This is my very first official Zootopia fic! I had this in my mind weeks after seeing the movie and this story has popped out. Hopefully, this will be an awesome first Zootopia fic! Enjoy! And it's told from my first OC's point of view.

Making Up for My Mistake

by: Terrell James

Prologue

(My P.O.V.)

So it's been a really heavy year and a half for me because things have started to fall apart for me in my hometown because only one can go through so much pain...deep emotional pain that all happened so fast that it's hard to grasp onto. I'm driving all the way to the airport because I got a job opportunity at the Zootopia Police Department and I'll be honest, I never thought that I would find another job at another precinct after what had happened a few months ago that made me want to resign from my previous job.

I loved that job like it was my marriage that I lived and trained for 9 years...that is until something horrible had happened that tore me straight to the core while I was on the job that I couldn't protect someone of my own. My guilt keeps eating me alive everytime I think about that fateful night that I lost someone that's close to me for my whole life.

Several months ago...

It was me and my partner driving around Bunga Town to make sure the streets are safe at night, in case there's some freaks coming out at night causing a ruckus...in which 79% of the criminal activities occur almost every night with so many arrests we made that you'd think we'd seen it all. As we were about to put a cap to the day, we received a dispatch from one of our units that would change everything.

"Bunga dispatch 231 to unit 763, please respond!"

I pick up the dispatch mic and replied, "Unti 763, responding. What's your status?"

"We've got a huge situation occuring here! A domestic disturbance is underway on the corner of Mateau and Brookstile Avenue! A young panther is being held captive!" the dispatcher responded in a panic.

"Have you got a good look at the suspect?" I asked.

"We don't know for sure! You gotta come to the street immediately!" the dispatcher responded, semi-freaking out.

"Roger that!" I exclaimed, as I put on my siren and slammed the brakes.

Just then, my partner became completely puzzled by the street description that the dispatcher responded and when I floored it, he asked, "Hey, isn't that place your neighborhood?"

I had a gut feeling that it was gonna be held in my neck of woods, but I didn't want to jump into that worst-case scenario real quick and I responded, "We've gotta find out what's happening there!"

Several minutes into the drive, I finally pulled up to the neighborhood and there were other cop cars, plus a full-on S.W.M.A.T. team underway and when the S.W.M.A.T. team surrounds one house, you know something serious is about to go down and as soon as we parked, we both got out of the car and I immediately asked, "What's the status?"

"We had gotten a call about a huge domestic disturbance 20 minutes ago and apparently, the suspect is threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend, refusing to leave the house for any means until he's done what he's doing." one of the cops answered.

The minute I heard about it, I could tell that it was my little sister's life that's on the line and I didn't let panic or fear get in what I'm doing and I asked, "Are there any other victims there?"

"10 young people are being held hostage and the suspect has got 5 others in that house." answered the other cop from behind me.

I had my gun drawn out ready to see what was going on and I wasn't sure what to expect what happens next and I heard some screaming and fighting noises from the inside of the house and when I heard my sister screaming in ultimate terror, my mind assumed the worst that this scumbag was doing something to her. Part of me wanted to get in there, rescue her and beat the crap out of that guy and then arrest him, but I also know that I would be putting not only my sister at risk, but the other captives at risk as well.

"Come out with your hands up right now!" one officer shouted, on his megaphone.

When word didn't come from the thugs, things started to tense up and I was getting more tense, anxious but also fearful for my sister's safety at the same time. So many emotions were all over me and just when things couldn't get any more serious, the captives had escaped from the house just as they were being chased by those five of the suspect's backup and it took no time at all for the S.W.M.A.T. team to take them down quickly.

All of the captives were friends of my little sister's and the police took them to their squad cars to keep them safe and I was just waiting until my sister could be set free herself, but when that ex-boyfriend of hers came out with my sister in ropes and shackles, I was mortified but severely furious at the same time and when my sister looked at me, I could see that her eyes were just beaten up and it was like she was pleading me to help her.

"Vincent, help me!" my little sister cried out.

Her ex-boyfriend slapped her straight in the face in front of the officers and slammed her to the wall and placed a knife close to her throat as a threat and I was furious like never before because he had no right to harm her the way he did and he bellowed, "If you come close to her, she dies!"

