Nick pulled up in front of Finnick's garage and parked, ignoring his friend's complaint that he wanted the van in the back. "It's easier for you to go in the front, Finn."

"Don't see why," grumbled the little fox.

"That's why." Nick nodded at the front door and Finnick's eyes widened.

Judy was waiting on the sidewalk with a polar bear on either side. One bear held Mr Big in his giant paw, and on the paw of the other…

"Fru-fru," breathed Finnick. He looked at Nick with sudden panic. "Don't tell me she redecorated my place again?"

The big fox got out of the van and went around to his friend's door. "Come on. It's not that bad." He helped Finnick out and handed him the cane the little fox still needed to walk and they proceeded slowly to the garage.

Fru-fru was bouncing with excitement. "Finnick! Oh, my Gawd, wait'll you see what I did with the place this time!"

Mr Big smiled indulgently as they all went into the garage and Finnick looked around. It was even worse than he'd feared. The entire place had been painted in pastels and there were frilly covers on the equipment. The waiting room was cluttered with delicate furniture that was obviously intended for show, not use, and the little fox shuddered as he looked at the stairs leading up to his apartment.

"Yup, I did upstairs too!" said Fru-fru triumphantly. "You'll love it!"

Finnick dug deep in his soul for courage he never knew he possessed and smiled brightly. "I've never seen anything like it, Fru-fru, but I think I'll wait before I try the stairs." He took her tiny paw. "Thank you very much."

"See, Judy, I told you he would like it!" Fru-fru turned to her father. "Daddy, I gotta get home but I wanna go shoppin' first."

"Sure, baby." Mr Big took out his wallet. "How much do you need?"

She leaned over and plucked all the cash out, kissed her father soundly, and left with a hugely pleased expression. Mr Big sighed and turned to Finnick. "Thank you, my friend, for your kindness to my daughter. Raymond will repaint everything tomorrow, and Kevin will take you shopping. Buy whatever you wish and charge it to my account."

Finnick slumped with relief. "Mr Big, you don't know what a load you just took off my mind."

"It is nothing." The tiny shrew waved a paw. "You are family, after all." His eyes glittered. "I have not learned yet who attacked you, but when I do…"

"I don't want you doing nothing about that," said Finnick quickly.

"I know." The crime boss sighed. "I already promised to turn them over to the police. Unharmed."

"Thank you, Mr Big," said Judy, kissing his cheek. She looked up at the polar bear. "And thank you, Kevin. You're a real hero."

"No problem." Kevin rubbed his chest. "Just don't make a habit of shooting me, okay, Nicky?"

The fox smiled wryly. "You got it. Believe it or not, it wasn't nearly as much fun as I thought it would be."

Mr Big chuckled. "I am glad to hear you say so, Nicky. Kevin is a faithful servant. I would be very sorry to lose him." The tiny shrew observed with satisfaction how the polar bear seemed to grow taller from the praise, then said, "And now I must go. There is much to attend to after absenting myself from my business for so long. Do not forget to call tomorrow, Finnick."

"I won't. Thank you, sir." The little fox watched Mr Big leave, then turned to Nick and Judy. "You two don't got to stay. I'll be all right."

"I was going to fix us something to eat," protested Judy. "And what about the stairs?"

"I can manage the stairs," said Finnick firmly. "I ain't had a minute to myself since Nick took me to the hospital and long as there's some beer in the fridge, I'll be all right."

The bunny seemed about to say something more but Nick stepped in. "What about next week? We never did get to have our pizza."

"Sure, Nick." Finnick slapped the red fox's paw and endured a brief hug from the bunny. "I'll give you a call." He turned towards the stairs. Nick and Judy watched for a moment until they saw he could make it safely to the top, then headed out the door and down the street, strolling along in a comfortable silence until they reached the Grand Pangolin Arms.

The fox looked up at the building. "Never thought I'd be so happy to see this place again."

Judy put her little velvet paw on his arm. "Nick."

His sharp green eyes met her soft purple ones and they said simultaneously, "About that kiss…"

"You go first," said the fox.

Judy shook her head. "No, you."

Nick hadn't been able to get it out of his head. He wanted to say it was the sweetest kiss he had ever known, but his courage failed him and he said lamely, "I just wanted you to know if there had been any other way to slip you the key to the cuffs, I would have."

The bunny felt hurt. She could still taste Nick's kiss, but as she looked into his eyes she realized he would never make the first move. Their friendship was too precious to him to risk changing it. Judy took a deep breath. Was it worth the risk?

She tightened her grip on his arm, pulling him down as she raised up on her toes, then her lips touched his. For a moment they were tentative, then Nick wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, holding her close as the kiss deepened until they ran out of breath, staring at each other.

Nick was the first to break the silence. "This changes things."

Judy snuggled against him. "I know."

"We can't let anyone know about us." The fox's paw wandered over the bunny's ears. "They wouldn't let us work together anymore."

"We'll figure it out." Judy giggled and Nick raised his eyebrows. "I was just thinking about the chief's expression when Vifaru asked about the kiss."

The fox's eyes twinkled. "Should we put it in the report or let the chief stew about it?"

"You know as well as I do that it has to go in the report but I don't mind waiting a couple of days to write it up. Now what about something to eat? I stocked your refrigerator. Corn tortillas, fresh veggies…"

"Blueberries?" asked the fox eagerly.

"Of course."

Nick smiled gently at Judy. "You know I love you, right?"

"Do I know that?" She smiled back, her eyes shining. "Yes. Yes, I do."