Author's Preamble

After browsing DeviantArt and , I noticed many people really want Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps to be together as a romantic couple (yes, I have been leaving under a bridge for a while and I have not written fanfiction before until recently. This is actually one of my first attempts at writing fanfiction.)

I understand the appeal and I am open-minded as long as it is in good taste (content that the creators of Zootopia would reasonably approve - i.e. NO mature content). If they are together as a romantic couple, that is great. If they just stay as friends, that is okay too.

However, if they do become a couple, the two will encounter some relationship problems. In Love vs. Duty, I address one of the potential problems of their relationship, but I will not explicitly state it here to prevent accidental spoilers.

This is the first time I get to write as though they ARE a romantic couple. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

...

"That is an order Officer Wilde!"

"But… I can't… She… I…"

"But nothing! Fire!"

…

BANG

2 hours earlier…

"Let's go Judy. Time to start our shift," Officer Nick Wilde said as he buckled up.

Officer Judy Hopps got in the driver's seat of the police cruiser and turned the ignition key. She leaned over and kissed Nick playfully. "Before I forget," she teased as she released his lips.

Nick just shook his head, smilingly. Eight months after the Night-Howler case and the arrest of Ms. Bellwether, Nick and Judy had been working together as partners in the ZPD. Their time together made them realize that they had feelings for each other. In the beginning, they simply ate dinner together, but as time went on, they gradually spend more time together when they were off-duty. Although they downplay their relationship to their friends and colleagues, many officers such as Clawhauser like to tease them about it.

"Alert!" the police cruiser's radio boomed. "Bank robbery at First National Bank of Zootopia! All nearby units respond immediately!"

"Let's go Carrots. Save the 'wild' times later," teased Nick as he pressed the button to turn on the sirens.

When they arrived at the bank, the ZPD had already taped off the area and blocked every major intersection. Chief Bogo was present and he was directing orders with a megaphone. Although the robbers were trapped in the bank, Chief Bogo did not send in ZPD officers for fear that the robbers had taken hostages. He needed more information before acting.

When Chief Bogo noticed that Officers Hopps and Wilde arrived, he said, "Glad you can finally join us. Situation does not look good. We have no idea what is going on inside and since you two are the smallest officers, we need you to sneak inside and find out. Officers Hopps and Wilde, wear these headsets and bodycams so that you have constant communication with each other and with us. No funny business! We can see what you see through the cameras. You are to follow my orders, understand?"

Nick and Judy quickly wore their new pieces of gear. "Yes sir!" they cried in unison.

"Good. That is exactly what I want to hear. Be careful in there. Some of the workers who managed to escape mentioned that some of these robbers are armed with Night-Howler weapons. Officer Hopps, you go through the back and Officer Wilde, you go through the staff entrance on the side."

Nick immediately felt uncomfortable upon hearing these orders. He rarely left Judy's side and he would not be able to protect her if he was not with her. He could never forgive himself if anything happened to Judy. He argued to Chief Bogo, "Sir, with all due respect, Judy and I work best when we are together."

Chief Bogo looked at Nick with contempt. Chief Bogo was not the type of animal you disagreed with, especially during high-pressure situations. If you refused to follow his orders, he would dishonorably discharge you right on the spot. He replied, "I know you two work well together. However, at this time, we need you to split up to cover more ground. You also have headsets so that you two will always be able to communicate with each other."

This still did not calm Nick, but he knew he had no other choice. "Okay. I understand, sir," he reluctantly said.

When Chief Bogo left, Nick gave Judy a long kiss. Judy was not expecting it, but she enjoyed every second of it. Nick loved Judy and he did not care if anyone was looking. He was worried about her and if anything happened to either of them, he wanted his last memory about Judy to be them in a passionate kiss.

After releasing lips, Nick said, "Stay safe Carrots. I will be waiting for you after we're done."

"Correction, you'll be waiting for me," Judy teased as she headed towards the back of the bank.

Nick smiled at the playfulness, but he immediately returned his focus on the mission. He silently entered the bank via the staff entrance. Before he was a ZPD officer, he had a knack of evading trouble from gangsters he hustled and from ZPD officers who wanted to question him about his "wares". He was good at sneaking around and found that this mission was too easy. When Nick entered the first room, he noticed that a raccoon was fiddling with the locks on a small safe. Nick silently crept behind him and knocked him out.

"Good night," whispered Nick as he handcuffed the raccoon robber. He also pocketed the raccoon's jolt gun as he felt that he might need it later. Although the jolt gun was non-lethal and could only shock the target into submission, he still did not want this weapon lying around for anyone to use.

"Judy, come in Judy," Nick said into the headset. "I am inside the staff room and I just knocked out a raccoon robber equipped with a jolt gun. Please be careful."

Nick began to advance to the tellers' area of the bank, but he immediately stopped before opening the door. He felt uneasy that Judy had not responded to his call. He tried calling her multiple times, but got nothing but static.

Eventually, he heard a voice and got excited as he thought it was Judy. His excitement was short-lived when he heard Chief Bogo's voice instead. "Officer Wilde," Chief Bogo said. "We lost contact with Officer Hopps. Her last known location was the tellers' area, which is near your current location. You are to remain where you are until backup arrives. Do not do anything until then."

Nick's heartrate immediately increased and he began to breathe very deeply. Judy was in trouble! How could he just stand there and do nothing when his friend needed help. He took out the jolt gun and prepared to breach the area. He did not care about Chief Bogo's stupid orders and was not scared about the robbers with the Night-Howler weapons. Like a knight in shining armour, he was going to rescue Judy regardless if he gets hurt or discharged.

He kicked down the door and pointed the jolt gun at the only animal in the room. But it wasn't a robber. It wasn't even an innocent bank worker.