A/N: A quick note for those of you who are new to this series. I encourage you to go read "A Hopps, Skip, and a Fox" first, if you have the time and inclination, as this is a direct continuation of that story and necessary for several plot points. For everyone else, happy reading!

One

Nick had never been to Bunny Burrow, but he imagined it looked a lot like the Meadowlands, with miles of open rolling hills and few buildings. Just replace the fields with farmland and the sheep with bunnies, and Nick figured he had a near-perfect picture of Judy's hometown. A simplified stereotype he knew would have annoyed Judy to no end, had she been around to hear it.

As far as how his welcome would compare… Nick imagined if he went to the residents of Bunny Burrow and demanded they give him his partner back, their response might be similar to the one he currently faced from the Meadowland's woolier residents. That is, thoroughly ticked off.

He had clambered up onto a tree stump to give himself a little more height, and the small herd of sheep had converged in a semi-circle around him. Not even the chilly autumn breeze made it through the fluffy wall of bodies surrounding him. All he had was the sun, beating down on him as hot as their gazes.

"Is the ZPD looking down on us?" demanded a sheep to his right. This one with black limbs and a puffy white body. "Is that why they sent us the fox cop?"

"Trust me, nobody is looking down on you," said Nick. "I'm getting a crick in my neck talking to you as it is."

Not so much as a lip twitch from the crowd. Someone stomped a sharp-hoofed foot. So much for diffusing the tension with some humor. Nick sighed and forced back on his serious cop mien. "Look, the ZPD takes every case with the utmost seriousness," he told them. "It's why they sent their closest officers, to get you help as fast as they could. Those officers just happened to be me and T-dog here." He gestured to the hyena behind him, who made a face and said, "I told you I hate that nickname."

"Hence why I use it," said Nick. To the sheep he said, "I assure you, we are going to do everything we can to—"

"You're doing nothing right now," interrupted someone near the back, and though Nick craned his neck, he couldn't pick out the speaker.

"Really!" said another, an older sheep with a raggedy coat. She pointed to a tree behind the officers, at the base of which was a freshly dug hole. "The creep is right in there. Why don't you go in after him? You would fit!"

And possibly lose his nose in the process. Nick knew better than to directly confront a cornered animal. Especially one that was also a wanted suspect.

"I say we grab a hose and flush him out!" This from an extra bulky sheep with curved horns.

That got a few worried looks, but also many nods and murmurs of agreement. Was this a herd or a mob?

"We are not flushing out anyone," Nick told them. Just the thought of it turned his stomach. He imagined Judy, bedraggled and barely conscious, laying in a muddy puddle outside an illegal burrow in the Rainforest District. It was night, and the red and blue strobe lights that flickered over her limp body made her look alternately bloody and dead with each harsh flash of color.

Nick shook his head, expelling the vision. That was history. Judy was fine and now was not the time for getting sidetracked by bad memories.

He glanced back at Officer Tibor, who continued his hunched pacing in front of the tree. He'd lope five steps one way and then five the other, always in that jerky, uneven gait all hyenas shared. Nick wished he would stop; the movement made him antsy.

The sheep were openly grumbling now. Nick held up his paws. "I understand you're upset," he told them. "If you'd like, you are all welcome to go home and we will call you when we have the suspect in custody."

"We're not going anywhere." This from the horned sheep again. "We want to see justice done. Look what that beast did to my wife's lovely wool!"

A slim sheep with a pale pink face held out her arm, revealing a missing chunk of wool about one inch wide and four inches long down her forearm.

"Me too!" said another, tugging up their shirt to show Nick a gash in their midsection, the wool cut almost to the skin. "I was growing it out. Now I'll have to start all over again!"

"Full body cuts aren't cheap, you know," complained another, turning to show Nick a slice across their back.

This led to a flurry of undressing as the sheep rushed to roll up their cuffs, lift their shirts, and even drop their paints in order to show Nick their ruined wool.

