AN: Feel free to review, favorite and follow, I am also open to PM's if you wish to contact me that way.
This is a collaboration with my good friend Skeali, he contributed as much to this chapter as I did so I would recommend checking out his own fic "New Beginnings in Zootopia"
Thanks to OnceNeverTwiceAlways for acting as our editor/beta.
When Judy woke up, she shot of bed. She raced around her room, pulling on pieces of her uniform as she went. Judy felt no effect of the little sleep she'd gotten the night before as she moved around her small apartment room quickly. She was still as full of excitement as she was last night.
Despite doing her absolute 'Judy Hopps' best, she still had failed to get any sleep. She'd twisted and turned in her bed to no success. It was strange for Judy. Ever since her mid-teens, she had trained herself to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, an important skill for an officer of the law. She could even sleep through nights like Christmas Eve, when the burrow was filled by young kits all running around too hyper to lie down, much less fall asleep.
She was about to leave her apartment when Judy remembered the wonderful wicker basket she had prepared the previous night. She gave the basket what must have been it's hundredth check, just to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Cookies for Clawhauser, canine chocolate for the wolves, nuts for Francine, nothing with nuts for the Chief, and much more.
Once she finished checking over the basket, Judy still felt like something was dug her shopping list out of her purse and went through it line by line. But, no, it looked like she had everything. Judy grabbed the basket and headed out the door, ignoring the still nagging feeling that she was missing something. The basket held a small but special meaning on this day.
She stood in front of her apartment eagerly waiting for Nick to appear. No matter what, they always walked to Precinct One together. Judy hadn't seen him at all in the past twenty-four hours. They'd had the previous day off and, instead of spending time with her fox, Judy had asked for a raincheck. Nick hadn't been pleased, but he'd understood how Judy might have wanted time to herself.
Judy had spent this time travelling between districts. She'd hopped into store after store, spending her hard earned money on gifts for the next day. She'd bought as much as she could. Partly to try to make sure she had something for everyone but also to take into account any of her coworkers' food allergies.
It was a warm spring morning, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the sky. The sun shone down on the city, warming the sidewalks and air. Due to the earliness of their shift, the crowd on the streets was still relatively thin. A few mammals walked past her, paying no attention to the small rabbit.
Standing in a shaded area, Judy waited patiently—at least for all of five minutes. Her foot started to rapidly thump against the ground, a small cloud of dust and dirt building beneath her. Her ears jumped up as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She let out a sigh, expecting Nick to be calling her with an excuse behind his lateness. Instead, she found herself pleasantly surprised. Judy swiftly answered the call, a cheerful smile on her face
"Hey Mom! Hey Dad!" she chirped estatically into her phone. "Hope you guys are having a great Easter so far!"
Her mother smiled warmly back from the other side of the screen. "Of course we are, dear. We're about to go out and celebrate with everyone! We just wanted to call and see what you're going to do since you're out there on your own."
"I'll be working today. But that's fine cause I made a basket full of treats for everyone at the precinct!" Judy held up the basket, her parents nodded at their daughter's work with pleased looks on their face.
"That's wonderful, Jude!" her father chimed in. "Well, we'll let you get to work. Hope you have a great Easter!"
"Hope you guys have a great Easter as well!" Judy ended the call.
"What's Easter?" a voice behind her asked.
She jumped forward, nearly dropping her phone. She spun towards the source of the voice. Judy let out a sigh of relief as she realized that it was none other than the mammal she was waiting for. Standing only a few paces in front of her—looking very attractive and as smug as ever in his own uniform—stood her fox.
"Oh hey, Nick." Judy placed her paw on her chest, feeling her still quickened pulse. "You scared me!"
"Sneaky fox," he smirked and pointed to himself.
He closed the distance between them before wrapping his arms around her. Judy was quick to return the hug, she enjoyed being close to Nick after not seeing him for a whole day.
She stepped back to stand next to him with a smile. Judy pocketed her phone and slid her paw into his. Only to jerk her it away as she felt a zap race into her paw.
