*Warning before reading: This story is written in present tense. The large majority of fics are written in past tense, so for many people, this can be awkward to read at first. All I can say is please stick with it, the story will start to flow better and better and later on, the present tense will add an extra dimension that I hope everyone enjoys and makes this story unique.
Chapter 1: Another Successful Bust.
In a dark alley behind an old brick building in a run-down neighborhood outside of downtown Zootopia, a ZPD car is parked inconspicuously. The lights and the engine are off and there are two ZPD officers in full uniform sitting in the front seats. They are both peering into the darkness, as if they are expecting to see something. Chief Bogo sits in the driver's seat with the radio receiver in his right hoof, as Detective Oates sits patiently in the passenger seat.
Chief Bogo talks into the receiver, while continuing to look out into the alley. "Delgato and Grizzoli, do you see anything?"
Delgato gives a quick look through his binoculars from his lookout position on the roof of a nearby building looking down on the street below, which is partially illuminated by the street lights. Grizzoli is eating a sandwich while sitting on the roof next to Delgato. The skyline of downtown Zootopia is visible and beautiful in the background.
"No, nothing yet, but there is a beautiful view from up here, sir." He says into his reciever.
"How about you Rhinowitz and Johnson? Got anything?" Bogo continues over the radio.
Rhinowitz and Johnson are in civilian clothes standing outside of an abandon brick building, further down the block, with the windows boarded up and trash littered around it.
"Negative, nothing yet", Johnson replies into the concealed microphone located near his shoulder.
"What is going on, we can't stay here all night." Bogo says to Oates, starting to get noticeably irritated.
"Look, let's give it some more time. Wilde's guy hasn't been wrong yet." Detective Oates points out.
Looking ever more irritated, Bogo picks up the radio. "WILDE! Whats going on? We can't wait here all night!"
Down the road, there is a blue sedan; parked unsuspectingly, just around the corner on the other end of the block. Inside the car are Officer Nick Wilde in the passenger seat and Lieutenant Judy Hopps in the driver's seat. Nick is enjoying a pawpsicle with a wry smirk on his face while Judy is glued to the surroundings.
Nick picks up the receiver and takes the pawpsicle out of his mouth. "Yeah, Chief, um, the pickup was supposed to be like twenty minutes ago. I'm not sure–"
"YOU SAID 9:30! It's almost 10:30, Wilde!" Bogo yells over the radio, interrupting Nick.
Nick looks a bit shocked and confused, takes his thumb off the button of the receiver and asks Judy, "Oh, shit, is it really?"
Judy rolls her eyes in his general direction while looking on her phone. "Yeah, it's. . . 10:28. Nick, are you sure you had the right time?"
"Do you really think I could have gotten the times mixed up on a bust like this?" Nick says with a pleading smile. He presses his thumb back on the button, "Yeah, uh, I guess they are just late. But they wouldn't miss a pick up like this! Just give it twenty more minutes, chief!"
Bogo sighs over the radio, then responds, "Alright Wilde, twenty more minutes, after that we are gone. Everyone copy that?" The rooftop and street teams respond quickly over the radio.
"Copy."
"Copy."
Judy sits there staring out the window, now tired and annoyed. Nick moves to pop the pawpsicle back into his mouth when it falls off the stick and onto the floor of the car, he looks over at his partner with a face that has sorry written all over it.
"Damn it, Nick! I just got this cleaned!"
"Heh. Sorry. I wonder if Fin got the times mixed up?"
"Why don't you call him and ask?"
"Oh, that's right! He has a phone now, compliments of the City of Zootopia!" Nick says as he picks up his phone to call Finnick.
"Wait, do you hear that?" Judy says as her ears shoot up and she puts her paw up toward Nick.
"Hey Chief, I got a large truck, going south on Wallaby, approaching the building. There is a. . . ram and a fox in the cab. Hopps and Wilde, you should have a visual in a second." Delgato says into the radio while peering out his binoculars.
"Copy, everyone hold your positions." Bogo commands over the radio as the truck rolls past Nick and Judy's vehicle.
"We have a twenty." Judy quietly says over the radio.
"That's it!" Nick loudly whispers.
"Really? Are you sure?" Judy questions.
"Yeah! Finnick said it was an older truck with a cover-top!" Nick exclaims as he reaches for the radio, "That's the truck, guys!"
"Copy Wilde. Everyone hold position until they park." Bogo orders.
The truck slowly rolls past Nick and Judy and pulls into a nearby alley, which was adjacent to the building that the rooftop team are at. The truck parks in front of a side-entrance to the building across the alley of where they are positioned. Delgato and Grizzoli have a clear view from their roof top position across the alley, as they cautiously look down at the truck and suspects. They watch as a bobcat opens the door to the building, looks around and walks to the back of the truck to meet the driver and passenger.
