"(I have no) data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."

Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemiaby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

EASTER EGGS AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER. PLEASE READ THE NOTE.

The loud drone of a hairdryer competed with a playlist from Taelia's impressive collection of music as the vixen finished ridding herself of moisture after a shower. Draped with a towel, she shook her head to enjoy the remaining heat before setting to work on her preparations. Meanwhile, an upbeat female voice rang out from her iPaw's speakers, chiming a song about not admitting to being in love.

Humming along, she reached into the medicine cabinet, where she kept a few little squirt bottles like one might use for nasal spray. These bottles weren't for nasal spray, though, but perfume.

Now, which one? she mused. Oranges? Then she shook her head. Think I'll try this one; haven't used it in a while. Uncapping the chosen bottle, she stuck it into the fur of her neck just beside her windpipe. A light squeeze on the bottle deposited a squirt of liquid against her skin, and before she had even reached the other side of her neck the scent of gingerbread and vanilla reached her nostrils. She took an appreciative sniff and smiled. Citrus was good for most purposes, but she liked gingerbread and the vanilla would help her relax. Some mammals kept scents in spray bottles, but she preferred these. They might use it up a little faster, but she liked that the squirt bottles could deliver the liquid directly to the skin, there to be activated and spread by body heat. Besides, the sprays didn't stick long enough for her liking.

Having taken care of that little ritual, she set about brushing her fur. As usual, she groomed the fluff on her body more for shape than looks, since the main thing there was to have it sit comfortably when she had it covered up. She did experiment a little with the fur on her head, though, before sticking to the usual.

A little brushing, a little combing, just a touch of fur spray, and... there. She studied herself. She looked about the same as she usually did, but the spray had given her coat just a little extra shine. It wouldn't be soft and silky, but she figured Nick would be keeping his paws to himself anyway. She got the impression he wasn't the pawsy type, which was just as well on the first or second date for her liking.

Trading the towel for a bath robe, she picked up her music player and headed into her bedroom. The apartment was a decent size for a fox den; not that different in floor space from Judy's, although a different layout and lower ceilings made it feel like a bigger area. There was a sort of common room that doubled as a kitchen and a living room, which made an ideal setup for someone who liked to experiment with food on a whim. Then there was the bathroom and, at the back, the aforementioned bedroom. A bunk bed tucked into a corner to her left had been converted into a bed below and a mini-office of sorts up top. There, an older-model computer sat amid CD racks and an old but serviceable tape player, all arranged around a camping mat so she could lie down on her stomach as she worked. It was really designed for the young of larger species, but it worked well for a grown vixen. Besides, it had been at a tag sale, and there was no beating those prices.

That, of course, was immaterial to her at the moment. Just then she had one thing on her mind: getting dressed for her date. In the back corner, next to her exercise bike – another garage sale find – she kept a rustic-built wardrobe. Made of apple wood with a mirror inside the door, it had been a graduation present from her older brother (Mom, Dad, and an uncle had teamed up to refurbish the car, which was used but very practical). She had admired good craftwork for years, but never imagined that her brother – a factory worker – would scrape together enough for something so fancy. She had all but begged him to take it back and give her something less expensive, but he and his wife had resorted to blackmail; they said they'd be very hurt if she didn't take it. Now it made her smile... at least until she opened the door, stopped and stared, and let out a despairing groan.

I forgot to do the laundry! In a flash it all came back to her. Earlier that day she had tried a new recipe, got distracted, and produced an accident which was really best forgotten. That and her efforts to recover the catastrophe had thrown her so far off track that the laundromat escaped her completely.

Nice, Taelia, she thought to herself as her eyes turned to the full hamper at the foot of her bed. With a sigh, she plunked her forehead into an uplifted paw. Just go and get stupid over a guy... again. That was, it was true, a little unfair; this particular snafu had not involved Nick or any other male, though a good many other mistakes of hers certainly had.

She sighed and looked over the limited options in front of her. The dresses would generally be bad picks, as they fell into two categories. Some were too formal, loose, and long enough to be cumbersome if she had to crawl around under her band's sound equipment. Others were too party-oriented to really work for an occasion like this, and some of these were short enough to be too pushy for her taste on a first date. All in all, none of them were really practical for band practice.

