!" he indicated the present samples. "You see, I took each of these samples and subjected them to various external stimuli. The results were astonishing! Your cells tried to adapt to the situation I'd put them in!" he pointed at one portion of cells entrapped in glass. "These, I subjected to a temperature low enough to damage their cellular structure, simulating frost burns. They were damaged, but!" he raised a finger, a mad glint in his eye. "When I repeated the process after they regenerated, I had to lower the temperature more than before to receive the same result! Do you understand what this means?!"

Nick let out a sigh. "Humour me…"

"Your cells are adapting!" he explained while nudging the fox's chest with a finger. "After such a long exposure to that substance, your DNA was forced to change, hence I call it a mutation," his paw pointed at the other samples. "Heat, mechanical damage, viruses, toxins… you name it! When faced with a damaging factor your cells are reconfiguring their very structure to become more resistant to it!"

The fox's paws shot up. "Whoa! Hold up a second! Are you telling me I'm changing into some sort of a bio-engineered monster?!"

"Bah!" the doctor waved a paw dismissively with a snort. "Of course not! At least not now."

Nick ears fell down and eyes widened in panic. "What do you mean 'not now'?"

"This is a slow process and takes a lot of time. It's not some science fiction scenario when your body would suddenly become bullet proof, fire resistant or whatever. My theory is that after being exposed to some sort of injury or damage, your cells will adapt to be more resistant to it in the future. You could compare it to an enhanced immune system. For instance, if you get poisoned and manage to survive the toxin's effects, the next time you're exposed to the same substance, the effects won't be as severe."

"In other words, it's not immunity but rather... Well, like you said before, adaptation."

Octavius clapped his paws. "Exactly!"

"Tell me, is there a limit to this… phenomenon?"

"I can't say for sure. At this point only time will tell. Though I don't recommend burning yourself repeatedly to test it out, might be dangerous, painful and life threatening." The doctor grinned, rubbing at his chin while looking up at Nick. "Though if you do decide to try, would you mind offering your corpse to science, so that we cou-"

"I ain't dying just yet, doc. But thanks for thinking about my afterlife."

"Oh… if you change your mind, you now where to find me. Anyway!" the badger clapped his paws. "I have never been so excited about being wrong, this substance, the so called 'serum' is truly marvellous. After seeing the adaptation process of your cells, I am now almost certain that savagery and your devolution was just a side effect and not the original purpose for creating it!"

Nick flinched, hearing this assertion. "Original purpose? Could you elaborate a bit?"

The doctor nodded. "Of course. My newest hypothesis is that someone wanted to create a drug that would alter the natural body structure and enhance it through mutating the targeted host into someone tougher, more resistant to elements and diseases."

"That sounds like some crazy, super soldier serum. We're talking about real life, not fiction, doc."

Octavius simply shrugged. "That's progress of science. We reattach cut limbs, transplant organs, even grow tissue artificially. We make discoveries every day, some of them bordering miracles, so I wouldn't be so quick to decide where is the border between fiction and reality here."

Nick raised his paws. "Okay, fine, you're the expert," he glanced at the samples again. "But this just raises more questions. If savagery wasn't the intention of the creator of this serum, then why did Bellweather use it the way she did? Or maybe she wasn't aware of the true purpose of the serum? But if that's the case, where did she get it from?" he rubbed his chin in thought. *Damn it! We need to find that lamb!*

.

.

"Judy, I… I wanted to ask you something," William scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly at his girlfriend.

They were sitting at Joey's, the first choice of every copper when it came to dining. For simple reasons: cheap and tasty. Judy swallowed a bite of her meal and nodded.

"Sure. What's up?"

"Uh… you know, I realize that I'm not the most pro-active boyfriend out there, but I was hoping to change some things," the doe's ears perked up with curiosity at his statement.

It was true. During their time as a couple it was mostly Judy who took the 'first steps' in their relationship. First kiss, first snuggling on a couch, first stay over... With nothing happening of course, she was a proper bunny after all. Raised to remain pure until she was married, which was considered very conservative in Zootopia, but for rabbits it was very important. Apart from tradition there was one more, critical reason: multiplying. The stereotype of bunnies being constantly in heat and going at it whenever possible was unfair, but not too far from the truth. Rabbit biology was focused on producing as much offspring as possible and they had bodies adapted to such a purpose.

