Nick was not having a good day.

As had been asked of him, he had arrived at Dr. Wood's office at 10 o'clock sharp. Since it was such an inconvenient time compared to his work schedule, Chief Bogo had given him the day off. As such, he was dressed in his wardrobe of choice: green Pawaiian shirt, brown slacks, and loose-fitting purple tie.

That was the first thing the beaver had noticed when they started their session, which was odd since it was the exact same outfit he had worn the first time. Nick had made a mental note to himself to exaggerate that particular conversation to Judy later—about how Dr. Wood went on and on, and on, about how the tie obviously represented his hope in seeking out other mammals' approval, and that it was such a loose fit because he didn't know how to actually tie a tie.

He had resented that, of course. He did know how to tie a tie. But only once. So years ago, he had gotten into the habit of tying a tie loosely, then simply slipping it over his head each morning and back off each night. It had worked perfectly fine until he joined the police force, when tight-fitting ties were standard garb.

He didn't say any of that out loud, of course. He had simply sneered at the beaver and said "You've caught me, Doc. My paws are incapable of the simple task of tying a knot." He had leaned forward and winked. "Fox anatomy and all that."

Dr. Wood was quick to respond. "So you're saying you're incapable of adequately performing the simple duties necessitated of you by the ZPD?"

Nick had coughed. Hard. He had forgotten how easily this stupid beaver was able to see past his lies. "Look, if you know the answer already, why even bother asking?"

Dr. Wood wrote down a note. "It's called a hustle, Nick." The faintest hint of a smile formed on his mouth. "Boom."

The fox had simply groaned in defeat at that point. Unfortunately for him, that conversation had been over now for three hours. Three long, grueling hours, with Nick having to sit in an uncomfortable chair while Dr. Wood enjoyed lying down on one of the comfiest sofas Nick had ever seen. The clock above Nick's head—which he had to crane his neck in order to see—read 1:30 now. He had made the mistake of skipping breakfast, thinking this was going to be a quick one-hour session and he'd be able to eat a big lunch to make up for it. But the longer Dr. Wood asked him questions, the more he began to believe that he was going to stay here the entire rest of the day.

The cordial, understanding beaver from their previous session was gone. The Dr. Wood that Nick now had to deal with was a completely different animal: edgy, aggressive, and unwilling to take no for an answer. He barely let Nick answer with single-word responses before asking his next question.

And Dr. Wood was asking a lot of questions. He asked Nick what kinds of jobs he had before joining the ZPD. He asked Nick what kinds of prejudice he had faced while growing up, on account of him being a fox. He asked Nick about his thoughts on the shock collar he now wore—what kinds of feelings did it give him, knowing that he was publicly labeled a threat to society? Did his colleagues at work look down on him? Did prey keep their distance from him on the subway? Did Judy think less of him now?

Every time Nick was asked a question, he barely had time to stammer out an answer before the next one was drilled onto him. Nick felt like he was in the middle of boot camp, except instead of training to build up his body, he was being hounded in an effort to break down his mind.

It was like Nick was being tested. As if the beaver was pushing the fox to his limits, to see where he was going to crack. As if, in the past three hours, Dr. Wood had done all he could to break Nick's cool. At what point was Nick going to give in to his predatory urges and snap at the beaver—with his words, or his fangs?

Finally, Nick abandoned his façade. Never let them see that they get to you? He snorted. I'm gonna make sure this beaver never gets to me again after I'm done with him.

He cut Dr. Wood off mid-sentence; he didn't even care enough to know what Dr. Wood was saying when he did. "What are you doing?"

Dr. Wood looked up from his notes and casually raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Nick?"

Nick, unable to sit still any longer, stood up and began to approach Dr. Wood, though he made sure not to make it look like he was doing so in a threatening manner. "I said, what are you doing?" When Dr. Wood didn't immediately respond, he continued, "I've been locked in here for over three hours, and this entire time, you've been grilling me. You've asked me all kinds of personal questions, you've made me feel like I'm a menace to society, and you've given no indication that I'm even gonna be out of here before your office closes this evening."

Dr. Wood was quiet for a few seconds, before he set his notes down on the end table beside him and folded his paws. "I simply want to make sure I've done a thorough examination of—"

"Why?" Nick crossed his arms. "Why am I seen as a threat? Out of all the ZPD officers you've interviewed, why am I the only one who you've felt the need to be this harsh on?"

