"Right. Now, you might be asking yourself, 'Furry, just how Antifa (A term for people who are Anti Fascist. You know fascists, the bad guys in every WW2 game) are these chapters? What was in that phone book of fore and after notes I read? Am I in danger?' Let me answer those questions, with a question: Who wants to join me in supporting the downfall of the Alt-Right? I have cookies and WildeHopps fanfic." - Furry Johnson. Black Lives Matter every day, BIPOC Lives Matter every day, LGBTQIA2+ Rights & Lives Matter every day. Those facts cannot and will not change.

8th Peelian Principle: To recognize always the need for strict adherence to police-executive functions, and to refrain from even seeming to usurp the powers of the judiciary of avenging individuals or the State, and of authoritatively judging guilt and punishing the guilty.

The police are not to be judge, jury, and executioner. A timeless adage and this principle basically cries out 'Stay in your lane'. Adhere to police duties. My teachers once explained to me that the purpose of the police was not to 'fight crime' like television shows. It was the search for the truth. To compile the evidence, and to provide it to the courts to determine guilt. Police don't 'decide' someone's guilt, evidence does in a court of law. Unfortunately, sometimes police get too focused on who they 'think' committed a crime, that they fail to notice the evidence that would prove otherwise. And that's one way that you get innocent people, sitting in jail cells because a police officer did not do their job.

This chapter is going to have a mild crossover/cameo in it, with two furry individuals who are dear and near to my heart. However, they speak another language in this world, and it is shown here. The 'loose' translations follow the lines, though, and I hope everyone enjoys this little interaction as much as I loved the imagery. And to be clear, I won't change it to say it's a 'Crossover' fic now. This was just a bit of fun and does not nor will have hard story relevance past this chapter. It's barely even a cameo, but a fun one.

Disney owns most of the world in this chapter. A small little bit in this chapter is owned by Paru Itagaki. . . And some gruff characters are all mine.

A small, soft shake of a Fox's tail

"I love this park. . . . The trees and the grass always remind me of home." Judy spoke happily, as the two officers walked on the sidewalk beside the park. Again, they were on patrol downtown, starting at the park as usual.

Sure, there were a few trees here and there, and patches of grass all over the city. But, this was the most 'concentrated' spot, so to speak. And, after growing up in Bunnyburrow, she enjoyed the feel of the grass under her paws every now and then. She'd enjoyed it this morning too, but now they needed to actually 'hit the pavement', as it were.

Of course, right now they needed to stay on the sidewalk, and cross to the next block. . . but, just seeing the grass was nice, too. "Your country bunny is showing again, Fluff." Nick teased, as he dutifully followed along at her side.

She scoffed, shaking her head as they stopped at the crosswalk. Nick reached over, and hit the crossing signal, as he happily licked his pawpsicle.

Finnick, ever since going straight, almost always had his stand set up in the park during the hottest days. The pair usually stopped in to chat with him, see how he was doing. Or at least, Judy did. Nick and Finnick's relationship was, as always, less than the friendliest.

Which still surprised her. How could two people work together and not be friends like that? She knew Nick was capable of being a good friend, she and Nick were really close. But, at least Finnick was doing well. Being further on the more 'legal' side of things, he could actually run his operation in the park. He branched out into different flavours and was starting to really enjoy being a small businessman.

Judy was surprised to learn that he still lived in his van. . . But hey, that seemed to be the fox's personal choice, and she respected it. Just like Nick's personal choice to rib her. . . That, she didn't respect as much. "You know I can't help it, Nick. I didn't grow up in the concrete jungle like you, I grew up with grass under my paws. And as much as I love Zootopia, I have a lot of fond memories of my hometown."

Sure, the town was pretty speciesist. And, there wasn't much to do there. But, it still was home. And she always loved the smell of freshly tilled dirt. Or, even better, the smell of the earth after a nice long rain.

Still, as much as she missed home, she was really glad the moment she got the text that her parents had boarded the train that morning. It'd been about a month since her parents had come by, and met Nick, for lack of a better way to describe their behaviour. Which meant that they'd been partners, hitting the street together, for at least an entire month.

A month of adventures with the sly fox. She smiled, as she thought about how much fun they'd had so far. They even did some preliminary investigation at a break-in a week ago, that was really fun. Of course, it was taken by property crimes when they arrived. . . But hey, she was proud of the evidence they'd collected together, and the witness statements they took.

And yet, after all that time the fox still had to tease her. "Oh, I'm not complaining, Carrots. Your country bunny side is. . . Adorable." He responded, as the light finally turned and the two entered the intersection. She looked back at the fox with a scowl.

"You were going to say something else, weren't you, Officer Wilde?" She mumbled, slightly exaggerating her displeasure. The fact that Nick avoided the word like the plague, really made her feel like he was trying his best.

Nick snorted, as he grinned at the rabbit. "I was trying to think of the best option. Would you prefer another adjective, hmm? Delightful? Loveable? Endearing, or charming? . . . Attractive, maybe?" He murmured, his brows wiggling comically as the list went on. All the while, he comically licked his pawpsicle, like some kind of overgrown kit.

Judy rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Did you swallow a dictionary or something, Nick?"

He raised a paw, in mocking defiance as he shook a single digit at her. "How dare you? . . . It was a thesaurus, I'll have you know. Overall, it was pretty tasty. But it could have used just a bit more spice." The damned furball continued the joke, as he did a silly shrug.

This fox was in his thirties. And he was still an absolute dork, as Judy laughed at him. "Am I going to have to hide my books from you? Like a teething kit, or something?" She fired back, as the pair nodded and smiled at the citizens they passed on the street.

Nick scoffed and shook his head. "Ha. Be careful with the jokes Carrots, or I might start nibbling on you." Judy rolled her eyes, unsurprised by the teasing fox's antics anymore.
There were always mammals out and about in Zootopia, especially downtown during the day. The two partners flowed through the mammal traffic, occasionally saying hello, and wishing them a good day. But, no matter what, they always smiled at everyone.