However, if allowed to reproduce without restraint, then overpopulation would quickly become a serious issue. To counter that, proper education was introduced. As a way of keeping a balance between the biological needs of rabbits and social responsibility, all young bucks and does were taught to restrain themselves until they would find one mate they would marry and stay faithful to for life. Additionally, all discovered attempts at mating outside marriage were chastised with great authority. While some, single cases, happened throughout the society, in general it was quite effective. In effect, bunny relationships were progressing rather slow, as both sides wanted to confirm without a doubt that they were going to unite themselves for life with a proper mammal.

Judy was also raised in this belief of one soulmate for life, on top of being rather shy when it came to relationship stuff and especially nudity. Her cheeks would still heat up with the mere memory of what she saw at The Golden Hoof and The Mystic Spring Oasis. She already went a long way and was the one to initiate the more intimate things between them, most likely Zootopia's atmosphere rubbing off on her.

Not that William was completely passive. He took her to dates, offered flowers or small gifts without occasion and after being encouraged by Judy, he also started initiating physical contact. Judy considered him even more shy than her and was a bit happy about it. It felt good to have someone that understood what you were going through in a rather liberal city.

Still, what he proposed was a great surprise to her.

"I was thinking… of course if you don't mind, to… to move in together," he mumbled, staring at their table. His ears were flopped down and pressed at the back of his head.

Judy was speechless for a moment. What Will just said would be a huge step in their relationship. It would most likely take them down the road leading to engagement if they would find themselves compatible enough after sharing a home. Her mother taught her once that being with someone was one thing, but living with them was an entirely different matter. It was the biggest step a couple could take. While kissing and mating could bring pleasure to the body, sharing your most private life moments with another on daily basis was the true test of the soul and of the two mammal's shared love. Only through that, one could learn if someone could become your true soulmate.

The doe swallowed. She liked Will, a lot in fact. Over their time together she got to see his different side than just an officer. He was kind and cheerful when interacting with others and always a gentlemammal. What surprised her the most was the fact that he was a member of an amateur theater group and sometimes performed with them on the scene. She was laughing like crazy when she saw him in a role of a fanatic monk, who mistook a simple farm girl for his deity. But living together...

"As in… you moving in with me?"

Will caught her expression and put a paw on his mouth, but couldn't stop a chuckle. "Not really. I mean, given the size of your apartment, wouldn't it be better for you to move in to my place?"

Judy blinked. "Ah… yeah, you're right, but…"

The buck raised a paw to interrupt her. "No rush, Judy. It's just a proposition, the decision is entirely up to you. I just felt that after all this time maybe we could take it… a step further."

The grey bunny rubbed her neck. "I… can I think about this for a bit? It's a rather big thing to process," she glanced at him and relaxed considerably, seeing a smile on her boyfriend's face.

"Sure, take all the time you need," he reassured her and reached forward to squeeze her paw slightly.

.

.

After lunch, with Will going back to his designated area for patrols, Judy headed to her cruiser, only to find a uniformed fox in shades, sipping a cup of coffee with his back leaning against the tire.

"Nick? You're back already?" seeing her partner brightened up her mood and she was grateful for a distraction from the dilemma she had before her.

"Of course, Fluff. What would you do without me?" he lifted his sunglasses and sent her a wink.

"Probably a lot more work, as you're slowing me down, Slick," she shot back causing the fox to chuckle.

They both got into the vehicle and buckled up.

"So," Judy started the engine, "ready to talk to our next contact?"

Nick lifted his head and tapped the underside of his muzzle. "Let's see… Coffee? Check. Uniform? Check. Cute partner? Che-Hey! Careful with that fluffy paw of yours!" he laughed while dodging a punch from his friend.

"I'm warning you, foxy. You don't want to anger this bunny," she chirped with a smirk on her face.

"Do I? But your nose is so adorable when you get irritated. It twitches in such a cu-" this time her paw moved faster and the punch connected, shaking his drink holding arm. "Watch it! Coffee spill!" he said overdramatically, joggling the cup in his paw.

She rolled her eyes at his act, but did so with a barely contained smile. For her, there was something in Nick and his carefree attitude that always helped her relax and she was grateful for that. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed coming to work every morning and setting out with a new assignment with the sly fox by her side. Which is why she felt that she could ask him difficult questions like the one she had in her mind right now.

"Say, Nick," she muttered to the steering wheel. "What would you think if I'd ask you to move in together?"

