Chapter IX

First and Last Chances

Draft Authors - Everyone, more or less

Judy had expected a fight.

She'd rehearsed what she was going to say, how she was going to say it, how Bogo would react, and what cards she was prepared to play. A thousand different iterations of the conversation had all played out in her mind, and she'd analyzed them all one by one.

This was too important to mess up. Not only was it finally her chance to prove her mettle as an officer in the ZPD, but more importantly it was her chance to make a real difference in the world. To finally live up to the words she whispered to herself every day.

So she'd gritted her teeth, taken a deep breath, and stormed into Chief Bogo's office prepared for the worst.

Judy started with her record - flawless. Hundreds of hours of overtime, impeccable attention to detail, and a clear commitment to go above and beyond no matter how menial her task. She'd never been so much as a second late to work, and had hardly taken a day off since she'd joined the ZPD.

The Chief had listened attentively but made no move to cut the rabbit off. So Judy turned next to describing the lead she'd found, detailing her encounter with Nick and the things she'd learned about the fire and the Tails.

And at last Judy made her demand: she had to follow this lead.

She had braced herself, subconsciously clenching and unclenching her fists and waiting for the refusal she knew would come - after all, she was still a rookie without a partner.

But for his part, Bogo had been quiet. The buffalo stared at Judy, studying her intensely in silence.

And finally he spoke.

"You're still hungry, Hopps … good."

"Sir?" Judy asked, confused.

"When you first came to us you were ambitious. Driven. Talented," Bogo said. "A dangerous combination."

"Thank you, sir."

"It wasn't a compliment, " Bogo said with a dismissive wave. "I've seen too many promising recruits, fresh out of the academy - valedictorians, the lot of them - crash and burn because they were too proud."

Judy blinked in surprise - she hadn't anticipated this turn in the conversation.

"Do you know why I put you on parking duty for the first six months?" Bogo asked, "Why I've been so hard on you?"

"You expect the best out of your officers."

Bogo chuckled, which sent a shiver down Judy's spine; she'd never heard the Chief laugh.

"I suppose I do," the buffalo conceded. "But that's not why, Hopps."

Judy had watched in amazement as Bogo walked around his desk and knelt down in front of her.

"I did it to humble you," he said.

"What?"

"This job isn't about being a hero, Hopps," Bogo said. "It's about doing a bunch of paperwork, working your tail off late into the night, and doing a ton of boring jobs that keep things running smoothly and mammals safe."

"Yes sir, but-"

"No buts, Hopps," the chief interrupted. "I've seen too many recruits go off half-cocked, too busy chasing glory and glamour to keep sight of why they're really here: to protect and serve. Is that understood?"

Judy had felt her heart sink - she wasn't getting the case.

"Yes sir," she said dejectedly. "I understand."

Bogo nodded and stood to walk back behind his desk.

"Good," he said as he sat down in his chair. "Then I trust you to keep that in mind during your investigation."

Judy's eyes shot up from staring at her feet, and her ears sprang up above her head.

"What!?" she exclaimed. "You're letting me …"

Bogo nodded and said, "You've paid your dues, Hopps - it's about time for you to show me what you can do."

"Thank you sir! Thank you thank you thank you! You won't regret this!"

"I'd better not," Bogo snorted. "I want you to keep Clawhauser informed at every step of your investigation. And if you even think you've run into trouble, you call for backup. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" she said, positively vibrating with excitement.

"Good, now go get to it," the buffalo said with a wave. "I'm busy."

A mere hour later and Judy found herself walking back to her apartment, yet again, with food for both her and her guests. She didn't mind purchasing the food, but the smell of meat was still new to her- definitely something she had to get used to.

She pushed the sensation aside as she pushed open the door to her apartment building and turned her mind towards the task at hand - she had a case to crack.

All she needed now was for Nick to -

"You might want to re-read this, Ms. Hopps."

Judy's landlord stood before the rabbit, the older armadillo's expression a mixture of exhaustion and annoyance as she brandished what Judy saw was a copy of her lease agreement.

"Is this about the dent in the wall? If it is, I swear it was already there when I -"

"Your boyfriend, Ms. Hopps. This is about him. It says plainly in your lease that any new occupant must be signed onto the lease within one week of -"

"Wha- Nick? He's only staying with me awhile to help me with a case!"