"The passenger and driver have parked and exited the vehicle. A bobcat in a sports coat has opened the side door, they are walking to the back of the vehicle." Delgato says quietly into his radio.
As Delgato is talking, the two mammals open the back of the truck and pull back a tarp, revealing hundreds and hundreds of— skunk butt rugs.
"We have confirmation of the product." Delgato excitedly whispers into the radio.
When Chief Bogo and Detective Oates hear the broadcast, they start the vehicle and prepare themselves for the bust.
"Everyone get in position. Don't move on the suspects until I give the order." Bogo commands over the radio while readying himself.
Delgato and Grizzoli hurry off the roof and down the staircase. Rhinowhitz and Johnson each pull down a flap that says "ZPD" from the back of each other's jacket as they start walking towards the building, pulling out concealed tranq guns. They each take position behind either corner of the front of the alley, as they both keep hidden and Rhinowitz gives a quick, careful, peek into the alley.
"We are in position. Perps are unloading the product into the building." Rhinowitz whispers into the mic.
Judy starts up the car, slowly turning down the street and idling toward the front of the building.
"Judy, I want the lead." Nick suddenly interjects.
"What? No!" Judy replies, taken aback by the request.
"C'mon, you always get the lead!"
"That's because I'm a Lieutenant! Plus, I've been on the force longer and have more experience."
"Oh, barely! C'mon, just because you outrank me doesn't mean you get the lead on every bust. This is my bust, just like the past two we've done. I always plan everything then get left out of the action!" Nick pleads.
"Fine!" Judy says after a sigh, "Just remember we are just holding the front of the building. We don't pursue or engage unless–"
"Unless the bigger, stronger, faster cops can't catch them first. Got it!" Nick interrupts sarcastically.
"Well, I wouldn't say faster, but, yes." Judy replies with a crooked smirk.
Delgato and Grizzoli exit their building from the back, just a little bit ahead of where Chief Bogo and Det Oates are positioned. They scurry to either side of the alley. The trap has been set. With Rhinowitz and Johnson in position in the front of the alley, Delgato and Oates in the back of the alley, with Chief Bogo's and Judy's car to seal off the alley. Chief Bogo and Det Oates will enter the building from the back and Judy and Nick through the front if the perps were to run into the building.
"Okay. All Units. NOW!" Bogo shouts over the radio.
Judy and Chief Bogo drive their cars adjacent to the entrances of the alley, blocking off the alley's exit points. Delgato, Grizzoli, Rhinowitz and Johnson all run towards the truck and the perps from both directions.
"ZPD! On the ground! Now!" they all shout at once.
The three perps all freeze. The ram places his hands above his head and doesn't move. The bobcat panics, turns around, then scurries off down the alley only to see officers coming from that direction, too. He then tries running the other way, to which there were the same officers approaching from that direction. He ends up in the middle of the alley, on all fours, with his tail between his legs. The fox runs into the building through the side door.
Nick and Judy run to the front of the building and Nick puts his paw on the door knob.
"Wow, Unlocked", Nick notes as he opens the front door to the building. He walks in, tranq gun drawn and highly alert. The front door opens up into large room with a hallway at the end that lead toward the back of the building and a staircase that lead upstairs to the left. As he walks further in, Judy follows closely behind; ears perked up and eyes focused, staring into the dark building.
"I'll head upstairs, you stay down here." Nick says as he slowly makes his way over to the staircase.
"Got it", she whispers back as she takes a position toward the middle of the large room, giving her a good view of both the hallway and the staircase.
As Nick starts walking up the stairs he hears Delgato over the radio. "The fox perp has entered the building, we have the other two down in the alley". Bogo replies quickly with, "In pursuit!"
Nick's demeanor gets deadly serious and his heart beats faster as he hears approaching footsteps getting louder and louder. When he gets up to the top of the stairs, he enters a long hallway. He is pointing his tranq gun towards the end of the hallway and takes one step into the hallway, as the footsteps seem to be almost right in front of him. Suddenly, a fox turns the corner at the end of the hallway, barely keeping his footing as he bolts towards Nick. Chief Bogo is right behind, but he loses his footing while taking the turn and crashes into the wall. He nearly bursts through to the other side as the wall breaks and splinters from the force of the enormous water buffalo smashing into it.
Nick takes aim and is about to shoot, when he looks right in the eyes of the stunned fox. He is almost a spitting image of Nick. Younger, a bit taller, wearing a hoody and jeans, fur more unkempt. Otherwise, ten years ago, this could have very well been Nicholas P Wilde running down the hall rather than the one in the ZPD uniform pointing the tranq gun. Nick was frozen in a sudden storm of emotions, as the fox continued to run directly at him. Nick didn't fire, didn't speak, didn't move. He was just— frozen, stuck in a moment of space and time that he couldn't budge from.