"Harsh, Nick?"

Nick had to fight the urge to growl. "Don't toy with me." He pointed at the beaver, making his words absolutely clear. "I may be a predator, but I'm not a threat. You know that full well. So, my dear Dr. Wood, please explain to me…" He took a single step toward the beaver so he could stand over him. "Why. Am I. Here?"

Dr. Wood retained his calm expression, meeting Nick's glare with a soft gaze. Nick might have seen the tip of the beaver's tail flick slowly out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't be sure. He remained silent for several long seconds, obviously calculating his best response.

"Do you want the truth, Nick?" he finally asked.

Nick put on the fakest smile he could muster. "I thought you'd never ask, Doc!" He finally broke eye contact with the beaver, if only so he could walk back to his chair and sit down. He motioned with his paw for the beaver to continue. "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, if you please."

Dr. Wood still seemed hesitant. "I'm not sure you're ready for the truth, Nick."

At this point, Nick was ready to say anything in order to get out of this meeting. "Yes, I am," he insisted. "I'm ready. Trust me, I'm ready. No one has ever been more ready in the history of the world than I am right now."

"Judy wanted me to give you a full psychological evaluation."

Nick suddenly realized that no, he wasn't ready. All at once, his mind flooded with all kinds of thoughts. Carrots wanted me psychologically evaluated?

He felt a sense of panic overcome him. Carrots…doesn't trust me? Does she think I'm under too much stress? Does she think I'm unable to handle everything that's going on right now? He felt his claws dig into the armrests in the chair. Am I overreacting? Am I underreacting? Is this all a test—and am I failing it? Is it a test for her? Is Judy afraid of me?

That last thought drowned out all the others—and it frightened Nick. Is… Is Judy afraid of me?

He found himself uncharacteristically at a loss for words. He struggled to come up with a response—any response—but all that came out were stutters. After what seemed like hours, he finally managed to ask, simply, "Judy?"

Dr. Wood nodded. "Yes, Judy." He stood up and slowly walked over to one of his many bookcases. "It would seem your partner on the force is worried about you. She approached me shortly after our last meeting and stated some…" He started fingering through is books. "Well, let's just call them 'concerns', about your mental stability since having put on the shock collar."

Nick finally found his voice. "What kind of concerns?" He dreaded to ask but he needed to know what she thought of him.

Dr. Wood found the book he was looking for. He grabbed it and walked back to his couch. "You've been hiding behind your mask more and more often, at least according to her." He flipped through the pages, finding an exact passage. "Surely you know the mask I'm referring to. The one you put on when things are not going well, but you want to pretend they are?"

Nick could hardly believe his ears. "It's to keep her from having to share my burdens," he replied quietly.

"Her words, not mine," was the dismissive reply. Dr. Wood finally found the section of the book he was looking for. "Ludwig Littgenhorn was a philosopher of the mind. I feel that his words here mark exactly what's going on in your mind right now. 'The mask of a mammal stems from both the conscious and the subconscious. From the innermost persona comes the outermost hidden fortress, from which others might be exposed to a faded reflection'."

It was all gibberish as far as Nick was concerned. "What does that mean in English?" He shook his head. "And what does any of this have to do with Judy?"

Dr. Wood left the book open but turned his gaze back on Nick. "You've always worn a mask, Nick. You've worn one for so long, it's possible you don't even know who you really are anymore. Judy thinks that this shock collar—or perhaps, that this situation in general—is causing you to change." He slowly closed the book. "That it's causing the real you to become someone else. Someone that she's afraid of."

She is scared of me, then?

Nick had not felt such dread before. All the time he had spent with the bunny, all they had been through together, all that he had done for her and she for him…

And it all means nothing? Because I'm scaring her?

"And she told you this?"

Dr. Wood motioned to the pile of notes he had made during their session. "I'm a psychologist. I know what mammals think. I haven't gotten anything wrong about you yet, have I?"

Nick had a hard time forming words. "I keep my thoughts and feelings to myself because…" He abandoned that line of thought. "And I don't mean to scare her. I didn't even know that I do."

"I believe you, Nick," Dr. Wood assured him, "but does she know that?" He closed the book, set it back on the shelf, and paced back to his couch. "Now, don't be too hard on yourself. After all, she's a bunny, and you're a…" He paused, and for the very first time, Nick wondered if the beaver was carefully choosing his next words. "Well, you're a fox, Nick. Bunnies and foxes have never really gotten along very well, have they?"

