A/N

So I've asked my pirate captors if they could go out and kidnap, I mean, recruit a proofreader. I can't get sued for that can I?

Ok, this chapter was supposed to be longer but I'm breaking it up into two. You'll see why, You'll probably hate me for it, but it was too perfect. (*Smirk*). Anyways I'm a cranky grinch who can take out years of pent up frustration on waiting for books and updates and other authors doing exactly this on you all, (this is called Grinch therapy) and even if you want to tar and feather me, You'll never find me so Neener-Neener

Disclaimer: Neener-Neener


Chapter 7 – Loose Meet Rigid

The two bunnies and the fox just stared at the newspaper for a minute. Nick didn't quite know what he felt, elated, terrified, happy, frightened. He looked down at Judy, his... , his wife, he rolled the word around in his mind. Her paws holding him hadn't loosened, if anything they gripped him more firmly, almost possessively. Nick knew, probably better than Judy, the amount of trouble they had just caused, trouble that would inevitably find its way back to them. But Judy was still there with him, so the rest of the city could just go stick their heads in a ditch for all he cared. If this was a dream than it was too good of a dream to waste.

Mrs. Hopps was the first one to move. She got off the chair and went over to Mr. Hopps on the ground, Nick heard her muttering something about 'leaping before you looked and overly emotional husbands'. The Doctor stepped up next to the two and started giving the passed out bunny a quick examination to make sure he was alright.

"I assume you are Mr. and Mrs. Hopps," she said with a quick smile, "I'm Doctor Winters. I've been taking care of your daughter and," her smile grew just a bit, Nick could clearly see the amusement she was taking from the whole situation, "your son-in-law."

"Yes, my one overly enthusiastic child has apparently brought back another," Mrs. Hopps deadpanned

Doctor Winters seemed to finish with the examination and carefully lifted the bunny walking over to Judy's bed.

"Well, since someone seems to have found somewhere else more comfortable to rest," Judy who had been staring at the newspaper the whole time, looked up at the other bed, at her position halfway in Nick's lap, at the doctor's now clear smirk, groaned and let her head fall against him. Nick could only grin at his wife and wrap her up in his tail and free arm holding her tight. "I think we can let Mr. Hopps recover here for a bit. Nothing seems to be wrong with him, not even a bump on his head, I assume this is just from the shock of meeting his new in-law?"

"No, he usually only cries for that. This is his reaction to finding out his daughter is, I guess was now, dating a fox, well that and to try and taser him." The doctor let out a short laugh at that.

"I suspect that you'll be able to explain the facts of life to him when he wakes up, it's something he's going to have to deal with because it isn't going away." She replied. Mrs. Hopps sighed but grinned back.

"Oh, don't worry all I'll have to do is remind him how we ended up married. I don't think he'll complain too much after that, or at least he won't try to run off his son-in-law with a pitchfork. He still has the scars on his rear from the night when my father chased him out of my room after the Carrot Day Festival."

Judy groaned again, "MOM, I do NOT want to hear about my parents hooking up. This is embarrassing enough with everyone here, let alone the whole city finding out before… I… uh…" she had looked up, her amethyst eyes met his and her words petered off. Nick could watch the blush creep up her cheeks and ears, and her scent shifted, another smell still Judy but different, mixed with her normal one, a scent he was starting to recognize from her, one that stirred his primal desires. This time he couldn't hold down a happy rumble and he leaned down and stole a kiss. The red creep traveling up her ears turned into a flood and her scent spiked.

"NICK!" she whacked him on the shoulder, half squeaking, half hissing, "BEHAVE! NOT IN FRONT OF MY MOM." He almost, almost, leaned down to kiss her again, but managed to stop himself. Her paw still lay against him from where she'd swatted him, like she didn't want to remove the contact. So instead of kissing her, he said with the rumble traveling into his voice, "So that means later, right?"

Judy bit her lip and let out a groan as her head flopped back into his chest. But that groan hadn't been from exasperation and embarrassment. The rumble in his chest increased and Nick had to stop his tail from trying to wag. In an overly pleased voice, even to his own ears, he simply said, "Yes, dear, I'll behave."