"Ouch! Nick, what the heck?"
He laughed at the confused look on her face. So hard, in fact, that he had to place his paws on his knees to avoid falling over.
"What's so funny?!" Judy demanded.
Still laughing uncontrollably, Nick raised the paw that she had tried to hold. "Paw buzzer, Fluff" He tried to catch his breath.
Judy rolled her eyes as Nick failed to control himself, deciding it was better to just let him have his laugh. Still, she gripped his wrist a bit tighter than was necessary when she removed the buzzer from his paw. She tossed it in the trash before sliding her paw into his as if nothing had happened.
"So what's Easter?" Nick asked another time once they began their walk to Precinct One.
Judy looped the basket over her arm.
"What do you mean 'what's Easter'? Doesn't everyone know what Easter is?"
Because how could Nick not know what Easter was?! It was one of the most important days of the year for cripes sake!
"Nope, never heard of it," he replied, stopping at a crosswalk.
"You really don't know what Easter is? Is this another one of your pranks?" she accused skeptically.,
"No really. I've never heard of it before, Carrots. So what is it?" he asked. They crossed the street.
"How have you never heard of Easter before?! It's a huge holiday for us bunnies."
"That's probably why it's not well known around here. Because it's for bunnies. Jeez, Carrots! Never realized how self centered you rabbits are." He chuckled and Judy punched his arm.
"But really, what is Easter?" he asked rubbing his arm.
"It's a pretty big thing for us bunnies." She said as she looked forward, not wanting to bump into anyone and drop the contents of her basket. "Back when we were nothing but mindless savages, our population numbers were down low. Low to the point where we were almost extinct."
She paused and looked up at Nick. He blinked back at her with shocked sadness.
"So… Your species almost died entirely?" he whispered before she could reassure him.
"I don't see why you're so upset, Nick. We're clearly ok now," she spoke soothingly. It always caught Judy off guard how Nick could go from joking to serious in no time.
"Judy, if my ancestors were just a bit more hungry… You wouldn't be here," he said slowly stepping in front of her and kneeling down.
Knowing her fox too well, Judy leaned forward and closed the small distance between their lips.
"Nick, it's fine. That was years ago. And you aren't them." She placed her paws on his cheeks to make him look her straight in the eyes. "Don't beat yourself up over it," she said quietly before placing another short kiss on his lips.
He gave her a genuine smile and warmth spread through her chest. Judy knew that she could read him like a book, despite how much experience he had at hiding his feelings.
Bringing himself back to his feet, Nick fell back into place at Judy's side. He held her smaller paw in his as they started to walk again. "As you were saying?"
"Well, we went into hibernation basically. Stocking up on food and hiding away from the outside world. Doing nothing but…uhh... multiplying," she finished hesitantly. She'd never felt entirely comfortable when it came to talking about matters like mating and intimacy. "That's where the whole 'multiply like bunnies' joke came from. We went away only to come back a few months later with an army of bunny kits."
Nick looked thoughtful for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "So you're saying Easter is a special time to—" he raised his eyebrows and smirked teasingly at her—"multiply?" he finished in a low voice.
Despite blushing lightly, Judy chuckled. It was obvious what words had stuck out most for the fox. "No, Slick. We see it as a time to celebrate survival and new life. Our species being brought back from the threat of extinction."
"Oh." He coughed. "Right. So what's the basket for then?" He skillfully changed the topic.
"It's full of treats and goodies for all our fellow officers at the ZPD!"
"When do I get my treat?"
"You, Slick, will get your treat at the end of the day. If and only if, you don't pull any pranks today," she replied smugly.
"Oh come on, Fluff. It's April Fools Day! The one day in the whole year I can somewhat get away with pranking everyone," he complained.
She crossed her arms, "Fine, if you don't want the treat that I have for you then I'll give it to someone else."
"Ugh, fine." He groaned. "Don't tell anyone about this or they'll try and tempt me. And I don't know if I would be able to make it."