For the most part, the pair chatted together about random things as they walked along, keeping an eye out for a place to stop for their break.

They loved eating at new places every shift if they could. It gave them a chance to connect with the employees and the patrons, as well as an opportunity to try out new foods. Even if Nick was always so stingy about that. . . If he saw something familiar on the menu, he'd order that in a second before considering trying something new.

He'd always excuse himself by claiming that he was 'comparing' each cricket burger, to find out which place had the best one. While likely partly true, she also knew that the fox was defiantly dedicated to certain foods.

Charming. But, Judy was a 'Try Everything' kind of rabbit, and always jumped on new opportunities.

It was while they were walking along the street when they first saw the two mammals standing by the crosswalk in front of them. Out of the crowd of Zootopians flowing through the city, it was clear that these two stuck out like a sore paw.

One male grey wolf, and one female white rabbit, ambling by the crosswalk together. They looked pretty funny, the huge wolf standing next to the small rabbit. The large wolf was looking at his phone, as he gestured, clearly confused, in different directions every few moments. They were conversing with one another as the rabbit pointed to the street signs on the traffic light poles, but Judy couldn't make it out over the din of regular traffic around them.

If Judy had to guess, by the evidence. . . They were probably lost. And judging by their backpacks and the camera around the wolf's neck, they were likely tourists.

Also, Judy admitted, the fact that they were speaking in a different language was also probably a sign. "Do you think they need help?" Nick interrupted her line of thinking, as he nodded towards the two 'likely' tourists by the intersection.

"Yeah. . . Let's go do our civic duty." Judy happily responded as the two began to walk toward the confused pair. Nick crunched down hard on the remainder of his pawpsicle, breaking and chewing up the remainder in mere seconds. He deftly tossed the stick into a waste bin on their way by, heading towards the confused pair of mammals. Judy always loved giving directions and helping members of the community.

However, before they came close, the white rabbit spotted the two officers and pointed towards them. She said something unclear to the wolf beside them and started to walk in their direction as well. Yep, they needed help alright.

The large wolf lumbered behind the rabbit with a nod, as the two groups walked towards one another. Judy and Nick smiled at them, doing their best to seem as friendly as possible.

"Su-, Pardon me, officers. . . We need directions, please." The white rabbit spoke as they approached, with a very distinct accent. Judy wasn't sure where it was from. . . But, that wasn't important. Judy smiled back at the pair, as the wolf smiled and slowly nodded as they came to a stop.

"No problem, Ma'am, we can help. Where are you trying to go?" Judy inquired cheerfully, as the two rabbits smiled at one another. The wolf waved at them, smiling. She glanced over at Nick, who was busy grinning and looking between the two tourists.

"We are trying to find, 'Natural History Museum'. Which direction is?" The white rabbit asked as she looked around with slight concern. It was clear that they'd been trying to find it for a bit, and hadn't had a lot of luck. Judy nodded knowingly, as she took a look around just to make sure she was where she figured she way.

"Ah, you're not far off, ma'am. If you go down this street for 3 blocks, you'll see it on your left. It's got big glass front windows on it." Nick spoke up, the born-and-raised Zootopian sense of direction no doubt kicking in. he gestured with his paws in the direction the nearby crosswalk and held three digits up when he referred to the blocks. If there was one good thing about Nick's tendency to talk with his paws, it was that it really helped communication across language barriers.

Judy had debated on taking a foreign language in college, but she never had the time with all of her homework. There was always too much to do in school, and not enough time.

"Ah, hai, arigatou- Er, thank you very much." She responded, nodding happily. The white rabbit turned and looked up at the big wolf beside her, and spoke to her wolf counterpart. "Sonoyouni three burokku susumimasu."(Follow that way for three blocks)

The wolf nodded and smiled at the rabbit. "Hai, Haru-chan." He spoke softly, his voice very deep but full of. . . Love? Wait a minute. Judy's brows narrowed slightly, as she looked between the two mammals in front of them.

Were they. . . "So, are you two on holiday?" Nick asked as Judy looked between the two curiously. She'd never seen. . . Such a different interspecies couple before. If they were a couple, she could be jumping to conclusions.

The female rabbit nodded. "Yes. We on vacation together. First time in Zootopia." She replied, as she looked up at the wolf and softly patted his knee. The wolf's tail wagged slowly behind him. That touch. . . Before Judy could think twice about it and stop herself, she felt the question slip out of her mouth.

"Are you two married?"

She sighed, as she looked at the grey rabbit before her with a now disheartened smile.

Haru had hoped not to hear that kind of question today. The white rabbit had heard it enough at home, she just wanted to enjoy her vacation with Legoshi, away from it all. "Yes. We are together. And we are very happy." She responded as kindly but cautiously as she could manage, hoping that it wasn't coming off wrong in their language.

Haru had taken a few courses in Zootopian when she was in University, and she was glad that she now had the opportunity to use it. Legoshi never got the opportunity to learn, despite her many attempts to help him learn some words. He knew a little bit, but not enough to hold a real conversation with confidence.

But, that didn't matter. As long as one of them could translate, they were fine. And maybe Legoshi would learn by immersion, in the few days that they were here.

The rabbit officer's face turned to concern, as she raised her paws. "I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to sound like I did not approve! I definitely do not have a problem with it, I just wanted to know if this was a honeymoon or a date. . . I'm sorry for any offence." The grey rabbit corrected herself quickly.

Oh. . . Well, now Haru felt a little bad, assuming that quickly. She waved the officer off with a smile. "I am sorry. Back home, we are questioned a lot. . . Not a honeymoon. But, it is kind of a date." Haru replied with a nod, as she looked up at Legoshi.

