running his mouth, it could put him on even worse terms with Bogo.

Xavier rubbed his chin at the idea. "I suppose," he admitted, "but 'Hero' is one of our top-rated songs, especially after everything that's happened. Changing it now might not be such a smart idea."

The fox had a quick answer for that. "What if you did a second version – like in movies, when they have a song twice but the lyrics are different?"

"A reprisal," Taelia put in, instantly warming to the idea. "That could work. Remember when Jay Parr redid one of his songs as a tribute to... oh, I never remember athletes..."

"Tim T-Bone," Nick supplied.

"Oh, I love that song!" Ellen enthused. "We have got to do that!"

Xavier mulled it over and smiled. "Well, I guess if we can pull it together in time. All those in favor?"

There was no need for Nick to break a tie this time; all were in favor.

When the practice was over, Ellen and Nicole took off to discuss the new song – which Nick surmised was to be called, 'Not Always What They Seem'. Taelia stuck around a bit longer to fix some issues she had found with the sound equipment. Isabelle detained Vicky for a few minutes to sort out some tailoring (it turned out Mrs. Beamer did double-duty as wardrobe manager for the band), and Xavier took the chance to chat with Nick.

"I've been trying to place you," he told Nick as they sat on a couple of chairs. "Are you a street vendor or something?"

Though he wasn't as proud of his old job as he'd once been, Nick smiled and nodded confidently. "Pawpsicles, yeah – and I've dabbled in one or two other business ventures. You might call me a Renaissance fox."

One of the wolf's eyebrows lifted. "Ever think of trying the music market?"

Nick blinked. "With you guys?"

Xavier nodded. "I majored in business administration, and one of the big rules in management is not to throw away opportunities. You've got a head for marketing, Nick. We could use that."

"Well..." At one time Nick would have jumped at the chance, and probably found some way to get the best of the band. This time, though, he wasn't so sure. "Actually, I've been thinking about changing careers."

He didn't see, but Taelia looked up from what she was doing. Her surprised look perfectly matched Xavier's.

"What, you?" asked the wolf. "But you've gotta be making a killing with talent like yours."

Yeah, thought Nick, don't remind me. "Don't get me wrong," he added, lifting his paws as if to push back the objection. "I'd love to work with you guys, but... I'm actually thinking about becoming a cop."

Both of Xavier's eyebrows lifted this time. "A cop, huh?" He propped a foot on one knee. "How'd you decide on that?"

Nick was a little surprised that the wolf wasn't more stunned by the idea. Most foxes he knew – never mind members of other species – would have died laughing at the idea of a fox cop. The lack of surprise struck him so much he almost forgot to make up an answer.

"Well," he said slowly, "back when I was a cub, I wanted to be part of something; to really belong somewhere, you know? Be part of a pack, I guess." If anyone could appreciate that, it would be a wolf. Up to this point he had been honest, but if he was going to avoid the whole truth – that he had been all but dragged into a future in law enforcement – now was the time to segue into a lie. "I thought about being a cop, but I realized that no one trusted foxes – so I gave up on that. Lately, though, I've been thinking maybe no one trusts foxes because there are no fox cops. So between that and Car- uh, Officer Hopps, I decided maybe it was time I did something about that."

Xavier was duly impressed. "Well," he said, smiling, "that's a heck of a life goal." He reached out and tapped Nick's shoulder with a fist. "Show 'em how it's done, dog. I get the feeling you'll do great."

Xavier's watch beeped, and he glanced at it. "Yikes, it's getting late. You and Taelia had better get going. Tal, are you almost done in there?"

Taelia had disappeared again under the sound board. She didn't want Nick to see her until she had pulled herself together. There is a God, she thought to herself.