"Let go of her right now!" I exclaimed, very angrily.

"Put down the weapon now! If you let her go, no harm will come to you whatsoever!" one of the cops negotiated.

"The only way to do that is if you kill me first and then kill that bitch!" the ex-boyfriend raged.

That tactic that he used completely tore me up because he was using us to kill her and my sister and that is just messed up in so many forms because he was using the 'suicide by cop' card and used it at my sister's expense and we do not want to harm her in any way, nor him...although I would love to do some serious damage to him for abusing my little sister.

"We are not gonna kill you! That's what we do not want to do!" exclaimed one officer.

"Just let go of my sister and we can either make this easier or harder for you!" I shouted.

And then, the one moment that would completely change my life in the most brutal way possible comes to life in front of my eyes as my little sister bites her ex's arm and frees herself from him to run towards me and just as we came closer, the ex-boyfriend picks up an assault rifle and shoots her quickly as we all ducked down when we saw that gun pop out of nowhere and as we ducked, I saw my sister getting riddled with bullets all over her and at that moment, I dropped my gun in complete terror as I saw her body fall down to the ground.

It felt like time had stopped after those shots were fired and the fact that my sister was killed filled me with so much rage, anger, sorrow and helplessness all mixed in and as he came over to keep firing rounds to her, all the S.W.M.A.T. teams came in and took him down harder than ever and restrained him and while they did that, I immediately rushed over to my sister and the sight of blood all pouring out of her, it was one moment that would be locked in my head for the rest of my life.

"Someone call an ambulance now!" I screamed.

I turned to her and she was almost still alive as she coughed up blood and she looked at me and she said, "Vince..."

"Don't die on me, sis! You're gonna be all right." I said, trying to help her out so desperately.

"Vince...I'm so sorry for putting you through this." she said, breathlessly.

I shushed her and said, "Don't say that. It's not your fault. It's mine...if I hadn't have stopped this sooner..."

"Don't...I think it's just better this way." she said, panting.

I knew what she was gonna say because she figured that's the choice she made and I didn't want her to die on me and I said, "Don't talk like that. Please...I don't want to lose you. Not now."

"Vincent...I love you as my big brother...and a hero." she replied.

Just then, the ambulance came quickly and I got out of the way as they took her on a stretcher and placed her on the back of the ambulance and I saw her being led away as the doors closed and at that point, I just wished that I would've been there to save her and when the ambulance drove away, my only hope was that she survived through this ordeal.

They eventually arrested her ex and when he took one look at me, I was super mad like I was ready to fight him and the ex told me, "She's better off dead!"

That one comment set me off and I was getting ready to tear him up so badly, but I know that it's against my profession to do that and as soon as my partner and I got back to the squad car, the first thing I wanted to do is to head to the hospital to see if she's okay and I drove straight to the hospital, concerned for my sister's life.

After we got there, I was completely worried for her and I had hoped that she would pull through and after about 45 minutes of anxious waiting, the nurse broke the news to me that the bullets were removed, but the injuries were too severe to be healed and that she died. Once those four letters spew out of the nurse's mouth, I felt like my world was crumbling apart at the seams really quickly and I couldn't believe that my own sister has died.

When the nurse walked away, I was numb and my body couldn't move any further because it felt like it was a sharp blow to the heart and my partner came to me and he said, "I'm so sorry, man."

Without another word, he walked away to give me some space and I just laid on my back to the wall and slid down to the floor is a lotus position just crying afterwards. Not long after that, I walked back to my house and learning about my sister's death made me so emotional that I just had to let everything out. Fury, anger, regret, guilt, frustration, confusion, sorrow, grief and sadness took over me and I just released every emotion possible...I just busted through my bedroom door, punched the walls, threw everything I see in sight and just tore up my room out of grief, pain and anger and I just got down on my knees and just roared so loud and screamed, "WHY?!"

Soon afterwards, I broke down crying uncontrollably over my sister's loss and I just released everything out of me that I held in so fast and I felt like I was all alone. First, my parents are divorced, then my grandfather died of a heart attack and now my sister's gone? Everything that had happened to me recently went so fast that it's hard for me to cope.

That was all I did all night was cry...because my sister meant everything to me. She was the reason that I wanted to be a cop. How's that working out for me now? I failed at the one time I was supposed to protect the one that's close to me.