Nick found himself hanging his head and staring at the floor. "No," he quietly agreed.

"And even though you two are very close, that doesn't change the fact that you're a fox, and that she's a bunny, right?"

Nick didn't respond this time. His mouth was going dry and his mind was blanking out.

"Nick, you could be the most docile fox to ever exist and Judy would still see you as a danger." Dr. Wood gathered his notes and once again began to write. "This situation you're going through is just exasperating those thoughts. You've got to put yourself in her shoes. She's a bunny with a fox for a partner, and that fox is going through a lot of stress—far more than he's ever gone through in his life, and it's just getting worse every day. Now how would you react if—"

"Judy isn't like that."

Dr. Wood stopped writing. If Nick hadn't known better, he could have sworn he heard the wood in the beaver's pencil creak a bit under his paw's sudden grip. "What did you say?"

Nick raised his head and looked the beaver dead in the eye. He had mumbled before, but he made sure to say his next words as clearly as possible. "Judy isn't like that. She is a bunny, yes. I am a fox, yes. But she has believed in me more than anyone else I've ever known. She has been the closest friend I've ever had, and even this isn't enough to change that." He jerked a finger into his shock collar, and had to keep himself from raising his voice to a shout. "So don't you sit there in your pompous thousand-dollar couch and tell me that she thinks less of me just because of how I look. I know her, Doc. You don't. And I know she thinks better of me than that, because I think the world of her!"

Dr. Wood kept Nick's gaze, and at the completion of the fox's last sentence, asked in a calm voice, "Then why does she feel you're a danger to the ZPD?"

Once again, Nick was dumbfounded. "A…danger?"

"That was what she said to me." Dr. Wood pulled up a note from his stack and read it. "A danger to the ZPD, and a possible danger to the citizens of Zootopia."

Nick stared at him. "She did not say that."

Dr. Wood held up the note. "Would you like to read it yourself, then, if you don't believe me?"

If it was a bluff, it wasn't one that Nick was willing to take. He slumped down in his chair, once again at the mercy of the beaver's silver tongue.

"Frankly, I'm surprised at you, Nick." Dr. Wood stashed the note and folded his paws. "You know why you're here, and yet you let yourself go off on that little tirade?"

Nick had a hard time forming words, let alone thoughts. It felt as if this was all a game to the psychologist. The more Nick pushed back, the more he was verbally assaulted. It was only when Nick was completely helpless that Dr. Wood seemed to be content.

The fox's usual wit was gone. He couldn't crack a joke right now even if Joe Rhino handed him a joke book. He just wanted this appointment to be over and to go home and pretend this day never happened. He wanted to go to Judy and clear up any misunderstandings between the two of them…

Misunderstandings… But not between me and her… He looked at the beaver. "Well, Doc," he finally managed to say, "if your goal was to break me, congratulations. You've broken me." He sat up as straight as he could and locked eyes with the beaver on the couch. "But this all seems pretty theatrical, don't you think? You haven't learned a new thing about me since the moment you met me. It seems every small part of my life is an open book to you—from my years as a kit to my relationship with Carrots." He leaned forward, trying his best to be non-threatening, while at the same time assertive. "So let me ask you once again: Why am I here?"

Dr. Wood contemplated Nick's question for a few seconds, before giving his answer in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "You know, I have a lot of power over you. I can give my recommendation to Chief Bogo that you are not mentally fit to serve on the ZPD. I can even give my recommendation to the mayor's office that you be stripped of your faux shock collar and fitted with a working one. I can even reach out to newspapers and lie to them—I can tell them that you attacked me in my office here today, and… Well, I can let you finish that thought." He leaned forward and glared at Nick. "Is that what you want, Nick?"

Nick stared at the beaver in disbelief. His day had just gone from bad to worse. He didn't want to believe that Dr. Wood would do any of those things, but he knew that it was within the beaver's capabilities.

And he also knew the point the beaver was trying to make: Nick was still a predator. Worse yet, he was still a fox. Even now, nobody felt safe around him, and no one would believe him, no matter what he said.

He sure wished he had Judy's carrot pen right about now.

"What do you want from me, Dr. Wood?" he asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

To Nick's surprise, Dr. Wood suddenly eased his expression and relaxed. "I'm sorry, Nick. I just needed to see it for myself." Before Nick could react, he continued, "This kind of psychology can be a bit brutal, but it helps me see my patients' true selves. And I believe I've just seen your true self."

