A/N: Trying my hand at Zootopia fanfiction now. Not the usual Fox/Krystal love story I'm known for, but I figured 'hey, why not?' and got started on this.

Chapter One

Joker and the Thief - Wolfmother

000

It was a bad day for the ZPD.

It was an even worse day for Nick Wilde.

Two months had passed since the nighthowler case had officially been closed. Sixty-some days of tranquility throughout Zootopia that had never before been experienced since the city's establishment so many hundred years ago. The crime rate was at an all time low. Stocks were up. Businesses thrived. There was a general feeling of contentment and happiness that so many generations before this one had never known existed...and yet it almost screamed 'impending darkness' in the mind of every trained and weathered officer on the force.

Something this good would never last.

Finally things came to a boiling point, and in the worst way imaginable.

It was the first time he'd found himself regretting it. Meeting her. Solving that stupid case. Becoming a cop. Teaming up on the force.

Because if he hadn't, then maybe this wouldn't be happening. Her blood wouldn't be on his hands. There wouldn't be a gunshot wound in her chest. There wouldn't be another in his leg. He wouldn't be holding her tight and using his final moment of consciousness, not to hope that they'd make it out of here alive, but that the creatures responsible for all of this would just assume they were already dead and continue on.

Above everything else though? He wouldn't have to worry about losing the one thing he'd realized he couldn't live without.

000

-One Hour Earlier-

Lionheart Avenue was one of the three core highways that ran through downtown Zootopia. It was also the mainstream connection between the city's main hub and the icy winds of Tundratown. In other words, and known by many, it was simply 'The Strip.' Both sides for miles were crammed with businesses galore. Casinos, musuems, art galleries, resturaunts, event parks, and...of course...banks.

Or, really, a bank.

The bank.

The Centurion Bank.

An establishment so massive, secure, fortified, and un-heistable that no one would've ever expected the nightmarish assault that plagued it that fateful Friday afternoon. Not the security guards. Not the tellers. Not the ZPD. And certainly not the twenty-seven tons of gold that remained locked behind a vault door so secure, titanic, and impenetrable that the company who'd produced it guaranteed that it could withstand the full frontal assault of an atomic blast.

Fortunately, at least for now, such a claim wasn't being put to the test.

"Yoohoo, Nick. Still awake?"

The vulpine's eyes flashed open, ears perking and swiveling towards the soft voice of his partner as he immediately stretched and worked his neck. "Oh, y-yeah yeah, totally. You know me carrots, alert and ready for action at all times." He stifled a yawn and looked down at the bunny at his side, smirking a bit and shooting her a wink...which garnered a raised eyebrow of disbelief in return.

"You know you talk in your sleep?" she spoke back, leaving him to roll his eyes and lean forward in his seat. "Something about how much you love being a cop..."

"Hilarious." he tossed back, sticking his tongue out for a moment, only to then sigh and fall back in his chair. "Well, what can you expect? I mean, I'd have more fun counting the grains of sand over in Sahara Square than I would doing this." The fox spat out a 'pleh' of boredom afterward, before adding. "Bank Security."

Judy softly laughed at that, shaking her head and leaving the vulpine to smile just as well. He mentally recorded the sound, stowing it away forever, keeping it for a rainy day that he was sure he'd have before too long. This? This wasn't bad. It was just an overstaffed police force trying to give everyone something to do when crime was all but non-existent. He wasn't really bothered by it.

Besides, he had other things to think about.

Like...her.

"Hey, it beats running a popsicle stand." she spoke back, voice as soft and smooth as always.

The fox held up a finger at that, shaking his head just as well and grinning all the more. "Oh contrare my darling partner. You've no idea how well off I was in the frozen fruit commodity business."

"Pfft, don't act like you were happier doing that than this." She replied, crossing her arms and showing off her well polished badge.

"Right now I'm not so sure." came a sighed out reply. He was joking, of course. This? This was leagues above working the streets and hustling animals for cash. He'd never expected to be a police officer, but anything else compared to running a sketchy popsicle stand would've been an upgrade. "I mean..." he went on, noticing the faintest glimmer of unsureness in the bunny's eyes.

