"You want whatever defense attorney she hires to poke holes in your statement?" the police chief asked Nick Wilde after one too many sarcastic comments about how many times he had to tell the same story. Needing to rest the joke sector of his brain, the fox merely shook his head. "Then we have to make sure we get this right."

Nick knew it was true, but that didn't make him any happier about being stuck here at the station while Judy was at the hospital. He'd wanted to go with her, but the chief was adamant about getting their statements as soon as possible. Judy's would have to wait until she was treated, but she'd been just as adamant about Nick giving his right away – "I'll be fine," she'd insisted. "Get it done now. The sooner, the better." Since she was the one with the injured leg, how could he argue? Hence his presence in an interrogation room while his friend was getting her leg checked out.

"You're satisfied it's completely accurate?" Chief Bogo asked him after he'd read the typed version of his statement for the fiftieth or sixtieth time.

"Yes, it's 100% accurate," Nick told him slowly and deliberately. "This is exactly what I told you and exactly what happened."

"You're sure?"

Nick almost answered, I don't know, but why would I care? It's not like I want the psycho sheep who attacked us to go to prison or anything, but realized that would only require him to start over. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to say, "Yes, it is correct," as calmly as possible.

The chief held a pen out to him. "Then just sign it, and we're do-" He didn't finish the last word, as that was when Nick snatched the pen out of his hoof and signed his name at the bottom of the page.

"Thanks, chief, it's been a real blast," Nick said rapidly as pushed the clipboard back across the table. "We'll have to do this again sometime, I'll check my schedule and get back to you, but now if you'll excuse me…" He stood up and pushed his chair away from the table. "I'm late for an appointment."

"At the hospital? What a coincidence," Bogo said, sounding even more annoyed than he'd been so far tonight, also rising from his seat. "I'm heading over there myself. Do you have a ride?"

"Eh… no," the fox admitted.

"Well, then, if you'll wait until I take care of a few things, I'll be happy to give you a lift."

It was then that it struck Nick that the chief must be just as anxious to see how Judy was doing as he was. He said in a more polite tone, "Yeah… that sounds good. Thanks."

The buffalo grunted as his glare relaxed slightly. "Wait for me out front," he said before turning and heading for the door. "I won't be long."

Bogo left Nick at the front desk. The fox spent a few seconds enjoying his release before he grew impatient to get going again. He looked around the station, noticing a few changes since the day he'd been brought in over the incident with the polar bear and the air conditioner at the fish market (which was truly, like he'd told them, all Finnick's fault), when his eyes stopped on the station's temporary holding cell (the cage, in the common vernacular), across the entrance hall. A few prisoners were inside at the moment, all of them sleeping… except one.

He should have figured she'd be here overnight – it was too late for arraignment. Still, it felt weird to find himself so close to her so soon. There hadn't really been any time at the museum for the sudden revelation about their enemy to sink in for Nick; he'd been too busy running for his life and giving a convincing performance to mull over the discovery. His brain spontaneously took the current opportunity to make up for lost time.

So this was the mastermind behind the crusade against his kind. This was the one they owed for the persecution they'd all been enduring for weeks. He couldn't say she had "started" anything – the fear, mistrust, disrespect, contempt, disdain, and outright hatred all predators faced every day had been around long before she was even born – but she had certainly turned up the heat, knowingly, willingly, and happily. Now he knew who to thank for the double nightmare he had lived in for several weeks – the fear of looking at a goat the wrong way or saying the wrong word to a horse and being attacked or thrown in jail as a result, and the fear of turning into one of the mindless beasts he'd seen in the hospital. What was it like in the mind that could cause all that? What was going through her head right now? Did she agree they had all the evidence they needed to lock her up, or did she have some plan to beat it? Was she scared? Worried? Enraged? Or quietly plotting how to get out of it? He couldn't see how she looked from over here. He tilted his head, took a few steps, and before he knew it, he was walking up to the cage.

There were several feet between him and the bars when he stopped. She didn't notice him at first. She was pacing back and forth with her head down, scowling like someone waiting for a bus that was half an hour late. She stopped when she finally noticed his shadow on the floor in front of her and turned her head slowly towards him, her expression not changing one iota.

For a few seconds, the two of them stood still, not saying anything, just staring at each other like they were both trying to decipher a text in a foreign language. Nick saw nothing that answered any of his questions. All he could tell from her look was that she was imagining him truly going savage and would have given anything at that moment to make it a reality, that she completely loathed him with every fiber of her being. No surprise there.

