Judy's heart raced as she sprinted through the streets of Zootopia, brushing past everyone in her rush to get to the gallows. She didn't have a plan for how she would save the fox once she got there, but she knew that time was running out. Someone let out a surprised yell at her when she tore past, the sound of a crate smashing on the ground sounding behind her. Normally she'd stop to help pick it up, but with the bells tolling a second time, she didn't even give it a second thought as she ran on.

By the time she reached the base of the hill that the gallows were on, the bells began to toll for a third time, followed by a pattering of a snare drum and a voice calling out above the growing crowd.

"Nicholas Wilde, it has been found that you have been tried and convicted for you willfull commission of crime against the crown, said crimes being humorous in quantity and sinister in nature."

"Oh, no," Judy muttered, pausing to try and see if she could spot where the Fox was at the gallows. Her view was blocked, though, by the large congregation of mammals in her path – none of whom looked to be safe to climb atop of for a better view. And so, she began sprinting ahead again, as fast as she was able, as the charges against Nick were continued.

"The most egregious of these to be sighted herewith: piracy, smuggling, multiple accounts of impersonating an Officer of the Zootopia Royal Navy, impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church, sailing under false colors..."

Judy let out a relived sigh as she saw the top posts of the gallows come into view over the mammals around her. The Fox was wanted for good reason, and she was (ironically) thankful his charges were so many that it bought her time. Or rather, it would've until she heard the commanding voice of Admiral Bogo rang out "Get on with it! We haven't got all day."

That alone made Judy's stomach sink once again, the voice listing Nick's offenses going quiet as the crowd murmured an agreement with the cape buffalo. With as much haste as she could muster, the rabbit forced her way through the group surrounding her. When she finally had a clear enough line of sight to the gallows, she saw the large masked bear stepping up to the lever that would remove the platform under the fox. Her breath caught as she saw the bear grab hold of the lever, and pull.

Without thinking, and as soon as she identified the fox she needed, Judy quickly drew her pistol and fired the single shot at the rope above the pirate's neck.

The result was instant chaos – mammals shrieked and cried out in surprise, the executioner stumbled back from the lever unexpectedly, the fox fell from the top of the platform, and soldiers (after a brief bit of yelling from Admiral Bogo) began to immediately search the area for the shooter and pirate. Judy dipped and weaved her way through the crowd as it dispersed and moved down the hill, noticing a lack of fox under the gallows.

In slight panic, she looked around, jumping back and forth as best she could to avoid being crushed by one of the larger mammals present. A flash of red caught her eye, and she managed to make out the sight of a black tailtip disappearing into a set of bushes on the far side of the clearing. After a brief check of her surroundings to ensure she wasn't being followed, Judy made her way over to the bushes and pushed her way into them, almost coming nose-to-nose with the Fox.

As she opened her mouth to speak, he reached up a paw and cupped it around her mouth, holding up a finger. Judy shot daggers at him as he whispered "I saw that. Let the guards pass."

Still, not wanting to get the fox caught, Judy held her tongue and simply stared at the fox as he looked past her, ears tilting similarly to hers as he listened for any approaching footsteps. A moment later, he chuckled out "You can quit staring any time, Fluff. But I know, I'm one handsome fox."

If Judy didn't have such self-control, she would've kicked the fox then and there, but she also knew that she needed him to find Jack, and that doing so would reveal their position. She was thankful enough as it was that the guards had lost their scent from the crowd and plants around the gallows. She didn't know how long they were sat there, but the sun was noticeably lower in the sky when Nick finally drew his paw away. "Look, rabbit, I don't know what you want or why you did what you did, but it's clear you want something from me. Now as curious as I am, this bush hardly makes for a good place to talk, so what say ye we head to a more secluded area away from the eyes of the guard so's I can find out what the bun-bun wants. Savvy?"

Judy grabbed the Fox's wrist and tugged it away, hissing out: "Fine. But if you so much as try to escape and I'll either have your tail, or the guard will. Either way, you will not escape a second time."

The fox just grinned at her, replying "Well if the bunny wanted some tail, all she had to do was ask."

Judy's glare worsened, though the insides of her ears turned a bit pinker at the idea. "If I didn't need your help..." She trailed off, sighing. "We'll go to my ship. It isn't far, and you could easily come aboard without being noticed – most of my crew is celebrating before we set sail again."