Oh c'mon carrots, I'm joking. Dense farm girl.

Another thing about her you love...

"I'd much rather spend my days with you instead of Finnick, that's for sure." He concluded, only to redden a bit at the words before faking a cough and leaning back even further in his seat. "Because, uh, geeze, that guy...I'm glad he isn't my son, let's just leave it at that."

Smooth.

She merely laughed at that, landing a soft punch on the vulpine's arm before issuing a sigh of her own, though one that represented happiness and nostalgia. "I can't believe that was almost three months ago." she murmured, smiling to herself, leaving him to watch from above as the bunny stared into one of her paws. "Everything's changed so much since then."

"Already tired of being a hero?" he quizzed playfully, smirking a bit and turning his gaze back out into the crowd.

Something wasn't right...and he knew that to be the case. They'd been standing and/or sitting in this area for three hours now, staring out into the massive lobby almost the entire time. An image had burned itself into his mind in that time, but now? Now something was missing...he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Oh please, that hype died down weeks ago. I'm just another run of the mill cop now."

Yeah freakin' right. You're the most amazing, talented, perfect cop in the world. You're also just...humble.

Her soft words were soon acccompanied by a blush of red as the vulpine snorted and rolled his eyes. "Carrots, I'm a run of the mill cop. You? You...I mean, a wolf-pup just asked you for your autograph like fifteen minutes ago. Feh...run of the mill. I guess they value humility back on the farm, huh?"

She turned to look up at him once more, leaving the fox to wink and smile, his own way of showing her that he meant what he said.

Now, if only I could say so much more.

Yeah, because that'd go over well.

Maybe the feeling is mutual...

And maybe Sahara Square will ice over.

Arguing within his own thoughts, for however brief a time, left the two of them gazing into each other's eyes far longer than he'd realized. He blinked and looked away, this time picking up on the faint cough that Judy herself forced out as she looked down at her paws. "Well, the way I see it, I'm just doing my job."

"You're setting the bar pretty high for poor ol' me then."

They shared a laugh then, putting the slight moment of awkwardness behind them and once more falling into a soft silence that was easily given plenty of background noise via the dozens of animals going back and forth in front of their station. His eyes flicked down once again, watching as the bunny pulled out her phone and went through some digital paperwork the force had left her with. He mimicked the action, though soon found himself staring off to the front of the bank, once more letting his thoughts roam.

He didn't know when it occured to him...that he had feelings for the bunny. It'd been some random night in his apartment, trying to fall asleep. All he'd been able to think about was all they'd been through, and then the following weeks that they'd spent together, every day...every second. The crime rate was so low that, oftentimes, they just hung out rather than 'policed' the city. And the more he got to know about the purple-eyed rabbit, the more he realized how lucky any sort of creature would be to land her as a mate.

Of course, that soon transitioned to something more life changing.

He wanted to be that creature.

Interspecies relationships weren't uncommon. Not anymore, at least. There were some animals who still looked down upon it, who claimed it wasn't right, who believed that 'love' didn't matter when it came down to the nature of things. But hell, if that was the case, if they were still following 'nature'...then he'd have ripped Judy's throat out and eaten her the day they'd met.

Now? Now he felt like he'd do the same thing to anyone who tried to take her away from him.

The vulpine clenched a fist and inwardly sighed. Stupid emotions. Annoying feelings. He wasn't sure if it was his fault for being so lonely for such a long period of time...or Judy's for being so goddamn perfect in every way. At any rate, despite all of that, he wasn't about to screw up their friendship over something as trivial as what he thought might have been 'love' in some form or fashion.

Like she'd feel the same way about you.

It was just something else he'd have to deal with...once he figured out what it all meant. Until then, and easily enough, he'd keep being the same old Slick Nick that she'd met those few months ago. After all, he wasn't about to ruin the one good thing in his life that he finally had going for himself.

But that didn't mean someone else couldn't.

"Hey, look at this."