The dread in Nick's heart slowly began to disappear. "My true self?"

Dr. Wood nodded. "Yes, without the mask. You have a kind heart, Nick. You are not in the least a bad mammal. The way you defended your partner just then—that just told me all I need to know." He pressed a finger against his chin. "Though, you do seem to be under a lot of stress from that shock collar. Perhaps a bit more stress than you were anticipating when you agreed to put it on."

Finally, something I agree with. "I just hate being labeled a threat when I'm not one," he responded.

"Oh, I know. But you are an officer of the law, and as such, you need to be held to a higher standard than other predators—especially since their collars work, and yours doesn't."

Nick knew the beaver was right. It had been on his mind—constantly on his mind—ever since he had first put the collar on. But it was hard to discard the thought. Regardless of how well it worked, it was still a label. An unjust label, and the fact that he was an officer didn't change that.

But I am an officer. I am a real cop. His ears flattened against his skull. And real cops have to deal with this just like everyone else…

"So does this mean that you'll be recommending I get fired?"

The beaver's silence made Nick uneasy. The past several hours of their session flashed through his mind, and all of a sudden, Nick wouldn't blame Dr. Wood at all if that was his recommendation. Nick had been, at best, argumentative during their time together. At worst, he had exhibited a lack of discipline. The longer the silence lasted, the more sure Nick was that he was about to be fired.

But finally, Dr. Wood set down his notepad and shook his head. "No. It's obvious to me that your ability to do your job has not been impaired by your shock collar. That's what I've been asked to evaluate, and that is my evaluation."

Nick breathed a sigh of relief. He slumped in his chair, utterly drained. "I don't mind saying, Doc, you've put me through quite the emotional roller coaster today. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"I'm a psychologist. It's my job." He glanced at his watch and quickly stacked his notes. "I'm going to let you go now, Nick."

The fox could hardly believe his ears. He blinked in surprise. "You mean…" He looked up at the clock above his head. 1:45. "That's it? Just like that?"

"Yeah. Just like that." Dr. Wood set the majority of his notes aside, keeping his pocket notebook and pencil. "However, it's pretty obvious to me that you're under a lot of stress, so I'm going to prescribe an anti-anxiety medication for you."

Nick suddenly felt uneasy once again. "Um… pills?" When the beaver nodded, he cleared his throat. "Doc, I've never been on medication before. I don't even take sleeping pills—"

"There's nothing wrong with needing medicine, Nick." Dr. Wood ripped the paper out of his notebook and extended it to Nick. "It's just to help you feel a little more comfortable at work."

Nick had nothing against medicine; he knew many mammals who were on constant medication and it made their all of their lives better. But he didn't think he needed it. "I was perfectly healthy before putting this thing on," he protested, "and besides, like you yourself said, it doesn't even work."

"This isn't for your mental health, Nick," the beaver assured him. "It's just to help you relax." He raised the note a little higher. "And to help put other minds at ease besides yours."

He opened his mouth to protest once again, but stopped himself. He knew Dr. Wood was right. Prescribing something—anything—to Nick was a way to keep questions from being asked by the mayor's office, and for the ZPD to not view him as a liability.

And if he's telling the truth, it will also make Judy feel less scared of me…

Besides, he had been in this room long enough and was ready to leave. So instead, he stood up and accepted the piece of paper. He glanced at it and tried for a few seconds to read the terrible writing, before giving up and pocketing the paper. "Do I just go to the local ZVS and hand it to them?"

"Yes. And don't worry about paying for it; I'll make sure it's billed to my office."

It didn't matter; Nick knew he would skip the ZVS and probably trash the paper when he got back home. Despite what Dr. Wood had said about him—and about Judy's concerns about him—he still didn't like the idea of taking medicine for something that he considered a non-issue.

Taking this paper is all I need to do, he reasoned. Dr. Wood prescribed something to me, so he gets to tell Assistant Mayor Rolfe and Chief Piggum that I'm not a threat. Everyone wins.

At long last, he was able to walk to the door and leave. He felt a fresh breeze hit his face as soon as it opened and he closed his eyes, enjoying himself for a few seconds, before walking out.

"See you later, Doc," he called behind his shoulder. "Although I really hope not."

He barely heard the beaver call after him, "It's been a real slice of heaven, Nick."