The armadillo snorted, "Is it common practice in the ZPD to take home leads and let them … get their scent all over you? I don't care about the circumstances, Ms. Hopps - that's your own business. But any new occupant must be added to the lease that you - need I remind you did sign - within one week of their initial move-in."

"Well, if I do have anyone move in with me I'll be absolutely certain to let you know, but since I do not have anyone moving in, I will be on my way."

Judy snatched the copy - on which she noted the section regarding move-ins was circled in red - from the armadillo's paw and proceeded up the stairs to her apartment.

She fished her keys from her pocket; all the while climbing the stairs and juggling the take-out, case files and now lease between her under-arm and her left paw, only to find the door already unlocked.

With a flick of her wrist, the door swung wide to the tune of a brief yelp, followed by a thud as Nick hit the floor, struggling to wriggle into his pants.

Muffled cries continued to come from the floor-bound fox, while Finnick attempted to steel himself long enough to remain upright.

"Really, Nick? Pawaiian-print boxers?" Judy said with a laugh as she stepped over the prone fox and deposited the takeout onto her desk.

"Sure, sure - laugh at the poor, struggling fox," Nick whined.

"I think we can settle for laughing at you."

As Nick got to his feet, Judy removed her coat and passed a burger to Finnick, who accepted the sandwich with a nod and a grunt.

"You got Buga?" Nick asked with the raise of an eyebrow. "They must have given you some weird looks."

Judy shrugged.

"I'm kinda used to that - you know, first rabbit officer and all."

"Guess it comes with the territory."

"You might say that."

"Thanks for the buga, rabbit, but it's your turn to play kit-sitter," Finnick said. "I'm gonna take this out to the balcony and smoke. I haven't left fur-for-brains here alone since you left, and my nicotine ache is flaring up."

Finnick rose carefully, putting most of his weight on his crutch as he held onto his buga bag and cigarettes.

"Uh... I don't have a balcony," Judy said, confused. "Did you mean the fire escape?"

"Yeah, yeah - same thing. Now - don't you two do anything I wouldn't."

"And what exactly is something you wouldn't do?" Nick asked.

"You know what I mean. Don't be a jackass."

"Sure thing, big guy," replied Nick, throwing in a lazy salute.

Judy wasn't exactly sure what to think when Finnick hobbled his way to her window, threw it open and proceeded to climb out onto the fire escape, cigarettes in one paw, a crutch in the other and his lighter between his teeth.

"It's best to ignore him sometimes," Nick remarked.

"Right..." Judy said, drawing the word out. "Anywho, I talked to Chief Bogo, and he agreed to let me pursue the case!"

"Wow, a police chief focused on something other than writing parking tickets? The ZPD sure has come up in recent years, eh Carrots?"

"Oh, no - he told me this was just something to do in-between writing tickets," Judy deadpanned.

"Well, you - Officer Hopps - truly are one of Zootopia's finest."

Judy flashed him a brief grin before she placed the files and lease down on her desk. She sat on the bed next to Nick, placing her salad in the space between them. A brief, awkward silence lingered between them as Judy made herself comfortable; Nick's loud chewing only helped to exacerbate the mood.

"Right. So where do we need to start?" Nick asked.

"At the beginning. Last night you promised to fill me in - does that offer still stand?"

The seemingly ever-present smirk melted away from Nick's face as he drew a deep breath.

"I did promise that, didn't I?"

"Yes you did."

"So I should probably do that."

"Probably."

"Alright."

Nick drew a deep breath as he crumpled up the wax paper wrapper his burger had been in, then sank into his chair and withdrew into himself.

"Look uh … this isn't exactly easy for me," Nick admitted and looked down at the floor. "I'm not used to the whole, you know - sharing thing. In my experience, it tends to get used against you."

The fox paused for a moment before glancing back up at Judy.

"So I'm sorry if I'm not that good at it."

"If you need some time to-"

"No, I just need to get on with it."

The fox took a deep breath and began to speak.

It had been a grueling several years, but finally things were looking up for the pair of foxes. Maybe pawpsicle hustling wasn't the sexiest job, but it sure did beat the snot out of the other approaches to (mostly) legitimate income they'd tried. Odd jobs, turns out, could sometimes be too odd - Finnick still couldn't look that hippo in the eyes anymore - and Nick quickly discovered that factories demanded shift work regardless of his nocturnal tendencies.

