11

Judy shook her head in disbelief as she walked slowly backwards out of the room. She couldn't bare to look in those boxes, but as far as she was concerned the evidence was all there. Her back brushed against Wolford's leg and he placed a paw on her head with a sympathetic sigh.

"Come on, Hopps. Let's find those poor mammals."

She tried to stifle the images that were careening through her mind and nodded stiffly, turning to follow the wolf out of the terrible room.

Wolford glanced left then right and turned to the right, keeping his gun trained on the next door along.

A sharp chunk echoed behind them and Judy's ears pricked, as did the wolf's. They both looked back slowly and her breath caught in her throat when she saw a spotted wildcat with a shotgun aimed right at her head. Two coyotes stood on either side of him, each aiming a sniper rifle.

"That's as far as yous are goin'," said the cat.

Once again, a familiar accent. Identical to the wildcat they'd recently handed over to the ZPD. As she scrutinised the cat's face she noticed he was another margay, almost identical to Marcello save for a jagged scar over his left eye.

"Now, yous gonna tell me what yous done to my brother?" He narrowed his eyes, causing that scar to crease. "Or am I gonna have to shoot yous down an' make a mess o' the nice, clean floor?"

"I wouldn't do anything too hasty." Wolford turned his dart gun onto the cat. "There's a whole SWAT team surrounding the area."

"I don't care 'bout no SWAT team!" the margay shrieked. "You lower yous guns or the rabbit gets turned into swiss cheese!"

Wolford raised his left paw and lowered the gun to the floor. She did the same, keeping one wary eye on the margay. There were a few shouts of retaliation from the ground below which drew the cat's eye for a moment and he sneered, spitting onto the floor as he turned a blind eye to the chaos to advance towards them.

"Now-" He was cut off as a dart struck one of the coyote in the neck.

The canine's tongue lolled out as he tried to remove it, but he crumpled to the floor as the margay watched, his face twisted with rage. He turned to the stairs and his tail puffed up to twice its size.

"Can't you two handle one small, wounded fox?!"

He aimed his own shot gun and fired, causing someone below to yelp.

"Finnick!" Judy rushed to the rail, but froze when both the lone coyote and margay trained their guns back onto her.

"I know your pal's wearin' a vest. Besides, I want yous all alive," he said. "Now... where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?"

The coyote looked down at his fallen partner then cleared his throat. "Boss, I don't think we're in any position to-"

"Shut your dumb face, dog!" the margay snapped. "Or shall I add coyote wool to the market? Huh?!"

"Seems pretty desperate," muttered Wolford.

"What was that?" The margay's face creased as a frown warped his features.

It was clear he hadn't heard him. His words were still being processed in Judy's mind as the wolf pushed her backwards and blocked her with his huge frame. He nudged her further behind him, urging her to go.

So she went.

Her large feet kicked the floor as she threw herself down the corridor towards the next door.

"Oi! Don't let her get away, you dope!"

One of the guns fired but she couldn't see which one. It was followed by a sick thud and a clatter. She ducked, sliding along the wooden floor on her stomach as she watched the bullet blow a hole in the nearest door.

He'd missed his mark by a mile

She looked back to see the coyote sprawled on the floor, tripped by Wolford. His gun lay out of his reach as the dazed canine tried to retrieve it.

She darted back and grabbed the rifle, noting the look of worry on the coyote's face. She had no intention of using it, but he didn't know that.

Giving Wolford's back another glance, she made a beeline for the door.

"Noble of you, wolf," said the cat. "But I hope you know them darts you use are pretty slow compared to bullets. You hit me with one o' them an' I got enough time to blow a bullet through your skull." He grinned at the sullen expression on the wolf's face. "So. You gonna go join your friends downstairs or do I have to use force?"

Wolford raised both his paws and moved towards the cat. The margay stepped aside, keeping his gun aimed right at his head.

"There's a good dog," he said. "You go join 'em now an' I'll go get that dumb rabbit. Rodney! You take our friend downstairs, you hear?"

The tripped coyote nudged Wolford towards the stairs. When he reached them his heart sank. The lobby was teaming with wildcats and coyotes, some of which were still recovering from the sedative. His muzzle creased with confusion and worry. That stuff was meant to last an hour. The only explanation here was that this gang was carrying something to reverse the effects.