Dawn Bellwether and her cronies had often talked about how much they hated preds, but she now realized she'd been wrong. She had never known what hatred was before tonight! All those long months of late hours and sleepless nights spent planning and experimenting and strategizing and countering old Lionfart's interference were ruined – her dreams of rising shattered, the power she'd amassed gone before she'd barely had any time to enjoy it! And it was all because of this fox! Judy Hopps never would have betrayed her if it hadn't been for him! Bellwether had the city's beloved hero cop fully on her side before he messed with her mind and turned the rabbit against her. It was all his fault! Without him, Judy would have had no reason to question what she'd believed at the press conference. Bellwether still had no idea how she'd found the lab or even known to go looking for it, but she knew Judy never would have considered there could be something more to look for if this fox hadn't gotten to her. He had taken her most powerful piece in the game. If it weren't for him, she would still be in charge, Judy would still be on her side, and nobody would be able to stop her! She had lost everything thanks to him! He was the absolute LAST mammal she wanted to see right now!

Nick had nothing he wanted to say to her, so Bellwether was the first to speak. "I hope you're happy, fox. You must be so proud of yourself right now. Making me look like a fool, wrecking all my hard work, blowing my whole operation wide open, destroying my lab, putting me in here… Not bad for a night's work."

Nick hadn't planned on a conversation; he wondered if there were rules about this sort of thing, but he certainly wasn't going to let her think she intimidated him or something. Taking a deep breath, Nick strolled up to the bars, his eyes hard, his signature cocky smile nowhere to be seen. "It is nice to know you and your buddies won't be out hunting predators anymore."

Bellwether's glare shifted into a smug grin. "You're smart enough to realize this changes nothing, right? Preds will never forgive prey for what they've put them through, so prey will never trust preds again. Shutting us down won't fix anything. You went to all this trouble tonight for nothing – it won't make any difference."

"But it can't hurt anything, either," Nick replied without missing a beat.

"Keep telling yourself that. I'm sure the city will be so much better off thanks to you."

"I can think of a few dozen Night Howlered predators who will be much better off now, not to mention all the predators who won't be joining them." Nick allowed himself to smile halfway through that sentence.

The soon-to-be-ex-mayor nodded. "Indeed – you've ruined that plan for good. No way prey will ever believe any pred could go savage without warning anymore, huh?"

Nick knew what she was getting at – that just because they'd proven there was no reason for prey to fear predators didn't mean they would stop, that they wouldn't immediately forget the connection between "predator" and "savage" no matter how often they were reminded it was completely false – but all he did was frown in boredom, cross his arms, and say, "A lot of good that will do you, huh?"

Bellwether looked thoughtful as she shrugged. "True. My political career's over. Won't be much fun watching preds and prey tear each other apart from behind bars. I admit it, you beat me. It's my own fault, I got complacent; I should've noticed when I checked the gun was loaded, but I only had time to take a quick glance." She burst into laughter. "Just think – if it hadn't been so dark, if I'd been able to see the ammo more clearly, where would we be right now?" She laughed even harder, keeping her eyes on Nick's as if waiting to detect some sign of horror at the thought, but none came. She stopped laughing, but her broad smile remained. "Well, you got lucky there. Great performance, though – you had me fooled. You had us all fooled. I'm impressed, I mean, I've always prided myself on being a great actor, I should've seen it coming, but you really got me. You tricked me good. Of course, I'd expect no less from your kind."

Over twenty years of experience in this area enabled Nick to keep face blank. Bellwether sighed and shook her head in disappointment at herself before continuing. "I should've known there was no way I could outfox someone like you. The most notorious trickster of all preds and prey? I didn't stand a chance. No one can outsmart a fox. Playing tricks is all they know how to do. How could I expect to beat that? I should have known I had no hope of outwitting a fox, that he had some trick up his sleeve. No wonder you beat me so easily. I should have remembered foxes are more crafty and cunning than all of us; it's in their nature – tonight's little adventure sure proves that."