There were only two shirts to speak of. One was what she called her 'damsel in distressed' shirt: a grungy, perforated top which she reserved for cleaning, painting, and other maintenance jobs. Normally that would have been fine for band practice, especially with some well-worn jeans, but not with Nick in the picture. Okay, door number two it is, she thought, pushing that one aside for the other. The second option was in pretty good shape; a gray T-shirt she had gotten as a birthday present from her sister-in-law. Printed on the front was the slogan, 'Things To Do Today: 1. Wake Up. 2. Survive. 3. Go Back to Bed.' In her present mood the slogan felt more like a cry for help than she liked, but she did have limited options. She chose that one with some reluctance, scanning the rest of the closet to decide what might go with it.

Let's see. If I could just find a pair of pants and maybe a jacket that went well together... yeah, these should do. She selected the items; both a shade of blue a little on the light side. They went well together, and gray went with pretty much anything. Better still, if she buttoned the jacket up enough of the way she could cover most of the slogan on the shirt so it would look more ordinary. Just leave the top three buttons and fold the jacket open... there; casual, but covered. The jacket and pants didn't quite match, but she doubted anyone would notice; particularly that Nick would. It had been her experience that guys tended to notice color a lot less than girls. Their brains were wired more geometrically – or, as many tods she had known proved, biometrically. She stuck out her tongue at the memory, then shook her head as if to shake it away like an insect on her ear.

Having put herself together, she studied the effect in the mirror. It wasn't overly dressy, but it didn't look slap-dash either. I guess it'll do, she thought. A quick roundup of her to-go items staged on the bedside table, and she could go wait in the living room. Slipping on her watch and a bracelet or two, she grabbed a bottle of pomegranate juice from the fridge. Then she grabbed a second in case Nick wanted some, giggling at the memory of the previous day's beverage escapade. I hope he skips the hot sauce this time, she thought with a smile.

While this was going on, she'd had her iPaw playing a selection of love songs of one kind or another. At the moment she came back to really noticing the background music, it was closing out a song called 'The Words I Would Say.' She smiled; that one was more a song she had put in the list because of her dad and the advice he had given her after her first bad breakup. Picking up the device, she skipped back to the start of the song; a mellow intro about someone writing a letter of encouragement. She leaned against the wall and lip-synched a refrain, though it was a bit religiously minded for her taste; remarks of divine guidance and assurance, and of strength coming from the same. For all that, it was her dad in a nutshell. From the case of nerves she got going to school on the day of an oral report to their last hug parting ways at college graduation, he had always told her not to be afraid. 'Just find your courage, grit your teeth, and plunge ahead,' he always told her. 'Remember, you're never alone.' She could practically still feel his muzzle from all the times he had kissed her forehead as he said it. She glanced over at a cluster of framed photos on a small table in the living room. One in particular was of the old reynard, his trademark warm smile emanating from behind the glass with all the encouragement a vixen could want.

"Thanks," she whispered.

The music went through a couple of other songs before a knock came at the door. That must be Nick, she thought. "Just a minute!" She sniffed and decided the scent from her failed experiment had dissipated enough, so she turned off the fans in the windows: in on one side of the room, out on the other. Then she cast a final glance around to make sure everything was in order, which it was. Nick had mentioned the night before that he'd be bringing takeout, so she had gotten the place cleaned up, figuring they could eat there before going.

She opened the door. "Hey," she smiled.

He grinned, holding up a paper bag and some white paper boxes with wire hangers. "Hey yourself," he replied. He was dressed much as she had seen him the day before, though with a more toned-down shirt. This one was two shades of blue, with sailboats and dolphins visible if one looked closely enough.

She stepped aside. "Come on in. There should be enough time to eat before we go to practice."

As Nick stepped inside, the iPaw changed songs again.

I can see what's happening.

What?

And they don't have a clue!

Who?

He stopped, an odd look coming over his face as the ditty continued. "Uh, did someone tell you to have that song playing?" he asked.

She frowned, turning off the music. She liked the song, of course, but decided not to push the mood too much. 'Getting to Know You' would have been better at the moment. "No, I just had it on shuffle. Why?"

Nick shook his head. That darn bunny's got me every way I turn, he thought. "Eh, I'll tell you some other time. You like Boariental?"

She smiled, partly because of him and partly because of the scent of shrimp coming from one of the boxes. "Why, do you have ancestors in the East?"

He huffed out a chuckle. It wasn't the best banter he'd ever heard, but it was worth that much. "I was talking about the food, but yeah, I think I might."

Taelia cocked her head. "Really? Hm; who knew?"

