Hey everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction, so let me know what you think and if you see any mistakes!

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Nick groaned. One of these days, he was going to destroy that stupid alarm clock. Even after a year of being a police officer, waking up at 6 AM did not agree with the fox. Throw in the long hours, low pay, and dangerous conditions, and you have a recipe for one unhappy fox.

Well, that's what he liked to tell himself at his most frustrated, anyways. In reality, his life had never been better. For the first time in his life, mammals respected him. Sure, he still met the odd bigot who would throw a slur at him, but on the whole, he was finally earning mammals trust. He couldn't deny the fact that helping mammals felt great, better than he ever could have guessed.

The main reason for his happiness, however, was Judy.

Even thinking of his partner brought a smile to his face. It wasn't too long ago that the idea of a bunny being a cop at all, let alone one of the best in the city, would have made him laugh. Only Nick's long history of guarding his emotions kept him from breaking out in laughter the first time they had met, when he had hustled her bad. Then she had surprised him by hustling him right back.

Even then, when he was legitimately in danger of being arrested, he had given her begrudging respect for her hustle; little could he have guessed that over the next couple of days, Judy would prove to be the most exceptional mammal he had ever meet. The press conference fiasco had hurt him, but her apology had been the most emotional thing he had ever heard, and had forcibly destroyed whatever animosity he may have felt towards her.

As Nick got dressed for work, he reflected on everything that had happened in the last year. Judy and himself had proven to be a dynamic duo for Precinct One, racking up arrest after arrest. Just last week, they had busted a drug smuggling operation and recovered thousands of dollars worth of narcotics.

As satisfying as the bust had been, the celebration had been even better. The local nightclub, The Blue Claw, was a popular cop hangout, and many of the Precinct One officers had surprised Nick and Judy with a little party. Nick was still getting used to having cop friends, but they were growing on him. He had quickly become popular in the force for his role in taking down Bellwether and his wisecracking ways. While his numerous quips and pranks hadn't endeared him to Chief Bogo, but as long as Nick and Judy kept up the good police work, he could handle it.

Speaking of Judy, Nick realized if he didn't hurry, he was going to be late for their meetup. Judy had convinced him to buy an apartment close to hers so they could walk to work everyday. They had developed a routine: meet at Snarlbucks at 6:30, buy breakfast (a latte and blueberry muffin for Nick, a cappuccino and yogurt for Judy), and eat on the way to the precinct. Snarlbucks was 10 minutes away, and it was now 6:21. Judy was a stickler for punctuality.

12 Minutes Later

The first thing Nick saw when he walked into the Snarlbucks at 6:32 was his partner, a look of annoyance on her face and her foot thumping impatiently. A year ago, Nick would have found the display cute (Not that he would ever say the C-word out loud around her. He valued his life); now, he found it, as well as everything she did, absolutely beautiful.

"You're late," the rabbit snapped.

"Am I late? Yes, yes I am. But, I have an excuse. You see, there was a group of handicapable cubs stuck in a tree, and…

"Nick."

"No?" the fox responded. "OK, well, actually I was fighting a caped badass, bu then we discovered that his mom is named Martha too, so…"

"NICK."

Frowning, the fox shrugged. "Nothing? Wow, I'm gonna have to work on my game. Although I guess nothing can top the runaway fox story."

At this Judy was unable to hide a smile.

"Ah! Gotcha!"

Shaking her head, Judy couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't stay mad at the fox, and he knew it.

"You're terrible." Judy said, handing him his food.

"You know you love me," Nick said with a smirk.

"Do I know that? Yes, yes I do." They both smiled at their familiar back and forth as they began to walk to work. Little did the two of them know that those words, which had started out as empty teasing, had grown to mean much more for both fox and rabbit.

They kept up a running dialogue as they walked, talking about nothing in particular. By the time they made it to work, 15 minutes before role call, both were feeling good and ready for another day.

"Benny!" Nick called out as they walked into the lobby.

"Hey you two!" the cheetah responded. "How's it going? Ready to make the world a better place?"

"You know it!" said Judy.

"Why do you ask that every day?" asked Nick. "You know what the answer is going t-OWWWWWW!"

"Ignore him, Benny" said Judy, shooting a dirty look at Nick, who was still rubbing his arm from the punch Judy had given him. "I love it when you ask that."

"Police brutality, anyone? Geez, who could guess such a small mammal could punch so hard?" Nick complained.

"Oh, quit whining, you big baby, replied Judy as they made their way to the bullpen."

"I wouldn't have to complain if you would leave me alone!"

"Oh, yeah, because that punch was TOTALLY uncalled for."

Clawhauser sighed as he watched the bickering pair walk away.

"Any news?" Asked a voice from behind.

"Not yet," replied Clawhauser to Wolford. "I really wish those two would just admit it to each other. They are so cute!"

"You and me both, pal. I've got 50 bucks on it happening before the end of next month. Oh, that reminds me, Delgato wants to put 20 on it happening THIS month."

"Wow, risky," said the cheetah, pulling out his notebook and marking the bet down.

"I know, but he insisted. Here's hoping he's right" replied the wolf.

So there it is! The end of the first chapter. Tell me what you think! Also, there is a reference to a movie that is currently in theaters. It should be pretty easy to find for anyone who has seen the movie.

Until next time!