Her words yanked the vulpine out of his thoughts, green eyes flicking down as the rabbit held her phone up towards him. He focused his gaze and blinked a few times before furrowing his brow and shifting his line of sight over to her own. "Turns out they're delaying Former-Assistant Mayor Bellwether's case."

"A tainted jury...what?"

His former daydream-esque thoughts about Judy ebbed away as he recalled the hell himself and the bunny had been put through all thanks to the sheep's twisted plans. It'd been a miracle they'd solved the case and, ultimately, caught her before it was too late. Since then she'd been locked up in prison, awaiting the court system's next move in putting her on trial for all that she'd masterminded. It left him, briefly, recalling the climax to it all. The way he'd put on an act and let his feral side erupt, pretending to attack Judy, readying himself to do to her what his kind had once lived off of.

Now? Now he'd never dream of hurting her. Ever.

"Says here that she's appealing any sort of case against her that involves a predator being either the judge, or anyone on the jury. Gee, I wonder why?"

Her soft spoken words were tinted with faint anger that the vulpine picked up on all too easily. He frowned and nodded, casting his gaze out upon the crowd in front of them and taking in the mixmatched population of animals, both predator and prey. "I'm surprised there's even a jury to begin with. Civil cases and everything else aside." He looked down at his clawed hand then and shrugged before smiling a bit and glancing back at his partner. "I wouldn't worry about it carrots, prey or predator, she's not getting out of this one. All your hard work isn't going to be for nothing."

He winked at her afterwards, leaving the rabbit to blush a bit before bumping the back of her hand across his leg. "Oh please Nick, I couldn't have done it without you. I've said that a million times already." Again, her voice was smooth and soft, her eyes even flickering with happiness and what he'd almost call contentment as the both of them shared a smile.

She's so beautiful.

The thought rested on his mind for all of a half second before he opened his mouth to reply. He'd planned on calling her out on it. A million times? Oh, not quite! Perhaps a few hundred, maybe, but a million? She was certainly exaggerating. But it was banter like this, with the two of them laughing, enjoying each other's company, and just spending time together...its what he'd grown to love. He looked forward to it every day. Just being with her and getting to bask in the bunny's perfection. Who cared about his 'feelings' when he had a friendship like this one, right?

She'd came along and, truly, made his life worth living. And at this point, he wasn't sure what he'd do without her.

Fate, however, wanted to find out.

"Well..." he began, closing one eye and feigning deep thought. "I wouldn't say a million times, but you're definit-..."

Definitely getting close. That's what he'd planned on saying, followed by some playful smirk and, surely, some sort of cute response on her end. That's how it worked between the two of them. In this perfect world that they'd seemingly turned Zootopia into over the course of the past few months...it only made sense for things to remain the same, didn't it? A fairy-tale, storybook ending where the good guys won, the bad guys lost, and everyone lived happily ever afte, right?

Then...why did shrieks and screams of terror suddenly erupt across the lobby of the bank? Why did every animal in the building suddenly hone in on those basic, survival-driven instincts that they'd all evolved from and use them to run for the exits? Why was there gunfire ringing in the air and the sound of countless, simultaneous explosions bursting within the vulpine's ears? None of that usually symbolized a happy ending, at least, not in his book.

"Nick!"

He heard his name and jerked his head back down towards Judy, only now realizing that the two of them were dusted with mortar and drywall, as well as chunks and pieces of brick and cement. His ears were ringing and he faintly noticed that the wall behind them, a mere ten yards away, had been blown away. The vulpine turned his head, though everything seemed to be going in slow motion for some reason. It wasn't shell shock, or...was it? His gaze slipped across the lobby once more, taking in the scene, looking over the dozens upon dozens of screaming, running, terrified animals. In the background of it all, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw forms shoving their way inside. The way they moved...it didn't suggest fear. It suggested power.

His head turned even further, slipping past the tellers and the hub of the bank. Somehow they were already on their knees, hands tied behind their backs with more of the same masked creatures standing over them and issuing commands and orders left and right.