...

Judy sat with her back to the closed door, desperately trying to silence her breathing as she strained her ears to hear what was going on back on the other side. She could hear that margay pacing along the corridor, his gruff voice calling for her in what she took to be a mocking tone.

"Where are you, bunny?" he purred. "You can come out. Kind, old Alessandro just wants to talk to you 'bout his brother."

She mouthed the name 'Alessandro' and looked over her shoulder at the door. So that was this margay's name? She strained her ear, wondering why he'd suddenly stopped moving. He'd not tried the door. She hadn't heard him try any door. They must have been on the same wavelength. If she heard him open a door, she'd slip out of the one she was in and make a break for it, and he knew it. She'd avoided the one that had been blown through. Nothing had been on the other side anyway, at least not that she could see. This room, however, had two bunk beds, one of which was at the far end. She wondered if it would be possible to hide beneath one and not be seen, but the feline's night vision would be much better than hers. The chances of her going unseen were minimal.

She had to accept the fact she was trapped inside this room. That her only feasible option was to open the door, sprint for freedom and hope she could outrun him. She'd grown tired of waiting for the SWAT team to rush in and do their job. Where were they? They had only been outside setting up their lights when she'd snuck inside with Finnick. She'd seen one of the lights flash on while she'd been hiding, casting erratic shadows in the corridor and stretching its rays through the gaps in the woodwork. Surely they were done by now?

Surely this gang hadn't taken them all down?

She reached up towards the doorknob and gulped audibly as she saw a shadow move through the slats. He was just on the other side. Did he know what room she was in? Had he seen her shadow through the gaps in the wood? Could he smell her? She grit her teeth together and turned the knob anyway.

Alessandro chuckled. "'Bout time. I'm goin' grey out here."

She frowned at the grinning margay. "Are you armed?"

He raised his empty paws and shrugged. "I'm as unarmed as you are, bunnykins. Now, you gonna tell me what you done with Marcello?"

"He's behind bars," she said flatly.

The margay pursed his lips then sighed. "Figures."

"Why are you so bothered?" she asked. "I thought it would be obvious by now."

"Oh, it's plenty obvious, rabbit. Problem is, he told yous way too much an' now I gotta clean up his mess, see?"

"You need to do it quick then since there's a SWAT team outside," she said.

He shrugged. "They ain't gonna come in here an' risk lives of hostages, are they? That would be incredibly foolish."

She felt her nose begin to twitch and she strained her ears in the momentary silence. A slight jingle was coming from his right pocket every time he moved. Keys. It had to be his keys.

"You see, we've moved your little friend and two big friends to a dark room where those lights can't get through. They got one blarin' through the front door an' I can't risk my business just 'cos some cat gave too much away an' some bunny tryin' to be a hero came rushin' in thinkin' she could rescue everyone. That's the sorta thing that only happens in children's books, cottontail." A grin spread across his face and he let his arms drop to his sides. "So this is how your story's gonna end. My dogs keep the SWAT team at bay while the cute, little bunny realises she's talkin' to a professional liar."

Judy's eyes widened as he reached behind his back, pulling out his shotgun. Before it could level to her head, she dropped onto all fours and rushed at him, stabbing a dart into his thigh, then slipping her paw into his right pocket. Her fingers fastened around a cold key chain just before she let herself slide through the rail, holding onto it by one paw as she hovered over the drop below.

He turned his livid green eyes onto hers and tried to tug the dart free.

"I thought you were unarmed!" he hissed.

"You assumed I was unarmed. I just didn't correct you." She gave him a half-smile and shrugged. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

Then she let go.

Every muscle went limp as she prepared herself to roll, tucking her head towards her abdomen. Her right shoulder grazed the floor, sending a shock of pain through it and she let herself roll onto her back. The light was dazzling and she placed a paw over her eyes to block out as much of it as she could. Springing to her feet, she clenched her teeth together at the pain in her shoulder and rubbed at it. It wasn't broken or dislocated, fortunately, but it hurt more than she'd hoped it would.

The first thing she noticed was the lack of bodies. All the fallen mammals had vanished, save for the bodies of the serval and the coyote who'd been crushed in the cat's fall. It didn't take her long to put two and two together. Alessandro had said his guards were dealing with the SWAT team. They'd clearly woken up from the sedative somehow.