It was that moment when their cruiser's dashboard gained a new, brown color when Nick spit the coffee he had in his mouth in a caffeine geyser. He let out a series of coughs and slammed his chest with a paw several times while Judy patted him on the back.

"A-are you alright?" she stammered with her ears drooping low and eyes filled with concern.

"You… you want to kill me, Fluff?" he wheezed, fighting for a normal breath.

"Gosh, sorry…" the doe mumbled an apology as the fox managed to straighten up.

"This would be the first time a bunny killed a fox using nothing else but a joke…"

"Hey, I was serious! I mean…"

She went on with her explanation, but Nick didn't hear it. Instead, he was focused on the feeling of a ball of ice and fire that formed in his gut. It was both warming him up with hope and chilling with fear of being tricked. *Is she...serious? Where the hell did this come from?* If it would really would happen he could see his life coming to an end shortly. It was one thing to keep his paws off her during work, but being around her 24/7? He'd go insane. And that would lead to becoming savage and attacking the bunny. Not in a bloody fashion, the other way…

"...and I know it's kind of stupid, after all we've been together for several months, but I'm still not sure so I wanted to know how you would react, faced with such a question."

Nick blinked, his brain connecting to the present again. "Huh? Sorry, I got lost in thoughts for a second there."

"I was talking about William, Nick! I don't know if I should accept his offer," she explained patiently, not commenting on his initial switching off.

It took a fraction of a nanosecond for the fox to slip through confusion to anger and finally putting on the grinning mask. "Soo… two bunnies in one apartment? Sounds like fluff overload if you ask me," he chuckled, winning the Intergalactical Most-Dishonest-Laugh-Of-All-Times Award on the spot. The instant he imagined Will and Judy living together, most of his mind was swallowed up by a raging inferno of anger. He studied the savagery issue enough to realise that it was a primal reaction of a male being territorial. Nick knew it was ridiculous to act on this genetically modified impulse, but he couldn't help it. His instincts demanded from him to rip off the head of Judy's boyfriend.

"I'm asking you because you're my friend!" she stared at him with a pleading expression. "I like Will," the doe was oblivious to the fact that she just stabbed Nick straight in the heart, "it's nice being together with him," now she twisted the blade, "but I don't know if I'm ready to take another step in our relationship…"

"Well…" the fox's ability of hiding his true feelings just climbed to new heights. "I can't make a decision for you, but you never know anything until you try, right?"

The doe banged her head at the steering wheel. "Gah! I know that! But I'm scared…" she mumbled at the end.

"Okay, let's do it like this," Nick offered. "Count every pro and con of moving in together. For instance, when talking about pros: rent cut in half, you'll have someone to do your laundry, wash the dishes and make breakfasts, right?"

Judy let out a sigh. "Nick… we're talking about moving into a male's apartment, not a female's."

The fox's eyes widened. "You're saying that you would dump those responsibilities on a girl? That's sexist, Carrots!" he huffed at his partner, while at the same time sending her a wink.

"You're welcome to do my laundry, Slick," she retorted with a snort, a smile playing at the edges of her lips. "And no, I meant that I can't imagine a guy having any idea how to do those things," she put out her tongue at him.

"Hey, I could wash your clothes, no problem," Nick shrugged. " Just need to find someone to teach me how to do it…" he muttered to himself, but loud enough for her to hear, drawing a chuckle from the bunny.

"Alright, wise guy and what would be the cons?"

*Having to see him everyday.* He snarled internally, but kept a smiling front. "Well, I'd say that the biggest thing would be the risk of multiplying, as you once said that you bunnies are good at it. And seriously, I'm too young to become an uncle!"

Judy slugged him in the arm while blushing at his suggestion. "Uh! Why does everything has to be about you, insufferable fox?"

"Well, that's because-"The radio interrupted him, relaying a message with Clawhauser's voice.

"To all units, we have a 10-90 at the Lemming Brothers branch in west Savannah Central, with possible 10-82. The suspect is a male raccoon, most likely armed."

Nick's head snapped towards the doe. "I know the place, it's two blocks from here!"

Judy grabbed the mic. "This is Wilde and Hopps, we'll be there in five," right after that she floored it and the cruiser jerked forward, speeding towards their target.

.

.