The dinner was a pleasant business as the two chatted over shrimp, noodles, and dumplings. Nick got the chance to show off his chopstick skills, but pushed it too far when he tried using the bamboo utensils to flick a dumpling into the air and catch it in his mouth. Taelia almost snorted a noodle out her nose when the morsel in question landed dead between his eyes instead.

"Uh, would you believe that was part of the trick?" he asked, using a napkin to pick the dumpling off his face.

She smirked and folded her arms. "Do I look like I was born yesterday?"

"As a matter of fact, I think you look very intelligent," he replied, cleaning up his face with another napkin. He glanced around, sighted the garbage bin, and considered landing a three-pointer. He decided to go the old-fashioned route and just get up, since clowning around had already left him with egg – or dumpling in this case – on his face once.

Taelia kept an eye on him, appraising his actions, his demeanor, and his words. She could easily believe he had worked in sales. His collected manner exuded charm and confidence, which she knew quite well to be vital in the persuasive art of marketing. At the same time, he clearly had a playful side which interested her a good deal more than his professionalism. She had known a consummate professional once, and he had been rather dull all around as well as a pretty convincing liar. Taelia had decided after that that there was simply no sense in entertaining a guy who didn't have a sense of humor, but it was clear Nick had that requirement more than covered.

They finished the takeout and juice in plenty of time to head out to the meeting.

"Just out of curiosity," Nick ventured as they passed by Taelia's car, "how did you end up with a car that big?"

She shrugged. "Well, it was from Ellen, actually – you'll meet her tonight – back when I started college. She had gotten a new car as a present, I needed to get around, and it was pretty easy to set this one up for someone my size, so she gave me a good deal on it." Due to the range of animal sizes in Zootopia, it wasn't unusual for larger cars to be outfitted with systems that let smaller mammals use them. The lower chances of getting run over by bigger vehicles were an added advantage, and that was often enough to win over customers even when a smaller vehicle cost less.

Nick put a paw to his chin. "So you went to college. What'd you major in?"

"Music. Minored in computer science."

Hmm, Hindsteinette. "Nice."

"Thanks. What about you?"

Nick decided to shift the focus away from that question. He had read up more on marketing than most mammals he knew with degrees, but the truth was that he'd basically bought his bachelor's. "I studied marketing and finance," he replied, stretching the truth. "So are you going to tell me what this project's about?"

She smiled and made a show of thinking, then shook her head. "No, I think I'll keep you guessing."

"How about a hint?"

"Hmm, no."

"Not even a little bitty hint?" His pleading voice was subtle enough that Judy would have been impressed, yet wheedling enough to put Clawhauser to shame.

Taelia smiled. He's good, she thought. "No, but keep trying. It's fun to watch."

Nick huffed in mock annoyance. If she and Judy ever teamed up, he thought, the ZPAcademy mighthave to pin my badge onto a straightjacket. "Well, what about telling me some about your friends, then?"

She glanced at him curiously. "What's the hurry? You'll be meeting them in a few minutes."

Yeah, and I'm worried that some of them might actually know me, he thought. He chose his words carefully, weighing how to approach the matter without betraying his motive. Experience told him that a 'vulnerable guy' schtick was the way to go; much like the one he had applied to Judy in Jumbeaux's ice cream shop. "Well, I have this problem with meeting strangers – in groups, I mean," he clarified, spreading his paws disarmingly when she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I don't know how, but I just have this knack for finding mammals' red buttons. So just in case that happens, I prefer to know if there's... oh, I don't know, a joke I should stay away from or some subject I shouldn't bring up... you know, the little stuff."

Taelia thought about that, and she could certainly empathize with worries about stepping into a social hole. "Well, my friends are pretty easygoing, especially if someone shows up with me. I guess I should warn you not to stereotype Vicky, though, or joke about her beads."

"She wears a lot of them, I take it."

She shrugged. "Yeah, a lot of mammals think she's some kind of hippie."

"Right. Um, what species is she?"

"Hyena."

"Ah." Nick had met his share of hyenas, and knew better than most just how risky it was to get on their bad sides. "Don't stereotype the hyena. Got it." He ran a mental check. As far as he could recall, he'd never done 'business' with anyone matching the description, although chances were he had sold her a pawpsicle or two at some point. "Anything else?"