Nick had no problem keeping his face from betraying anything, but he felt his body stiffen up as all his muscles clenched tight. Unfortunately, judging by Bellwether's satisfied grin, she noticed. She stared knowingly at him for a few seconds, savoring the effect of her speech, before going on: "Tell me, how did you do it? How did you make it so convincing? It's not like you've had any practice faking something like that before, and you sure didn't have much time to prepare. But it looked so… real. So natural. I wonder why that is. Ever wonder why it came so easy to you?" Once again, she got no reaction, but that didn't seem to bother her at all. "How you were able to pull it off so well? How you were able to fool us, who knew the effects of Night Howler savagery better than anyone? Did you get worried when it went so smoothly? When you found how easy it was to tap into your aggressive, hunting instincts? Was it an act… or was it the real you? Your scheme only worked because it came so naturally to you. It must have been such a relief to finally be able to give into it. To be yourself for the first time."

Nick didn't give her any time to think she was getting to him before saying very slowly, "I did what I had to do to save my friend and shut down your Night Howler delivery service, no matter how much I hated it."

For some reason, Bellwether looked amused by that. "How noble of you – you're such a hero!"

Nick easily predicted where that was going. "Is this the part where you tell me I only did it for myself? Because it was better for me if everyone knew the truth and the campaign against predators stopped?"

"You said it, not me."

"Because I never claimed to be a hero." He honestly didn't know about that. "Call me whatever you want, I don't care. Judy's the real hero." That, he knew for sure.

"Judy was a hero." Nick couldn't stop himself from looking confused at that. "A few months ago, she was the one who discovered the secret plague of savage predators, who found 15 victims, arrested the corrupt politician responsible, and warned the city of the danger they were in from preds' savage DNA. Remember that?" Nick narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw as he tried to hold back the memories of that painful day. Bellwether gave him a few seconds to dwell on them. "By tomorrow, everyone will know she was completely wrong, that she started a panic for nothing, that she was an ignorant fool for ever believing the things she said that day. I understand they'll be disappointed in me, but I can't take all the credit for this – I never could have done it all without Officer Hopps. And when they know the truth, who else do you think preds will blame for what they've been through? I'm sure they'll be thrilled – they've been hating her for what she said for months, but now they'll have validation. And once they get it, you can bet they'll be demanding she be punished just as much as me."

Nick could feel himself shaking; he had to whisper to keep his voice under control. "Judy Hopps is the one who stopped you."

"I hope that makes up for the weeks of misery she put innocent preds through and all the prey she terrified…"

"Nothing is going to happen to her!" Nick was still whispering, but the wrath behind his words was all too palpable.

"Aw, are you going to protect her? That's so sweet of you." Bellwether spoke as if she was joking around with a baby. "Well, it's the least you can do, I mean, if it hadn't been for you, she'd still be a hero. She'd be perfectly safe and happy instead of guilty and walking around with a target on her back. But I understand you did what you had to do to protect your kind – so what if you ruined one rabbit's life…?"

Unable to tell what part of that last speech made him more furious, Nick shook his head and blurted out, "You don't know anything about me or her."

"I know foxes and rabbits aren't friends." Bellwether must have seen some reaction in his face because she laughed before continuing. "Oh, please, do you really expect me – or her – to believe you actually cared about her? That you didn't join her just to make things better for your own kind? Or maybe you believed she cared about helping you, that she didn't do all this just to make herself feel better? You know Judy Hopps doesn't care about predators. She made that clear at the press conference. I know all about how you stood up for her and went to Cliffside with her. After all that, she still saw your kind as the enemy. She had no problem betraying you. What a friend…"

Nick couldn't stand it anymore. "Things have changed," he said more quietly but, unfortunately, not more calmly – less so, in fact.

"Right – she found out Night Howlers were responsible. If not, I'm sure she wouldn't still be afraid of you, would she?"

There was no way Nick could hide his surprise at that; he gasped before he had time to try to stop it. "How do you know about…?"

"I was a few feet away from you two – I saw the whole thing. Don't pretend you've forgotten it any more than I did. I don't know how she found out about my serum, but I know she didn't have her change of heart until after she found out, did she?" She paused, but Nick didn't correct her. He couldn't. "Then there was no change, just new information. She may not show it anymore, but you know she's still afraid of you. She'll always be afraid of you, deep down. She can't help it; it's our instinct. She'll never be able to ignore it; she'll never be able to trust you. Which means, if you're smart, you'll never trust her."