Once at the scene, both mammals jumped out of the cruiser and cautiously approached the main door, careful to avoid being seen through the large windows on the bank's wall. Two approaching cops wouldn't do any good for the mood of the criminal inside, so they kept themselves pressed to the wall, Judy being the vanguard, despite Nick's intense protests. He didn't argue because he thought her weak or incapable, no. She was no princess or damsel in distress. So far from being a fragile, helpless, and cute little bunny, that he even joked that she's probably a tigress in disguise.

The fox was torn between his fear of Judy getting hurt by being in the lead and his utmost respect for her determination and drive to exact justice first paw, not being pushed aside being considered small and vulnerable. Ultimately, he agreed being the rear guard of their duo, but still ready to jump in the moment he would deem that she was in too much danger to handle it alone.

Plus, with her in front, you get to see the flickering of that cute, little cottontail. Sniggered a nasty little voice in his head. Nick shook off the implication made by the more primal part of his mind. Though, he had to reluctantly agree that it was also the more honest part of him. At least in that particular matter.

*Oh, for heaven's sake! Snap out of it, Wilde!* he mentally scolded himself and refocused on approaching the door right beside his partner. His fluffy, cute…

*Bad fox! FOCUS!*

He barely noticed that they reached the wide door to the bank and that Judy stopped, crouching by the edge of the entrance, almost causing him to trip over her.

"See anything?" he whispered to drag his mind from a less than civilized track of thought regarding his friend.

The doe peeked through the door and quickly drew her head back. "One guy, a raccoon, just like Ben reported. Can't say if there's anyone else," she reported and took another peek. "Oh no."

Nick flinched. "What? What's going on?" he leaned over the top of the doe's head and also glanced inside. The scene in the lobby of the facility was like out of every movie where a bank robbery occurred. Numerous mammals lying on the floor on their stomachs, with paws or hooves over their heads while the perp in question was pacing back and forth along the wide counter with a gun in his paw. He was wearing a mask, which was effective only against camera footage, as any officer with strong sense of smell would recognize him instantly, face covered or not. Sure, he could use some scent hiding substances, but a trained nose wouldn't be fooled with cheap tricks. Unless he was a pro and had something more efficient than usual stuff circulating in the shadowed alleys of Zootopia. However, Nick knew from his experience that if you could get your paws on some military grade equipment, then even an elephant would have trouble in discerning your smell.

At the same time, he saw what got Judy so worried. Right by the counter, there was a young cougar with a protruding stomach, announcing the obvious fact of her pregnancy. She wasn't lying down, instead, with a pained expression, she was slowly hauling herself up to rest her back on the marble counter.

Unfortunately, the raccoon also saw her movement and both officers took a sharp intake of air when he rushed to her side while yelling. Judy could hear them even from behind the door, but also Nick, thanks to his enhanced senses.

"Oi! On the ground, now!" the perp bellowed at the helpless female.

"I… I'm sorry, I can't…" she half yelped, half gasped, cowering before the angry mammal.

"I said ON THE GROUND!" he roared and pointed the gun at her. She whimpered and covered her belly with both paws in a protective gesture.

"P-please… j-just let me sit… I can't-"

"SHUT IT!" the raccoon took a step forward and pressed the barrel of the firearm to her forehead.

Both officers wanted to jump in and stop him, but doing so right now would put the cougar in danger. They had to grit their teeth and wait for an opportune moment. Luckily, it came soon, when one of the hostages raised his head a bit and spoke to their captor.

"Sir, she's pregnant, can't you let her sit?" it was either very brave or very stupid, given that the armed perp seemed to have a rather short fuse. Still, it drove his attention from the girl and when he moved his gun to turn around, Nick and Judy didn't need any further encouragement.

"ZPD! FREEZE!" they busted open the door and aimed their tranq guns at the masked mammal. But what little luck they had on their side, instantly vaporized as the raccoon didn't waste time being surprised, but jumped back to the cougar and yanked the female backwards, hiding behind her while keeping his gun pointed at her side.

"Stay back!"

Judy clicked her tongue in frustration and Nick let out a low growl.

"Drop your weapon and surrender! In a moment, the place will be flooded with police!" the doe yelled.

"Not a chance bunny-girl! You drop your weapons or the lass is gonna' get it!" he accentuated his words by nudging the pregnant cougar with his firearm, eliciting a small squeal from her. The feline eyes were wide from panic and begged for rescue.

The duo hesitated.