They continued in this manner as they made their way into more residential areas. In the process, Nick learned that the Xavier of whom Taelia had spoken earlier was a gray wolf and the only guy in the band. He took a pretty dim view of 'locker room' jokes about that arrangement, or any negative remarks about the military. Also, he and his wife Isabelle really didn't like to be asked why they had no children. Taelia's tone was pretty dour as she mentioned this detail, leading Nick to guess it was a medical thing. Nicole – a red wolf – only got really mad if she saw someone being picked on.

"And then there's Ellen," Taelia concluded. "She doesn't have a red button, really, but I should warn you about her. She grew up on Outback Island, and most of her friends were kangaroos, so she's a little..."

Nick guessed she was trying to sidestep an obvious joke, and decided to just fill it in. "Jumpy?"

She snorted and flicked back her ears. "Yeah, that joke gets around. She's energetic. You get used to it. There's not much need to watch your step with her, but don't take any coffee she offers you." Giggling, she added, "At least if you plan on sleeping in the next forty-eight hours."

Sounds like she could get a side job with the ZPD, thought Nick. She and Clawhauser would get along just fine. He mulled over the names and descriptions, and although the lack of surnames made it hard to be sure, he couldn't think of anyone he knew all that well matching what Taelia described. He'd probably recognize their faces. He was better with those than names, and in his previous line of work he had seen most of the faces in the city.

Not Taelia's, though, he thought to himself, checking her out on the sly. I'd remember.

She was looking too, and she definitely liked what she saw. Clean-cut features, green eyes – she liked green eyes – and a nice jawline framing his face. He was a little on the skinny side, but most foxes were. Besides, if he was going to be a cop he'd probably fill out some. Nice guy andnice looks, she thought to herself. Face it, Taelia. You just hit the jackpot.

She mentally shook her head. 'Whoa, girl,' her annoyingly familiar voice of reason told her. Most mammals had an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other; she had an introvert and an extrovert, and right now the introvert was giving her a lecture. 'Don't get your head in the clouds just yet. Don't forget -'

'Hey, hey, hey!' argued her inner extrovert. 'Cut it out, Queen Killjoy. There's no sense in returning to the past now. Move on to tomorrow already.'

Mercifully, the argument was cut short by their arrival at Xavier and Isabelle's house. As they walked in, Nick noted the name 'Moonbeamer' on the mailbox and was a little more relaxed when it didn't ring any bells.

Inside, the house was pleasant enough. The walls were a hue just a few shades lighter than pine green – more deep than dark – with a curious texture of very thin lines which showed a white underlayer and reminded one of wood grain. Immediately inside the front door were two staircases: on the right, one led down to a T with a doorway to the right of that and a hallway to the left about which Nick could tell nothing just at the moment. To the left of the front door, a shorter flight of stairs led up – most likely, he guessed, to a living room. He could hear chatter from up there.

"Hey everyone," Taelia called.

"Hey, Taelia!" exclaimed a voice which was definitely female. Whoever it was sounded as if she'd been waiting for the vixen like a coiled spring waiting to pop loose. "Who did you-?"

The voice stopped as a female dingo, sandy in color, appeared at the top of the stairs. Wearing a pair of black knee-length yoga pants and a sleeveless blue shirt, she looked like she might have jogged to practice just because she could. Her ears shot up when she saw Nick, and she whipped her head to her right towards someone out of Nick's view.

"Xavier, you didn't tell us Taelia's friend was a guy!"

A male voice laughed from the room above. "That's because I wanted you to save your voice for practice. You two, come on up. We can socialize a bit before we get rolling."

Along one side of the stairs, a set of smaller steps had been set down over the top of them as an evident courtesy to smaller visitors. Taelia followed these, the height difference making the bounce in her strides more evident. Nick followed, not sure how to feel about it when Ellen leaned over and remarked to Taelia, "Nice find. He's cute."

The vixen raised an index finger in warning. "Remember, I saw him first." She glanced over her shoulder at Nick and shrugged helplessly.

As Nick ascended the stairs, he casually noticed an array of photos prominently featuring a dark-furred wolf engaged in an array of activities. Between the military uniform in one and the numerous manual jobs seen in many of the rest - along with an eye patch - he surmised that the canine in question was a veteran. There was little time to ponder that, however, for at the top of the stairs, Nick found himself facing just the assortment of mammals Taelia had described. They were seated in an assortment of recliners around a modest living room, and at a glance all looked reasonably approachable. Nicole wore white slack shorts and a pink top, and her fur was on the long side for a red wolf. With the right fur coloring she could be mistaken for an oversized vixen, albeit her legs were a bit longer than Taelia's compared with the rest of her body. She smiled when Nick's eyes passed her way in a quick scan of the crew, and her right paw lifted in a suggestion of a wave.