Legoshi had been mostly quiet for the entire time, typical of the wolf. But, as she looked up at him, she saw that he was staring intently at the other officer. . . The fox, who had so far not said anything to either of them. The officer did wave when they met and was smiling. . . But, why was Legoshi staring at him?

The fox, on the other paw, was busy looking between everyone in the group, with a small grin on his face. It was clear that the fox might be unaware by the wolf's stare. . . What was Legoshi doing?

Haru's brow furrowed. "Legoshi-kun?" She murmured, as she tapped his knee again. That seemed to distract the wolf, as he finally looked away from the fox, and down at his wife.

He'd gotten very focused on that fox. . . Haru would probably want to know why. The wolf leaned his head down towards her and whispered carefully in her ear.

"Kitsune wa usagi to no kankei o nozonde iru." (The fox wants a relationship with rabbit) The wolf murmured quietly, as he glanced between the pair of officers standing before them.

Ever since the two groups had engaged in conversation, Legoshi had been out of the conversation for the most part. He didn't understand the language, so he let his wife handle everything. However, that left him with just watching the body language of the fox and the grey rabbit while his wife chatted and asked for directions.

He didn't know why his phone's map app wasn't working anymore. . . But, he found something more interesting than wondering about that, as he focused his attention on the vulpine.

The fox's body language was both very irregular, and very familiar to Legoshi. In fact, he knew it very well from a personal perspective. But, Haru was still very confused. "Douiu imidesu ka?"(What do you mean?) She asked as she cocked her head to the side. While they talked to the side, the two officers looked at one another and shrugged at one another.

"Kare o mite kudasai. Kare ga kanogo o mita toki, kare no shippo ga furu." (Look at him. When he sees her, his tail shakes) Legoshi spoke softly, as he barely gestured a digit towards the fox who was busy looking at the other officer.

Haru looked at the fox for a moment. While she was not nearly as familiar with canines as Legoshi was. . . She could see what he meant.. As the fox stared at the grey rabbit, his tail began a very slow, telling wag. Legoshi was more than familiar with the meaning of that wag, and Haru herself had seen it many times before with her husband.

Fox or not, Canidae rules still applied when it came to their tail movements. "Hontouni?" (Really?) Haru murmured, surprised. . . Maybe the two truly weren't against interspecies relationships. . . Maybe they were in one? Legoshi nodded with a grunt, more than positive of it's meaning. He had a lot of experience with that wag.

"Kare wa mada kanojo ni itte inai youdesu."(It seems he hasn't told her yet.) Legoshi murmured, as he watched the look in the fox's eyes. It was an assumption, maybe. . . But, the rabbit officer certainly seemed oblivious to the fox's body language. Maybe even the fox was unaware, himself. . . He remembered being like that when he first felt those feelings for his wife. Haru nodded, as her gaze drifted from the fox to the officer rabbit.

The other rabbit smiled at Haru, clearly confused but not wanting to bother the couple as they talked to one another. Oh, wait. . . "Sorry, officer. My husband was curious about the directions. Thank you so much for your help. . . We think you two make good partners." She responded cheerfully, as Judy nodded happily.

They did seem like they'd make a cute couple if they weren't already. . . They had to be, right? if not, was that why the female rabbit had asked Haru? Out of her own desires, and curiosity? A wolf was mostly just a much larger fox, she imagined. . . That made sense, as Haru nodded to the other rabbit.

"Thanks. We do work well together. . . Did you need anything else? Any other directions you might need?" The rabbit officer asked as she returned to her more cheerful pose. The fox continued to smile happily, as he glanced back and forth between the wolf and his rabbit. Legoshi did his best not to stare directly at the fox anymore. . . He'd learned enough.

Haru shook her head. "No, thank you again for your help. I hope you two have a good day, together. Good-bye." Haru replied as she waved, and started walking off in the direction the fox had indicated. It was three blocks, and then on the left, right? Big windows.

Legoshi, however, stood there for a second, as he regarded the pair. Then, he waved to the two of them with a big smile. He looked into the fox's eyes and spoke a cheerful encouragement. If he didn't tell her yet. . . Then he could probably use it. "Ganbatte!" (Good luck!) Haru reached back and grabbed his elbow.

"Yukou, baka" (Let's go, fool) She hummed, as she pulled the wolf along and waved to the officers again. "Have a good day!" He was such an awkward wolf.

Judy looked up at Nick, who smiled down at her. "Well, they were a nice couple, weren't they?" The fox murmured, as they began to meander down the street again, as they turned in the opposite direction and began to walk down the other side of the block.

She chuckled and nodded. "They seemed really nice. . . I really didn't mean any offence by asking, you know that right?" Judy asked, a little worried that she might have offended the two nice mammals. Judy truly didn't mean anything by it, she was just too curious about it.

Since working in Zootopia, she'd met many interspecies couples, and they were all wonderful. Coming from Bunnyburrow, it was a lot more common here, and she always thought it was cool when she saw the couples walking down the street. She didn't mean to put a spotlight on them, or make them seem out of place. . .

And. . . It was a little extra interesting to her, as a fellow rabbit. The wolf was. . . Well, huge, in comparison to the bunnies. And yet, the two were married. . . How did that work?

"It's all right, Carrots, you didn't mean any harm. I'm sure they're used to people questioning their relationship like it's something wrong. You just wanted to know if they were a couple or not, there isn't much harm in that. . . As nice as it is here in Zootopia, there are places out there that aren't as approving of interspecies relationships." Nick spoke softly, shrugging as he looked down at the rabbit.

She nodded and sighed. It was quite true that not all places were as accepting. Including Bunnyburrow, at times. But, she guessed it was a lot different when it was just 'public opinion' like in Bunnyburrow. She remembered learning about places that had governments that actively discriminated against it. . .

Both kinds of discrimination were horrible and needed to be stopped. But she couldn't imagine the nightmare that couples had to live through in those countries. "Yeah. . . Well, I approve of it. If it's two consenting adults, it's no one's business but theirs, and people should just butt out."