Nick did some quick calculations in his head and none of the scenarios involving using force left the girl unharmed. That left only more underhanded tactics, but it still was risky. At that moment, he heard his partner's voice.

"Alright, we'll place our guns on the floor," she said while holding up one of her paws in a calming gesture.

"Carrots!" the fox hissed with the corner of his mouth.

"Do it, Nick!" she ordered him. Glancing sideways, Nick could tell that she too wasn't happy with such a turn of events, but decided to play along to not endanger the hostage.

With a stifled growl, he listened and they both, very slowly, placed their weapons on the floor.

The raccoon nodded at their obedience. "Now kick them here."

They complied and both tranq guns ended up near the perp's hindpaws.

"Sir," Judy spoke to Nick's and the raccoon's surprise. "Can we make a deal? Please let her go and you can take us in exchange."

As much as the fox hated the idea of letting Judy being kept at gunpoint by some crook, he couldn't argue the importance of the pregnant female's safety. Also, even if the guy would want to restrain him in any way, Nick was certain that with his savage strength he could bust out from almost any binding.

The little eyes visible from behind the mask jumped from one officer to another before he reached a decision.

"Cuffs. Take 'em out."

Nick cast the slightest glance at his partner, laced with a question. Judy nodded her head a fraction of an inch. Both pulled their pawcuffs out as ordered.

"Okay, cutie pie, cuff your foxy pal," Nick held back a gasp at these words and didn't dare to look at the doe's expression. He wasn't given a choice in that matter, as she turned towards him and held up the open cuffs in front of her. To Judy's credit, only her twitching nose betrayed her annoyance. She had a determined gaze locked with his eyes as she lifted the pawcuffs a bit, indicating for him to give her his paws. He obeyed and she closed the metal rings around his wrists with a click.

"Good. Now you cuff her."

Judy raised her paws, but the raccoon interrupted them. "Uh-uh, paws behind your back, sweetie."

At this point, Nick seriously considered ripping open the throat of the masked mammal.

Judy's voice brought him back from the world of bloody visions he saw in his mind. "Nick," she was standing with her back to him and paws kept together for the fox to cuff her. He did so, albeit with great effort to not show his emotions on the outside.

"Okay," said the raccoon and stood beside the cougar with his gun still pointing at her. "Now, she can go and you come over here," he shoved the girl and she stumbled forward and would've fallen on the floor if not for Nick, as he lunged forward and kept her up. She would be too heavy for a normal fox, due to their size difference and the pregnancy, but this wasn't the case with savage Nick. However, this action didn't please the criminal, as he levelled his gun at them with worrying speed.

"HEY! Who said you can jump like that?!" he roared in an angry outburst.

"She could hurt herself," Nick replied as calm as he could, trying to defuse the situation.

The perp grit his teeth. "Get out! Both of you! The rabbit stays."

Both officers' eyes widened a bit at his words. Their reaction caused the raccoon to let out a chuckle that sounded like a rusty rattle. "You thought that I'll trust a fox, even if he's cuffed?"

The vulpine froze in place, his paws refusing to move. Another inner battle for control taking place in his mind.

"Nick," once again, the voice of his beloved bunny brought him back to senses. "It's okay, just go with her," she smiled reassuringly, pouring soothing balsam over his heart. Still, he wanted to argue, he wanted to stay, he wanted to dismember the dirty, little miscreant piece by piece. And he knew that he couldn't. Judy placed her trust in him and right now tasked the fox with getting the future mother to safety. Nick nodded and turned to the exit, assisting the cougar on their way there.

Just before the door, he cast one last glance over his shoulder to see Judy approaching the raccoon.

Once outside, he hurried towards their cruiser as fast as the girl's state allowed it. The fox helped her sit down behind the massive car and asked to wait for an ambulance to arrive. It was standard procedure for a team of paramedics to arrive at a crime scene involving hostages.

He turned towards the bank again. *Now… I'm going to have a few words with a certain raccoon…* he moved his paws only to hear a metallic clink. Nick glanced down at the pawcuffs, as if he's seen them for the first time.

The resistance of the material angered him and he snarled, clenching his fists and flexing the muscles in his arms, ready to break the cuffs if necessary. His pupils shrank and turned into vertical slits while his heartbeat accelerated. The cuffs' links strained from the fox's savage strength. If metal could make any sound, then the material around Nick's wrists would be screaming in agony.

At that moment, his ears picked up a ZPD siren sound down the street which was growing
closer.