Vicky was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, and the longer fur on top of her head was adorned with sky blue and light green beads. Typically of her species, she was a bit more muscular than the other females in the room; however, the obvious differences made her gender clear enough. She regarded Nick's presence in a pretty neutral manner, evidently reserving any overtures – positive or negative – until he made an impression. Nick, for his part, did a slight double-take at her. He could swear he didn't know her, but there was something familiar about the hyena. The fact that he couldn't place it made him nervous; loose ends had caused him trouble more times than he cared to remember.

As for Isabelle and Xavier, he could have guessed they were married just picking them out of a crowd. They wore matching blue jeans – not quite distressed, but worn some at the knees – and rather form-fitting red shirts. At first glance Xavier might have passed for the veteran in the photos on the stairwell. The absence of an eye patch and greater presence of gray in his fur, however, marked him as most likely being the cub in several of those pictures. Must be the old vet's son, Nick surmised. Isabelle – a light gray she-wolf – considered Nick with a rather skeptical look. It reminded him of the reception he'd gotten from his would-be senior prom date's parents back in high school (would-be because said girlfriend broke up with him two days before the prom over the Booze Breath Incident).

Xavier, on the other paw, rose and greeted Nick with a grin made all the brighter by the contrast of his well-kept teeth against his very dark gray fur. "You must be Nick." In customary big-to-small etiquette, he crouched just a little when he got close. He would have had to sit on the floor to get eye-to-eye, but he generated a slightly less imposing image anyway when he stuck out a paw. "Taelia's told us some interesting things about you."

Nick half-coughed and shook the offered paw, which clasped his with a firm, confident grip. "Does she tell you about every guy she dates, or am I a special case?"

Xavier shrugged. "Well most guys she's dated haven't been to our band practices, so I guess you're a special case. Speaking of which, she says you've got friends in the ZPD, including Judy Hopps."

This was the moment Nick had been bracing for. "A few, I guess," he answered with a shrug, as if being friends with cops were the most normal thing in the world to talk about. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, that's great!" cheered Ellen before Xavier could explain. "We're getting ready for a-"

"Ellen," Isabelle cut her off, "was he asking you?"

Xavier just laughed. "I'm used to it. Ellen, the floor is yours – calmly, please."

The dingo took a deep breath, then launched into her explanation. "Well, maybe you already know this, but there's a benefit concert in a couple of weeks to help the mammals who were hurt in the Night Howler Incident."

"Helping cover medical costs and such," Xavier interjected.

"Yeah, yeah," Ellen went on eagerly. "Anyway, we're going to be in it, and we want our part to be a special tribute to the city's first responders – including the ZPD!"

Nick had noticed the posters and odd news article, though since he was no longer selling miscellaneous goods he had just skimmed them over. Now he was starting to get the picture, and he couldn't have been more relieved. "So you want an insider's opinion on your stuff to see if they'd like it."

"Exactly," Xavier confirmed, nodding crisply. "We're also planning a CD specially for the occasion."

"Probably gonna have to stick to pre-orders," Vicky pointed out.

Xavier nodded. "Most likely, but that's all the more reason to make it the best we can."

Nick wasn't sure how or if he should tell them that he pretty much never talked music with anyone in the ZPD. The truth was that outside of Judy, Ben, and Bogo, he hadn't talked much with anyone in the precinct. He knew Ben was gaga for Gazelle, but then anyone who had seen his desk could figure that out. Outside of that knowledge and the hunch that Judy was probably also a fan, he couldn't think of much of anything that would be any use to them.

Reminding himself that he was dealing with honest mammals, he shrugged. "Well, I don't know much about anyone's musical tastes at the precinct."

"Anything you've got is more than what we've got," Vicky put in. "None of us know any cops, and you know the one who was in the thick of it." Folding her arms, she added, "Even if she did make a wreck of it at the start."

Nick was about to speak up on his friend's behalf, but Nicole beat him to it. "Come on, Vick. It was the only idea they had at the time. For all they knew it could have been biological, and she's apologized for it at least a dozen times now."

