DISCLAIMER: After 93 attempts to get my bid to own Zootopia in to Disney, I've been thwarted at every turn, this time by Mickey Mouse and all of his friends. Last I saw, some rabbit named Oswald was running off with it. So I still don't own Zootopia

ZPD Officer Nick Wilde sighed as he fished for the keys to their apartment. It had been a long, boring day without his partner, who had been placed first on desk duty, then, as of two weeks ago, paid leave. His temporary partner, Fangmeyer, was OK. But she just wasn't Judy.

It had been nine months since the Night Savage uprising, and things had finally settled into a modicum of normalcy. The rabbit and fox still received a lot of stares and disapproving looks when they went out together, but the encouraging words and letters they had received from closet "inters", as they had become known, far outshone the haters. Barely a day went by when they didn't receive a letter or an email—filtered by the precinct of course—from an inter to whom Nick and Judy had given the courage to come out to their parents or profess their love to another.

It was those letters and emails, the occasional passerby who stopped to talk to them, and their love for each other that gave the pair all the ammunition they needed against the disapproving mammals.

Opening the door, Nick deposited his keys on the key rack and peeled off his jacket.

"Carrots? I'm home, lazy bunny." He knew she hated that, being forced to take a step back from beat duty.

Turning around, he was met with the sight of his beautiful doe, looking up at him with eyes that shone with joy, excitement, and a little bit of fear.

"It's time, Nick."

Nick's jaw dropped, and he just stared.

"You mean… Your…?" Somehow, Judy was the one mammal who could take his words away, along with his breath.

Judy smiled and nodded. "Grab the keys, Slick. Let's go."

Two and a half months ago

"Judy, the chief wants to see you in his office." Clawhauser used to be the first of their colleagues Nick and Judy greeted in the morning, but that hadn't been the norm for months, since he'd been put back out on the beat. Also, the morning greeting usually started with talk on the latest Gazelle song, video, or app, not with a request to visit the chief.

Judy noticed this and frowned. "Everything OK, Ben? He doesn't usually call us up there before the bullpen. Why today?"

"Maybe he just wants to spend the time practicing his glare on you? Maybe give you glaring lessons?" For that comment, Nick got a punch in the arm and, well, glare. It was worth it. Judy grabbed Nick's tie and started dragging him to the elevator.

Nick stumbled but followed along. "Uhhh, Carrots, why are you dragging me with you?"

Judy smirked up at him as they entered the elevator and punched the button for the third level.

"If I'm going to get in trouble for something you did, I want you there, so he can chew you out, too."

Nick feigned hurt. "You wound me, Fluff. Why, I'm a model police officer, I would never do anything of the sort!"

The rabbit beside him gave him a patronizing glance.

"You can't seriously think he doesn't know you were the one who put the whoopee cushion on his chair before his meeting with the commissioner last week," she said as the elevator doors opened.

The fox shook himself. How the heck had she figured that out? She'd been at the firing range at the time, and he'd had the day off. He'd thought his alibi was airtight. Plastering his hustler's grin on his face, he followed her to the chief's office door.

"You can't prove that was me."

The bunny shook her head and knocked on the door, receiving a curt "Enter" in reply.

Pushing the door open, Judy stepped into the office of the Cape buffalo. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

The imposing chief of precinct one just nodded and gestured to the elephant sized chair in front of his desk. "You, too, Officer Wilde."

The two climbed up into the chair and sat down. The gaze that the chief levelled at the two of them was unreadable.

"You both have been performing admirably under Detectives Rivers and Longtooth, and your work on the Night Savage case helped us avoid a coup of the city."

Both Nick and Judy looked at each other. This wasn't something they didn't know, so neither was sure why the Cape buffalo was bringing it up now. A mammal would have to be dead to not know what had happened in the city and the region over the past year. What had started as an investigation into the death of a police officer had ended up being the bloodiest year in the city's long history, even eclipsing the gang wars a decade earlier.

Judy opened her mouth to comment, but Bogo held up his hoof. "Officer Hopps, please let me finish." He took a deep breath. "You're still too fresh to receive a promotion just yet, but if I could, I damn well would. You deserve it. Well, at least you, Hopps. Maybe Wilde, too, if he can learn to shut his mouth." The sideways glance at the fox told both the small mammals that the chief was kidding. Mostly.

"Oh, come on, chief, you know a promotion would look good on me!"

The Cape buffalo just closed his eyes, pinched his brow, and let out a massive sigh. "As I was saying, Hopps, and you too, Wilde, I can't give you a promotion yet. But you won't go unrecognized. You'll both be getting a raise, and when the next class of graduates from the academy arrives in four months, you'll be involved in training one." He raised his eyebrows. "Might even be the rabbit that seems to be showing a spark of promise, or so Major Friedkin tells me."

Judy was speechless.

"You've more than proven to be an outstanding officer, Hopps. And you've shown an aptitude for leadership. And you, Wilde, are somehow able to rein her in. Congratulations, officers. You've both earned it." Bogo said. "Now report to the bullpen. You'll get your assignments there."

Evidently, this meeting was over.

"OH! Thank you sir! You won't regret this!"

The chief harrumphed. "I'd say you're welcome…but I don't care." Both of his smaller officers could tell that he was hiding a smile, though.