A few shouts came from outside. It was hard to pinpoint but she was certain it wasn't around the front door. That would be the guards trying to push the SWAT team back, although she wasn't sure they'd have much success. Sooner or later, the SWAT team would be rushing into the building, and she really hoped it would be soon.

She gave the upstairs corridor a quick glance. It was hard to see in the bright light, but the cat was now lying in a heap against the rail, one of his arms hanging through it. The dart lay discarded on the floor beneath him.

Good. With him out of the way she might be able to find the captives. She quickly retrieved the keys she'd dropped in her fall then sprinted across the hall, cutting around the edge of the stairs. First thing was first – find the victims. If she found those, they could make a run for freedom. Send them out the front way since there were no guards around the lights. If it were too bright for her it would be much too bright for nocturnal mammals.

She paused beside a closed door and listened. Muffled voices. She thought she heard Wolford, but she wasn't sure. If they were being held in this room, then were the captives here too? It was too risky to go in alone.

She scooted past it as quietly as she could and made for the next door. No sounds from behind it, so she tugged it open revealing a steep flight of stairs. Musty air reached her nostrils and she crinkled her nose. The second and third steps looked rotten. Part of her wanted to check where it went, but she didn't trust the stairs to hold her wait. And from the smell of it, it didn't seem used. Likely a cellar or a hidden escape route. She closed the door quietly and moved to the next door.

Before she could reach the handle, a loud voice came from the room where they were holding her friends. She only caught the last few words.

"... see where he got to."

Then the door opened.

She didn't waste any time. She tugged the knob around and slipped inside just before the heavy footsteps of one of the gang members reached her ears.

"Oi! Look at this! He's been taken out!" She recognised that gruff voice. The big coyote from the market. The one who'd been waiting at the stall. The one she'd assumed was the boss in this operation.

"No way!" another voice, higher than the first. "Someone took out that old cat?" Laughter. "Saves me doin' it, hey?"

"Shush, Kelvin." The gruff coyote was trying not to laugh. "He might be playin' dead. He'll have your hide if he hears you speakin' like that."

"Fine, I'll go revive him. Surprised he don't have no smellin' salts on him."

Judy finally took the time to check the room she was in. It was dark, only a faint light coming through the shoddy blind at the far end. Large glass panels rose up on each wall and a faint crying reached her ears.

The captives!

The glass panels were screens to vivariums.

She leapt to her feet and rushed to check the first cell. Five sheep cowered in a corner, two of them looking not a day older than ten years. It was sparse, the only items in there being half-eaten plates of food. Each sheep had been shorn so their fur was cropped close to their bodies. Their eyes widened when they saw her and one of the adults opened her mouth to speak, but Judy shushed her with a finger to her lips. She scurried along to the next tank. Four alpacas, again told to remain quiet while she checked out the room. All the mammals were here. The squirrel and badger were kept in separate tanks, the twin bunnies were kept together, both of which were huddled asleep in a corner. Next to the rabbit vivarium sat Nick. He opened his eyes when he noticed movement, but the brief look of anger was washed away when he realised who it was.

"Judy!"

He leapt to his feet and rushed to the glass but she shushed him as she fumbled with the keys. She hadn't failed to notice his poor tail had been sheared like the other animals and she tried her best not to let it bother her. Not yet. But her paws were shaking. At least he looked okay, she had to remind herself of that. They'd not done anything else to him, thankfully.

All the mammals in here looked so sorry for themselves. She couldn't imagine a single one of them had given their consent to have their fur sheared, and had been stuffed into small enclosures with no promise to see the outside world.

Finally she found what she was looking for. A long, cylindrical key. It opened the locks on every vivarium. She started with Nick and once the fox was out he threw his arms around her.

"Boy, am I happy to see you," he said.

"Me too. I'm just glad you're safe," she said. "But I need you to get the rest of the mammals to safety. Okay? There's a SWAT team just outside."

She filled him in on the situation as she unlocked the other vivariums. He didn't look remotely impressed that Finnick and the two officers had been taken.

"You have to let me help you," he told her.

"No." She scooped up one of the angora bunnies, quickly telling them it would be okay before turning back to the fox. "You have to get everyone out of here."