Judy walked into Precinct One with her foxy boyfriend behind her. As they entered, everything was just as if it were a normal day.
Hmm, I guess Nick was right. No one seems excited about Easter.
They walked up to the receptionist desk where Clawhauser was enjoying his daily doughnuts.
"Hey, Clawhauser!" Judy greeted.
"Oh hey, you two!" He peered down at her curiously. "What's with the basket Judy?"
"It's for Easter!"
"What's Easter?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Told you no one knew what it was, Fluff." She heard Nick say from behind her.
"Well, Clawhauser, it's an important holiday for us rabbits. And I thought I might as well bring along some Easter treats!"
Clawhauser eyes widened at the mention of food. He leaned over the front desk and looked into the basket of goodies that Judy had brought with her.
"O. M. Goodness, Judy! That basket is sooo cu—" He snapped his mouth shut just in time to avoid saying the dreaded C-word in front of the ZPD's only bunny officer.
Judy giggled at his attempt at politically correctness. "It's fine, Clawhauser. You can say it. I just don't like it when people call me cute." She began digging through her gifts.
Nick pitched in the conversation, "I honestly don't see why others call you cute, Carrots. Personally, I think you're hot."
Judy's ears burned at his blatant flirting making Clawhauser finally pulled out a box of cookies with cheetah patterned frosting.
Clawhauser gasped. "They are so perfect! They match my fur!"
Judy chuckled. "I know. That's why I got them, because they match you!"
She handed the cookies to Clawhauser, who carefully unwrapped the treat he was given. He put one in his mouth and groaned.
"These are so good! You should try one!" He tried handing one to her one, but she refused.
"I got them for you, Clawhauser. You enjoy them! We gotta get to roll anyway. Don't wanna be late!" She picked up the basket again and headed towards the bull pen with her partner behind her.
"Hey, Hopps, what's that you got there?" McHorn asked as they walked through the door.
Nick replied sarcastically for her,"A basket, McHorn. Can't you see? Guess someone needs an eye exam."
"I know what it is, Wilde." He rolled his eyes. "What's it for and what's in it?" He gestured to the basket in Judy's paw.
"Now, Nick, remember what I said earlier?" she warned, punching him in the shoulder lightly for an extra reminder.
She turned back to McHorn. "It's for Easter and it's full of goodies and treats for everyone."
"Well thanks. But what's Easter?" he questioned. "Never heard of it before."
"What did I tell ya, Fluff?" Nick smirked.
Judy shot her partner a smoldering glare. "Well I'm glad you asked, McHorn." She jumped onto the chair that she shared with Nick. "Easter is a holiday us bunnies celebrate. And this basket—" she held it up for him to see more easily—"is full of holiday treats, like I said. And I have some for everyone, even Bogo."
As Judy finished her explanation, the chief walked in with files in one hoof and a cup of coffee in the other.
"Alright everyone quiet down. Let's get to today's—Hopps, what is that?" He pointed to the basket in front of Judy and every officer in the bullpen turned to stare at her. She groaned.
Nick opened his mouth to respond. Fearing it would be something sarcastic again, Judy quickly closed his mouth with her paws.
"This sir, is a basket full of treats to celebrate Easter." Before Bogo could open his mouth to ask what she was going on about, Judy continued, "It's a bunny holiday, Sir." She could feel the smirk grown on the fox's muzzle under her paws. "I thought it would be a good idea to bring something in for the ZPD."
There was absolute silence in the room. Everyone waited for Bogo to do something. Judy wondered if this was the first time that someone had brought a tradition of their species into the ZPD family.
Slowly walking up to the desk in front of the bunny, the chief looked smugly down at the silenced fox. Facing Judy, a small genuine smile grew on Bogo's face.
"Thank you, Hopps. We appreciate the offer." He reached towards the basket and picked up a muffin that looked comically small in his hoof.
Judy smiled back at the chief and nodded her head. Bogo slowly unwrapped the muffin and took a bite, his face blank as he chewed and swallowed the tiny mouthful. He nodded in approval at the bunny.
