A/N: Full A/N down below. Important stuff there!

Walking had never been something Nick thought would be very hard. Combining his lack of sleep and beaten body, Nick found every step to send pain throughout his form, nerves rebelling against him as if his skin was trying to jump off of his body. His head was pounding, though quite certainly not as bad as Judy's. Even still, he didn't think anything could get worse.

Oh, wait… I was just seen making out with my partner… Nick thought. He walked like he had a wooden board nailed to his back, and at times it felt like it, too. Fear usually didn't get to him, and tonight was a pretty good example of that, but right now, Nick could confidently say that he was absolutely petrified.

A million things played out in his head. This was no doubt going to be a discussion about what Bogo had just seen, but now that punishment was on his mind, he worried that other things would get their own special mention, specifically regarding Nick's actions tonight. Nick was off duty, broke into the Precinct, stole gear and a police cruiser, and finally add fraternization onto the punishment cake and Nick was about to be submerged in regret for what he'd done. Throw in a side of police brutality and there was one thing Nick was certain of.

He was going to lose his job tonight.

He could blame no one but himself. The entire week had been utter mental torture, and with Nick finally getting to realize that there was no one on the planet he'd rather spend his life with, he wasn't exactly thinking too clearly. It was that simple mistake that brought him to this point, his mind only wanted to focus on one thing. As the sun began to shed light on the world, so it did with Nick and Judy's newly mended relationship. Perhaps this would have been a better conversation had it been made private, but he simply couldn't control himself.

Nick glanced down at Judy. He hated seeing her like this, appearing to be on the verge of tears and rightfully so. Nick was certain that she was fearing for her job as well. Nick recalled during the investigation of the Nighthowler case when she almost lost her job before. Nick barely was able to save the day and prevent Bogo from taking her badge then, but he feared that might not be an option this time. He would still do anything to spare her position even at the expense of his.

Judy was walking just as stiff as Nick. Her ears lay behind her head, no intention of perking up anytime soon. Her usual fluid movements were unseen, replaced by motions that looked like… not Judy. It broke his heart to see her like this, and he knew exactly who was to blame for it.

As much as he loved his job, it wasn't nearly as important to him as it was to Judy. She worked her fluffy tail off for years to get into the academy, and now there was the chance that it could all be taken away from her.

All because of him.

There were lots of words that he could think of to describe himself right now. Jerk was just the beginning. More explicit terms felt more appropriate, but it all came back to two simple words that could be uttered by a five-year-old, and no one would bat an eye.

Dumb fox.

He'd heard Judy call him that several times, countless times, really. It was always in good fun, and he usually shot back the "sly bunny" remark in equally good fun. Right now he felt exactly like a dumb fox in every sense of the words. He was speechless, and most of all, he'd been stupid enough to go and confess his love for Judy in public. The tension in the air was palpable, and it hurt. But it probably didn't hurt as bad as what Judy was feeling. Nick promised not to hurt her, and now he'd broken that promise not once, but twice in the space of a couple hours. She'd been an angel to forgive him the first time. This was probably not going to be the same reaction; his doom was sealed.

As Bogo's cruizer came into view, Nick's eyes flicked up to the buffalo. He couldn't see his face but based on his quick pace and angular motions, it was obvious that Bogo was furious beyond belief. Nick didn't need to check if he looked the part. If anything, Nick was glad that he couldn't see Bogo's face.

When they were within short proximity of the vehicle, Nick noticed that no one was inside. He saw earlier that this mother was sitting in the passenger seat of the car, but she must have been moved to a new spot or had left the scene altogether.

Thinking about his mother, Nick had to wonder what Marvin was thinking by kidnapping her. The old tod likely could have escaped the city for a little while before they were tracked and followed by the ZPD. Doing what he did meant that him, as well as most of The Reds, were now in custody. Marvin held grudges like no other, and it was likely this that caused him to act so irrationally. Nick didn't mind too much, as it led to the gang's downfall, but the pain that was caused by it all would last for a long time.