Actually, Judy had only made half a dozen public apologies, albeit much-circulated. Never the less, Nick instantly decided he liked Nicole. It was nice to find someone so forgiving, and all the more so in species that were used to getting more respect.

"Nicole's right," Xavier agreed. "And so is Vicky – about information, that is." He looked at Nick. "I know it's a stretch, but we'd really appreciate anything you can think of."

Nick only needed a minute to think it over. "Well, what have you got so far?"

Xavier rose to his feet. "How about you come down to the basement and find out?"

Music critic that he wasn't, Nick soon recognized that Vixen was an impressive band. Although Nicole was generally the female lead, the other ladies swapped in on some songs depending on who had the best voice for it. Xavier, who as it turned out was effectively the manager, was a true virtuoso in the voice department as well. With him in their roster, the band needed no other male singers, as he could alter his tone clear across a range all the way from baritone to tenor. He even did a decent impression of Elkvis, one of the few musicians of whom Nick could truly claim to be a fan.

While the fox had little input to offer on the music itself, he found the lyrics much easier to assess. So far it sounded like the band already had a good lineup of songs: a very intense number called 'Hero', another less harshly-voiced one called 'Warriors,' some songs called 'Courage' and 'Ignite' which emphasized lyrics by Ellen, and a range of others. Nick was able to offer some advice here and there. For one thing, he ultimately resolved a split among them over whether to include 'Monster'. As much as he could see the connection with the whole thing about going savage, it struck him that the lyrics might cut a little too close to the bone for some of the darted mammals, should they decide to show up for the event. His biggest impact, though, came when Ellen dropped some notes. In helping to gather them up, he struck gold.

"Hey, what's this one?" he asked, catching a glimpse of something on one of the sheets. His eyes had taken in the phrase, 'Friend or foe? Before you know, let their actions speak.'

Ellen glanced at it passively. "Oh, that's just something I freelanced for a cartoon show. It's nothing." She reached out a paw to take it, but he hastily held one up to hold her back.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there," he argued, skimming the rest of the sheet. It was true that the lyrics did sound like something written for a cartoon rather than the quasi-edgy style the band seemed to favor. Yet the overall point – looking for the truth instead of trusting looks or rumors – fit perfectly with everything that had gone on the past three months and more. In particular, it brought to mind the press conference fiasco with Judy. "Xavier, have you seen this?" he asked, holding it up to the timber wolf. "You need to put this in the program."

"Really?" asked Ellen, pricking up her ears.

Xavier took the sheet and studied the words. "Yeah…" he said slowly and appreciatively. His head nodded with growing interest and approval. "Yeah, I could see this in there."

Ellen looked pleased, but then deflated. "But it's signed over to the station. Besides, I wrote it to be sung by hedgehogs."

"Change it up, then," the wolf answered, handing it back to her, "or write something else with the same message. Nicole, can you help her out with the sheet music?"

"Learn a new song in two weeks?" asked the red wolf uncertainly. Then she shrugged. "If you think it's that good, I'm in."

Nick wondered if this was the best time to bring up another idea, but something had been at the back of his mind. "On the subject of changing things," he pointed out, "you might want to change up the lyrics to 'Hero.' I mean I get the whole 'generic masculine pronoun' thing, but the main mover and shaker with that case was a she." He almost added that she was still at the heart of the investigation, but remembered that technically even he wasn't supposed to know that. If word got around that he was running his mouth, it could put him on even worse terms with Bogo.

Xavier rubbed his chin at the idea. "I suppose," he admitted, "but 'Hero' is one of our top-rated songs, especially after everything that's happened. Changing it now might not be such a smart idea."

The fox had a quick answer for that. "What if you did a second version – like in movies, when they have a song twice but the lyrics are different?"

"A reprisal," Taelia put in, instantly warming to the idea. "That could work. Remember when John Rarr redid one of his songs as a tribute to... oh, I never remember athletes..."

"Tim T-Bone," Nick supplied.

"Oh, I love that song!" Ellen enthused. "We have got to do that!"

Xavier mulled it over and smiled. "Well, I guess if we can pull it together in time. All those in favor?"

There was no need for Nick to break a tie this time. All were in favor.

When the practice was over, Ellen and Nicole took off to discuss the new song, which Nick surmised was to be called, 'Not Always What They Seem'. Taelia stuck around a bit longer to fix some issues she had found with the sound equipment. Isabelle detained Vicky for a few minutes to sort out some tailoring (it turned out Mrs. Moonbeamer did double-duty as wardrobe manager for the band), and Xavier took the chance to chat with Nick.