Clicking his tongue, Nick leaned his back against the huge wheel of the cruiser and focused on steadying his breathing. With eyes closed and muscles relaxed, the fox took control of the savagery inside and once he opened his eyes again they were perfectly normal. He decided that the best course of action would be to wait for one of the fellow officers to uncuff him.

And they arrived minutes later in at least a dozen cruisers, Chief Bogo personally leading the operation. The imposing figure of the buffalo approached the vehicle and he folded his massive arms, eyeing the cuffed fox.

"Alright," he rumbled with a frown on his face, "this should be good."

.

.

After making sure that the cougar received full attention of paramedics, Nick gave his boss a brief summary of what happened and why exactly he was cuffed by his partner. He could tell by the buffalo's expression that he wasn't happy about what he heard, but before he could comment they were interrupted.

"Chief!" A small figure was running in their direction and at this sight, Nick forced his predator instinct, which demanded to eliminate the competition for the female of his choosing, to stop from trying to jump at the buck and rip him to pieces.

William skidded to a stop right by the buffalo's leg. "Where is she?!"

"Twicks, tone it down or I'll have you removed." Bogo stated in a calm voice, fully intent on realizing his threat if his officer would disobey.

"Ugh…" A scowl formed on Will's face, but he didn't argue with his superior. Instead, he turned his head and noticed Nick. And the rabbit's irritation switched to the fox.

"Wilde! You were with her, how could you let this happen?!" he snarled at him.

Hearing the accusation, Nick had to hold back a growl as his fingers twitched. "Excuse me?" he replied with a dangerously calm and low voice. The fox was looking down on the bunny that approached him. Several bloody scenarios flashed through his mind, but he suppressed them all, though with some trouble.

Will poked Nick's chest with a finger. "She was with you! Why didn't you stop her from going in there?!" His voice rose to a shout. "I swear, Wilde, if anything happens to her I'll-"

He couldn't finish, as Nick had enough and his paw shot forward, grabbing the rabbit officer by the collar of his shirt. With one, strong yank he pulled the surprised mammal to his face. "You'll what? Do you think I'm not worried for my partner even more than you?" He demanded from him with his upper lip curled upward, showing his usually hidden fangs. *Give me one reason Twicks, just one little reason!* The rabbit's eyes widened at this display of hostility, him not being aware that he was a hair's breadth from a gruesome death.

"ENOUGH!" Bogo boomed at them from above and the buffalo's powerful arms forced the two officers apart. "I HAVE ENOUGH CRAP TO DEAL WITH RIGHT NOW AND I DON'T NEED TWO MORONS TO WORSEN THE SITUATION, SO GET-"

"Chief!" Wolford's voice cut through the loud sermon and all three mammals snapped their heads to the wolf. "We got visual on the guy!"

Two arguing males temporarily forgotten, Bogo rushed to the wolf SWAT officer, who had a laptop opened on the hood of one of the cruisers. The rest of his team was stationed on the rooftops of nearby buildings which offered a good view through the bank windows. The computer showed the feed from a camera of one of his squadmates. There was the raccoon, apparently in a heated discussion with the cuffed bunny who was standing right in front of him, her paws still cuffed behind her. He was waving his gun and pacing back and forth, causing Judy to be in the line of fire every now and then.

"Snipers?" The buffalo posed a short question, his eyes now fixed on the criminal hiding behind Judy.

"Ready, sir. Though they don't have a clear shot right now."

Bogo let out a grunt of approval. ZPD had various nonlethal weapons at their disposal, heavily modified military grade sniper rifles being one of them. These weapons were adapted in a way that allowed them to fire tranquilizing darts at great distance and with unmatched accuracy. And now three ZPD SWAT snipers were only waiting for the order to drop the perp in their sights.

The buffalo weighed his options and finally reached a decision. "All right tell the-"

His words were interrupted by a gunshot that rang from inside the building. The video showed that the perp fired his weapon on the ground between Judy's hindpaws.

"WILDE!" The last word was a roar that was a mix of shock and anger. The police chief directed it towards the fox who jumped over the hood of the nearest cruiser and beelined towards the building's entrance in a blur. He slowed down at the door, holding back his urge to rush forward mindlessly and kill the mammal threatening his partner. Doing so could only put Judy in more danger. Therefore, he had to play it more carefully. The fox opened the door and casually walked inside, ignoring the furious screams of his boss behind him. Once in the lobby, Nick called out to the raccoon, who stood with Judy by the counter.