"Okay! All right! There's no need for me to see—how did he even reach you there?" said Nick, trying to fend off the worst of the flashing. Behind him, Officer Tibor let out a wheezy giggle. Nick shot him a glare. The hyena stopped and dropped his head. "Sorry. Nervous habit."

"Is the ZPD planning to pay for this?" a floppy eared sheep demanded, pointing to the jagged shear job across his forehead.

"I"m suing the city!" the horned one said. "A family can't even take a nap in the park without being attacked these days. It's inexcusable!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw a small mound of dirt start to rise about twenty feet away from the tree. As he watched, the soil lifted, cracked, and a dark nose poked out, followed by a pair of very yellow buck teeth and a fluffy round head. Nick quickly took stock: Gopher. Male. Tan color with hints of gray on his sides. Approximately thirty to thirty-five years old. Missing the pinky digit on his left paw.

The gopher rubbed dirt out of his eyes and darted a look at the herd. Nick stayed where he was, keeping his head turned toward the complaining sheep. His partner was still pacing in front of the tree and hadn't noticed the suspect's appearance.

After making sure that neither officer was looking over, the gopher went back to clawing himself the rest of the way out of the hole. Nick waved a paw at Officer Tibor. The hyena stopped and cocked his head.

Nick pointed to the gopher, following it up with a "play it cool" gesture.

Officer Tibor frowned, looked over, and spotted the gopher. His eyes went wide.

"Got 'em, Wilde!" he shouted, startling both the sheep and the suspect, who let out a frightened squeak and shot out of the hole, booking it through the trees. Strapped to his back were a pair of shearing scissors nearly as long as he was.

"Halt!" yelled Officer Tibor, taking off after him. "You are under arrest for suspicion of illegal woolgathering!"

"You have got to be kidding me," said Nick. "What are you doing, you idiot?"

But the element of surprise was gone and Nick had no choice but to climb down from his stump and chase after them, leaving the herd of sheep in their various states of undress behind.

"We've got him now, Wilde!" the hyena hollered back to him.

Nick was too busy trying to catch up in order to respond. Even weighed down, the gopher was fast. Officer Tibor had the speed, but his height hindered him. He was forced to duck under branches and dodge around bushes that the suspect could simply run through. Nick had it a little easier with his size, but making up the distance when the speedy gopher had such a large head start was proving difficult.

If only Judy was here.

It was times like these that Nick seriously entertained the thought of traveling to Bunny Burrow to get his partner back. But all his plotting always ended the same way, with him on her front porch with nothing to say for himself. What could he tell her?

I'm sorry about how I reacted, Carrots.

I'm sorry I couldn't be the kind of partner you wanted.

I'm sorry I hurt you.

But apologizing would mean acknowledging what happened, and Nick had zero confidence he could do that and still keep up the necessary pretense. Which left him here. Stuck. Waiting.

"Don't give up on me now, Wilde!" shouted Officer Tibor.

Had Judy given up on him? It had been a month since she'd come to Nick, duffel bag in hand, and told him that she was taking some leave time to visit her family.

"Seeing Mom and Dad after the accident, I realized I owe the family a proper visit," Judy had told him. "It's long overdue. And with fall coming, they'll need every two hundred paws that they have to help harvest. Since the case with the Corsacs is all wrapped up, now seems like the best time to go before something new pops up and I can't get away."

Get away. Nick told himself it was his guilt that had made him focus on those last two words. Like she'd been desperate to escape him. But then he thought of the look on her face, her twitching nose and pinched eyes that wouldn't rise any higher than his sternum, and he knew it wasn't just his imagination.

When I told you to travel safe, Carrots, I meant coming back too.

Ahead of him, the gopher stumbled as grass gave way to swampier ground. They were closing in on the Rainforest District.

Nick poured on the speed, closing in on the hyena until he was nipping at his heels.

"We'll have this perp in custody yet!" said Officer Tibor.

But when, thought Nick, would he have his bunny back?