About fifteen minutes later, the two vulpines strolled through the gathering dusk, taking in the rare treat of starlight at ground level. Even in this more residential area of the city – not quite a suburb, but close enough – lights from the more metropolitan area made it hard to spot anything in the sky. All the same, they made the best of it they could – one reason they had turned down an offer from Xavier to drive them back to Taelia's. At the vixen's suggestion, they detoured along a quieter route which led past a park. It was the long way home, but it was scenic – and she wanted to talk.

"You seem pretty quiet," Nick observed at one point.

Her shoulders rose and fell. She avoided looking at him; the last thing she wanted was to start crying. "Just... just thinking," she answered.

He toyed with the idea of putting an arm around her and pulling her in close. "What about?"

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Well, it's about what you said – you know, about why you want to be a cop." She spoke quickly and with determination, focusing on the words as a way to stay in control. "I feel the same way, only maybe from the other end."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I meet so many foxes – dogs especially – who just settle for the species reputation. Some of them even seem to enjoy it. I hate that, because it just drags the rest of us down."

'We can only be what we are,' Nick remembered saying, hearing the words now much as Judy must have heard them at the time: snide, bigoted, even malignant. 'Sly fox, dumb bunny.'

Taelia went on. "I mean... well, my dad could have been a doctor – I know he could have – but because no one trusts him he was lucky to get a job in a paper mill. And no one trusts him..."

"Because they've been conned by foxes like the ones you just talked about," Nick concluded, keeping a straight face. Part of him had to wonder how old Taelia's dad was. He knew paper mills could be tough places to work, especially for the smaller set. Guy's gotta be in his fifties, right? Another part of him, none too fond of guilt, did its best to block out the mental image.

"Exactly." Taelia didn't need to struggle now; she was in her element. She took a deep breath, and the night air somehow seemed fresher than usual. Her head turned to and fro, taking in the sights. Her eyes fell on a bench, and a thought came to her. "Nick," she asked, touching his arm, "do you mind if we sit down for a minute?"

He shrugged, glad for any change of subject. "Sure."

They sat, and Taelia tried to think how to say what was on her mind. She liked Nick a lot; she was sure of it now. Inside, she wanted him to put an arm around her or say something special, but she wasn't about to tell him that. For one thing, it would kind of kill the point.

Then she got an idea. "It just came to me that I added you to my contacts last night after you texted me, but I don't have a picture to go with the info."

"Oh." He scooted back and smiled. "Well, go ahead; just get my good side."

She laughed a little. "Actually, I was hoping for a picture with both of us in it."

Inside Nick hesitated. This wasn't turning into the 'touch-and-go' kind of relationship he was used to, and while he liked Taelia, there was a part of him that rebelled against getting too cozy. Perhaps it was the part that preferred detachment, or maybe it was the growing belief that she'd sing an entirely different tune if she ever found out his history.

Outwardly, however, habit took over. While he was still pondering his dilemma, he scooted back up next to her and put his paw on hers on the bench. That made their shoulders feel too crunched, however, so – still questioning the wisdom of it – he put his arm around her. Her smile brightened at this, and she leaned her head just a little against him as she stretched out her right arm to take the shot. Nick, opting to play the part until a better idea came along, took one himself.

"Why waste a good photo op?" he remarked.

She smiled. "Thanks," she told him quietly. He could practically see the stars in her eyes. Heck, if he had looked hard enough he might have been able to pick out whole constellations. "I never met a guy who was willing to try like you," she said. Her tone wasn't the woozy, dreamy kind one might find in a movie right before a kiss under a shooting star. It was more a matter-of-fact tone with just a touch of 'wow.'

Then, in the odd way that thoughts go sometimes, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, we forgot about the fortune cookies," she noted, fishing in her pocket. "I grabbed them when we left my apartment."

The cookies, as you might expect, were a bit worse for the wear. Still, she and Nick each picked a pouch, opened it, and snacked on the crumbs while reading the fortunes. Taelia blushed when she read hers: Stop searching forever. Happiness is right beside you. She stifled her reaction, not about to let some piece of paper get her

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