"Hey! I'm only here to talk."

The masked mammal immediately spun the bunny around and hid behind her. He pulled out a knife from his belt with his free paw and got his arm around her neck, pressing the blade to her throat. The other paw kept the firearm's barrel at the back of Judy's head.

"Stay back!" he ordered. Nick obeyed, stopping 20 feet from the two mammals, both paws in the air to show that he wasn't armed. His eyes, hidden behind a pair of aviators, were glued to the raccoon, scanning his body to find the slightest hint of his muscles moving. And the rest of his savage senses provided a lot of other information as well. Ears were picking up the sound of grinding teeth and accelerated breathing, his nose could feel the anxiety and stress pouring off this mammal through his odor. But the most important part were the raccoon's eyes. Nick could tell that he was facing someone who was on a brink of panic and the fox could use this to his advantage by pushing him a little bit further.

"Nick? What are you doing?!" Judy hissed, feeling the rising urge to kick some sense into her partner, but stayed still as to not further aggravate the twitchy criminal.

"I'm here as a negotiator," the fox stated in a perfectly calm manner and Judy's nose twitched. Her instincts told her that his calm was too perfect to be real. Something else must've been stirring beneath that stoic exterior.

The masked predator licked his lips nervously. "Oh… oh yeah? Okay, fox," he adjusted the gun's position, so now it was pressed at Judy's cheek. Even in such a situation, the bunny noticed how Nick's fingers flinched. "Here's what I wan-"

"I'm not going to listen to your crap," the vulpine cut in sharply, a fierce tone crawling into his voice. "I'm here to lay down my terms."

The perp blinked in confusion, not exactly comprehending what he just heard. "Huh?"

Nick took a step forward. "You will release her and surrender yourself. Now." He made another step forward as his paw reached to his glasses and slowly took them off. His facial features instantly readjusted from calm and collected to a twisted grimace of anger. Judy could barely contain the gasp in her throat that threatened to come out as both she and the perp stared straight into a pair of savage, vertical slit eyes.

"...Or I will snap your neck like a twig," the fox snarled with a low voice that perfectly matched the threat.

The two smaller mammals before him felt a shiver that crawled down their spines when they were suddenly faced with the fierce gaze and the menace behind Nick's words. It was a shocking experience to Judy, as she would never have imagined her partner being capable of putting on such an expression. Even when she recalled their hustle in the Natural History museum almost a year ago, where Nick pulled off a very good act when he faked being a savage animal, she didn't feel so much pressure and power that was overflowing her now. Sure, there was a twinge of fear in her back then, as he really looked the part, but nothing like this. He was practically emanating a killing intent that caused her to tremble involuntarily. She felt like her ancestors would, when faced with an approaching predator. The feeling worried her.

This wasn't the Nick she knew and liked, despite his occasional childish behavior.

But it wasn't the time and place for such thoughts, as the raccoon behind her let out a shrill yelp, his survival instinct reprioritizing potential dangers, placing the fox on the very top of the list. His arm moved and he pointed the gun at the vulpine.

Judy didn't hesitate for a moment and jerked her head backwards, hitting the criminal straight in the nose and making him loosen the grip on the doe's neck. Judy lost her balance and dropped forward, landing on the ground, not able to use her paws cuffed behind her to stop the fall.

Pain and anger overcame the fear the masked predator was feeling and with a growl he leveled the gun at the doe's head again.

"You bit-"

He never finished his sentence.

Nick covered the distance between them in an instant and his paw grabbed the raccoon's face with one paw. Following up on his swift motion, the fox pushed forward and down, smashing the back of his captive's head at the ground. The impact was enough to knock him out cold.

Nick's emotions were raging just beneath his face which was now contorted in fury. If not for the years of practice in faking and controlling his feelings plus the exhausting training of his savage state, he'd easily fly into a mindless rage and turn the mammal under his paws into a shredded pile of meat. Instead, thanks to his trained iron will, the fox held back the howling beast within him and didn't use his full strength on the perp, else his head would crack open like a watermelon. Still, seeing him keeping Judy at gunpoint was enough for him to rush forward, disregarding the standard procedures and risking Bogo's deafening sermon. It was due to his thinking process being dominated by one thought:

Nobody harms my Carrots!