Bogo led them to the passenger side door where he opened it and stared at them silently as the two of them climbed into the seat. Seconds later, Bogo joined them in the car. Upon shutting the door, an eerie, bloodcurdling silence filled the cabin. Nick had to wonder if Bogo had forgotten about what he brought them here to say. Soon enough, that silence was finally broken, but not how Nick expected it to be. His ears weren't bleeding, in fact, he almost couldn't hear the buffalo speak. His voice was calm and almost consoling.

"I am appalled. I don't know if this is because of the tension from tonight or what, but a simple explanation is all I need."

Nick gulped as his gaze met Judy's. She looked at him with such a sense of panic in her eyes that Nick felt his stomach turn as he felt the urge to throw up. She had no idea what to say to make Bogo understand, but Nick had an idea. There was only one thing to do now that they were caught. Honesty is the best policy.

"Sir, I'll tell you what happened," Nick began. He couldn't believe he was about to say this to his boss of all mammals, but if it would maybe give them a second chance, it was the best shot they had. "I fell in love. I tried so hard… I nearly ruined the one thing I had going for me. It would have been so easy to give up, but… I can't do that to anyone anymore. I spent too long giving up on everyone that I came in contact with." Nick paused and took in a deep breath before continuing his speech.

"The truth is, Hopps and I have been together for a few months, now. In that time I realized something. You don't choose who you fall in love with. Sometimes you don't even realize it until you wake up with them right next to you. It's just how it is. If this could all be different… easier for everyone, I would take that in a heartbeat, but the fact of that matter is that we are who we are, and we just have to deal with that. The last thing I wanted to do was jeopardize Hopps's job as well as my own because of how we felt about each other. I—"

Bogo held up a hoof which stopped Nick in his tracks. "I said a simple explanation, Wilde. Not a full-blown speech about love. I despise that kind of sappy stuff. All I needed to know what whether this was real or just some sort of office romance. If it's really like you say it is, then what good am I doing by firing either of you?"

Nick cocked his head to the side before bringing his gaze down to Judy who appeared to be just as confused as he was. If Nick was hearing things correctly, then that would mean…

"You're not going to fire us?" Judy asked. Bogo smiled down at the rabbit.

"It may not be the smartest decision I've ever made, the Commissioner might not see things my way," Bogo said a little bit dreadfully. "But look at what you two accomplished this week. You brought about the downfall of a gang that generations of police officers have tried and failed to get rid of. It would be a disservice to the city if I were to split you two apart. But!" Bogo added, causing both of the mammals to flinch. "This is not to say I am going to let things go as they normally do. Some new rules are going to be in place specifically for you two. I will be seeing absolutely no affection while you are on duty. Save it for the bedroom, Hopps."

"Umm, why specifically me, sir?" Judy asked quizzically.

"Because out of you two, I'd expect you to be the romantic. I personally can't see Wilde having a romantic bone in his body."

Nick scoffed, "Then you obviously weren't listening just a few seconds ago—"

"Shut your mouth, Wilde!" Bogo shouted, causing both of the smaller animals to cover their ears. "And next, whenever the wedding is, make sure you invite everyone."

Nick and Judy both let out a little chuckle, but Bogo seemed to not think it was much of a joke.

"I'm serious, you two. I want to be there when you tie the knot."

"Pffffffff!" Nick nearly keeled over in unrelenting laughter while Bogo and Judy were very confused as to why Nick was laughing so hard. Nick eventually calmed down, wiping away a tear from his eye as he looked at them both and realized that he'd been the only one laughing.

"Wait, you guys don't get it?" he asked, moving his gaze between them.

"No," Bogo and Judy said in unison. Nick waved his paw in the air.

"Whatever, it's a canine thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Now I'm wondering if I even want to know," Bogo said broodingly. "Now, there is one more thing I need to discuss with you two. Tonight wasn't just a great victory for the ZPD, but you also used some questionable methods in making this happen. Wilde, you realize that you stole a cruizer and also got rather physical with Mr. Rathmore. And Hopps, you deliberately disobeyed my orders to stay in the cruizer and look at what happened. Both of you could have easily been killed, and yet what did you do? You did about the stupidest things imaginable, and it is for this reason that I am forced to punish you in some way."