"Then lead the way, capitan," Nick replied smoothly. Judy rolled her eyes and stuck her head out of the bush, looking both ways before hastily moving towards more cover not far down the hill, Nick right behind her. The two managed to keep up this slow progress away from the gallows and towards Judy's ship for the better part of an hour, where most of her crew was still absent. At the moment, the only visible member was a large tiger, currently passed out on a box with a bottle of liqour in his paw. It was easy enough to slip Nick past him and under the deck, where she led him to her quarters and ushered him inside. She took the time to shut the door before turning to make sure they had successfully boarded unnoticed, when she froze in place.

Private Benjamin Clawhauser, a rather fat cheetah normally brimming with happiness and one of Judy's few actual friends on the ship, was giving Judy a very curious look. "Captain Hopps, was that-"

"Was that what, private?" she asked sharply. Clawhauser frowned a bit at her tone, and Judy admittedly felt a bit guilty, but buried it with the desire to keep their new passenger hidden.

"Was that... The fox pirate?" Clawhauser continued.

"Not likely," Judy replied cautiously. "He was supposed to be hung at the gallows hours ago."

"But that looked exactly like-"

"Like what?" Judy snapped. Her frustration was clear, and the cheetah leaned back slightly, clearly taken aback.

"I-I'm sorry, captain, I just meant that-" The cheetah started, sadness clear in his voice. That was what got to Judy – Clawhauser never sounded sad when she talked to him, so for him to be so quickly put down was a surprise to her.

"No, Clawhauser, I'm sorry," Judy interrupted. "Just... Where's the rest of the crew?"

"Aside from you and myself, most of the crew took to the taverns to celebrate. Delgato and Fangmeyer stayed here to help watch the ship." Clawhauser sounded hesitant in his response, but at least the sadness was as quick to leave as it was to arrive.

Judy sighed. "Private, can I trust you to keep a secret?"

"Of course, captain! I wouldn't tell a soul!" The cheetah nodded and gave Judy a salute, before crouching down at her beckoning.

When Clawhauser was crouched down enough, she began to whisper an explanation. "Good, because if you do tell a soul I will send you to the depths of the sea myself. To answer your question, yes, that was the Fox we were sent to capture – but I need his aid. Captain Savage was acting mighty suspicious last we talked, and the only mammal who knows of where he is is that fox. So for now, we need him. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand, captain," Clawhauser nodded. "And I'll not tell a soul – I swear it."

"Good," Judy replied, taking a step back. Clawhauser stood up and gave Judy yet another salute, which she returned with a tense smile. She knew she could trust Clawhauser, but she also knew that telling any other mammal about Nick's presence on the ship could have disastrous effects. "Now then, I need to speak with the fox, and you are meant to be at your post."

"Of course, captain!" the cheetah said, quickly turning around and heading to the ladder leading above-deck. With a more relaxed smile, Judy watched him go, before turning and opening the door to her room, shutting it behind her.

Nick was currently staring out of the window that faced away from the port and out into the sea, paws clasped behind his back. One ear flicked as Judy shut the door, and the fox slowly turned to her with an amused smirk on his face. "I was wondering what was taking you so long," he said.

"Trying to make sure you're not found out," Judy replied, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes. "But now that that's been taken care of, we need to talk."

"Ah, right. The bunny needs a favor."

"Wrong," Judy said, feeling her frustration grow as Nick's smirk only grew more smug. "You owe me because I risked my career over you on a hunch and a feeling."

"I'm flattered you'd do that over me," Nick chirped, interrupting Judy. The rabbit just sighed in frustration, shook her head, and continued.

"So either you can help me, or I can simply turn you back over to the Royal Guard – and I can promise, no one will come to your aid this time. It's your choice." Judy stared at the fox with her own smug expression, watching his smirk falter at the prospect of being sent back to the gallows.

"Well it sounds to me like you have your own desires," Nick started after a moment of quiet thought. "But you can't achieve them without me. So turning me over does you no good, aye?"

"It would be no worse than you not cooperating," Judy replied. This time, the fox's smirk fell, and Judy grew one of her own. "So, will you help, or are you so eager to enjoy the Guards' hospitality again?"

Nick carefully studied Judy for a long moment, before crossing his own arms across his chest. "I'll listen to you, and we'll go from there. But, on the condition that I'm given a drink – and no, not water."

Judy sighed once more, nodding and walking to her bed. She reached under and drew out a small wooden box, setting it up on her bed and opening it. She drew out from inside two small glasses and a single unmarked bottle filled with a light brown liqour. She could feel Nick's eyes on her back as she poured some of the substance into the small glasses, closing the bottle and placing it back within the box before turning and handing Nick a drink.