Nick laughed, as he looked down at her with a sly grin. "Oh? Does that mean you're open to it, fluff? A little kinky, aren't you?" He teased, as Judy scoffed loudly.

"Oh, shut up Nick."

"Yeah, that was way too much, I apologize. Sincerely."

"It's fine. . . Dumb fox."

The pair entered the cavernous lobby of the ZPD, as their shift slowly began to wind down to a close. They still had reports to write and file, but they had more than enough time for that. Especially since it was a fairly boring day for the pair.

They took a few witnesses' statements from a purse snatching incident, gave directions to several people, and helped resolve a few arguments between some mammals.

Oh, and they helped an antelope get their son out of a tree (how he got up there, was anyone's guess). Judy constantly radioed in to ask if they had any outstanding calls that the pair could go to, but apparently, it had been a pretty dry day for every cop in Zootopia. A good thing, honestly.

They made a quick walkthrough of Rodentia, carefully interacting with the wonderful community. They didn't stay too long, lest they disturb the community too much. But, it was nice to visit, and they seemed to appreciate their visit, at least. It was pretty fun to chat with everyone, Nick had to agree.

He wondered how often a lot of them left the community. He understood the purpose of the fencing around the little area. It was for safety's sake. But still. . . It sometimes felt like it was sending the wrong message, with the way it looked like a prison from the outside.

But, he didn't want to think about that kind of thing right now. Right now he wanted to bathe in the glory of a good day out with the rabbit. "I think we did well out there today, Carrots. You did some good things, at least." The fox mused as they began to slowly meander their way through the lobby.

Judy looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, Nick. I'm glad you think so. Although, that compliment would matter a little more if you were the one training me. Not the other way around." She joked, comically raising a brow at him.

"What? Am I not allowed to give my field training officer compliments on their policing?" He responded, as his ears flicked back in mocked distress.

Judy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, there aren't any rules against it. You're just being a dork." She fired back, as her eyes suddenly started tracking something ahead of them. That was usually a sign that Judy had suddenly locked onto something interesting. . . Strange that it'd happen in the lobby of the place. Nick lifted his head and turned to look at whatever distracted the rabbit. "So. . . What do you think? Do you think Clawhauser wants to talk to us?" Judy murmured humorously, as they both looked towards the cheetah at the front desk.

The cheetah was waving at them, pretty exaggeratingly, with a huge grin on his pudgy face. He was leaning far over his desk, and when he saw they were looking at him he began to gesture for them to come closer. "Mmmm, yeah, I'd say that's quite likely. Based wholly on the evidence provided, of course." Nick responded haughtily, as he smirked at Judy.

She sighed and started towards the cheetah. He followed beside her, as they approached the front desk.

Nick honestly wondered how much he'd made her sigh, over the time they'd known each other. . . They'd known each other for quite a while now that he thought about it. . . . It'd been. . . Nine? Ten months? Something like that.

Nick grinned, as he leaned down towards her. "You're a really good cop, Judy. . . Maybe even the best." He murmured, as the rabbit looked up at him with a furrowed brow. An honest compliment, he wasn't sure what else she might've expected. After what he said to her when they first met. . . Well, she deserved to hear his new opinion, at least.

She snorted and shook her head. "Suck-up." Judy chastised him as they both arrived at the front counter. He wasn't really trying to suck up. . . But, he just chuckled to himself as the cheerful cat immediately began to speak as they approached.

"Hey, you guys! How was your shift?" He asked boisterously, as he looked between the two as he picked up a donut from the container by his desk. Nick had barely enough time to see what kind it was before it was immediately consumed.

Judy shrugged. "It was a fun shift, if slow." She asked, looking at the fox with a nod for confirmation as he leaned on the counter. As if she ever needed to ask if the fox had fun.

"It's always a fun shift with you, fluff. . . How's your day, Ben?" He asked the cheetah, as Judy sneer at him, before shaking her head. She never seemed to want to hear his compliments. . .

The cheetah jumped on the opportunity to talk, though. "Oh, my day was great! It wasn't very busy up here, so I spend most of the day watching some music videos. There were a few people who needed to talk to the collision centre, but other than that there was nothing to do. . . . Oh, hey that reminds me, Judy. Bogo wanted to talk to you as soon as you got in." The cheetah interjected suddenly, as he pointed at Judy. He looked away, brows falling. "Wait. . . He's in a meeting at his office now. . . But he should be done soon if you wanted to wait for him."

Judy's head rocked back, as she looked at the cheetah curiously. "Oh? What did he want to talk to me about?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Even Nick was surprised. Judy was rarely summoned to his office like that. Usually, he just called, or emailed if he had something he needed to discuss. . .

"Oh, probably to check in on how you're doing as an FTO, it's normal. At least, I think. I didn't really have a lot of time to ask him questions when he stormed by. . ." The big cat responded. That didn't surprise Nick, the buffalo was always tromping off to one important thing or another. "But, I'm sure it's nothing you need to worry about."

Nick nodded, as he looked at his partner. Yeah. . . that rabbit could never get in trouble, could she? "Well, if you want to go deal with buffalo butt, I can start on some of the paperwork. See if I can handle writing most of mine on my own?" He suggested with a light shrug. He'd been doing well for the past month (he figured), he was certain he could do most of it without any help. That, and, he wanted to talk to the cheetah alone. . .

Judy huffed, shaking her head. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Nick. . . I guess I'll see you back at the office, hmm?" She murmured, grinning up at him. Their little cubicle, with two desks, could hardly be called an office in a room filled with other 'offices'. But, it was cozy, and it was theirs. He nodded, and she turned to the cheetah with a big smile. "Thanks for letting me know Ben. We'll talk later, okay?" She spoke, as she began to slowly walk backward away from the two predators.