The sleepy rabbits were bundled into Nick's arms while the rest of the captives gathered around him with looks of worry and fear on their faces. One of the alpacas tried to put on a brave face, offering to help Nick get to the exit and relieving him of one of the rabbits.

The other bunny looked up at Nick. "Are we going home, Mister Fox?"

"Sure we are, sweetheart," he said. "Don't you worry."

Judy rushed to the window, the conversation still continuing between the angora and fox. She desperately hoped the window would provide an escape route.

"Where's our mum?" the bunny asked.

"Back home," said Nick. "Waiting for you. We told her we'd find you and look! We did."

"You met her? She's scared of foxes." The little bunny frowned. "Did you tell her she's a big silly? 'Cos she is."

Nick looked a little taken aback, then laughed.

Judy smiled at Nick then quickly inspected the blind. Outside she could see one of the SWAT vans. But her heart sank when she realised the SWAT team had been separated. Two officers were holding back gunfire from three wildcats and a coyote. Another SWAT officer rushed behind them, taking down one of the cats just before the coyote clubbed him across the back of the legs with the butt of his rifle. She couldn't see what mammal it was, but he went down with quite a thud.

If Alessandro had woken up, the main entrance wouldn't be safe any more. And this window wasn't looking much safer either.

That just left the basement, and she had no idea where it even went.

She shook it off and made for the door. They'd have to get out the main way, and if that meant sneakily tranquillising the larger mammals then that was what she was going to do. She braced herself by the door, clutching a dart in one paw.

Then she heard the sirens.

Nick's ears flicked up and he turned to look at the window. The both of them rushed towards it and peered outside. Two more SWAT vans screeched to a halt, unloading another two teams. The coyotes and wildcats were overwhelmed.

"What's going on? I can't see?" The little bunny twisted in Nick's arms as she craned to see through the blind.

A grin spread across Judy's face and she raced for the door. "I guess they managed to call for backup!"

As she opened the door, Nick said, rather flatly, "I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet."

Alessandro stood on the other side, his arms folded across his chest.

"Pesky little rabbit," he grunted.

Judy placed her paw on her hip and shook her head. "It's over, Alessandro. As soon as that SWAT team comes in here, you'll be taken back to the ZPD. Just let them all go."

The cat chuckled and the corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. "Oh. They can go. It's you and the fox who won't be gettin' out o' here alive. The mess yous made is irreparable. That goof of a dog is a moron to trust you, fox."

Nick frowned at the cat as he bundled the bunny into the arms of a sheep and ushered her to go. The group of mammals hesitated then took off after an alpaca.

"No! Mister Fox!" The little bunny stretched her arms as far as they would go as the ewe carried her towards the door.

"So, the first one to die is you, fox. And for her troubles, little cottontail can watch as the precious fox she rushed here to rescue is taken down by the very gang he tried to con." Alessandro cocked his shotgun and grinned. "Say goodbye, sly."

Judy's heart was hammering in her chest. She braced herself to lunge forwards with her dart, but the margay had one eye fixed on her.

"Drop your dart, rabbit," he growled.

She hesitated for a moment, meeting that green eye. The sedative wouldn't be fast enough. If she tranquillised him he'd definitely shoot Nick. It wasn't even worth the risk. She raised her paws, letting the dart fall harmlessly to the floor with a clatter.

Alessandro placed a claw on the trigger and Nick closed his eyes. Once again, Judy felt helpless. Nothing she could do.

"Drop your weapon!"

The voice boomed from the door, followed by a stampede of feet as the SWAT team finally rushed in. Two massive shields were raised to cover the bodies of the lead mammals while the rest of the team aimed their guns around them at the margay.

The feline let out a defeated laugh and dropped his gun to the ground.

Two of the team members broke free, clutching shields over their torsos as they rushed at the closed door to Judy's left. The remaining gang members were led out into the hallway, their paws on their heads.

Wolford, Jackson and Finnick followed after them, the latter Judy was relieved to notice had no other wounds than the shot to his shoulder. The victim of Alessandro's bullet turned out to be a young coyote who was nursing his right paw.

"All right, you two," said a rhino. "We got this cat. You get to the nearest police vehicle."