"I'll trust her before I trust you." Nick stepped closer to the bars and even leaned forward, but his voice, though rising, remained controlled and calm. "Judy Hopps risked her life to save predators. She tried to sacrifice herself to save me from you. She trusted me with her life. If she was afraid of me, she wouldn't have come to me before her old boss and all the other prey on the force." Nick was suddenly struck by something so obvious, he was shocked he hadn't realized its importance before. "But why should you find that so hard to believe? You're not afraid of me, either. You never were." No objection, of course. "You were never afraid of me, but I would have been doomed if I'd ever assumed that meant I could trust you. So, if you can't automatically trust someone who's never been afraid of you, it follows you can trust someone who has been."

Bellwether looked like she was trying to melt the bars with her glare. The sight made Nick able to talk more naturally. "For the record, I thought that was suspicious the first time we met. You seemed way too comfortable around me. Judy was nervous around me from the beginning, but she never hid how much she hated me. Sure, she tricked me a few times… pretty impressive how… a-hem, but she never lied to me."

"So she and I felt the same way about preds, but she was more honest about it. How admirable."

Now it was Nick's turn to laugh. "You are nothing like Judy Hopps."

That got him a soft, brief, but obviously highly amused chuckle in return. "You're right, I'm sorry. We both wanted to protect the city, we both wanted to make it a better place, we both wanted peace, we both wanted to be heroes… but she had her way, and I had mine."

Nick felt his temper rising again. He couldn't take another word against Judy. "If your idea of 'peace' is 'predators submit peacefully to prey tyranny,' yeah, that's true." Bellwether turned aside as if she'd stopped listening, but he was familiar with that tactic and went on. "Don't try to pull that on me – you're not some martyr with good intentions who went too far, you're just a garden-variety dictator after power. You never cared about harmony, justice, or protecting anyone – you know how many prey your savage predators sent to the ER? Judy only got involved in this because she cared about helping an otter. She wanted to protect everyone. She is a real hero. She cares about this city. You're a criminal who doesn't care about anyone but yourself."

"Unlike you?" Nick felt something twist inside him like he'd been punched in the gut. At least it paralyzed him so well that he gave away nothing with his face or body. The sheep paused for a second or two before turning back to him with a triumphant smirk. "I know all about your history, Nicholas Wilde. I ran a background check as soon as you and Judy left my office. I must say, it was an interesting read. Connections with just about every convicted felon in Zootopia. Twenty years' worth of complaints and lawsuits, suspected cons, fraud, black market sales, trademark infringement, permit, licensing, and municipal code violations… and not one conviction. Hardly even any formal charges. Most impressive criminal resume I've ever seen. I should have asked you how you do it – if I'd been able to stay under the radar as long as you have, if I'd taken as much care with backup loopholes for when I got caught, if I had as much experience beating the law, maybe I'd still be in business! I've always been proud of how well I was able to hide my operation and how long I got away with it, but apparently, my skills in that area are nothing compared to yours. I started too late – I haven't been practicing since I was twelve. It must have been fun – all those years of tricking suckers into believing whatever you wanted, giving you whatever you wanted, doing whatever you wanted, and then, when they caught onto you, watching them fume and storm in impotent rage and gloating because you knew there was nothing they could do about it. You were beyond their reach. You were invincible. You were the one with all the power."

Nick felt his eyes widen against his will as she paused to let that last word sink in. Once she seemed satisfied by the effect, she continued: "Don't worry – you have every right to think you're so much better than me. You're right. You are. Better at what you do. You're a better criminal than I ever was. In terms of success, we're nothing alike…"

It was the most infuriating moment of Nick Wilde's life. This was the oldest trap in the book. The standard response – I am nothing like you – had been ready the instant he realized he'd fallen for it, but his tongue just couldn't form the words. What was the point? She'd responded before he could say it!

Nick's mind was racing too fast for him to think straight. In less than twenty seconds, he relived the past twenty years he'd spent tricking unsuspecting mammals out of their money – every target he'd ever duped, every scheme he'd ever pulled, every sale he'd ever made. It had been his chosen way of waging battle against the world that had declared him its enemy. He had trained himself not to care, not to let any of his cons bother him, not to let the nature of his profession get to him, and he'd succeeded. The only moments he had genuinely enjoyed, however, were the rare instances when a mark or a cop threatened him and he bombarded them with loopholes until they surrendered, sometimes minutes later, sometimes weeks (one lawsuit had dragged on for three years, but only because that mule appealed his adjudication to three higher courts before giving up), but always eventually forced to concede they were powerless against him. He couldn't deny that was the one part of his job he sincerely found fun. He also couldn't deny he was great at it…

Which meant he could play this game, too…

"… Feels great, doesn't it?"