"Well" Doctor Winters, smirk still solidly in place, said to Mrs. Hopps, "I don't think there's much your husband could do to keep them apart even if he tried."

Bogo cleared his throat loudly. His hoof was pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was desperately trying to stave off a migraine.

"If you two are done auditioning for Marriage and Mates, there is a lot of business we need to get through."

Nick had sized up the chief before when they met during the Missing Mammals case. He didn't think the Chief was cruel or bad despite the event on the tram platform, he was just too rigid in his thinking, too stuck in his ways. A mammal like that needed to loosen up a bit. Nick took it as one of his personal goals in life, a sort of civic duty, to help such afflicted mammals, or so he told himself. Plus he couldn't just leave an opening like that lying around for anyone to trip over.

"AAhhhh, Chief I didn't think you were a fan too. Most guys think that's ssuucchh a girly girl show" Nick could feel his grin stretching his face. Mrs. Hopps and Doctor Winters were now watching the very burly cape buffalo with very interested looks. The chief's arm bulged as his muscles tightened, Nick was surprised the chiefs nose didn't snap under the pressure as he pinched it harder. The crease between the Chief's brows was deepening to the point that it more closely resembled a canyon, but there was a distinct darkening under the fur of his cheeks. Mrs. Hopps actually put a paw up over her mouth to stop a giggle and the Doctor's smirk was one to almost rival Nick's own.

She spoke up right as the chief was about to yell at him, "Don't worry Chief all the girls like a male that has a chewy center."

The chief stopped, took three deep breaths, though the blotches on his cheeks did not fade, and looked at Nick. With eyes trying to bore through him and what Nick had to applaud as incredible control the chief calmly, oh so calmly, said, "Wilde, do you want those handcuffs removed, ever?"

Nick was considering making a remark about that depending on Judy's preferences, and asking if maybe he had a padded pair he could borrow instead, but noticed the pulsing vein over the Chiefs eye and Judy's suddenly wide, possibly fearful, eyes. He reevaluated his situation, he would after all very much like to get his arm free, it was starting to ache and staying alive would be nice too. So determining that the Chief's therapy for the day had been duly administered he reined in his snark and replied with a, "Yes, thanks Chief, was just about to ask about that"

The chief held the stare for a few moments longer, before finally letting out a blast of air through his nose and moving over to unlock the handcuffs.

"Now," he said in a completely no nonsense business manner, "Doctor Winters needs to certify that you are no longer under the influence of the Nighthowler serum, I need to get statements from you two regarding everything that happened and then give both of you a debriefing on the current situation since you two managed to not only get another mayor arrested this year," the throaty base in his voice was starting to increase as he continue, as if irritated that they had made his life more difficult, "and stopped a plot to terrorize the city but also managed to then turn Zootopia on its head and shake it by first running through the streets making everyone think a savage predator had killed a prey mammal and just to top things off make headlines on every news network as Zootopia's newest celebrity couple igniting another city wide controversy." He paused for a moment to give them another glare, "Now any objections before we start?"

Nick and Judy quickly shook their heads.


Bogo was fairly pleased, though he didn't show it. It wouldn't do any good to let Wilde think he could get away with anything more, especially after he had managed to get Wilde's smartass comments and snark under control. Bogo was coming to think he understood why Hopps wanted to recruit Wilde, not including whatever weird connection they had formed. He had not gotten to interview Wilde during the mess with the missing mammals case and then the fox had upped and disappeared after the press conference. But while taking their statements about what had happened from the moment Hopps had figured out the link with the nighthowler flowers to waking up in the hospital the chief could see a great deal of potential in the fox. He was far smarter than most mammals would probably give him credit for due to his species, and he had a knack for reading other mammals and situations, acting quickly, and improvising when needed. And below all the cynicism he wore, Bogo could tell that deep down somewhere he cared, he wouldn't have let himself get dragged through two cases like this otherwise. Yes, he would make a good officer.