This was what Nick was missing. Bogo may have cared less about their relationship, but he figured his actions were not going to go unnoticed. He was waiting for the worst possible punishment imaginable, perhaps even worse than being fired or sent to another precinct.

"Parking duty for three months as soon as you return to work, and I want to see at least 400 tickets per day between the two of you. Now get out of my sight. I don't want to see you for the next five days."

"Yes, sir," they said as energized as possible, which wasn't much considering the amount of time they'd been awake. As the two of them began to get out of the car, Nick thought that the punishment could be a lot worse than it was. He still wasn't exactly happy to be forced into parking duty for so long, but it just didn't feel like it would be so terrible.

The fox and bunny gave out a unison grumble as they shut the door to Bogo's cruizer. The pair of officers began walking away from Bogo's cruizer, both of them ready to get home and rest. Judy was feeling particularly out of it. The rabbit had been going for over twenty-four hours at this point, and she didn't do much sitting in that time. Her body was at its limits, her legs weak and eyelids threatening to close.

But she kept them open. She kept walking because she felt lucky to be alive. She wanted to cherish the world for what it was. She wanted to cherish the one next to her. Judy slowly drifted closer to Nick until she lightly brushed up against him, just enough to get his attention. Nick looked down at her, not even thinking about it when his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Judy looked up at him for a second, reveling in how lucky she was to have him there with her.

"We won't get that lucky next time, you know that right?" she asked. Nick chuckled hysterically.

"I doubt we'll have the 'just took down a prominent gang' tag attached next time we do something stupid."

"Exactly. I want to keep what we have, Nick. Let's maybe try and be more careful?"

"No. No more maybe's. We need to be more careful, Carrots. I need you as much as you need me. I can't lose you as a partner. I can't lose this job. Going in there, I was thinking maybe I could save yours at the expense of mine, but as soon as I started talking, I realized just how much this all means to me. I love you and this job too much to put it in jeopardy again." As they continued walking Judy wrapped her arms around Nick, squeezing as tightly as she could without hurting her ribs or her head.

"I love you, too, Nick. Now let's get back to your apartment. I'm ready for a really, really long nap!" she said as she let go of the fox who admired her energy even when she had none. From behind them, Nick heard a terrifying shout from Bogo's cruizer that made him shudder but also giggle at the same time.

"Wilde! Don't you ever make a joke like that to me again! You've bumped up your quota to 600 per day!"

Nick laughed as he quickened his pace, grabbing Judy by the paw and dragging her with.

"Nick! What was that joke really about?" she shouted among giggles.

"I would have expected you to know, but I'll explain later! For now, let's get out of here!"

A Couple of Days Later

Nick always hated the smell of hospitals.

Nothing was wrong with it smelling clean, but there was a certain stigma with something being overly clean. It carried an overtone of death with it, and as it was, hospitals were often where mammals came to die. The smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol stung as he walked through the wide halls of the massive and complex building. He cringed as he turned the corner to have the scent become a little stronger.

The wings of the hospital were confusing, but thankfully the secretary at the front desk was very helpful in leading him in the right direction. Currently, on the fourth floor of the "Trauma" wing, Nick looked on the walls for the room number he was looking for. They increased as he walked, and Nick soon realized that he was going the wrong way. Laughing to himself for a second, Nick turned around at a quickened pace.

Judy didn't accompany him on this visit. She had expressed no interest when he first mentioned it, and as it turned out, today was not a good day for the concussed rabbit. Feeling extra terrible, she just wanted to stay at her apartment with the one blind closed and take a good nap. It had been that way since the incident, which apparently was now being called "The Red Dawn" by some of the more dramatic officers. Nick liked to call it closure. He finally felt like nothing was holding him back.

As he thought about it, an itch formed on Nick's left calf. He stopped by the wall and leaned against it as he itched the spot he knew would be there forever. It was currently bald, though Nick feared that the fur would grow back white as it was before. It was there in the first place not because of fur dye, but because the original fur was burned off by an iron dipped in liquid nitrogen. Freeze branding, it was called. He wasn't much into the science that explained it, but all he knew was that the fur would keep growing back white. He'd never really tried to remove it until now, but he figured it was worth a shot.