Living off of pawpsicles and buglogna sandwiches hadn't been easy, but it enabled the pair to save virtually every penny they'd come across until they had a nice lump sum of cash. It was going to take a lot of convincing to show the loan officers at Wells Furgo that they weren't just another pair of starry-eyed get-rich-quick schemers, but instead competent business mammals with a clear goal, starting capital and a market to fill.

Despite their successes, though, the bankers hadn't seen it their way. They'd rattled off a number of excuses - fragile markets, bad location, higher-than-average risk - but oddly Nick wasn't discouraged. They would just have to keep fighting for it. That was - if nothing else - what he had learned from his dad - you fight for the things and mammals that matter to you, no matter what it takes.

What wasn't so clear was what to do when you finally discovered that the doors you thought you could open were riddled with keyless padlocks.

Banks, credit unions and investors alike turned down the determined duo, but they weren't going to quit - they just had to keep trying.

From time to time, they broke up the monotony of the pawpsicle grind - with the added benefit of leaving their regulars hungry for more - by trying out new hustles. Unfortunately, few of the hustles every really worked out, and one in particular had gone so horrendously that the pair had found themselves being chased by an angry honey badger and vaulting down an alleyway with singed fur and a briefcase full of halibut.

Worried, Nick had turned his gaze behind them, checking to see how long the rest of his life was as measured by how far down the alley his pursuers had made it. He'd been surprised to see that Finnick had stopped dead in his tracks behind him, standing perfectly still and grinning like a psychopath.

Nick had been about to yell for his diminutive companion to come along when he was brought to an abrupt halt, by way of running muzzle-first into a car door.

It had taken him a few moments to regain his senses, but once the stars had cleared from his vision he could see that the limo he'd run into belonged to none other than Mr. Big. This gave Nick some pause, but as his pursuers rounded the corner he quickly decided that Big not so subtly trying to guilt him into joining "The Family" was much better than having his muzzle rearranged. He'd dived into the limo, dragging Finnick and the briefcase along with him.

The meeting with Big had gone basically how Nick had expected - lots of talk about the importance of family and how much John was missed.

Nick was somewhat surprised to find out that Big had been watching him - his two-bit hustles hardly seemed worthy of the mob boss' attention. Big knew the pains that Nick had gone through to convince the banks that he was a good loan candidate, and how at every juncture he had failed. It reminded him, Big explained, of a situation that John had found himself in when first trying to open his tailory: John had been skeptical of Big's altruism at first, but had come around in time. And Big promised Nick that just like his father, he too could re-open the tailory with only a little help from the Family.

Nick had felt out of options, and despite Finnick glaring holes through him, he'd delicately shaken Big's paw and made the deal; Nick would get the loan he needed to buy back his father's tailory, make some repairs, and get some of the machinery back. In exchange, Big merely asked for the same arrangement as he'd asked of John: loyalty and discretion. Nick knew that this meant far more than Big was letting on, and wasn't eager to see what surprises the mafioso had in store for him later down the line.

As Nick would later tell Finnick, they could take the money they'd been saving (with the assumption that they would continue to earn money through strictly low-risk hustles) and pay Big back off in relatively short order - they weren't borrowing a gigantic sum of money; real estate in Happy Town wasn't exactly as highly desired as Wool Street, after all.

At first Big's 'favors' had been trivial. Deliver a message. Take Fru Fru dress shopping. Patch up some suits. These favors got progressively more involved, however, and neither Nick or Finnick liked it one bit.

The breaking point had come one windy evening when Nick and Finnick returned from a Sunday spent hustling to find one of Big's polar bear enforcers nursing a bloodied arm in their bathroom. The bear - Kevin, as Nick later learned - spent several days laying low at the tailory before he left; leaving Nick and Finnick to clean up after him and hope that the ZPD wouldn't drop in and start asking questions.

There had still been some machinery they needed, but the pair decided that they needed to take the remaining money from the loan, add in what they'd earned and pay off Big.

The shrew had seemed a little surprised but had ultimately accepted Nick's buyout - a privilege that Nick was positive he'd only been afforded because of his late father. No longer would Nick be expected to help out the family; and no longer could he expect help from the family - monetarily or otherwise.

But this change in the arrangement was just fine to Nick - he'd prefer that the Wilde family legacy be no more entangled with Big than it already was.

That legacy was foremost in Nick's mind as he'd watched the ambulance drive away with Finnick inside, attached at the muzzle to a respirator. He'd stared with eyes unseeing as the ambulance had pulled away from the tailory he and Finnick had worked so hard to rebuild, unable to watch as it was turned to smoke, fire and ash.