It was something he might have ignored before he had been forced to work with Hopps since he was still a small sized predator, but who said old bulls couldn't unbend a bit every now and then. The only problem he could see was the fox's attitude, both his snark and ability to bend the law till it screamed. The fox was just a bit too loose in the way he worked. However, a stint at the academy would probably fix that, and if nothing else being stuck married to Hopps would probably cure him too, or kill him. Bogo really didn't care which.

He had to suppress a giggle thinking about it, that fox had no idea what he was in for being married to Hopps. He almost pitied him. Almost.

Doctor Winters had certified that the antidote had worked, though they would keep him overnight for final observations and release him in the morning. Mr. Hopps meanwhile had woken up and had a hushed and rather amusing conversation with his wife that included Mr. Hopps being blackmailed with some of his more foolish adventures from his teenage years, one of which involved have to get stitches from taking a pitchfork to the rear while jumping from a window to escape her angry father, a couple of ear twists, and an exceptionally well done glare, Bogo had actually take some notes on it so he could try practicing it; the demoralized bunny had finally broken under the threat of sleeping in the barn. Bogo had kept a straight face through the whole ordeal but he was actually slightly worried that Hopps might prove you could die from embarrassment. The fox on the other hand was grinning like it had been an award winning comedy show, which Bogo silently agreed, it could have been. The poor fool though hadn't yet made the connection that his new wife had grown up learning from that little but terrifying matriarch.

Mr. Hopps had come over ears drooping (one was still slightly red) and had shook Wilde's paw. After muttering some apologies and platitudes he had started to say something about coming after the fox with a taser if he every hurt Judy, before Mrs. Hopps dragged him away by the ear, promising to visit in the morning.

Bogo was finalizing the statements, asking a few additional questions to clarify some points of the story. He thanked his lucky stars that he didn't have to ask Hopps exactly what had happened under the bridge since Doctor Winters had already taken a statement from her regarding it. He was sure he already had lasting mental scares from what he'd seen.

They had been a little vague on exactly how they had gotten the information from Duke Weaselton, but he could put the pieces together and could guess how 'asking Fru Fru Big if she or her father would help convince Weaselton that he should help the city by talking to them' played out. They hadn't lied though and he was sure that despite how carefully they worded their responses that if he asked them directly they would answer him truthfully.

Mr. Big might be an old time Mob boss but he had been careful over the years, both to leave the ZPD with nothing to be able to charge him with and with staying away from anything that would bring the full might of the ZPD against him. Bogo had to grudgingly admit that the small shrew had been a cunning adversary his whole career, especially with his reputation for icing mammals. One interesting fact Bogo had found over the years was that for all the rumors and fear of 'Iced Mammals' there had never been a confirmed death or even missing mammal linked to him. There had however been a few cases of mammals suspiciously turning up at hospitals near death with hypothermia, ones that in the end conveniently couldn't remember how it had happened. Bogo had his suspicions that the little shrew had crafted his reputation into a weapon far more dangerous when skillfully wielded than the brute force of other criminals in the city. One way or another there was a reason that Mr. Big was the only true crime boss left in Zootopia; he was the last and probably greatest relic from a by gone age of mob power.

Bogo had to admit that it would be useful to have a cop that they could absolutely trust like Hopps who also had a connection to Mr. Big, particularly to the daughter that he doted on. He doubted Mr. Big would be sloppy enough to give them anything that could be used against him, but Bogo could think of a dozen ways he could use them to keep an eye on the old shrew.

But he was getting ahead of himself. First He needed to get these two back into the ZPD, or into the academy in Wilde's case. And to do that he had to first beat Mayor Bristleton at his own game. Meanwhile he needed to keep an eye on Hopps and Wilde. He didn't want those two little hellions running lose, unsupervised in his city. He was losing count of how many times they'd either brought the city to its knees or stopped it from falling. But Bogo had a plan to deal with all of it, a good plan, a great plan, a plan he was sure would work.

Ok Fox, Bogo thought, You were a street hustler, let's see how you deal with someone who learned to hustle in the government bureaucracy. Bogo finished writing down the last part of their statements and looked up at them. He smiled.


A/N

(Evil cackles of laughter)

gonekrazy3000 is getting so good at destroying typos he's apparently doing it in his sleep now.