It registered in his mind soon enough. This was a 211. Armed Robbery. And yet, for some reason, that's all he could remember. All that training he'd went through before joining the force with Judy had faded away, though, one couldn't help but wonder what good it would've done in this case. There was a reason the two of them were assigned to the bank that day. The other guards had fallen ill, two of them just outright disappearing. But with crime being at an all time low, no one thought much of it. The ZPD was happy to lend a hand. So, here they were. Had he been given the time to think about it, he'd have been able to figure it out, surely.

Instead? Instead he was finally left looking behind him, eyes immediately widening as he watched a trio of masked creatures emerge from the wreckage that had once been a wall. He briefly noticed the ballistic vests and blue gloves they wore, as well as the assault rifles being held at their hips, spraying fire into the air and causing what few civilians still standing to fall face first into the ground. And for a few seconds, he was honestly fearful of losing his life to these monsters. That was, at least, until he remembered she was still by his side.

That alone caused him to turn his head back towards the violet-eyed rabbit. She was just as surprised and caught off guard as he was, and he could tell it. This? This wasn't some detective case to track down a missing animal. This was reality at its worst. This was the part of their job that everyone hoped they didn't have to go through when they clocked in every morning. Maybe that's why neither of them did anything at first. Maybe that's why he didn't do anything at all.

And after what happened next, he found himself wishing that Judy had done the same.

The bunny's hand was wrapped around her radio, but to the beasts rushing in right before them it didn't matter. Gun. Radio. Baton. They'd have done it regardless, probably. His eyes widened as he watched it happen, a mere foot from himself...the scene playing out like some twisted nightmare that surely couldn't be real. The bullet ripped through the palm of her hand with ease, only to then tear through the other end connect with her right shoulder. The lightweight ballistic vest she'd almost always worn was missing today. Neither of them had expected this.

No one had.

Her size didn't do her any favors, and the vulpine had to watch in horror as, what was surely at least a 9mm bullet went in one side of the rabbit's body, and then out the other.

His whole world seemed to freeze then. Everything slowed down even more so than it already had been. Seconds took minutes, minutes would've taken hours. There she was, falling backwards right before him, her eyes wide with shock as the radio fell from her bloodied paw. He could see his own hand coming into view, reaching out for her, readying to catch the bunny before she fell, though, even that eventually faded away. His gaze was shifting, his head turning, looking back towards the assholes who'd done this. Given the chance, he'd have torn them apart. Most would've laughed at such a claim, but they didn't know him. They couldn't feel the rage and hate that was stockpiling itself within the vulpine. It didn't matter if he was only half their size. He loved Judy more than anyone could ever know, even the bunny herself...

...and they were trying to take her away from him.

None of it mattered. His thoughts, his feelings, his desires. No sooner had the rabbit's back fell into his left arm did the fox's right leg seize up and buckle. He snarled and lowered his right hand towards his hip. Judy never carried a firearm on her, she kept it in their police SUV...but he wasn't so...trusting. Again though, none of it mattered. He knew he'd been shot in the leg, but the pain wasn't anything to him, not until he knew Judy was alright. Yet, despite every ounce of his being screaming at him to be the hero, to save the day, to rescue his damsel in distress and achieve that story-book, fairytale ending he'd been wanting...the hero could only do so much.

He'd never unholster his Beretta before the backside of an assault rifle smashed into the side of his skull. The fox collapsed then, having only enough know-how to wrap his arms, and entire body in general, around the quivering form of his partner. He held her tight, faintly feeling the warm trickle of her blood between his fingers, noting to himself that it was strangely soothing.

He knew what happened next wasn't real. It was his imagination, obviously. He'd just been bashed in the skull. He was seconds from blacking out. Even still, the words he thought he heard brought mental smirk to the vulpine as he felt a black wave of unconsciousness wash over his mind. Gasped, whispered, struggled out and yet still sounding as beautiful and perfect as always, the bunny's voice brushed against his ear one last time.

"I love you, Nick."

Dreaming already, awesome. See you there, carrots.

000

Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you can. If it seems like this has potential I'll get started on chapter two as soon as I can.