"Thank you, Hopps. I'm guessing there is some for everyone?" Bogo asked as he took his place at the podium at the front of the room.
"All but Officer Wilde, sir. He needs to earn his," the bunny clarified. She grinned at the fox beside her as she slowly removed her paws from his mouth.
Judy stood on her shared seat and handed out something special to each officer. The room was filled with quiet munching as Bogo read out the assignments for the day.
Bogo paused as he reached the end of the list. He looked up at the bunny and fox duo.
"Officer Wilde, care to tell what your partner meant when she said you had to earn your treat?" he suggested sternly.
Nick repositioned himself in his seat and took a deep breath, clearly starting to feel a little uncomfortable as his superior stared down at him. "Well sir, I uhhh… I'm not allowed to prank anyone today."
Bogo didn't bother hiding how his face lit up.
He turned his attention to Judy. "Good one, Hopps."
The chief looked back down at his files and continued to read out assignments. Judy noticed the few officers who were left in the room were equally enjoying Nick's predicament.
"Last but not least: Patrol, Savannah Central." Bogo pointed to the tiny officers.
Nick and Judy stopped by the break room for a quick cup of coffee on their way out. They were going to need it for a day of boring ol' patrolling. On their way, Judy spotted a group of fellow officers in a huddle.
The fact that the two wolves, James and Declan, were whispering conspiratorially had her interested. Then she noticed that Tony and the new officer, Annabeth Shenzi were also in on whatever was going on. The tiger and hyena were nodding along with pleased grins at whatever it was the wolves were talking about.
"What are you guys doing?" Judy asked them.
"Oh, Nick! Just the mammal we need!" James Wolford waved them over to the huddle.
Nick approached to the circle with one brow raised. "What's going on here?"
"We're planning a prank. And since you're the master, at least according to these guys—" Annabeth gestured to the males around her— "we thought you could help us."
Nick shook his head which got him confused looks from everyone in the little huddle. "Sorry guys count me out."
He plodded over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Oh come on, Wilde," Tony's voice boomed. "You love pranks! How can you not want to pull a practical joke on the day that's meant for that kind of thing?"
"Aww come on, Foxy." Declan walked up to Nick, only standing a few inches taller than the fox. "It's completely harmless. Just a little bit of banter with the boss."
Nick put his paws up, gesturing for them to stop. "Look guys, I wish I could join you but—"
Judy cut him off, "He can't pull any pranks today. If he does, then he doesn't get anything." She held up her basket in front of her. She passed out treats and candies to her officer friends.
Annabeth chuckled unwrapping her chocolate bunny. "Oh jeez. She's got you by the balls, Wilde."
Everyone laughed at the comment at the fox's expense, while enjoying their own treats.
Nick rolled his eyes and responded with a huff. "Yeah. Thanks for that, Anna."
The others laughed even harder along with a few howls.
Nick turned to leave the break room, coffee in hand. "Come on, Carrots. Let's get to work."
Judy followed him out the door towards the Precinct's parking lot out front. Still hearing the laughter behind them, she giggled. "That was pretty funny."
Nick kept his eyes straight ahead as he exited the station. "Yeah yeah. Of course it was. Let's get this day over with so I can get my goody at the the end of it," he responded grumpily as they walked towards their shared cruiser.
Judy stopped as the light turned red. She kept one eye watching the road in front of her and the other watching the mammals walking down the sidewalk.
Their patrol was exactly the same as always. Absolutely nothing new. There was nothing reported from Clawhauser. No suspicious activity at all. To sum it all up: It was boring.
Her eyelids felt heavy and she almost fell asleep multiple times at the wheel throughout their shift. Judy finally resorted to asking Nick if she could have some of his coffee as they waited at a red light.
Judy frowned. No one seemed to be excited for the holiday. She kept her eyes peeled for any crimes. She saw a few younger mammals were walking down the street with smiles on their faces. All except for one. Judy figured the kit had probably been victim of a prank the others had pulled.
"What's wrong, Fluff?" Nick asked as he saw the frown on her face.