"I've been trying to place you," he told Nick as they sat on a couple of chairs. "Are you a street vendor or something?"

Though he wasn't as proud of his old job as he'd once been, Nick smiled and nodded confidently. "Pawpsicles, yeah – and I've dabbled in one or two other business ventures. You might call me a Roarnaissance fox."

One of the wolf's eyebrows lifted. "Ever think of trying the music market?"

Nick blinked. "With you guys?"

Xavier nodded. "I majored in business administration, and one of the big rules in management is not to throw away opportunities. You've got a head for marketing, Nick. We could use that."

"Well..." At one time Nick would have jumped at the chance, and probably found some way to get the best of the band. This time, though, he wasn't so sure. "Actually, I've been thinking about changing careers."

He didn't see, but Taelia looked up from what she was doing. Her surprised look perfectly matched Xavier's.

"What, you?" asked the wolf. "But you've gotta be making a killing with talent like yours."

Yeah, thought Nick, don't remind me. "Don't get me wrong," he added, lifting his paws as if to push back the objection. "I'd love to work with you guys, but... I'm actually thinking about becoming a cop."

Both of Xavier's eyebrows lifted this time. "A cop, huh?" He propped a foot on one knee. "How'd you decide on that?"

Nick was a little surprised that the wolf wasn't more stunned by the idea. Most mammals would have fallen on the floor and died laughing; even most foxes he'd met. The lack of surprise struck him so much he almost forgot to make up an answer.

"Well," he said slowly, "back when I was a cub, I wanted to be part of something; to really belong somewhere, you know? Be part of a pack, I guess." If anyone could appreciate that, it would be a wolf. Up to this point he had been honest, but if he was going to avoid the whole truth – that he had been all but dragged into a future in law enforcement – now was the time to segue into a lie. "I thought about being a cop, but I realized that no one trusted foxes, so I gave up on that. Lately, though, I've been thinking maybe no one trusts foxes because there are no fox cops. So between that and Car- uh, Officer Hopps, I decided maybe it was time I did something about it."

Xavier was duly impressed. "Well," he said, smiling, "that's a heck of a life goal." He reached out and tapped Nick's shoulder with a fist. "Show 'em how it's done, dog. I get the feeling you'll do great."

The moment of nigh-brotherhood was broken as the wolf's watch beeped, and he glanced at it. "Yikes, it's getting late. You and Taelia had better get going. Tal, are you almost done in there?"

"Just a few more tweaks," came the reply. Taelia had disappeared again under the sound board. She didn't want Nick to see her until she had pulled herself together. There isa God, she thought to herself.

About fifteen minutes later, the two vulpines strolled through the gathering dusk, taking in the rare treat of starlight at ground level. Even in this more residential area of the city – not quite a suburb, but close enough – lights from the more metropolitan area made it hard to spot anything in the sky. All the same, they made the best of it they could, turning down an offer from Xavier to drive them back to Taelia's. At the vixen's suggestion, they detoured along a quieter route which led past a park. It was the long way home, but it was scenic… and she wanted to talk.

"You seem pretty quiet," Nick observed at one point.

Her shoulders rose and fell. She avoided looking at him; the last thing she wanted was get all emotional. Her mind was turning into a tangle of thoughts she had stopped dreaming were possible and things she wished she could forget had ever happened. "Just... just thinking," she answered, her arms pinching in against her sides as she did her best to focus on the hopes and not the regrets.

His ears pricked up curiously. "What about?"

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Well, it's about what you said – you know, about why you want to be a cop." She spoke quickly and with determination, focusing on the words as a way to stay in control. "That's just how I feel, only maybe from the other end."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I meet so many foxes – dogs especially – who just settle for the species reputation. Some of them even seem to enjoy it. I hate that, because it just drags the rest of us down."

Nick couldn't help remembering the way he'd talked to Judy early on about that very subject. 'We can only be what we are,' his voice echoed to him. This time it sounded much as Judy must have heard it at the time: snide, bigoted, even malignant. 'Sly fox, dumb bunny.'

Taelia went on. "I mean... well, my dad could have been a doctor – I know he could have – but because no one trusts him he was lucky to get a job in a paper mill. And no one trusts him..."