Nick continued down the hallway, soon finding the room that he had been looking for the whole time. A hint of nervousness fell upon him, but it was gone in seconds after he remembered his reason for being here in the first place. Nick stopped at the entrance and knocked on the door sill loud enough for the mammal inside to hear. Silence followed, but Nick knew the reason.

He peeked his head inside, finding the room's tenant to be waking up from a nap. His head looked around the room, soon finding Nick's face, little emotion changing from just moments before, though he didn't look particularly happy to see Nick if anything.

But then again, the one that broke your jaw probably isn't someone you want to see at all.

Nick popped into the room slowly, doing his best not to smile at seeing Marvin where he was. "Hey there, bud. Just wanted to check on you. See how that jaw was feeling," Nick said, though kept it all respectful towards the old fox. Nick was genuinely concerned for Marvin after the hit he took and wanted to make sure that he didn't do too much damage. The old fox reached over onto the small table next to his hospital bed and grabbed a little whiteboard and erasable marker. He scribbled on it quickly and presented it to Nick.

"What do you want, Nicholas?" the words said. Nick finally understood why he was completely silent. Upon further inspection, Nick could see stitches around his muzzle. He'd undergone reconstructive surgery and now his jaw was wired shut.

"I wanted to see how you were doing, Marvin. I was concerned I went a little too far with that last hit, but I heard you were awake and apparently feeling alright. Much pain?"

Marvin erased his previous message and wrote some more. "It hurts, thanks to you. Not too bad, though."

"That's good," Nick said. Marvin wrote some more.

"How is the rabbit? How are you?"

"Judy is still recovering. She has a concussion and some bruised ribs. I am doing alright. Well enough to pay you a visit."

"You feel better than her?"

Nick saw the tiniest inkling of a smile on Marvin's face. He figured it would be more if he weren't in so much pain and if his jaw wasn't wired shut.

"Yeah. I'm not back to normal yet, still have the stitches in. The pain is better, though. I'm a tough fox," Nick finished with a friendly smile. There was a long silence between the two before Marvin wrote something else.

"Why are you here? Are you mocking me?"

Nick had to chuckle. "No, I'm not mocking you. I understand why you might think that. As I said before, I was just checking on you."

"Tell me… do you hate me? Is that why you're here?"

Nick pulled up a chair next to Marvin's bed and sat down. "Had you asked me that a couple of days ago, I would have given you a resounding yes. But today? I can confidently say that I don't hate you. Do you still want to kill me?"

There was no hesitation in Marvin's next response.

"No."

"I'm glad. I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us."

"I killed your father. I could have easily killed your mother…" Nick waited for a second as he erased everything so he could continue his statement. "I could have killed you and Judy. Why don't you hate me?"

Nick smiled at Marvin. "I could see the good inside of you just like someone saw the good in me about a year ago. You don't have to be bad just because you're a fox. Now, there is no possible way that I can get your prison sentence down from life without parole, but I feel that it gives you a chance to live the rest of your life for something better than a stereotype. You've made mistakes, now own up to them and do whatever you can to make amends. It's what I'm here to do."

"What amends do you have to make to me?"

Nick leaned in towards Marvin a little bit. "I'm sorry about your brother. If it makes you feel any better, I've felt terrible about that night ever since it happened. I never wanted anyone to get hurt."

"I still don't get it. I've hurt you more than you've hurt me. What did I do to deserve this?"

"You didn't do anything. I just think that everyone deserves forgiveness sometimes." Nick watched as tears began to form in Marvin's bloodshot eyes. Nick figured that the old tod would have hugged him if it weren't for Nick standing up and preparing to leave. Before Nick turned around to walk away, Marvin showed him one last message amidst heartfelt sobs.

"I'm so sorry." The word "so" was underlined three times.

"You're forgiven, my friend. Take care and get well soon," Nick finished with a friendly wave as he backed out of the hospital room, leaving his past behind forever. This might be the last time Nick would ever see Marvin, and while it should have felt liberating, there was something else that he felt. Nick was glad that he had the chance to grant forgiveness even though it wasn't deserved, but he actually felt a little sad to be leaving him. Marvin was different, now. He seemed more like himself from more than thirteen years ago, more like someone he could sit down and have a beer with. Maybe that hit knocked some sense into him.