He'd been worried that Big's lack of "protection" would mean harassment from the Family, but somehow, in his eagerness to distance himself from the shrew, he had failed to factor in the other forces at work - the other group lusting for power and prestige; a beast with five heads - and Five Tails - instead of just one.

Judy was silent for a long time, after Nick finished. The fox was beginning to worry that he had freaked her out, but his fear subsided when Judy drew a deep breath and re-focused.

"Okay," Judy started. "How long ago did you settle up with Big?"

Nick glanced up, idly counting the ridges on the popcorn ceiling as he scratched his chin in thought.

"I'd say somewhere around two months. Fin and I had just gotten all the displays and machines in order the night before the fire."

"Had you noticed anything... strange, or out of the ordinary before the fire?"

"There had been some of Big's polar bears in and around Happy Town, but that isn't out of the ordinary. The mammals there have something of a fondness for the Family. And I'm sure Big still wanted to keep an eye on me."

"Why would he want to do that? You said he understood that you wanted out?"

"He did. But I'm still a liability. While it isn't much, admittedly, I do know some of the ins and outs of the Family. If I were a betting fox - and I am - I'd say that he wanted me to remember our initial agreement - where I promised him my discretion."

"Right," Judy said, nodding to herself. "Did you notice any members of the Tails gang hanging around before the fire?"

"My knowledge of them back then had been mostly stories I'd heard. Lots of mammals like to pretend to be hardcore and are eager to associate themselves with gangs like the Tails. It's rare to meet anyone who's actually part of a gang. Since I never had any down-and-dirty jobs to do, I wasn't actively aware of what the Tails were up to."

Judy had produced a notepad and one ridiculous carrot-shaped pen, seemingly out of thin air, and began taking notes.

"Now that you mention it, though," Nick began, "I had noticed some mammals around Happy Town that didn't really fit the part."

"What do you mean?"

The ghost of a smug grin tugged at the corners of Nick's muzzle.

"I don't mean to brag, Carrots, but I know everybody. And those guys definitely weren't locals - they weren't familiar with the streets, and no one would really consider Happy Town a tourist trap so I doubt they were visiting."

Nick frowned, furrowed his brow, and seemed to sink a little deeper into the mattress.

"I don't know why that hadn't struck me before now - I usually catch things like that."

Judy looked up from her notes, watching as the fox's tail swished to and fro, his eyes seeming to search the floor for answers. Instantly the rabbit knew what he was doing - trying to find reasons that this was his fault. That the things he'd failed to notice had been the cause all of the pain he'd suffered in the last few weeks. She rose quietly, moving her now-empty salad bowl out of her way as she scooted closer to his side.

Gingerly, Judy placed a paw on Nick's arm.

"Hey," she began. "Don't do this to yourself. It wasn't your fault. You were moving on - trying to leave that life behind to chase a dream. Never feel sorry for that."

Nick's gut reaction was to argue - to explain that this was somehow his fault. Not only had he dismissed the suspicious new mammals wandering around Happy Town, he'd let his guard down, and this time it hadn't only hurt him, but Finnick too.

But the small, warm spot on his arm and the compassionate gaze under which he now found melted his anger and sorrow away in an instant.

"I'm with you all the way through, I swear," she said.

Decades of experience surviving on the streets told Nick that the rabbit was feigning compassion and trying to use him. Some voice in the back of his mind was nagging at him - sounding the ever-present alarm that Judy didn't really give a damn about him - she was just there to get some sort of hot new lead on the Tails, to boost her career, or what have you. And yet, despite all that, Nick found himself trying to shut out the pessimism. Surely, if investigating the Tails was her only goal, she could have done so without pulling him out of a snow bank, saving his life twice, and forcing him to sleep in her bed.

"I know you are, Judy. Thanks."

Nick's eyes opened in surprise as Judy buried herself in his side, her arms just barely reaching around his lithe frame. Physical affection wasn't something Nick was used to, but he returned the embrace as best he could.

She must have sensed the slight tension in his body as she broke away.

"Sorry if that was a little uncomfortable… sometimes I forget that not everyone comes from a family of 275 brothers and sisters. We rabbits tend to be … affectionate." She gave him a sheepish grin.

Nick lazily ruffled the fur between her ears, his features relaxing back into their normal, easy-going state.