"No problem! Talk to you later, Judy!" Clawhauser called, as Nick gently waved while the rabbit turned around and began to bound away from them.

And Nick just sat there, watching her go with a sly smirk. He always liked watching her walk away from him. . . The adorable tail, the amazing energy as she bounded away. The way her ears moved with the wind. He could barely tear his eyes away from her, as she started to climb the stairs up to the second level, where Bogo's office was located.

He sighed, as he shook his head. He needed to get those thoughts out of his head. It was time to get back down to the important business of the evening. And he didn't mean the paperwork. "Did you get them?" He mumbled to the cheetah beside him, who immediately recoiled in disbelief and horror.

"How. Dare. You." He responded in mock anger. "I am the president of the Gazelle fan-club, -Downtown district-. I am an active member of five different social media groups dedicated to the Angel with Horns, and I follow all accounts associated with her across several social media platforms. And you dare ask me if I managed to get them? . . . Of course."

The big cat finished with a smile, as he produced two small slips of paper from under the desk. Nick smiled and took them eagerly. "Thank you, Ben. I owe you one." He looked down at the two tickets, and couldn't help but grin.

Nick was certain that there was no one better to ask about trying to get VIP front row tickets to a Gazelle Concert. Ben was on so many forums, following so many accounts, that he'd always be the first to know when the ticket sales were dropped.

And, given how his entire job was staying at the desk, Ben was also in a unique position to be able to buy those tickets, no matter when they opened them up for purchase. Nick was proven right with that assumption, now that he had these beautiful tickets in his paws. Yes, Ben was a great service for Gazelle tickets. . . He knew he'd paid the right cat.

"So. . . Have you asked Judy on the date yet, or, is that going to be the surprise?" Ben chimed in, as Nick's head swivelled to look at the cheetah with surprise.

"What?" The foxes eyes narrowed. "No. What are you talking about? They're just a gift." He recoiled at the thought, as the leopard, shook his head. A date? Really?

Ben rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Nicky. You cannot tell me that you didn't just check her out a moment ago, in front of me no less. And, all the little flirting. . . stop lying to me. I've seen the way you look at her." Ben murmered, leaning forward and resting his head on his paws with a grin. He was clearly getting a kick out of this. . . Weird shipping thing he was doing.

Nick scoffed, shaking his head. "Keep dreaming, Ben. . . If you locked up everyone who thought Judy was attractive, you'd have to arrest most of Zootopia. And I'm not going to pretend she isn't attractive, but, you've got the wrong idea." She was an attractive person, Nick could admit that easily now. But, that didn't mean he was asking her out.

"Oh really? Why're you getting a pair of tickets then, hmm? As far as I remember, you're not that much of a Gazelle fan." Ben retorted, raising a sprinkle covered digit in defiance of Nick. And then the big cat saw the sprinkles, and immediately licked it clean.

Nick shook his head, defiantly. Typical Ben, always jumping to conclusions. "Yeah, the tickets are for Judy. But it's not what you think. . . Her birthday's this weekend, and I owe her a good gift, after. . . . everything." Nick defended himself, telling the honest truth of his ticketing intentions. Out of all the things to come out of meeting Judy's parents, the date of her birthday was by far the most useful one. . . By chance, the concert was for the week after her birthday, so even the timing worked out in Nick's favour.

Ben leaned over the desk towards the fox, with a big, suggestive grin. "Are you giving both of the tickets to her then, Nick? Gonna let her choose a dating partner for the night?"

The fox scoffed again. As if. "No. I get one and she gets one. I'm paying for the tickets, I'd at least like to see the concert." He replied, shrugging as if it was the most obvious answer to why he'd buy two tickets.

"That still makes it a date, Nick. A 'forced' date, technically. . . Wouldn't it be easier just to ask her?" The cheetah pressed further, as Nick's eyes narrowed at him. Now the cat was just trying to twist reality to fit his fiction. His stupid, childish fiction.

"We'll be going as friends. Work partners. People can do that nowadays, you know? We don't need to be dating to enjoy a concert together." He muttered as he slipped the two tickets into his pocket.

"You're right. . . . But, it does help make it fun? C'mon, just ask her out already. You can lie all you want, I know you like her."

Nick groaned, as he turned around and started trudging his way away from the annoying cat, and towards the work he had to do. "No. Bye, Ben." He replied crassly, waving dismissively back at the cheetah. Judy deserved these tickets for a lot of reasons, beyond it being just a good birthday gift.

She was a kind person. She was a good cop. She was willing to take a chance on him, even the first time that she met him. She was willing to admit when she made a mistake, and apologize for it. And, after all of that, she remained a good friend to him, encouraging him to become a better fox. Those were the reasons he wanted to give her these tickets and enjoy the concert with her.

His brow furrowed, as he shook his head. He bought her the tickets because he knew it would make her happy.

The fact that he did have feelings for her had nothing to do with it.

Judy walked with her typical peppy step, as she approached Chief Bogo's office. It had been another good day on the street with Nick, and another great day of making Zootopia a better place. No matter what lied beyond Chief Bogo's door, it wouldn't be able to ruin her day.

At least hopefully. There were a few things that could possibly ruin it. . . But, she didn't want to think about those options, as she walked up to the door and raised her fist to knock.

"In light of the evidence, he'll be demoted and removed from his post in recruiting, as you requested, Inspector." She heard Bogo's stern voice on the other side of the door. She froze her fist, as her ears flicked forwards to the noise. He must've still been in the meeting then. . . She'd better not disturb him. She retracted her fist and started to walk over to a nearby chair.

"You misunderstand me, Chief Bogo." Another formidable, but calm voice called through the door, her ears turning back instinctively to the authoritative tone. She didn't want to eavesdrop, but with her ears, it was pretty hard not to. . . For some reason, she recognized that voice, as she slowed to a stop and turned her head back to the door.