"You arrest some shrubbery there, Wilde?" Officer Francine asked as Nick and Tibor entered the lobby of the ZPD an hour later, with mud-caked feet and various bits of foliage sticking out of their ruffled fur. "Looks like it gave you quite a fight."

Her partner, Officer McHorn, who was standing next to her, snickered and said, "You have to be firm with those bushes, fox. Otherwise they'll walk all over you."

Francine snorted, nearly losing hold of the pen in her trunk that she was using to sign some paperwork.

"You're a riot, rhino," drawled Nick.

"So where's your suspect?"

Nick jerked his head towards the hyena. "Ask T-dog, here."

"Don't look at me!" said Officer Tibor. "I didn't know gophers could climb trees like that!"

"Did you know they had ears?" asked Nick. "Because if you hadn't ruined everything by shouting like you did—"

"I was giving you a heads up!"

"What you did was give the suspect a heads up."

"So was I supposed to mime it like you? What was that, by the way?" The hyena made exaggerated flappy motion with his paws.

Nick bit back a growl. "That wasn't what I did at all."

"Well excuse me for not being well-versed in charades," snapped the hyena. "I'll be sure to study up for next time."

"I've got another gesture for you to study too while your boning up on things," said Nick. "Wanna see it?"

The fur on the back of the hyena's neck bristled and he bared his teeth. Nick smiled wide enough to do the same.

"Hey, hey! No fighting in the lobby," said Officer McHorn. "I don't want to have to do any more paperwork today."

"Clawhauser's looking for Wilde anyway," Francine said, and Nick looked up at her. "He is?"

She lifted one oversized ear towards the far hallway. As if on cue, the cheetah appeared, breathlessly calling for him. "Wilde! Officer Wilde! Nick! Did you hear?"

"I can hear you wheezing," said Nick. "Breathe, Clawhauser, I'm right here. What's going on?"

"She's back, Nick! She's here, at the station! And looking as adorable as ever too if I dare say so myself—ah." He clapped a paw over his mouth. "Please don't tell her I said that."

"You mean..." said Nick, hardly daring to believe.

"Uh-huh!" The cheetah bounced excitedly on his toes. "She's at her desk right now!"

His irritation with the hyena forgotten, Nick took off down the hall.

Francine snorted loudly through her trunk. "He sure is happy."

Officer Tibor blinked, looking from the elephant to the cheetah. "What just happened? Where's he going?"

"To go find his partner, I'm sure."

"Partner? You mean—Judy Hopps is back? That's who you meant?" His gaze swiveled to the fox disappearing down the hall. "I thought for sure she was going to change her leave to permanent."

"Hopps? Not likely," said Francine.

The hyena's head drooped, making his hunched posture even more pronounced. Officer McHorn clapped him on the shoulder. "Looks like your services as temporary backup are no longer required, T-dog. Better go see Chief Bogo about getting another position."

"Don't call me that," said Officer Tibor. "And I can't go see Chief Bogo now. I just lost a suspect! He'll send me back to parking duty. It took me two years to escape that position. And only because I convinced Wilde to take me on while Hopps was absent, and he sweet-talked the chief."

"Well there's no chance of you sticking with the fox now that his bunny is back," said Francine. "Maybe you can find someone else in need of a partner?"

"I hear they're looking for officers in Tundratown," said McHorn, smirking. "You could always transfer there. Hyena's like snow, right?"

The elephant and rhino snickered.

"Thanks for the tip," Officer Tibor growled.

He stalked off, his gait heavy and his shoulders up to his ears. Clawhauser watched him go, his speckled cheetah face scrunched in concern. "Poor guy. He hasn't had much luck lately, has he?"

"Try ever," said Francine.

"It's his own fault," said Officer McHorn. "Some animals just aren't cut out to be cops."

"But he made it this far," Clawhauser pointed out. "And I heard he was top five in his class during training."

"Only in P.T. He barely passed his written," said Francine. She dropped the pen back into the ZPD coffee mug-turned pencil holder on Clawhauser's desk. "With Tibor's strength and skills, they had to give him a shot. But it's been how long now and he still hasn't learned to think like a cop. If it hasn't happened by now I doubt it ever will."