The fox took it gratefully and, after a small sniff, downed the drink in one go. It didn't surprise Judy – her glasses were about the size of a shot glass for the fox. She, however, took several drinks from her glass. The burn was smooth and it tasted faintly of honey, and the whiskey warmed her insides. She was happy to have a few members of her family who knew how to make a good liqour.

Judy took Nick's glass and set them on her desk, turning to face the fox as he licked his lips with a satisfied sound and sat on her bed. "You'll have to tell me where you got that from. I'd quite like to aqcuire some of my own."

"Good luck with that," Judy replied, giving a single small laugh. The makers live over two-hundred miles inland, and that's the only bottle to have seen the sea."

"Then perhaps I'll just have to find a way to convince you to let me have the rest?" Nick said hopefully.

"Not likely," Judy replied, grinning as he looked ever-so-slightly disappointed. "But if you're a good fox and help like you ought to, maybe I'll be willing to share another drink with you."

"I suppose a pirate needs some added incentive," Nick muttered. Then, louder: "Very well. What does the good captain require of me?"

Judy took a deep breath, mentally fortifying herself for the sass that she knew the fox would give her about her request. "I require your aid in tracking down an esteemed colleague whom I believe is sailing for an unknown land to retrieve something for his own nefarious wishes."

Nick tilted his head back, grinning as he spoke. "Them's might big words, cap. I am but a humble pirate, after all."

Rolling her eyes, Judy repeated herself in a more simpler speak: "I believe another respected captain I know is trying to find something to give him power over the crown, and I need your help to find him before he gets there."

Nick lifted his head, making an 'Aah' sound before nodding. Judy watched him carefully as he stood up, his usual smirk landing on his muzzle. "I'm afraid that I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." He said, leaning down to be slightly more eye level with her. Then, at her slightly dumbfounded expression, he said "Means "No," sweetheart."

The moment the fox uttered the word "No", Judy felt her frustration return. "Then I'll simply send you back to the gallows," she snapped, Nick turning away and chuckling as he stared back out the window. He set his paws on his hips as he listened to Judy. "I will drag you back out there by your tail if I must, but either you'll help me or you'll hang."

"You forgot one of the important parts about a 'deal', lass" Nick interrupted, glancing over his shoulder at Judy. "Both parties must be given something, else it's just free work."

"But I freed you – you would be dead now without me!" Judy replied.

"Correct, but you would be equally lost without me. So you need me to help, but I've no reason to. What do you suppose would amend that? Treasure, perhaps?"

Judy paused and thought for a moment. She hadn't considered the possibility of the fox, a notorious pirate, not seeing his life being saved as some debt to be repayed in this circumstance. "I won't offer you gold," Judy said, carefully choosing her words.

"Ah, but not all treasure is gold," Nick said, turning slowly to face Judy once again. "The ultimate treasure is freedom."

"I can't offer you a pardon," Judy warned.

"And do you think the crown would give me one? Nay, I'm not asking for a pardon," Nick said, this time taking a step closer to Judy and crouching down. "I'm asking for my ship and my crew. They'll be waiting for little more than a week at a place only they and I know for my return. You let me to them, and I'll give ye the aid you want."

Judy stared up at the fox, trying to read him as best she was able. His expression yielded nothing, as it was a smirk that held only confidence, and his eyes had a peculiar gloss to them that prevented her from seeing if he was hiding something. "And how do I know you won't simply sail off without keeping your end of the bargain?" Judy asked.

"Simple. You let me back to my ship, I work my magic and, as I am still captain, I tell them a place for us to meet when we've finished with your little chase. I come back aboard your ship and help you, then you set me loose and neither of us sees one another again. N'how does that sound? Do we have an accord?" Nick stuck out his paw, waiting for Judy's to shake.

The rabbit continued to stare at the fox, judging him to the best of her ability. When she found nothing to tell her he was lying, she gripped his paw, and they shook. "We do."

"Fantastic. Now then, if I am to return to my ship a captain, I need the proper attire. You wouldn't happen to have-" Nick started, cutting himself off as Judy turned and tugged the bundle of cloth free from the corner by her desk. She sat the fox's tricorne hat on top of it, before offering it to him. The fox simply grinned, picked up the hat, and inspected it. A moment later, with a large grin, he sat it atop his head.

"That's more like it," he said.

~ óÓÒò ~

Well, due to popular demand, looks like I'll be continuing this little story! And hey, I've finally managed to get something written! Huzzah! I'll be updating this sporadically, as with all my stories, but now that I know where I'm going with this it should be easier.

Until next time - drink up, me hearties!