Nick walked out of the hospital. He pulled out his phone as he came out into the overcast world. There was a text from Judy. He'd received it while he was talking with Marvin. Nick read it and smiled.

"Can't sleep and I'm bored. Wanna come over?" it read. Nick tapped in his response quickly.

"On my way, sweetheart," it said with a little wink face at the end. Nick sent the message and began walking towards the subway. The whole way there was unlike any subway ride he'd had for years. It was silent, nothing went wrong, there were no awkward moments. Nick usually hated the subway, but right now everything seemed better than usual. It was good. For the first time in a long time, Nick felt truly happy.

As the subway came to his stop, Nick stood up and walked out quickly. He hadn't seen Judy since they had their much needed seventeen-hour nap right after The Reds Incident. He was eager to see if she'd recovered any, though he figured it was unlikely. Nick had a concussion long ago and knew that they were not the most fun to have. Nick even wondered if the five days would be long enough for her to properly recover from it enough to get back to work, even if it would just be parking duty.

Nick arrived at her apartment building and walked inside. The air was cool and damp, which would have felt nice if it weren't so humid inside. Nick could practically feel his tail bushing out like crazy, but at least it wasn't hot. Climbing the many stairs was a lot more of a struggle than it should have been. His legs weren't particularly weak from anything, but his entire body was still doing its best to recover. Progress had been slow, but he was at least feeling better than a couple of days ago. His stitches were just about completely healed, some of them felt ready to come out now, but he left them in just in case.

Seeing Judy's door coming up, Nick walked up to it and knocked on the door gently. From behind it, a muffled and pained voice greeted him.

"Just a second…" she barely managed to say. Tiny footsteps slowly grew closer and closer until the sound of the lock clicked and the door barely swung inward. Squinted purple eyes looked up at Nick, and though he could tell she had a terrible headache, she still managed a little smile. "What's up, Slick?" she whispered, opening the door completely and allowing Nick in. He entered her tiny little apartment.

"I figured you'd be lonely today," he said quietly. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you begged me to come over. How's the head and ribs?" Nick walked over to her bed and took a seat. Nick watched as she lazily came over to him, climbing onto his lap and hugging him tightly.

"They hurt really bad. I honestly don't think the painkillers are doing much." As she held him close, Nick gently massaged her neck right at the base of her head. At first, she tensed up, but pretty soon Nick's fingers started working some magic as her headache seemed to melt away. "Oh, Nick… that feels good, keep going. Were you ever a masseuse in your hustling days?"

Nick smiled. "No. That would have been borderline sexual assault. I'm just trying to make my sly bunny feel better. Is it working?"

As Nick continued to gently squeeze and rub the muscles on her neck, Judy purred in satisfaction. "Up a little bit… aaaaaaaaand… right there! Awww, yeah! That's the spot. You're so good to me, Nick."

As he continued his massage, Nick heard Judy yawn once, and then again, and again until pretty soon he saw her head start to lean forward. Nick slowly stopped rubbing her neck and when he fully removed his paw, her head shot up with a start.

"I'm awake!" she said as she turned around and glared at Nick. "You stopped. Why?"

"You were falling asleep. I just guessed that your headache was gone. Do you want me to keep going?"

"No," Judy said as she leaned against him. Nick brought both of his paws around her, folding them together and pulling her tight against his body. "But my headache is pretty much gone, now. Thank you, Nick. N… not just for that… for everything. For being there for me. For believing in us." Nick hmm'd as he closed his eyes and felt her heartbeat thump with his. The warmth of her body tickled his fur, and the softness of her touch made it hard to keep his own eyes open.

"I love you. If I say that, does it mean I'm crazy? Probably. But if loving you makes me crazy, then why would I want to be normal?" Nick whispered in her ears. The bunny shivered as he did so, causing her to let out a little giggle as she stared upward, nose so close to Nick's that they looked to be touching. Nick moved a little closer, and she did the same which brought their lips together for a short, but completely loving kiss. When it was over, Judy turned herself around on Nick's lap and straddled her legs around his hips.