Bogo quickly jumps up from the pile of rubble that was once a wall, aims his tranq gun at the fox and pulls the trigger twice. Both darts hit the young fox in his back, only a few yards in front of Nick. As the fox stumbles forward, losing control of his motor skills, he flies into Nick sending him flying down the stairs as the fox hits the ground where Nick was standing. Nick continues to painful tumble all the way down the staircase, as he gets stunned back to reality. He finally comes to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, his legs and lower body still sprawled out on the first few stairs; his head on the floor of the room below, eyes looking up toward the ceiling.
"CHEESE AND CRACKERS! NICK!" Judy shouted, stunned and utterly concerned, as she quickly runs over to her downed partner.
"Why. Why did there have to be so many stairs." Nick says in pain as he put his paw on his head.
"What happened Nick? Are you okay?!" Judy questions as she kneels and gently caresses his face with her soft paws.
"WILDE! You all right down there?" Bogo yellss, almost out of breath, from the top of the stairs.
Nick takes a moment to regain his composure. "That fox. . . he, Chief?! Did you get him?"
"Yes, the suspect is down. Are you hurt?" Bogo shouts back.
"Yeah, but you should see the other guy!" Nick replies in humorous, but painful, tone.
"Next time, I take the lead." Judy says after a moment, holding his head in her paws and a smile of relief on her face.
"Yep, all yours, fluff." He replies as Judy helps him up.
Nick leans on Judy as he limps out of the house and towards her car and hops onto the hood, holding his side. Judy goes around to the driver's seat and radios in the good news.
"Hopps to dispatch. We have three in custody and contraband to be picked up."
After a moment, Nick gets up and starts limping down the alley. Nick gives the bobcat and ram a quick look, who are in handcuffs and sitting alongside the building. The other officers are either chatting amongst themselves or talking over the radio while standing near the perps in the alley. He gets to the back of the truck and sees the contraband. His jaw drops in joyous shock.
"WOOHOO! Holy Shit! NOW that's a big bust, guys!" Nick yells in amazement.
"HELL yeah it is, Wilde!" Delgato shouts back.
"Yeah, I didn't even know there were enough skunks to make that many SBRs!" Rhinowitz adds.
All the officers high five and embrace Nick as he makes his way back to Judy's car. Judy has backed the car back out into the street. As Nick comes out of the alley, Bogo is carrying the handcuffed fox over his shoulder and sits his limp body against the wall of the building.
Judy walks out to where Bogo is and informs him, "Okay, Chief, we have two wagons incoming. Should be here in ten minutes."
"Thanks Lieutenant. . . " Bogo says as he turns back around, then looks at Nick, "Nice job, Wilde. We are going to have a press conference tomorrow on this bust at noon. You all can join me on stage. Especially you, Wilde. This is your bust, after all."
"Oh, I'll be there!" Nick responds, still brimming with delight and excitement.
"Okay. Well, we can take it from here. You two can call it a night." Bogo says as he makes his way down the alley. Nick and Judy get into the car.
Judy starts the car and begins driving. "Alright, let's take you to the hospital."
"Hospital! I'm fine! I actually have never felt more alive!"
Judy gives Nick a concerned and befuddled look, "You fell down a full flight of hard, wooden stairs! Look at your eye!"
Nick looks in the rear-view mirror to reveal a swollen eye that was already darkening. "Oh, would ya look at that? I'm gonna be sore in the morning! Ha", Nick winces in pain from the laugh and grabs his side, "Ow."
Judy, now becoming unsettled at Nick's condition, sternly tells him, "Are you kidding me? Alright, we are going, right now."
Nick's smirk of contentment still hasn't left his face, but he now sees Judy's concern and tries to comfort her. "No! Seriously, I'm fine. We should go for a drink instead! Did you see how many goddamn SBRs there were?! That must be the biggest bust in history! Lets' celebrate!"
"By going to the hospital and making sure you're not internally bleeding! Yes, that sounds like a good plan to me." Judy tells Nick with a slightly facetious but still serious tone.
"Seriously, no hospital! I don't wanna spend all night waiting for them to tell me what I already know. C'mon! Lets' go to Paws! I could get some food, too."
"Really? You're hungry? Right now, after all that?"
"Yeah, you really work up an appetite falling down stairs! Could you at least take me to Bug Burga? Please?" Nick asks as he gives Judy the pleading look of a kit.
Judy can't help but smile at his request. She sighs in contentment and gives into the sly fox, "Fine!"