Judy and Nick followed two SWAT members towards the door, joining Finnick and the officers outside. Whatever the rhino and his team mate were saying to Alessandro didn't register in Judy's ears. She was too relieved to be out of that place. Relieved to have Nick back. Relieved the angora bunnies and the rest of the mammals were okay, safely tucked away inside a police van to be taken back to the station.

She gave a small glance to Nick and clasped her paws behind her back. "I'm sorry about your poor tail."

He shrugged and gave her a wide grin. "Hey, don't worry, Carrots. It'll grow back." He ruffled her ears. "Race you to the van!"

She watched him take off and chuckled. "Oh, Nick!"

She bolted after him but a yell made her look back over her shoulder and stumble over her own feet. Her violet eyes widened as her heart lurched into her throat.

Alessandro's grinning face stared back at her from between the two SWAT officers, one of their guns clutched in his paws and aimed right at her. The rhino was nursing a wounded knee, blood flowing over his hooves as he tried to stem the flow. The other officer had stepped back, his empty paws raised in defense. Her mind didn't work fast enough to process what exactly was happening. The next thing she saw was Finnick flying at her, knocking her sideways.

Then the gun fired.

The small fox yelped and flopped beside her, his paw clasped over his right ear.

"Finnick?" She placed a paw on his shoulder then looked back at Alessandro.

The margay now lay on the ground, two tasers fastened to his chest while he jerked about, sparks flying.

"Are you two all right?" Jackson hoisted both Finnick and Judy up with one arm each. "Get to the van, quick." Then he shook his head at Nick who was trying to break his way back towards them. "Get in the van! They're fine!"

"Flash." Finnick looked up at Jackson, his paw still fastened over his ear. Blood was running down his face, but it didn't seem to phase him.

"What?" The tiger raised an eyebrow.

"I got my own van. My friend's waitin' for me. Can't exactly leave him there, can I?"

"He's already gone," said Jackson. "The SWAT team told him to move. He's waiting at the station."

Judy looked down at the confused fox. A look of relief crossed his features and he shrugged. "Alright, let's go."

Nick was waiting anxiously in the back of the van. He helped Finnick up beside him and raised an eyebrow.

"Fin, what happened?"

The fennec frowned. "I took a bullet."

Nick watched him for a moment then laughed, slapping his knee with a paw.

"What's so funny?!" Finnick snapped.

"That you took a bullet for a cop."

Finnick flinched as Judy fussed about his ear. "What you doin', fuzz?"

"It's not bad, but you need to cover it. Nick, do you have a handkerchief?"

Nick reached across the smaller fox to hand Judy his green handkerchief. Finnick flinched again as she clasped it to his ear.

"Well, I didn't mean to take a bullet," he said. "My ears got in the way, that's all."

Nick laughed again. "You should hold them back next time."

Finnick growled then beat Judy's paw away so he could hold the handkerchief in place himself.

"Watch your tongue, Nick," he said.

Nick just smiled and leant back on the bench, folding his paws behind his head. He caught Judy's eye and his smile broadened.

"Thanks for coming to rescue me, Carrots," he said.

Judy felt her face heat up but she didn't look away from him. She shrugged. "It's what partners do."

...

Chief Bogo paced back and forth in his office, the rabbit and fox watching his every movement as he rubbed his snout, read over paperwork he'd already read, paused by the window. It had been a long, long meeting. Both Nick and Judy had been given the chance to speak. The one dreaded question that Judy had been bracing herself for was what exactly had happened to Nick after he'd entered the coyotes' van.

"They hustled me," he'd said. "As soon as I got to their warehouse, my phone rang. Of course, the picture of Judy that shows up has her in her police uniform so it wouldn't take a genius to put the two together. Alessandro took it and tossed me into one of the vivariums. He told me they'd not once been intending to accept my 'help'." He used air quotes around 'help' then shrugged. "One of the coyotes had been checking out my tail the entire ride as well."

As Judy ran this over in her mind during the intense silence, her eyes drifted to Nick's tail. Despite how cropped it looked he didn't seem too bothered. It lolled out of the back of the chair like it always did, occasionally flicking around as he waited for Bogo to finally say something.