"I think you mean to say that we're crazy. But as you said, why would we want to be normal? I've never been normal! Why would I start now?"

"We can be crazy together," Nick said with a cheesy smile as Judy suddenly sprang forward, causing the fox to fall backward onto the bed. "That didn't hurt?" he asked. Judy smiled and shook her head.

"Nope, you're like a soft, foxy pillow that cushions my fall."

"Wow, you have now both fallen on me and fallen for me!"

Judy giggled as she scootched further onto Nick's chest. She stared mischievously into his eyes, and as he stared back he rapidly flicked his tongue out, getting a very quick lick right on Judy's nose. Her eyes widened in surprise, though she proceeded to unbutton the first two buttons of Nick's shirt and pulled them apart a little bit. Nick smiled back at her as she proceeded to lay down completely, burying her face into the exposed fur on Nick's chest. Judy let a satisfied smile creep onto her face as she enjoyed the warmth and comfort of his fuzzy chest fur.

"I went and saw Marvin today," he said. Judy's face shot up from his chest.

"You actually did? Why?"

"He needed to know that there were no hard feelings. I had to forgive him, otherwise, I feel like I'd be no better than him," Nick said.

"But, Nick… he killed your dad. He's done nothing to deserve your forgiveness. Why?"

"Sometimes there doesn't need to be a reason, and when there isn't one, sometimes you just have to make one. I know what holding in the hate does to you… and I didn't want to let some pointless grudge turn me into something I'm not. Marvin is a good animal, I can tell. He just let himself go, and after that whole incident with me and him… it made it impossible for him to get back on track without me doing what I did. I still feel a little bad about it, even though I know he was going to do everything in his power to kill me, and maybe even you."

"What did he say when you were there?" Judy asked. She was now holding her head up, listening to every word that Nick said.

"He didn't say much. His jaw is wired shut," Nick said. "But he had a little whiteboard to write on. I asked him if he wanted to kill me, and he said no. When I was about to leave, he said he was sorry for everything. I even saw him cry. I think I may have knocked some sense into him… literally."

Judy was in awe. She would never have expected Marvin to break down like that. "That's amazing, Nick. I'm happy for you. Do you feel better about your dad and...?" Judy looked at Nick in anticipation of what he was going to say.

Nick sighed. "I think there will always be pain when I think of that, but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it did before. I never let the pain surface until now…. But forgiveness feels good, Carrots." Nick looked up at the ceiling. "It feels really good."

"It's how it should be." Judy kept her eyes trained on Nick, who still had his muzzle pointed to the ceiling. "Hey, I wanted to get your opinion on something," Nick lowered his head and opened his eyes to meet hers. "My parents… well, they kinda know what happened. They also know about us… they want to meet you. I told them it would be a while before we'd be able to get enough time off, but for now, they just want to hear your voice and see your face. Did you want to have a little video chat with them sometime? I'd be with you the whole time."

Judy got off of Nick's chest as he sat up and rested against the wall. "I don't see why not. Can we do it now?"

"Really? You want to do it right now?" she asked.

"Of course. We're both here. I don't see any issue." Nick was more than happy to be doing this, and it made her happy, too. She pulled out her phone and instantly began calling her parents. As she dialed their number, Nick moved to the spot right next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. Seconds later their faces appeared on her screen and shouts of joy came from them as they saw their daughter's face. Judy looked back at Nick and smiled with a hint of nervousness.

"Mom, Dad… I have someone here who really wants to meet you. I know you do, too." Judy turned the phone Nick's direction. When he became visible on screen, Nick smiled and waved politely.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps! How goes it in Bunnyburrow?"

"Wonderful, Nick! It's so great to finally put a face on you!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"How ya feeling, Nick? Heard you took quite a beating the other day," Stu said.

Nick laughed a little. "I'm feeling great. Still pretty sore, but I'll manage. Could be a lot worse."

"I'll bet," Stu said. "I heard you saved our Judy's life. We can't thank you enough for that. We're happy to know that she's in safe paws with you around."

"Well, Mr. Hopps—"

"Please, call me Stu."