"I don't want him removed from recruiting. . . I want him removed from the Force, entirely." The eerily familiar voice continued, as she took one of the seats nearest the door. What was going on in there. . . Was that. . . Inspector Zredyote?"

"You know I cannot do that, Inspector." Bogo responded with a sigh-filled voice. "The Union would demand an explanation for my actions, and would hang me out to dry."

"Speciesism isn't enough, hmm? You've seen his file, Chief. He was pulled from the street after his last complaint and shoved into recruiting, and now you're going to shuffle him around again? He is a problem, Bogo. Your fear of the Union is clouding your moral judgement." Holy crap, what was happening in there? Instantly, Judy's foot began to vibrate, tapping the floor softly as she fought with herself. She shouldn't be listening in, but, they were talking so loud. . . She couldn't stop.

"Hold your tongue, Inspector. . . I'm still the Chief here, and you'd be wise not to forget th-." Bogo started, before the Inspector laughed. That had to be Zredyote. . .

"Oh? Speaking up against another officer's crimes earns more ire than the crimes themselves? What an example that would make for the media, firing me. . . I don't fear you. Or the Union. I've been an officer for a long time, Bogo. Way longer than you. When they gave you your first pair of pawcuffs, I was the Chief of Podunk. What are you Chief of if all you can do is kiss the Union's ass?" The Inspector belted out calmly, yet somehow so intense that even Judy shivered. Only Zredyote could speak that deadpan and still ream you out.

For a moment, there was just quiet breathing coming from the room, and Judy wished she could see what was going on. But, finally, Bogo began to speak. "You know as well as I do that the Union would overturn my decision to fire him, without any evidence or a trial. If I had more evidence, I'd push for it, same as you. . . My hooves are tied, Zredyote. I wish it was as easy as you seem to believe, but the ZPD isn't like Podunk. The best I can do is demote him and move him out of recruiting, out of harm's way, and even then they will flame me for it." The chief responded, fairly dejected considering he'd just been verbally whipped by a lesser.

"The Union hasn't tied your hooves, Bogo. . ." The coyote responded, in that deadpan voice. Judy swore, she wanted to talk to him again someday, hear more about his past. . . How'd he become the mammal he was? "They've put a noose 'round your neck. . . But, it's your choice to leave it there, and accept that fate. Mark my words, Bogo. If you cannot get rid of Wolfsei, and those like him. . . they will continue to burn what's left of this entire Department's integrity down to the ground, and piss on the ashes."

She heard thumping, right before she heard the doorknob twist. She stood up straight and tried to turn her ears away as she expected the door to fly open. But, Bogo's voice inside called out, apparently halting the Inspector. "If it's a noose, as you say. . . If I can't get it off, one wrong step and I'll be gone and no good to anyone. The Union will have me removed. . . What would you do in my situation, Inspector Zredyote? What's your 'easy' way out?" The buffalo questioned, as she watched the door for any movement.

There was silence for a moment. "I'd hope they picked a tall, tall tree. I'll loudly, proudly, and happily sway in the wind for my beliefs, for everyone to see." He responded matter-of-factly, as the door opened, and the Coyote stepped through.

Judy trained her head forward and pretended that she hadn't heard the door open, or anything else as the coyote turned and saw her seated nearby. Which was probably more suspicious than if she'd just looked at the canine. . . "Hello, Judy." The inspector spoke calmly, as he turned to look back into Bogo's office. "Sergeant Hopps is here to see you, Chief."

"Send her in." The voice of the buffalo called through the open door, clearly exhausted. Judy stood, watching the coyote with wide eyes as he smiled at her.

"Nice to see you again, Hopps. . . You're doing a good job out there. Keep it up." He muttered, as he turned and began to walk away.

"Thank you, sir. It was nice seeing you, too." She replied, nodding to him as he continued trudging away. She walked over to the open doorway and looked into the huge office (to her).

The buffalo was seated at his desk, as usual, rubbing his head with a very pained expression on his face. "Take a seat, Hopps." Bogo murmured, with a deflating sigh. Judy had no idea how long that. . . Conversation had gone on before she arrived. But it clearly took a lot out of the buffalo. She padded her way into the office cautiously, as she climbed up into the chair and sat down with a soft plop.

The buffalo rubbed the side of his head for another minute, before he grabbed a piece of paper, and stared at the rabbit with tired eyes. "How is Wilde's training going?" He muttered as he frowned at the rabbit. Judy had a feeling that she didn't want to bring up what she just heard. . . Or, tell anyone, for that matter. . . She wasn't in management, and she would prefer never to be in that kind of position.

"Good. He's learning quickly, and he seems to be retaining a lot of the information. All of his mistakes have been fairly minor, and he does a lot of double-checking before he does anything really new." She spoke, as she felt somewhat relieved that this was what the meeting was about. Judy was proud of how well Nick was learning.

"Let's just cut to the chase, and get to the point of this. . . stupid sheet. How do you think you are as a teacher?" The buffalo droned out another question, clearly off of some list that he was glancing down on the table. . . But, he didn't write down her previous answers yet. That sheet was some kind of performance evaluation, wasn't it?

Judy nodded. "I think I'm. . . Okay? He hasn't complained about me, I think. . . . I hope I'm a good teacher." She murmured, as she thought about that question. She was always a good tutor in College, and it seemed to be paying off now.

"Good. That's enough, I'll fill out the rest of these questions on my own." He responded as he shoved the piece of paper off to the side. "Since he's your first trainee, I am required to do an 'assessment' of your skills after one month. He'll be getting a form to fill out, too, reviewing your performance. But, I have a feeling you've done just fine. . . I don't want to ask two questions in fifty different ways today, so I'll cover the rest of the details."

"Oh, it's not a problem for me, sir. Officer Wilde is getting started on the paperwork, if you need to ask me all of the required questions, I'd be happy to." She replied. Judy always preferred to do things the right way, by protocol. She was fairly confident in her skill as a teacher.