"Shame," said McHorn. "Well, if the paperwork is done, I'm oughta here. I got a game to catch with the boys downtown. You wanna come?" he asked Francine.

"Can't. I have to pick up the squirt from swimming practice."

"He doing any better?"

"He actually put his trunk in the water last time."

"So some progress then."

"Night, guys," said Clawhauser with a wave at their retreating backs. He collected their paperwork from the desk and popped it into a folder to be filed later, then logged back into his computer to check his email. As he waited for the screen to load, he glanced back at the now empty hallway and had to bite his lip to keep a happy squeal from slipping out.

Hopps was back!

Judy's back. Nick kept repeating it to himself, trying to make it sink in. He stopped outside the door to the officers' work room and took a couple deep breaths, willing his heart to settle even as he itched to dash inside. His paw were sweating.

Judy's back.

But was it back for good? For a visit? To tell him she'd changed her mind or wanted a new partner? And what could he safely say to argue it if that was the case? Nick fisted his paws. Why hadn't he been thinking about this sooner? He had been so wrapped up in worry over whether or not Judy would return that he hadn't spared a thought as to how he should prepare if the worst didn't happen.

He was still standing there, gathering himself, when the door abruptly swung open, emitting someone, and Nick leapt back, all the warnings to himself that he had been cramming into his brain vanishing as he looked over—and found himself face to kneecap with Chief Bogo.

"Ah. Captain," greeted Nick far too cheerily. "Fancy running into you here!"

Bogo narrowed his eyes and started past him. Nick threw out a paw.

"Uh, sir? About today, in the Meadowlands." Best to take his part of the responsibility for it now, before his boss worked up a head of steam over it.

But the water buffalo said, "I don't want to hear it from you, Wilde," and Nick winced. Not for himself, but for a certain hyena.

"If it makes any difference," said Nick, "I could tell Officer Tibor was trying his best."

"That is what concerns me," said Bogo.

If he were being honest, it concerned Nick too.

"And, Wilde?"

"Sir?"

"If you leave early today, you had better make up the time before the end of the week."

"As if there was anywhere I'd rather be than here," said Nick with exaggerated obsequiousness. The water buffalo just rolled his eyes and continued on. Nick smiled, caught the door behind him, and went in.

And stopped.

Judy was there. She was perched the edge of her desk, chatting quietly with Officer Howle. Her duffel bag was beside her and she was still bundled up in a coat and scarf. Had she come right from the tram station? Her gray fur was ruffled from all the wind. It made her look extra soft and fluffy, and though she'd hit him for saying it, he thought she'd never looked cuter.

Nick didn't think he'd made a noise, but one long ear swiveled his way, and the next thing he knew she was turning around, her big violet eyes growing even bigger at the sight of him, and everything inside of Nick stilled for a beat as they stared at each other.

And then Judy smiled.

It made Nick's heart feel like it was being mimed by Officer Tibor. He abruptly felt like an idiot for every doubting her return. Of course she had come back. Judy never let anything get her down for long. Probably she had already cleaned up most of her feelings for him and was ready to move on.

And if the thought stung, well, that was Nick's problem. But he was happy to accept the pain if it meant having her back.

Officer Howle cleared his throat. "I guess I'll get going then."

Judy turned that sweet smile onto him. "It was good to see you, Howle."

"Glad to have you back, Hopps. I'll see you both tomorrow."

He nodded to Nick as he passed. And then he was gone and it was just the two of them, fox and bunny, alone in the room.

"I was starting to wonder if you really did become a carrot farmer," said Nick, breaking the silence before it could grow thick.

"Never," said Judy with a fake shudder.

"Are you a hundred percent sure about that?"

She hopped off the desk and came over to him. "I love spending time with my family, but there is only so much crop picking I can do without going stir-crazy." She was so close. He could pick out the scent of exhaust from her walk over, but also fresh vegetables and soil and bunny. He just wanted to bury his nose in her throat and breathe in. Her smell had haunted him for days after she'd left, and yet when it had finally started to fade, he had found himself lingering around the places it had been strongest—her desk, the police cruiser—trying to catch a trace of her.