"Well, Stu… about a year ago she saved my life. I'm just returning the favor." Nick looked lovingly at Judy who did the same back to Nick. He smiled as he hugged her closer.

"I'd do anything for her. She's all I have."

The First Day Back

Parking duty sucked.

Only 89 more days to go… Nick thought as he and Judy walked through the halls of the ZPD. Nick watched her as they walked. He had to admit, she made an orange vest and little blue hat look pretty good. Him… not so much, though the vest did go pretty well with his fur. As they continued on, Nick noticed a door that led to the basement where Records was. He had an idea.

"Hey, Carrots… I'm gonna take care of something really quick. I should only be about five minutes."

"Go ahead. I'll wait up for you," she responded

Nick walked away from Judy and towards the basement. Going down the stairs, Nick found an old computer that was already up and running, ready for him to do something he'd wanted to for a long time.

Nick typed on the keyboard to gain access to all that it contained. When he was in, Nick searched for something that should have been finished many years ago. He was glad that they had digitized most of the records from long ago. This would be much harder to find had it not been.

There were perhaps thousands of case files, closed, open, and cold in the ZPD's database. The majority of them had been put into the computer system when it was updated several years ago, though old paper copies still existed in the hundreds of filing cabinets that were still lined up elsewhere in the basement. Nick was able to hear stories about the old computer system and how terrible it was, slow and often times not running as it should. He was glad that this one was much faster and even more important, it contained the exact case he wanted to close for a long time.

Finally finding what he was looking for, Nick smiled as he was able to enter the name of his father's murderer into the case file. It didn't really change anything. His father was still dead, and that pain would still be there, but Nick felt like this was needed to truly feel content with the past.

Despite all he had been through, Nick still felt that Marvin was deserving of some forgiveness. No matter how many times Judy told him that it wasn't his fault, Nick still felt some amount of responsibility for the events that nearly got both of them killed. And like Judy said, forgiveness was supposed to feel good. It was perhaps the second best feeling in the world, second only to love. At the end of it all, he had both in spades.

The question of whether Marvin was truly sorry was still up for debate, but Nick felt confident in the old tod. Only time would tell whether he was right in saying that Marvin wanted to be good. Goodness didn't show itself randomly, but those with a truly hard heart didn't break down and cry in front of those they had wronged. They didn't apologize for things that happened twenty-six years ago. No, Marvin was not like other criminals, that much Nick knew for sure. Goodness was inside everyone, they just need to have a desire to show it to others. Marvin may have found exactly that.

Nick looked at the computer screen for a few seconds before confirming his changes to the document. Navigating back to the massive collection of case files, Nick saw the highlighted one he'd just been in. A distinct difference was added onto the end of the title being displayed. Curling the edges of Nick's lips was a contented smile.

Case closed.

A/N: Is this the final chapter? No, no it is not. ;)

Of the main story, yes, but there will still be a few more epilogue chapters to come, but I'm unsure as to how many there will be because I'd love to hear some suggestions from you guys! The theme of the epilogue is going to be "Fluff" and that is all you need. Any idea for fluff so sweet it gives you cavities will be welcome! I already have a few, though my mind is limited. I'm sure you all have some ideas!

I obviously don't want to give away the ideas I already have formulated as they are still in the works, but don't be afraid to throw some ideas my way, so shoot me a PM!

Also, happy 2-year anniversary Zootopia! I know I'm a day late on that, but wow! It's already been that long since the movie came out! I never got the chance to see it in theaters (one of my biggest regrets in life), but I remember the first time I saw it, I watched it at least once a night for like two weeks, so I was a bit of a late-bloomer to the fandom! I never imagined I'd see a movie that changed my life so much, but I am so glad that I did!

Also also, one last note before I leave: There is more to come from me. I've been planning a new story for a little while now, and hopefully, it will all be ready to go soon. Obviously, I want to completely finish Pieces before I begin anything new, but I'm hoping that it won't be more than a couple months before this next one is out. It should be a lot of fun WildeHopps fluff and stuff. Nothing better than that, right? ;)

Thanks so much for reading, and thanks to everyone who stayed with me on this wonderful journey! Please take care, and have a great day!

-Ande