"Well." When the water buffalo spoke, Judy practically leapt out of her seat. He turned to face them and leant back against the wall. "I think it's fairly obvious that I'm not impressed with either of you. You, Nick, shouldn't have gone undercover, or dragged your partner into it with you, despite how you felt about the accusation against foxes. It wasn't aimed at you personally, was it? You also shouldn't have gone into a van with complete strangers especially if you were suspecting them! Didn't your mother teach you that as a cub?"

Nick blanched and glanced down at his paws.

"As for you, Hopps. Taking an undercover car – twice. Getting your friend's car ruined. Endangering two civilians. Taking the case into your own paws rather than asking for help. And why? All because you were worried that Nick would lose his job, or his life? We take care to do things right here, Hopps. We wouldn't have endangered Nick's life, or the rest of the mammals. As for losing your job, you're the one more at risk of that here."

He paused, keeping his eyes on Judy's while she stared back, her nose twitching. Was this really it? Had she lost her job? She tried her best not to sink into her seat with despair.

"However." Bogo paused and folded his arms. "Since you did manage to find the criminals and release the captive mammals, I think it's fair that the two of you accept the same punishment. Two months unpaid suspension, followed by two months parking duty."

Judy stared back at him, mouth agape. She felt like she was about to float off her chair, but instead she fell forwards against his desk with her head in her arms.

"Oh thank goodness! I thought I was going to have to return to Bunny Burrows with my tail between my legs!"

Nick placed a paw on her shoulder and let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't get too carried away," said Bogo. "I'm not finished. You, Hopps, will be on probation for the first six months you return. But hopefully you won't try something so reckless again."

She sat up straight and smiled. "You have my word, Chief!"

Bogo frowned at her for a moment then let it melt away with a sigh. "All right, Hopps. The two of you can leave. Hopefully I can catch your two friends before they leave the station."

He ushered them from his office back into the lobby. Flash was sat with Clawhauser behind the front desk, sipping at a mug of coffee. When Clawhauser spotted them a grin spread across his face.

"I can tell by the looks on your faces that went well!" he said. "Oh, I'm so glad the two of you are okay! I've been worried sick. I could hardly eat!"

Nick smiled. "Well, it's great to see you too. And daylight for that matter!"

Clawhauser made a little 'oh' and put his paws to his mouth as he flopped back into his chair. Judy thought he was going to burst into tears of relief, or despair at the thought of what Nick and the others had recently been through.

"Okay, Clawhauser," said Bogo. "Cheery reunion aside, where is the little fox?"

Clawhauser and Flash looked down at the spot between them. Finnick's oddly deep voice boomed out from behind the desk.

"I'm here. Whatchu want?"

The fennec strutted out from behind it, licking donut sugar off his paws. His right ear now sported a small, white bandage where the bullet had clipped it.

"You're done with the nurse then?" Bogo nodded. "Guess it looked worse than it was?"

"Yeah, thankfully." Finnick folded his arms. "You gonna give me a lecture now?"

"No. Quite the opposite, actually." Bogo eyed Finnick as the fox's hard expression softened into one of surprise. "Despite getting involved in police business, I can't deny you two were of exceptional help. Especially you, Finnick, even to go so far as to risk your own life to save the life of one of my officers. That kind of bravery can't go unrewarded. As such, I'm going to expunge your record. You get a clean slate. You can start over. Whatever you do with it is up to you, but I was kind of hoping-" Bogo pulled a folded sheet of paper from his back pocket and handed it to the small fox, "that you might consider working for me."
Finnick stared at the application form in disbelief, but it was only for a moment as his face creased with laughter.

"Me?! A cop?! You serious, fuzz?!"

Bogo huffed and waved a hoof in dismissal. "I shall pretend you didn't just call me 'fuzz'. As for you, Flash. How would you like to work in my data and analytics department? Or as a driver?"

"That's... very... generous. I... might... consider it... but... I'm... happy... in my... job."

"Hmm. That's a pity. You could always help out from there? Judy says you helped her trace a car once."

A huge smile spread across Flash's face. "I... would... like... that-"

"Well-"

"Very... much."

Bogo waited for a moment just in case Flash had more to add. "Well, I'll be sure to remember you." He turned back to Finnick. "I suppose I'll let you be on your way. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

"Yeh. Sure." Finnick waved a paw at Clawhauser as he turned away. "Thanks for the donut, Ben. Maybe I'll see you around, eh?"