But, Bogo shook his head. "I don't want to, and I don't need to. Do not worry, Hopps, this won't be the only time I'm going to be reviewing you during this training session. . . However, there is something of more importance we need to cover. Officer Wilde received his first complaint yesterday."

Judy's brow furrowed, as the Chief grabbed another piece of paper from his desk. "From a Mr. Ron Acornith. He states that 'the fox' was disrespectful to him, and rude. . . . This incident was from last week." The buffalo continued, as he glanced up at the rabbit. Mr. Ron Acornith. . .

The rabbit remembered that squirrel. . . He'd been jaywalking, and nearly caused a car accident. The pair had talked to him about how he broke the law, and he was absolutely rude to them the entire time. However, Nick had been entirely professional when he talked to the squirrel about why it was illegal to Jaywalk.

They didn't even give him a ticket. "That complaint is unfounded, sir. Nick was a professional, and so was I. I swear he did nothing wrong, and we didn't even give him a ticket for nearly causing an accident. He was Jaywalking, and caused a giraffe's car to make an emergency stop in the middle of heavy traffic."

The buffalo nodded. "I figured that. Considering that the complainant didn't even get Officer Wilde's name, and frequently referred to him as 'that shifty fox', I figured it was a bundle of crap. I checked your reports of the incident, and everything matches up with what you've told me. I had a feeling this was a case of a wimp, whining for the wrong reasons. I'll consider this complaint resolved, and I will have someone call Mr. Acornith about the results. . . You might as well let Wilde know about it, as his direct superior."

Judy shook her head. "Yeah. . . I'll let him know. . . Is that all, sir?" She asked as she looked at the desk. He really received a complaint. . . Just because he was a fox?

"Yes Hopps, that is all." He murmured, as he grabbed another file, and began to peruse the contents. His desk was always such a mess of folders. "Have a good day, Sergeant."

She nodded, as she hopped down from the chair. "Have a good day, Chief," Judy replied, as she walked out of the office, and closed the door behind her. As she slowly thumped her way in the direction of their shared office, her mind was racing.

Judy was glad that what Bogo had summoned her for had been that minor. At least objectively minor. That was all dealt with, and she was sure Nick would find the complaint more funny than hurtful. But. . . What she overheard concerned her more. . . She didn't know anything about what they were talking about, or what officer they were discussing. As a young officer, she did her best to stay out of the 'politics' that occurred in the backrooms. But, if the Inspector felt that strongly about it. . . That wasn't good.

As much as she wanted to talk to Nick about it, she felt too bad about overhearing it to repeat it. She couldn't help her eavesdropping, but she could make the decision to not spread it around. It probably wasn't going to be a big deal anyway, the guy was being demoted and removed from recruiting. That was at least a start, right?

She forced most of her thoughts out, as she hopped down the stairs two at a time. But, one question continued to scratch, in the back of her head. . .

Who was Officer Wolfsei?

Nick took the news of the complaint well. He always would. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd received a complaint about 'being' a fox. It was just the first 'official' time for him.

By the time Judy'd come to their cubicle, Nick had been mostly done his reports. She gave them a brief look over, and was very impressed, as usual. The rabbit had told him about the complaint, as she worked on her own paperwork.

He remembered the squirrel fairly well, and about how he had zero regard for the safety of anyone in the vehicles when he stepped out into traffic. He claimed they could 'stop just fine', and that 'Pedestrians always had the right of way'. To which Nick explained that the claim that 'pedestrians always had the right of way' was actually more mythological than it was factual.

If he got stuck because he stepped out in front of a car illegally, it was going to be his ass in trouble, not the driver. But, the squirrel didn't care, and continually berated the fox for 'bothering' him. Nick heard him talk about complaining to his supervisor, so, he guessed he should have expected that.

Judy also told him that Bogo talked to her about how his training was going and that he would be receiving a document eventually to 'review' her performance. Which, naturally, he immediately teasingly asked if there were any 'benefits' to giving her a good review.

That was immediately shot down, of course. But, with far less energy than Nick had expected. She seemed. . . A little more distracted than usual. He asked what was wrong, and she immediately deflected it. He was smart enough to know that meant 'don't ask again'. But, he did his best to coax her back to normal, by the time they finished their paperwork and headed home on the train.

He didn't need to know why she was distracted, or upset, but he could do his best to cheer her up. That was the fox's duty.

All the while resisting the urge to give her the tickets now, as they sat on the couch watching television. He was excited, to watch her get excited. He wanted to see her eyes light up now, especially since she seemed distracted for most of the evening.

But, it was only two days until her birthday. He could wait, and it would be better served if he actually gave them on the day itself.

As far as Judy knew, Nick did not know her birthday. That made the surprise all that more fun. Considering it was so soon, he was somewhat surprised that she hadn't told him yet. Even hinted at it, mabye. Maybe she didn't like her birthday? Or maybe she was just a mammal that wasn't that obsessed with her birthday.

. . . He hoped she didn't actually hate birthdays. Nick wasn't delighted with his own, but he wanted to give her something. Either way, he knew she wouldn't hate the gift he was giving her at least. There was no way the rabbit would be upset about the tickets.

Especially considering she was complaining about how they were all sold out before she had a chance to buy some yesterday. . . Heh. Nick knew better than to hope for the tickets to last an entire shift. That's why he utilized Ben's position. He knew full well that there were a few others around the station that did, too.

Maybe even Bogo. . . He suspected that buffalo was hiding his fanbulling for the singer, in that tough exterior.

As the show ended, the silent rabbit beside him sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe he had the gall to actually make that complaint."

Nick shrugged, as he had before. "It's alright, Carrots. I'm sure it happens to a lot of officers, getting bad complaints like that."

"I know. But still, you're my partner, and that pisses me off." She muttered, as she grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. It was past time for them to get some sleep before work tomorrow. "You literally were the kindest you could be when you explained it to him, and all he did was cuss you out for caring about his and other's safety."