Yet now the situation was under control, so Nick flipped the unconscious perp over and quickly cuffed his paws behind his back, just like the raccoon had done with Judy.

And the bunny in question was now fuming with anger, ears held straight up. "Nick! What were you thinking?!" She managed to get up to her knees and faced her partner. "Do you have any idea how reckless-"

Her voice froze, trapped in her throat, when Nick dropped to his knees before her and threw his arms around her smaller frame, pulling the bunny into an embrace. He placed his muzzle on her back and kept still like that, paws pressing her body to his chest.

"N-nick?" The bunny stammered, shocked by what the fox did. She already felt a blush washing over her cheeks while she was trying to process Nick's intentions.

"Don't you ever do this to me again," he whispered only for her to hear. Judy's ears flopped down. Never before had she heard so much care in his voice. And the way his paws were squeezing around her body… It didn't feel like a hug from a friend, but rather an embrace from someone much closer and more caring. Nick was her best friend and a partner and she'd be willing to protect him, but this hug... this felt like something more. Did she mean something more to him? But before she was able to dwell deeper into that line of thought, the fox stood up and turned back to the raccoon.

"Now, I'm assuming that he has the keys to your cuffs, hm?" Like by the touch of a magic wand, Nick's voice instantly returned to his usual suave tune, as if their embrace never happened. "Seriously, if I'd known before that you are so willing to get cuffed then maybe-" He found the keys in the unconscious mammal's pocket and turned around to face an angry, half-lidded gaze of a bunny.

"What's. With. Those. Eyes." If her paws were free, she would undoubtedly grab his head so he wouldn't be able to look away. "You look like a savage, Nick!"

He chuckled. "Do I?"

"Nick!" she huffed at him.

Nick put a finger to his chin and gazed up in a theatrical way, as if pondering on something. "Savage, savage… What's a savage? Ow!" This reply earned him a kick to the side of his shin. Meanwhile, several SWAT officers rushed into the building and after quick scan of the surroundings, approached the knocked-out raccoon.

Nick kept his cool placing the sunglasses back on his muzzle, as he was prepared for a possibility that his savage eyes might be discovered by the bunny. That's why he had countermeasures ready. But now wasn't the proper moment to explain things to Judy, which is why he leaned slightly to her and whispered, "Later, in the car."

Before she could say anything, a brown blur hit her and held in an embrace. "Judy! I'm so glad that you're okay!" William squeezed her tightly in his arms and since the doe's attention was now focused on her boyfriend, she didn't notice a momentary scowl on Nick's face. A rare crack in his usually unbreakable mask.

They didn't have the time to continue their conversation as a shadow covered the three of them when a massive figure appeared behind Nick.

"Wilde," snarled a low voice above their heads, promising an incoming thunderstorm.

Nick put on a big grin. "Yes, Satan?" He turned around to face chief Bogo. "Oh! Sorry, sir. I thought it was someone else," the fox quipped at his boss.

Judy groaned, expecting to go deaf from the sermon her partner was about to receive, but fate was merciful to her, as by some miracle, chief managed to hold back his emotions. An impressive feat, given that he looked like someone who should have had steam coming out of his ears.

"Both of you, a report. Today. Tomorrow, my office. First thing in the morning." And that was it. In a way, it seemed worse, as Judy was certain that the real storm will occur tomorrow. And when postponed, things like this only grew larger.

The police chief turned around and strolled away, in the direction of his cruiser.

"Well, that went smoothly," Nick unwrapped a pawpsickle he got from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. "I'll be waiting in the car, Carrots. Come once you're done with snuggling," he said, departing to their own ride and waving a paw over his shoulder, while swallowing his anger.

William pulled away and stared at Judy with a weak smile, his ears flopped down.

"Judy, I'm so glad that you're safe. I can't say that your partner was right to rush forward like he did, but I'm happy that you're not harmed."

The buck once again pulled Judy into his embrace and held her tightly in his arms.

"You're the most important girl in the world for me, Judy," he whispered right next to her ear, making the doe blush slightly at this confession.

The fox's ears flickered, even though he already covered some distance.

On this rare occasion, Nick was grateful for his enhanced sense of hearing. And the words that came from the buck's mouth caught the attention of the very sensitive conmammal's instincts, making all of them go off at once. Every single alarm bell in his mind rang out as loud as possible, warning the fox about a fact of vital importance.

Mr Perfect Boyfriend had just told a big, fat lie.