Judy drives him to Bug Burga. Judy passes, as she is not hungry and is not a fan of bug burgers to begin with. Nick gets a double-double meal and devours every bite. Judy drives him back to his apartment, which is located on the outer edge of downtown Zootopia. They both start feeling rather emotional as Judy pulls up to his building and parks. Nick keeps thinking about how he froze on the staircase, and all the emotions he was feeling in that moment. Judy is thinking about helplessly watching Nick tumble down the stairs, and how, for a moment, she didn't know if she still had her partner. . . and her best friend
"Are you sure you're okay?" Judy says, as she turns to look at her partner, her ears droopy.
Nick unbuckles his seat belt, whose enthusiasm has all but disappeared. "Absolutely. Just a few bruises and a black eye."
Judy turns her head back around and stares out her window into the dark street. Her eyes begin to well up and Nick notices. "What's wrong?! "
"It's just– you really scared me today."
"Believe me, it was no picnic for me, either. That's just part of the job, carrots. Remember when you almost got flattened by that Rhino on our first bust together? I almost had a heart attack! I'm just glad that we can look out for each other. If I wasn't here with you, I'd be worried sick about you every day." He pauses and puts his paw on Judy's shoulder. Judy looks back at him and smiles while a tear runs her cheek. She grabs Nick's paw with her own as Nick continues, "But, I'm fine and we made the bust! That's all that matters."
Judy takes her paw off from his, then he removes his paw from her shoulder. She wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I know, I'm glad you're here, too. It's just. . . I should have taken the lead."
"Yeah, then you would probably be in the hospital now!"
Judy takes a moment and looks out the front of the car. "Yeah, maybe."
There is a few moment of silence as they both pull back their emotions. Nick then breaks the silence, "So, you think Bogo will promote me? I mean, he's got to after this!"
"Nick. . . "
"C'mon! I've been on the job six months and have orchestrated three big busts, and this one might be the biggest in history!"
"Exactly! You've only been on the job six months. Your connections have been valuable, and you have made a lot of progress as an officer. Just be patient! It will happen eventually."
Nick rolls his eyes and looks back out his window, "Yeah, patience. I guess I have never been one for patience."
"Reeaally? I haven't noticed." Judy says, giving Nick a highly sarcastic look.
Nick turns his head to look at Judy with a wry smirk, "Like you're one to talk, carrots!"
"Touché, fox!"
"Alright, well, I have to go get naked and dip my entire body into a pile of ice." Nick says as he puts his paw on the door handle.
Judy very playfully gives him a, "Rawr!", while extending her right paw towards him.
Nick looks right at Judy with a sly and somewhat flirtatious demeanor. "You are welcome to join me, Miss Hopps. . . "
Judy gives him the same demeanor, now blushing a bit. "Har Har! I think I'll pass, maybe if the pile of ice was say, a Jacuzzi, then maybe."
"Well, there is one in the pool area. Heh heh".
There is a moment of them staring at each other, clearly with tension and some awkwardness between them both.
Judy cheeks turn even more red, then she breaks the slightly uncomfortable silence, "Heh. Maybe some other time. You ice yourself and get some rest! We have a big day tomorrow!"
"Yeah. Shit, I am going to look like I got trampled by a stampede in front of the cameras!"
"Hey, that will make you look like hero!
"I seriously doubt that."
"Alright, good night, see ya tomorrow!" Judy tells Nick, with ears now perked up and a sincere smile across her face.
"Yeah you too, carrots!" Nick happily says as he opens the door and gets out of her car.
Nick waves goodbye as Judy drives off down the street. Nick then enters his building, which has a gorgeous view of downtown Zootopia as the backdrop.
Hello ladies and gentlemen! Detroiter here. Just wanted to say I appreciate any and all readers, feel free to leave any feedback or comments. This first chapter is just a fun way to start off the story as we get reintroduced to the characters and the world. I will be releasing a new chapter every Saturday night for the foreseeable future, though I'm sure there will be hiatuses mixed in. The first three chapters all happen within the first ~24 hours of the story. The pace of this story is going to be SLLLOOWWW, just a warning to anyone interested in following this story. I am thinking it will take around a year to finish. I'm planning about 30 or so chapters, I think most will be 3-5,000 words, which I know is a lot but, hey, that's just how I write.
Chapter 2 is actually fairly short, 'Remember The Last Time..." and is a transitional chapter between this bust and the next night. It takes place the next morning, as we follow both Judy and Nick to start as they go to the press conference. Later, though, we will just follow Nick and we will start to see how he is starting to, perhaps, unravel a bit as seeing that younger fox really has stirred something up deep inside of himself. Hmmm...