"I heard you were out with Officer Tibor," Judy was saying. "I didn't know he took cases. I thought he was still on parking duty."

"Poor guy came to me a week after you left, asking if he could fill in. Temporarily," Nick hurried to add. "He's looking to impress the big guy. Apparently I have the magic touch when it comes to helping rookies get promoted."

Judy raised an eyebrow at that, but made no comment. She plucked out a twig from his arm, her expression turning solemn. "Are you sure, though? About the temporary part, I mean. I know I was gone for a while. If you've found a new partner who fits you better, I won't—"

"Dumb bunny," said Nick, plucking the twig from her paw and poking her in the forehead with it. "Looks like all the fresh farm air has made you lose your senses. You're stuck with me until the end, you got that?"

Rubbing her forehead, she nodded.

"Good." He tossed the twig into the trash bin. "Now. I'm going to go do a bit of deforestation on myself, and then I say we duck out early and go get dinner. What do you think?"

"Sounds perfect," said Judy.

"Great," said Nick. "And I know just the place."

They reached Marian's restaurant just as dusk was starting to fall.

It was a single story structure that had obviously been built before modern industrial had become the popular architectural style. The last time Judy had been by, she had found the place charming but a little rundown. Long in the ear, as her grandfather would say. The Corsacs had clearly made great efforts in revamping the place. Twinkly lights had been entwined around the porch railing, illuminating the front walk and giving the place a warm, festive air. Flowering bushes hugged the brick walls. They bulged out, fat and flourishing, over the sidewalk, tickling the legs of the patrons lined up outside who were waiting to get in. A simple white sign with black font next to the door read: The Foxes' Den.

Judy started to join the end of the line, but Nick caught her by the elbow with a roll of his eyes and walked her up to the front. Craven was there, dressed in black slacks and a spotless white button up. His face lit up when he saw them.

"Officer Hopps! Officer Wilde! We were wondering when you would make it over for a visit. Come in! Marian will be so happy when she hears you've come."

"I'm sorry it took us so long," said Judy. "But you seem really busy. Should we make an reservation and come back?"

"Of course not," said Craven, leading the way inside. "There will always be a table available for the two of you here."

He led them through a narrow entryway lined with cushioned chairs where more patrons waited and out into the dining area. More twinkly lights had been wrapped around the exposed rafters in the vaulted ceiling, and the exposed brick walls had been touched up and copper wall scones added for additional light. Here and there where black and white photos of Carol Hopson, the Corsacs, and long-time patrons of the restaurant. The smell of seasoned and roasting vegetables saturated the air. Nick could just make out the sound of piano music over all the quiet chattering.

"You've really made this place your own," said Judy.

"We've tried," said Craven with what seemed to Nick to be genuine modesty. He gestured them to a small two-chair table near a window, where a particularly enthusiastic vine had smushed itself up against the window, acting as a curtain to what would otherwise have been a dreary view of an alley.

"I'm happy to see you guys doing so well," said Judy.

Craven handed each of them a menu. "We're very grateful. The neighborhood has been nothing but supportive since we've returned."

"As if they weren't yelling for our blood just weeks ago," grumbled Reynard, coming up behind Craven and setting two glasses of water down on their table. He too wore dark slacks and a button up, but had rolled up his shirtsleeves and unbuttoned the collar. He glared under his lashes at the customers around them. "Lying vultures."

Craven frowned. "You shouldn't talk like that."

"Why? It's true. The minute they catch us doing anything they perceive as stepping out of line, they'll dump us as fast as last week's fish special. And then they'll swear they knew it all along, just like last time."

"Well we'll just have to make sure we avoid that then, won't we?" said Craven.

Reynard looked like he had something he wanted to say to that, but he bit it back and turned to Nick and Judy, pulling a small notepad and pencil out of his pocket. "Ready to order?"