Nick chuckled, shaking his head. "It's fine. I'm ready and willing to face any complaint I get, with open honesty. I'd even call him back about it if I knew that wouldn't just inflate the problem."

Judy nodded, snorting. "Yeah, then you'd get another complaint about harassment, or something silly like that. . . Either way, that squirrel must have a sad life if all he can do is complain about someone caring about him." She murmured, as she stood up and stretched.

Nick followed suit, with a yawn as he rounded the couch and thumped towards his bedroom door. "He's got a sad life, I've got a good one. If it makes him feel better to rag on me, then that's okay."

She laughed, as she shook her head, as she walked up to her own bedroom door. "I don't think it made him any happier by complaining, though. Probably riled him up even further. . . I envy your ability to just, you know, brush off everything. . . It makes me madder knowing you have to, though."

Nick shrugged, as he opened the door to his bedroom. "Helps when I get to spend the day with you. Automatic plus one to good day results." He teased, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes, as she opened her door and walked into her room. She'd clearly had enough of his antics today. "Goodnight, Slick."

He snorted, as he shook his head and walked into his bedroom. As soon as his door closed, he took a seat on his bed and pulled out his phone. And let out a heavy, heavy sigh.

Nick. . . Had put this off for long enough. Too long, actually. But, as soon as he started procrastinating it, the idea of calling had gotten worse and worse. It made it so he felt worse about calling this late than never calling at all. But now. . . He needed to get it over with.

He hit the call button and lifted it to his ear. As soon as the phone dialled once, he wanted to hang up. He could do it. After all, it was late, he shouldn't call now, he-

Click "Hello?" Her voice came through the speaker, filled with the typical upbeat joy she always had. And, Nick felt his knees weaken. . . He missed hearing that voice.

"Hey, mom." He murmured, nervously. It'd been literal months since he'd heard it. . . Too many months.

There was a brief moment of silence, and Nick feared the worse. She could be really mad, and she'd be right to be. But opposed to his thoughts, his mother continued with her sweet-filled voice. "Hey, Nicky! How are you?" . . . Of course she'd be happy to hear from her son.

"I'm doing good, mom. . . Really good, actually. . . I'm sorry we haven't talked in a while." He mumbled his apology, knowing it wasn't that good.

"That's okay, sweetie, I understand. Like father, like son. What've you been up to lately?" His mother continued. . . Nothing could upset her, could it? Well, he was about to test that belief.

"A lot, actually. . . I'm. . . A police officer now, mom." He spoke, as he winced for the incoming anger. He should've shared that a long time ago. . .

"Oh, I know that, Nicky. I saw it in the paper awhile back! I've got the clipping of you receiving your badge on the fridge. You looked so dashing." his mother replied, immediately shattering every expectation he had. Also all of his plans.

". . . You knew?" Nick asked, surprised.

Marian Wilde laughed heartily, as the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. "Of course I knew! I'm your mother, I always know."

"l . . . I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner." He apologized, shaking his head. His mother did always know. . . . She loved reading and watching the news, and his hiring was quite a news story at the time.

"Oh, that's okay. . . I knew you'd call me eventually, in your own time. . . I imagine it's a lot of adjustment for you, being on the force. . . . How's it going, hmm? Are you working with that cop that you helped, with that Nighthowler nastiness?" His mother continued to destroy his expectations, as he let out a single chuckle.

Nothing got past his mother, did it? "You know about that, too?"

"Of course I do, honey! I knew my kit had to be the 'Courageous Fox Citizen' the paper was talking about, I didn't even need to see you in the corner of the picture. That one's also on the fridge, by the way. I really want to meet the rabbit that. . ." His mother paused, taking in a short breath. Yeah. . . They never really discussed what he'd been doing for the last decade. . . "That helped you."

Nick smiled and nodded. "Well, I can ask her, but I imagine she wouldn't be against meeting you. . . I really am sorry I haven't called . . . I need to start calling more, I think."

His mother laughed into the phone. "I agree. But, I also understand. Your father was fairly reclusive, too. . . . He'd be proud of you, you know that right?"

He felt the tears well up in his eyes, as he did his best to hold them back. Nick didn't remember a lot about his dad. . . He passed a long, long time ago. "I hope so." Nick murmured. He wished he could tell his dad, about the fox his son turned out to be. . . Or was trying to be, at least.

"Well. . . onto other topics." His mother started, as he instantly grimaced. He knew just where this was going. "Any movement on the grand-kits front, Nicky? You're not getting any younger you know."

He snorted, chuckling as he shook his head. Because reminding a 32-year old he was old was a nice thing to do. He knew that no matter how this phone call went, that question would appear. "No, nothing new to report. Still single, no children, and no 'potentials' in sight." He responded, trying to beat all the questions his mother might have.

"Really? No one at all?" His mother asked curiously, and Nick shook his head.

Telling her about his feelings for Judy would be silly. It was a stupid crush, and a mythological fantasy to consider. He was an old, washed-up fox. She was a young, bright, and wonderful rabbit. She couldn't just do better than him, she deserved better. And she'd never look at him that way, anyway, so it didn't matter. At this point, he was just happy to know she was a part of his life. And. . . A fox and a rabbit could never work together, anyway. They were too different. . .

Although, that wolf and rabbit couple today looked fairly happy. . . Even if Nick didn't understand a word the big wolf had said. . . Ah, but that didn't change anything with Judy, though.

"Nope, no one." He responded assuredly, as he cast that thought aside. That lie belonged in his dreams, nowhere else.

Then, his mother went silent for a moment, before she spoke in a more careful voice. "It's not because of Veronica, is it?"

Nick snorted. At the mere mention of her name, the tears practically evaporated from his eyes. "No, it's definitely not. . . That was a long, long time ago." And if he had his way, he'd never think of that vixen again.