"Oh, definitely!" said Clawhauser. "Take care now!"

He was still chuckling as he headed for the door, every glance at the application form in his paw only making him double over with laughter. He paused by the rotating door to look back at the desk.

"Oi, Speedy! I'll be waitin' for you in my van. You want a lift home, you better make it snappy. Capiche?"

Flash gave Clawhauser an apologetic glance and placed his mug back onto the desk before slipping slowly out of his seat.

Clawhauser leant over his desk as he watched them leave, his long tail swishing from side to side. "Oh, such a sweet little guy. I hope he reconsiders."

Judy sighed and scratched behind her ear. "I don't know..."

"Hey," said Nick. "He took it, didn't he? He could always have thrown it back in his face."

Bogo growled under his breath, drawing the red fox's attention up to him.

"Anyway," said the Chief. "I shall see you two in two months." He held up two fingers.

"Yes, two months." Judy turned to face him, a small smile playing at her lips. "Thanks again, Chief."

"Yes. Well. Don't make me regret it. Take care." He strode back towards his office.

Nick and Judy left the ZPD side by side, joining Flash on the sidewalk. Finnick was waiting for him in his van, his shades perched on his muzzle. He gave them a nod.

"You wantin' a lift too? If so, get in the back."

"No, thank you, Finnick," said Judy. "I think I could use the walk after all this."

"Me too," said Nick. "Being cooped up in that place kinda gave me cabin fever."

Finnick shrugged and turned on the ignition. "Suit yourselves."

"Finnick, wait." Judy rushed to the open window and pulled herself up so she could meet his eyes. "You saved my life. I didn't quite realise it during all the chaos, but..." She paused, trying not to cry and smiled. "Thank you."

He stared at her for a moment then shrugged again as he looked away. "Was nothin'."

She laughed and released the window, dropping back to the ground. Flash had managed to reach the car now. He looked back at her and Nick and waved.

"I'm... glad... you are... both... safe."

"Thank you, Flash," said Judy. "For everything."

"Yeah!" said Nick. "You guys are real pals. And I'm sorry about your car, man. If I can help out at all-"

Flash waved him off. "It's... fine."

They watched as Flash pulled himself into the car, Finnick waiting patiently. The small fox looked back at them, but Judy couldn't read his expression behind his shades.

"You look after each other now," he said.

Nick placed an arm around Judy and pulled her into his side, causing her face to light up. "Oh, we will. You take care as well, big guy."

Finnick stared at them for a moment, only looking away when Flash closed the passenger side door.

"Yeh, I will." he said. "Ciao."

The van pulled out from the curb and backfired before trundling off down the road, away from the ZPD.

"Well," Nick finally said. "It's all over."

"Yeh." Judy's ears drooped and she groaned. "Two months unpaid suspension..."

"Hey, it's better than being fired, Carrots."

"I know. I'm just glad I have savings. Otherwise I wouldn't make rent this month."

"I could always help you out." Nick folded his paws behind his head and smiled. "So. We taking the subway or the long way?"

"Long way," said Judy. "I might be tired, but I really need to walk all this off."

"Same. I don't fancy being sardined into a carriage. Not today anyway." As they walked back towards Judy's flat, he looked down at her. "Hey, Carrots. I don't suppose you've got any blueberries? Because I could really eat some right now."

...

It had been a long walk, but it had been needed. Judy felt a lot lighter, and less tired than she had been after the fresh air. She was so relieved Nick was okay. As they'd walked they'd talked like he'd never even been gone.

It wasn't until she reached her doorstep that she realised she didn't want him to leave. He paused beside her and leant against the wall.

"This is where I leave you, ma'am," he said.

She laughed and cuffed him in the arm. "I think I prefer it when you call me Carrots."

"Huh." He raised an eyebrow. "So I have a new way to annoy you? I'll have to remember that one."

Judy shook her head at his wide smirk and tutted.

"Cut it out." She reached for her keys and unlocked the door. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Well, we're both tired so I guess so. What shall we do? I guess a movie is out of the window since we both need to be frugal for the next two months."

"We could always watch a movie at yours?" she suggested. Then it hit her. "Wait, were you asking me on a date?"