"Oh, um—" Judy glanced at the menu and then at Nick. "Not yet?"

"Just wave when you're ready then," he said, and left to go see to another table.

Nick leaned closer to Craven. "Was it really wise to make him a waiter?"

"Believe it or not, he's actually gotten a lot better. And most of the customers that come in have known him since he was a kit. They're used to his uh, pricklier personality."

Craven returned to his station after that, leaving the officers free to look over their menus. Nick noted that while much of it was vegetables and fruit, there were several predator options too.

When they were finally ready, Nick gamely held up a paw and Reynard came back to take their order. As he was noting down their drinks, there was an angry yelp from the corner booth perpendicular to Nick and Judy's table. Nick looked over, surprised to find it occupied by Todd and Vixie. They had their homework spread out across the tabletop, their backpacks in a pile beneath. Todd was rubbing his muzzle with a sour face.

"So what if you're better at math," Vixie was saying with a sniff. "I can still take you."

Todd snapped his teeth at her; Vixie flashed her claws.

"Hey!" snapped Reynard. "Knock it off or that's the last basket of fried crickets you're getting tonight."

"Oh! Officer Wilde!" Catching sight of Nick, Vixie beamed and waved at him. Judy muffled a laugh behind her paw. Nick shot her a warning look and gave a grudging wave back.

Todd rolled his eyes and reached for a textbook, bumping into his drinking glass in the process and sloshing water over Vixie's textbook. Vixie let out a furious howl, snatching up a napkin to blot the soggy pages. "You did that on purpose!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"That's it," said Reynard, storming over to them. Several minutes of furious whispering later, the kits were chastised back into silence. But Nick noticed there was still some covert kicking under the table once the older fox had gone.

"So how was your time on the farm?" he asked Judy. "Was picking vegetables everything you remembered it being?"

Judy wrinkled her nose at him. "It was nice. Seeing my family, anyway. The manual labor less so. But it's great for staying in shape at least."

She did look good. Healthy, rested, refreshed, with firm curves that had become just a little bit curvier from all that hard work and homemade country food. Nick wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and make note of every new dip and swell. Did she have any new callouses? Had her kick gotten stronger? Was her belly still as soft and squishable as he remembered?

Nick mentally jerked away from the thought. Reaching for his drink glass, he gulped the water down. Now that Judy was back, there had to be some guidelines in place. Important rules so they didn't confuse things. And rule number one was paramount: he had to keep his paws to himself.

Judy was still speaking to him. Nick struggled to follow along. "Mom and Dad say hello, by the way. And they promised they would send along a care package just as soon as they finished up harvesting."

"Care package. Does that mean food?" asked Nick. "In that case, I can't wait."

Reynard came by with a small plate of appetizers and refilled Nick's glass. When he had gone, Judy asked, "So how has work been? Anything crazy happen while I was away?"

"You have no idea. I just can't get the job done without you, Hopps," said Nick, and preceded to tell her, in the most beleaguered tone he could, how hard, unfair, or boring his days at work had been without her. "And here I am confiding all my troubles to you and you're laughing about it," said Nick, making sure to put a whine into the words.

"I'm not," insisted Judy. "It's just…" she shrugged, nibbling on a carrot stick. "It's just nice to feel missed. That's all."

Of course you were missed, Carrots, thought Nick. How could you doubt it? But he knew perfectly well how, and so he kept his trap shut.

Marian came out to deliver their meals personally. She looked tired and stressed from working all evening in a hot kitchen and yet somehow blissfully happy about it too. The sleeves of her dress were carefully tucked and the strings on her apron tied together around her waist in a pretty bow. She was all smiles and sparkling eyes when she greeted Nick and Judy, proclaiming their meal on the house.

"Oh, but we couldn't," said Judy, but the female fox waved away her protests. "I wouldn't even be here to have a restaurant if not for you two. Business is great and it is all thanks to you."

"It probably also has to do with how delicious this food is," said Nick through a mouthful of crayfish, and Marian's smile turned even more dazzling.