Within a week, I attended my own sister's funeral and I just felt so alone throughout and I couldn't bring myself to tell my parents what happened, but they had already figured it out and I just felt like it was all my fault for not protecting her enough. And after they buried her, I walked over to her grave in the rain just crying and whispering how sorry I am for not protecting her soon. I felt someone's paw on my shoulder and when I turned around, I saw my boyfriend right behind me and he gave me a hug of comfort to let me know that he's here for me.

I had came out when I was 18 and it had been hard on my parents to accept it and they had slowly came to terms with it, but it's still hard for them to deal with it and that was when my boyfriend, Gilbert. He's a panther like me and he's been there for me for the good and the bad.

Weeks after my sister's death, I was back on the force but I was never the same again. And then some unexpected events came at me so fast; my father had killed himself, my mother went to rehab for mental health because she had bipolar disorder and my big brother committed suicide after his girlfriend left him for another man. They came in so fast that I couldn't handle the pressures of going to work. My partner had accepted a new job at another precinct far away from where I live and we've been like best friends since we had partnered up.

Everything that way had happened over a couple of months and I was feeling so depressed that I wanted to kill myself, but I couldn't even do that. Most of my colleagues were concerned about me and I just felt like I had failed not only as a police officer, but as a person because I was falling apart.

I had resigned myself from the force because of those personal issues and thankfully, they understood the reason why I left and I had spent most of my days home alone and sometimes staying with Gilbert for the most part and I just felt like I would never forgive myself for what had happened that night as it constantly replays on the back of my head every day and when I go to sleep at night.

That is until I received an offer from someone from the Zootopia Police Department that wanted new recruits from past precincts to live and work there...which was both unexpected and amazing and I wanted to give myself another chance to redeem myself from all the emotional scars that came my way. It's gonna be hard to leave my hometown, my family and my boyfriend, but at the same time, a change in scenery would help me out a lot.

Present

Gilbert and I drove to the Bunga Town Airport as I got myself settled and ready to go, but it was gonna be hard to leave Gilbert because Zootopia is like 325 miles from there and I have never been anywhere further away from my boyfriend before, but we still have love for each other and he has been my support system through it all.

"Don't let them get to you, Vince." Gilbert said, holding my paw.

I held his tighter and said, "I won't."

"V, you're so good at doing what you do best and it's about time someone else outside of our hometown is bound to notice. You'll FaceTime me, right?" asked Gilbert.

"Every night when I think of you." I responded, with a half smile.

Both of us laughed with each other and we both kissed each other and hugged each other almost like we never wanted to part away and I just held onto him like it was the last time we'd see each other, but I know that we would remain faithful towards each other, no matter what happens.

"I hope you won't fall for someone else at the new precinct." Gilbert said, with a smile.

I responded with a chuckle and said, "You're the only guy for me. Why would I find someone else?"

Afterwards, I stroked his forehead and he stroked my cheeks and I purred a little bit and we both kissed each other on the lips for about 3 minutes...and it was the best 3 minutes ever and after that, I asked, "Think you'll visit me?"

"Of course. I wish I could come with you so we can live together." Gilbert said, lowering his ears.

"Yeah, but I know you got work, take care of the apartment and things like that." I added, looking at his eyes.

"Very true. Send me a text when you make it." Gilbert said.

"I will." I answered.

Afterwards, we said our goodbyes to each other and we walked in separate sections and I waved at him and he waved at me as I waited for my flight to come in and as I'm waiting, I received a text from my old precinct and there was a video attached to it and it was them congratulating me for heading to the Zootopia Po try,lice Department, wishing me nothing but the best of luck.

It brightened me up a little bit and I replied, "Thanks guys."

Even though it brought me comfort, it did little to ease the pain of what had happened not too long ago and as soon as they called my flight for Zootopia, I made my way over to the airplane and sat on an empty row and as the plane began to take off, I began thinking that this new experience will help me bring some peace of mind as I know that I will take full advantage of that second chance and I hope that everything I learned at Bunga Town will spill over to Zootopia.

Yet I can't help but wonder...will I be ready for what's gonna come my way? My name is Vincent Panthera...and this is my second chance at making up my own mistake.

Not bad for my first try, huh? Stay tuned for chapter 1!