Turning to face her partner, Judy forced herself to hide her unhappiness. She didn't need to get emotional over something so small as no one celebrating a holiday apparently only for bunnies.
"Nothing, Slick. Just a little tired." She decided to lie, not wanting to sound pathetic for getting upset over something so trivial.
Nick placed his paw over hers, causing her to look back at him.
"Hey, Judy? Just because no mammals here are celebrating your holiday, doesn't mean there isn't anyone celebrating it. They're most likely inside with their families, sweetheart." His voice was gentle.
"Thanks, Nick," Judy responded with a smile on her face. She looked back out the vehicle and the light changed from red to green. But something caught her attention right when she was about to get the cruiser in motion.
She turned her head and saw a brown doe shouting at a fleeing figure. Police instincts kicking in, Judy quickly open her door and hopped out.
"Get moving, Slick! Running mammal, possibly a mugging!" she called back to her partner as she ran down the street.
Judy was closing the distance fast. "ZPD! Freeze!" she ordered the suspect.
The pig looked back and his eyes widened, not realising how close he was to being caught by the ZPD already. In a move of desperation, he turned sharply down an alley.
Judy grinned. The pig was probably hoping that the bunny chasing him had too much speed and wouldn't be able to make the turn. The perps always did. He was wrong though. They always were. Judy easily veered down the same alley. She lost some of her speed but maintained a clear line of sight on the pig.
Taking as many turns as possible, the suspect emerged across the road from Savannah Central Community Park. Just as the pig made a break towards the park, a paw caught him by the arm and pushed him against the alley wall.
Judy watched him turn his head only to find the face of a red fox, aviator sunglasses covering his eyes. She emerged from the alley as Nick started to cuff the pig, a smile on her face as the pig showed no signs of resisting arrest.
"Well Wilde, it seems your street knowledge has helped you again. What's that? Your tenth catch compared to my fifteenth?" She panted. They'd started that little competition during Nick's first week at the ZPD.
Her partner rolled his eyes while putting the pig in cuffs. "Yeah yeah, Hopps. We get it. You're the best police officer the city has ever seen. Even if you're a rabbit," Nick said unenthusiastically, driving it home that he felt like he'd said it a million times before. "Let's just get this little piggy down to the precinct."
Judy retrieved the stolen purse before following them to the cruiser. She read the pig his rights as they went.
Once the pig was in the back of their car, they searched for the bunny who had been robbed. Fortunately, she wasn't hard to find since rabbits weren't exactly in abundance in the city. Judy glanced at Nick, who motioned for her to go talk to the other rabbit while he responded to a text.
The doe spotted Judy walking towards her and rushed forward. "Oh thank you, Officer Hopps! I don't know what I would have done without my purse. I would have lost all my money and cards!"
Judy signalled Nick to come over to them, a fond look on her face as he started to walk over with his phone still in his paw.
"It's no problem, ma'am. It's what we do at the ZPD." Judy said off-handedly but smiled anyway as she was complimented for her hard work.
The doe grinned at the fox who just joined them before turning back to Judy. "And you look amazing doing it too," she complimented. "I was wondering if maybe you would like to go out to dinner with me some time?"
Nick spoke up, his eyes glued to his phone, "No thank you, ma'am. I've already got myself a girlfriend."
The rabbit looked at the fox, confused for a second before her eyes widened. "Ohh, no. Not you. I was talking to the cute bunny," she clarified, sending Judy a wink.
Huh, well that was new. Judy had been hit on by close to a hundred bucks—in and out of the city—but she had never been asked out by a doe. She looked to Nick who seemed just as surprised as she was.
"Uhh… No thanks. I got myself a boyfriend." She pointed at Nick.
Now it was the doe's turn to be surprised."Oh! I'm sorry to hear that. Guess I couldn't get to you fast enough! Well, hope you have a happy Easter!" She sped away from the awkward moment.
Thankfully, before it could become even more embarrassing.
"Ha! I told you other mammals have heard of Easter before!" Judy turned to Nick and pointed up at him.