"How is Robin doing?" asked Judy.

"Very well," said Marian. "He comes and helps clean up most nights when he's not busy with work."

"You close at one a.m., don't you? Strange hours for a philanthropist," said Nick, then winced when Judy kicked him under the table.

"He's very accommodating to his clients," was all Marian said, as if that explained everything. "But I better get back to the kitchen. They'll need help keeping up with so many orders. It was nice seeing you again, Officer Wilde. Officer Hopps. Stop by any time, okay?"

Only when she had gone did Nick rub his shin. "You kicked me," he accused his partner.

Judy popped an apricot from her fruit salad into her mouth and jabbed her fork at him. "You're still doing that thing."

"What thing?"

"That thing you do whenever Robin's job comes up. Why? You don't get like this over Mr. Big's business."

"That's because I know what the shrew is up to."

"So you're saying it's the mystery that bugs you, more than the job itself?"

"Don't judge me for the way I'm wired, Hopps."

Judy shook her head, exasperated, and went back to her salad, only to pop back up a second later, saying, "Oh! I just remembered. I was talking to Clawhauser earlier. He said he got a deal on tickets for Gazelle's new concert and he has two extra, if we want them."

The butter on Nick's crayfish suddenly tasted sour. "Concert?"

Judy nodded, fighting to spear a crouton. "The seats are supposed to be really good too."

Nick had to stop himself from reaching for his water again. Truth was, he had already heard about the concert, and he knew how much Judy would want to go. He'd even debated about buying tickets for her himself, perhaps as a bribe or a peace offering to make her come back.

But then he'd thought of how happy she'd be, and how much it would mean to her, and the possible inferences she might be tempted to draw from the offer, and in the end it had seemed too risky, as well as possibly cruel. Or maybe he was just that big of a coward.

But now the offer was out there anyway, and Nick had no choice but to address it. So he made himself say it as gently as he could. "I don't think that would be a good idea, Carrots."

Judy's gaze flicked up, surprised, and the happy glow she had been wreathed in all evening began to fade as she realized what he was saying. "Oh."

Curse that fluffy cheetah. Nick was going to make him pay for putting him in this position.

"It's just…" Nick forced a grin. "Those concerts are always so loud. At least one of us has got to keep their hearing. Otherwise how will we will know when we've got criminals sneaking up on us?"

"You're right," said Judy, gamely playing along. She even worked up a weak laugh. "It looks like I was in the country too long after all. I didn't even think about that."

But despite the reassuring smiles they gave each other, the mood was subdued after that. Conversation grew shallow and stilted. Nick struggled to come up with a way to repair the evening, but even humoring Vixie's extended visit to their table to officially invite them to her birthday party that weekend did little to disperse the tension.

When they had finished their meal, Reynard brought them each a small carry out box of dessert, another thank you from Marian, and neither he nor Craven would hear of letting them pay when Judy tried again to suggest it.

Outside, the streets were noticeably emptier, the line of waiting patrons from before long gone. The twinkly lights felt weaker under the weight of full night, and the breeze from earlier had vanished. The air was still and cold now.

Nick and Judy walked to the end of the block in silence. When Judy stopped for the crosswalk, Nick waited there with her. She had yet to look at him directly since leaving the restaurant, and Nick used the time to regard her profile, and the clouded, downturned expression he had put there.

"I don't know if I told you yet," said Nick. "How glad I am that you're back, Hopps."

Judy glanced over at him, and it hurt, the way she searched his face, as if trying to gauge his sincerity. Her smile when it finally came was a tiny thing.

The crosswalk light turned green.

"See you tomorrow, Nick," she said.

Nick watched his partner go, her little dessert box tucked in the crook of her arm, and told himself as he turned away and continued on down the block with his own dessert box swinging from his paw that the first few times together were bound to be rough. For both of them. The important thing was to not give up. As long as they didn't do that, eventually, things had to get better between them.

Conning yourself, Nick thought, was a lot easier when you weren't aware you were doing it.