His composure restored, Nick shrugged and answered nonchalantly, "Yeah, I guess it does." He was rewarded by seeing Bellwether start at his honest response, evidently not what she'd been expecting. That made him feel more confident. He was able to smile as he added, "I'm sure your customers would think it was great, too, at least compared to your business. Given a choice, who do you think mammals would rather deal with – a vendor who passes popsicle sticks off as lumber, or a power-hungry dictator who hurts innocent mammals, torments their families, terrorizes a city, and starts a civil war?" He paused as if doing a mathematical calculation, then shook his head and scoffed, "Pfft, how weak and pathetic can someone be to need to resort to such extreme measures to feel strong?"

He was disappointed that the sheep didn't lose her temper at that. Her steady, murderous gaze didn't change one bit as she said, "How weak and pathetic can vicious preds be to feel threatened by a weak, pathetic, little sheep?"

She said it with such relish, as if the thought made up for everything she'd lost. Perplexed, Nick said flatly, "We're not afraid of you."

"Not anymore, but you were. For just a while, you all were. You preds finally knew how it felt to be hunted. Who does that make the strong one?"

The way she said that reminded Nick of something he'd heard her say at the museum: "Predators… they may be strong and loud…" The tone had been an odd mixture of disgust, admiration, and even… longing. There was only one word for that. "So that's why you did it," he realized. "You're jealous." Bellwether was so startled by the statement, she gasped and jumped back a step, leaving her mouth hang open. "Jealous you're not as strong as you think we are. You just had to prove you were just as strong, no matter what it took."

Bellwether recovered in no time. "At least I tried," she hissed. "When did you ever try to be stronger? What did you ever aspire to?" Her smile returned as smug as ever. "I applaud your honesty, fox. Why try to be what you know you aren't? Is that why you really abandoned Judy? Were you jealous that she'd tried to be a hero while you'd never tried to be anything more than a crook? Don't get me wrong, I don't blame you. Why bother? You could never be as strong as her; you knew that when you turned down her offer. You know you could never be anything but a sly fox. A common criminal." She indulged in another laugh. "You may have found a less violent way to hunt, but deep down, you're still a hunter constantly on the lookout for easy targets. Still a vicious predator. A savage monster."

"I'm not the monster," Nick said in a low voice, then pointed straight ahead into the cage. "She is."

Bellwether snapped around like she expected to see a wolf or a tiger about to attack her, but there was no one behind her. She turned back around and realized the fox had been pointing at her. She was glowering at him with fresh hatred when another voice made them both start: "I guess not every mammal needs Night Howlers to turn into a savage hunter." Nick turned and Bellwether craned her neck to see Judy Hopps step out from around the corner behind him, her right leg bandaged.

"Judy… your leg…" was all Nick could say at first.

"It's fine, just a deep cut," the rabbit explained. "Didn't even need a cast."

"What are you doing here?"

"Didn't take them long to patch me up, so I asked the officer who rode with me to let me come back with him. I thought you might still be here." She smiled warmly at her friend. Other than her introduction, she gave no sign she was even aware of the sheep standing a few feet away, watching them intently. "I didn't really get a chance to say this at the museum, so I was hoping I'd catch you tonight. I just wanted to say… thanks a lot, Nick. For everything. I couldn't have done this without you. I can never thank you enough."

Nick had been about to ask her how much she heard, but her last sentence made him change course. He smiled back. "Sure you can, Carrots – once is enough."

"But it's not. I had no right to expect you to help me at all. Not after what I did."

"I thought we were past that by now." Uncomfortable with where they were having this conversation, Nick tried to start walking away, but Judy grabbed his arm. They stayed put.

"If you are, it's more than I deserve. I didn't even apologize to you for months." Judy stopped to sigh and rally her strength. "I felt horrible about what I said as soon as you left. I've regretted it every minute of every day since then. I just couldn't face you. Besides, I didn't think you'd ever want to see me again. Watching the city fall apart because of me only made it worse. I spent all that time wishing I could take it back. What you said, what I caused… it made me hate every word I said that day."

Nick heard the unspoken words, Before I found out about the Night Howlers. She was telling him her regret had nothing to do with that discovery. He shook himself to get his voice started again. "Well, don't let it get to you anymore, Carrots. I've done a few things I'm not proud of, too."