"Carrots, are you just going to ignore that she just asked you out?"
"Well, Nick, remember earlier today? You're the one who said I was 'hot'. And I guess she thought the same. So why exactly should I be surprised?" She opened the door to their cruiser.
Nick went to the other side and got in. "Can't argue with that. And, by the way, another bunny doesn't count as someone else who knows about Easter." He buckled himself in as Judy started the car.
"What's Easter?" the sulking pig behind them asked through the plexiglass divider.
"SEE!" Nick pointed to the pig who had just proved his point even further.
Judy groaned.
"You know, Nick. Every time you point out the lack of mammals knowing about Easter, the more I consider not giving you your treat," she threatened.
"Ok. I'll stop." He clamped his mouth shut.
Once they'd dealt with booking the pig, Judy and Nick's day went by uneventfully. There were no more incidents that would have caused them to leave their cruiser. Before she knew it, it was time for them to head back to Precinct One to return the cruiser and head home for the night.
They split up when they arrived at the ZPD headquarters, each heading to the appropriate changing room. Judy beat Nick to the lobby, wearing what he liked to call 'the farmers look'—the exact same clothes she'd worn the day the Nighthowlers Case ended.
While she waited for Nick, she heard multiple mammals running down the steps from Bogo's office. Her ears twitched. She looked up just in time to see the chief approached the railing.
"Howlsor, Wolford, Shenzi, Tigger! My office! NOW!" Bogo bellowed as he pointed towards the stairs.
Slowly each mammal turned around, walking up the stairs in the order their name was shouted. All with tails tucked between their legs. Wolfard and Tony still laughed quietly, even with their heads hanging low.
"What happened to them?" Nick asked as he stopped beside Judy. He loosened his tie as he watched the group trudge up to the chief's office
"I'm guessing their 'harmless' prank wasn't so harmless." Judy looked up at Nick. "I bet you're glad you didn't join them."
He quickly nodded his head up and down. "Definitely. Nothing worse than one of the chief's tirades."
"Just what on earth did you think you were doing!?" Bogo's voice rang throughout the empty lobby of Precinct One.
"I think we should get going. How about we go to your place for a movie night?" Judy asked as she headed towards the front door with Nick at her side.
"As much as I would love to hear what they did, I can't say no to a movie with my bunny."
Judy smiled. "And since you've been a good little todd all day, you'll receive your treat when we get there!" she teased.
A short zuber ride to Nick's apartment later, Judy followed her foxy boyfriend closely up the staircase. Reaching his apartment door, he pulled his key out of his pocket and opened it. He went into the kitchen without looking back at Judy.
"Make yourself at home, Carrots. This is gonna be a long movie night," he said, digging through his fridge.
And now, Judy decided, was the perfect time to put her plan in motion. While he was completely distracted.
"What movie do you want to watch, C-C-Carrots..." he stammered at seeing Judy undressing before him.
Laying in bed hours after they had returned to Nick's apartment, Judy rested her head on his chest. She savored its slow rise and fall with his breaths.
"I thought you said that Easter wasn't a time for 'multiplying'?" Nick asked, smiling down at her. His paw idly stroked the fur on her back under the quilt.
"It's not," Judy responded simply. She raised her head to look back at her boyfriend. "It's a time to celebrate survival and give out gifts to show how much we mean to each other."
Her smile turned as she continued, "I had to show you how much you mean to me."
Nick laughed lightly, leaning forward to place a kiss on her lips. Judy laid her head back down and listened to the calm, soothing beat of his heart. She purred lightly, enjoying how gently he stroked her ears. Nick always made sure to avoid snagging his claws on her sensitive fur and skin when he did. It was one of the many reasons she loved him.
Sitting up slowly Nick leaned against the headboard of his bed. "I think this might be my second favourite holiday, Fluff," he said calmly.
She looked up at him curiously. "What's your favourite?"
His eyes were playful. "Ever heard of Saint Robin's Day?"
More to come: sometime this month.