He shrugged. "I had a lot of thinking to do in that cell. One thing I thought was 'man, I need to ask that cute rabbit on a date. Why haven't I done it sooner?'"

Judy's jaw hung open, then snapped shut as she pointed at him. "Don't call me 'cute'."

"Fine. Adorable."

She felt her face heat up.

"Listen, Carrots." He took both her paws in his, causing her to drop the keys onto the floor with a clatter. "There isn't an easy way for me to say this, so..."

He closed the distance between them, catching her lips in a soft kiss. When he pulled back, Judy stared at him aghast, her face red all the way to the tips of her ears. He smiled and released her, but before he could say anything she pulled him back down by the tie and kissed him again.

"Woo! It's about time!"

Judy froze at the oryx's voice and the two of them pulled back to look up at the window. Pronk was leaning out of it with a soda in one hoof, waving at them.

"We've been waitin' for you two to get together!"

"Come away from the window and leave them alone, Pronk!"

"I'm just showin' them some support, Bucky!"

"And I'm sure they appreciate it. Now shut up and leave them alone!"

"You shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

And the squabbling continued. Judy tried her best to tune it out and turned back to Nick, a small smile spreading over both their faces.

"Okay, Slick. You got yourself a date." She let go of his tie and grinned, but it didn't do anything to hide the blush covering her cheeks. She retrieved her keys from the doorstep then looked back up at him. "But can I choose the movie?"

He adjusted his tie then leant back against the wall, wearing a smirk on his muzzle. "Oh, I suppose so. But I'm going to vito anything soppy."

She made a 'pfft!' noise and flicked her keys in the air. "Give me a good action movie any time." The door now open, she paused in the doorway. "See you in the morning?"

He smiled. "Sure thing, Carrots. Sleep well."

She closed the door and let her back rest against it. Her heart was racing. She placed a paw to her chest and smiled to herself. A date with Nick. She'd not seen that coming.

...

Finnick flopped onto his sofa, a can of root beer in one paw, finally able to relax after the madness the past three days had brought. His stereo boomed out rap that the thin walls of his van could barely contain.

As he put the can down, he faltered, the can hovering over the application Bogo had given to him. For some reason, he decided to place the can beside it. With a frown, he snatched the application up and strode across the small space towards the drawer of various nicknacks.

He chuckled. "Me a cop. Gotta be jokin' right?"

His toe brushed something hard on the floor and he looked down. An orange carrot pen. Judy must have forgotten it.

Muttering to himself, he stooped to pick it up, noticing that the nib was still poking through the shell. He remembered now. Marcello had upset her. She'd dropped it while she fled from his van. He made a mental note to return it to her, but for now...

The overstuffed draw creaked open and he eyed the contents for a moment, looking from the application and pen back to the drawer. Bogo's words were still fresh in his mind. They'd been playing over on loop the entire time he'd been driving Flash back to the DMV. The sloth hadn't stopped talking about it either, which hadn't helped matters.

'That kind of bravery can't go unrewarded. As such, I'm going to expunge your record. You get a clean slate. You can start over. Whatever you do with it is up to you.'

Whatever you do with it...

He stared at the application in his paw. The recent events were certainly not a blur. He couldn't stop thinking about them. Never before in his life had he gone out of his way to help other mammals. Well, there was Nick, but Nick was different. However, there was something about cracking that case that felt... satisfying.

Rewarding.

Never before in his life had another mammal actually thanked him for anything. Seen him as something more than just a conniving fox.

Instead, Bogo had seen him as an ally. He'd thanked him. Rewarded him with a clean slate and offered him a job. A job where he could be more than just a conniving fox.

Finnick let out a small sigh and shoved the drawer closed, not taking his eyes off the application.

"A chance to start over, huh?" He slumped back to the sofa and kicked his feet up onto the table, scanning over the various questions while he twirled the carrot pen around between his fingers. "Alright, fuzz. You got yourself a deal."

...

There you go! It's over! Thank you so much for reading!

I think from the ending you can kinda guess the sequel? It will be a side project alongside my main 'fic. I've started work on it, but progress is VERY slow, so I don't know when the first update will be. But keep an eye open for it anyway! It's called 'Chalk and Cheese and the Crazy Catastrophe' ;)