"Because they've been conned by foxes like the ones you just talked about," Nick concluded, keeping a straight face. Part of him had to wonder how old Taelia's dad was. He knew paper mills could be tough places to work, especially for the smaller set. Guy's gotta be in his fifties, right? Another part of him, none too fond of guilt, did its best to block out the mental image.

"Exactly." Taelia didn't need to struggle now; she was in her element. She took a deep breath, and the night air somehow seemed fresher than usual. Her head turned to and fro, taking in the sights. Her eyes fell on a bench, and a thought came to her. "Nick," she asked, touching his arm, "do you mind if we sit down for a minute?"

He shrugged, glad for any change of subject. "Sure."

They sat, and Taelia tried to think how to say what was on her mind. She liked Nick a lot; she was sure of it now. Inside, she wanted him to put an arm around her or say something special, but she wasn't about to tell him that. For one thing, it would kind of kill the point.

Then she got an idea. "Oh, hey, I just remembered something. I added you to my contacts last night after you texted me, but I don't have a picture to go with the info."

"Oh." He scooted back and smiled. "Well, go ahead. Just get my good side."

She laughed a little. "Actually, I was hoping for a picture with both of us in it."

Inside Nick hesitated. This wasn't turning into the 'touch-and-go' kind of relationship he was used to, and while he liked Taelia, there was a part of him that rebelled against getting too cozy. Perhaps it was the part that preferred detachment, or maybe it was the growing belief that she'd sing an entirely different tune if she ever found out his history.

Outwardly, however, habit took over. While he was still pondering his dilemma, he scooted back up next to her and put his paw on hers on the bench. That made their shoulders feel too crunched, however, so – still questioning the wisdom of it – he put his arm around her. Her smile brightened at this, and she leaned her head just a little against him as she stretched out her right arm to take the shot. Nick, opting to play the part until a better idea came along, took one himself.

"Why waste a good photo op?" he remarked.

She smiled. "Thanks," she told him quietly. He could practically see the stars in her eyes. Heck, if he had looked hard enough he might have been able to pick out whole constellations. "I never met a guy who was willing to try like you," she said. Her tone wasn't the woozy, dreamy kind one might find in a movie right before a kiss under a shooting star. It was more a matter-of-fact tone with just a touch of 'wow.'

Then, in the odd way that thoughts go sometimes, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, we forgot about the fortune cookies," she noted, fishing in her pocket. "I grabbed them when we left my apartment."

The cookies, as you might expect, were a bit worse for the wear. Still, she and Nick each picked a pouch, opened it, and snacked on the crumbs while reading the fortunes. Taelia blushed when she read hers: 'Stop searching forever. Happiness is right beside you.' She stifled her reaction, not about to let some piece of paper get her excited... much. Still, things were definitely looking up. It's better than a dream, she thought to herself.

Nick's fortune was less direct: Your loyalties are clear when it comes to friends. Suddenly the mild, sweet flavor of fortune cookie lost a bit of its savor. Were his loyalties so clear? He had left Judy treading water on her case – even if she seemed okay with his reason – and now here he was lying to Taelia. What kind of loyalty was that?

For a moment, he actually entertained the thought of telling Taelia the truth. Not the whole truth, maybe, but that he had once let the pressure drive him to, as she put it, 'settle' for being what the world expected a fox to be.

Then he shrugged it off. Nah, it's over anyway. As his older, more rationalistic side reasserted itself, he mentally added,And what she doesn't know won't hurt me.

So there you have it. Not the kind of mess you thought Nick was getting himself into? (shrug) Well surprise, surprise. Among other things, I wanted to show how it might go if Nick were alongside a vulpine who didn't take the low road. Only, what's he going to do now that his big mouth has backed him into a corner? What's going to happen if Taelia finds out the truth?

By the way, this chapter is another Easter Egg Hunt! I'm debating whether to keep giving clues or not, but for now I'm compromising and just making them vague. Here are the clues:

Taelia's closet

Her assessment of Nick as they walked to practice (there are two here)

A remark from the inner extrovert

Xavier and Isabelle's mailbox (you'll want to know your American history for this one)

Nick's fortune cookie

Taelia, just before Nick's fortune cookie

I had some lyrics for you to guess at as well, but certain *ahem* parties hassled me into all but eliminating the story's musical content. So, at the cost of robbing you guys of some more Easter Egg Hunting, the first song referenced is "I Won't Say I'm In Love," from Hercules. The second is "The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets (definitely worth a listen).