He was relieved to see Judy smile again. "Well, I know mammals who have done a lot worse. Besides, you've more than made up for them tonight, risking your life to save Zootopia, hero fox."

Nick shook his head. "Whoah, I'm no hero…"

"You're my hero. I'll trust you with my life any day."

Nick felt his own grin broaden. "Guess that makes us even. I'll trust you with my life every day."

"Glad we agree on that. Naturally, we both know what the next logical step is…"

"We do?"

"Well, we…" Judy cut herself off like she'd just remembered an important engagement she was late for. Her face fell as her voice turned solemn. "Do you really forgive me?"

Nick felt he was entitled to sigh in exasperation. "Only if you're really sorry."

"Of course I am!"

Nick mimicked her tone: "Of course I do!" He added more softly, "Besides, I never asked if you forgave me for everything I said the day we met."

Judy seemed stunned. "Since the rainforest," she said firmly. "That doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we make a good team. We should… keep working together. I'm gonna get back on the force as soon as my leg heals, and… I know I asked you this before, and I understand why you turned me down, but…"

Nick wondered why he hadn't seen this coming. "Sure you still want a predator for a partner?"

"No, I want a brave, smart, loyal friend for a partner."

"I'm honored, but it still might not be the best move for you, given the circumstances."

"Is it the best move for me? Yes – yes, it is. Do I care about why it wouldn't be? No – no, I don't. They can think what they want; they don't scare me any more than you do."

Nick could only grin and say truthfully, "Thanks, but I knew that already."

"I know. I just wanted to say it." Nick didn't ask why. "Now that we're clear on that, do we have a deal?" Judy held out her arm.

"Deal," Nick confirmed as they shook hands.

"Well, now that that's settled, I think we're done here," Judy announced.

"You should go find the chief. He was getting ready to go see you."

"Already ran into him. He said I'd find you back here."

"Really?" That was genuinely interesting. "He say anything else?"

"I got the message," was all Judy replied. "He did ask me to see him before I left, though. See you out front?"

"See ya' there." With that, Judy turned and left (only limping a little), leaving Nick with the companion he'd effortlessly ignored since she'd arrived but hadn't forgotten. He turned to her now. She didn't look any more pleased by what she'd just seen than by the sight of him when he'd first arrived. What he found telling was that she didn't look surprised. Apparently, she'd believed everything she'd said even less than he had.

Once again, Nick waited for her to begin. "You're making a big mistake," Bellwether said finally.

"Not as big as yours." For once, Nick didn't try to hide his emotion at all as he stared at the sworn enemy of his kind. Not counting that brief moment before the press conference, this was the first time in twenty-three years Nick Wilde had felt hope. That was how long ago he'd accepted he had no future, no chance of anything better, nothing to look forward to. Thanks to his new friend and this journey they'd been on, he knew it wasn't too late. Not for him. But it was too late for her. She had no hope. His life was just beginning; hers was over. That was why he now looked at her with the one expression she couldn't bear: pity.

She fought back by saying, "At least the next anti-pred movement can learn from my mistakes. They won't be so easy to take down."

"Never trust a politician," Nick said flippantly as he turned to leave. There was nothing left to say or hear now.

Evidently, Bellwether disagreed. She called after him, "How brave of you to risk your partner's life as well as your own!"

The fox stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly, then walked back even slower. He stopped right in front of her and fixed his smoldering gaze right on her eyes. Bellwether truly thought he might actually reach in and attack her, but she stood her ground (all the better for her if he did, anyway). Instead, she waited for a short eternity before he abruptly smiled and said cheerfully, "I forgot to thank you. If it hadn't been for you, my partner and I never would have thought of this. It'll be a big change for the ZPD, and it's all your doing. You've been such a big help. We wouldn't be here without your efforts. I just wanted you to know that, since I know how much you love running things. So thank you, Madame Mayor – thanks for everything. Don't worry about us – we won't disappoint you."

Nick let his smile disappear into a defiant scowl and his eyes grow just as harsh while he waited for the stupefied sheep to recover from the full knowledge of what all her efforts had accomplished. When it became obvious she had nothing else to say, he turned his back on her and left without another word.

He decided to call the second half of the night a success. Not only did he now know what was going on inside her head, but he knew a lot more about himself and his partner, as well.

Author's Note: Inspired by a suggestion from livelovelaughbwierd. Turned out to be the HARDEST thing I have ever written in my entire life.