"That's alright, Fluff - I really appreciate it."

Judy smiled and looked down at her paws. The two mammals sat in silence for a long moment.

"Well, I guess you're probably-" Judy said before she was suddenly engulfed in a warm embrace.

Nick squeezed Judy close and held her against him for several moments in silence.

"I don't get you, rabbit … I really don't," Nick said quietly. "There's a part of me that knows you're too good to be true. That you're setting me up, just like everyone always does."

Judy felt herself relax against Nick's torso, letting him take his time.

"But I also know that you're not - I know you're actually trying to help," Nick said, shaking his head. "Me, of all mammals."

Judy looked up through Nick's arms to stare at him quietly.

"But I'm tired of hiding, of being afraid," the fox said. "I believe in you, Carrots - and I can't begin to tell you how much that means to me."

Nick pulled away slightly to hold Judy at arm's length.

"Thank you, Judy," he said with a warm, genuine smile.

Judy had only a moment to take in Nick's surprisingly heartfelt message, and opened her mouth to offer a response, only to be abruptly interrupted by a loud knocking on her window.

The pair startled, Nick's fur standing straight down his back and along his tail while Judy took up a defensive pose out of instinct. They relaxed, somewhat, when they realized the knocking was only Finnick.

"Quit necking and let me back in, jackass," Finnick said dryly.

Judy slid off the bed and made her way to the window while Nick coughed and glanced awkwardly towards the door. The rabbit slid the window open to admit Finnick. The fennec climbed down and sat down on Judy's desk chair before crossing his arms.

"Well?" Finnick said. "What's the plan?"

Judy shut the window and turned to glance back at Nick. Nick shrugged, "You're the cop, Carrots."

"Well …" Judy began as she grabbed a pad and pen from her nightstand and hopped back up to sit on the edge of her bed. "I was able to pull a few tidbits of info from the records on the guys who ambushed you."

Nick subconsciously rubbed at his bruised ribs as Judy began to flip through her notes.

"Nothing to tie them specifically to the Tails per se," she continued. "Lots of puzzle pieces, but no corners or edges."

Judy brought the cap of the pen up to her mouth and nibbled on it absently, lost in thought. Nick and Finnick shared a mild glance of amusement, but waited patiently as the gears in the rabbit's head turned.

"You two are telling me that the fire was set deliberately, so there's got to be some evidence of that back at the Tailory. And maybe we'll find some kind of clues we can use to identify exactly who did this."

Judy glanced up at the two foxes.

"I know the fire is still pretty fresh in your minds," she said. "And I know it's not going to be fun to head back their so soon after … but I think that's our best shot to getting a lead."

Nick looked at Finnick, who shrugged as if to say 'works for me'.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be a good investigation if we didn't go back to the scene of the crime, huh?" Nick said. "So does this mean we're your deputies?"

Judy shook her head and laughed, "You're thinking of sheriffs Nick - I can't deputize anyone, I'm just a beat cop."

"Aww … so no deputy's badge?" Nick bemoaned. "I feel cheated, rabbit - and that's saying something coming from a professional hustler."

Finnick rolled his eyes and muttered at his partner's theatrics. Judy held up a finger and said, "Actually …" as she broke into a mischievous grin.

The rabbit slid off the bed and darted over to her closet and began to fish through a pouch in her utility belt.

"Ah!" she said after a minute of rummaging. "Here we go!"

Judy bounced back over, leaped up onto the bed and held up a small piece of paper. Peeling something off it she quickly pressed it against Nick's shirt and stepped back with a false look of seriousness.

"Welcome to the force, Junior Detective Wilde!"

Glancing down, Nick saw the reflective gold glint of a badge-shaped sticker on his shirt pocket.

"Well I'll be," he said with a laugh. "Be careful what you wish for …"

Authors' Notes

Bummer: We really need to stop taking one year trips into the future in my one-way time machine.

Nehkles: On the upside, we're sure to have gotten a sequel to the movie by now...

Sarcasm: I suspect it will be released when this story is done.

Nehkles: Oof

Bummer: So should I just plug '50' years into this machine … or what?

Sarcasm: Yeah, you might as well. I wanna know how this story ends.

Nehkles: I'd rather not, I think people might be getting impatient.

Bummer: Well fair enough - here's an update, and we'll see you in 2022.

Sarcasm: Careful there, friend. Don't jinx it… again.