The two mammals made their way out of the office, down the elevator, and through the lobby towards the bullpen, with the little bunny literally bouncing in her happiness. Despite all that had happened, her lifelong dream was looking even better than ever, and she couldn't wait to get out on the beat and help more mammals in the city's long effort to recover from the disaster.

"Wow, that was a quick meeting, you two! What did he say?" The once-chubby cheetah sitting at the dispatch desk grinned at them. For her part, the bunny just smiled and opened her mouth to say something before a look of horror came over her. Instead of saying a word, she turned and bolted back the way she came, rounded a corner, and was out of sight.

Clawhauser frowned and looked at Nick.

"Was it something I said?

Present day

Nick smiled as he remembered that day. It was the first time there was a hint that something wasn't quite normal. He hadn't actually thought much on it, and Judy hadn't commented, either, until a few weeks later.

Nick's birthday, two months ago

"Ugh, why did Buffalo Butt have to assign me to parking duty TODAY of all days?" The fox dragged himself up the steps to their apartment complex. Judy had apparently been needed at one of the other precincts and had left home before he'd even woken up. Worse, the overpacked subway car he was in had broken down, and he was late for work. Then he had to listen to ticketed mammals yell and scream at him all day, which didn't make things easier.

The fox opened the door to the smell of frying salmon and a bunny humming a melody he couldn't quite place but found beautiful. He closed the door and took stock of the apartment. The table had been cleared of all the mail, books, papers, casefiles, and other knickknacks that always seemed to be piled on at least one end. Instead, the table was covered in a fine cloth. Two tall candles stood between the two chairs, which were opposite each other. In fact, the entire thing looked like it had just come from a high-end restaurant.

Nick was confused. When had Judy come home? How did she have time to set this all up? From the smell, Nick guessed, Judy was working on one of his favourite meals, a bourbon-glazed salmon and sautéed vegetable dish. Over the last few months, at his mother's guidance and with constant tips from Judy's sister and her now steady fox boyfriend, both had gotten much more competent in the kitchen. No longer did they fear the screeching device from Hell that was the smoke detector. As he entered the kitchen, the bunny looked up and grinned.

"Hey, birthday fox. How was your day?"

Said fox shook his head. "Ms. Carrots, if you have a grievance, you may contest your citation in traffic court."

Judy laughed. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, I got to be the bane of the existence of every driver downtown, giving parking tickets and making the world a better place for absolutely no one. So, you know, positive thinking!"

The rabbit shook her head and pushed him out of the kitchen. "Go get changed into something nice and have a seat on the couch. Watch some TV or something."

Nick did as he was told, changing into a white dress shirt and black slacks. He returned to the couch, fully intent on taking Judy up on her suggestion to watch TV.

The news was talking about a political demonstration in Podunk when Judy called him to the dining table. Switching off the TV, he looked over to where the bunny was standing. At some point, she'd changed into a simple yet elegant lavender dress, with a ring of flowers around the base of one of her long ears.

The effect was stunning. If you asked Nick, Judy looked great in anything, but when she dressed up, it blew him away.

It took Judy clearing her throat to bring Nick out of his stupor. The gorgeous bunny gestured to the table, where she had set the dinner, complete with red wine and two wine glasses, and lit the candles.

The dinner was filled with conversation. They talked about anything and nothing, just enjoying each other's presence and company.

Nick was just about to get up to clear the dishes when Judy spoke up.

"Nick, I have something else for you today…" She trailed off.

Nick decided teasing was the course of action. "Why, Carrots, is that a hint of nervousness I detect in your voice? What dastardly thing could you have gotten me that would make you nervous?"

Judy took a deep breath and let it out. "Come here."

Curious, Nick walked over and stood in front of Judy, who was still sitting on her chair.

She reached out, grasped his paw, and looked up at her fox, locking eyes with him. Slowly, she pulled his paw toward her, before pressing it to her belly. The red-furred canine glanced down for a moment before looking back to her eyes. Judy kept his paw pressed to her abdomen and waited.

Slowly Nick's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He glanced down again, and then back up, a look of shocked amazement on his face.

"Judy…?

The rabbit doe smiled.

"You're…?

She nodded.

"You're… pregnant?" Nick couldn't believe it.

Grinning and nodding, she replied. "Three weeks."

The fox got down on his knees, still with his paw on her belly. He brought his other paw up to touch her abdomen too, as if that would somehow make it more real for him.

"You're pregnant…" The fox seemed unable to speak any other words. He began to rub his paws up and down her belly.

"Yes, Slick, I'm pregnant." The bunny kept her paws over the top of Nick's as he rubbed up and down her abdomen.

Nick moved his paws to his doe's sides, and brought his ear up to her belly. It was far too early to hear or feel anything yet, but that didn't stop him from trying. Judy gazed at her fox with an expression of pure love as she waited for him to fully process the news.

"But I'm a fox… And you're a bunny…. How was that even…." He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to.

It didn't make sense to her, either, or to any of the doctors she'd seen to confirm, but the truth was there, somehow. With Nick being a completely different class of mammal, there hadn't been any reason to believe a kit of their own was even possible in the first place.

"I know, Nick. But life found a way."

The fox looked up at her at that, tears threatening to fall. His muzzle was just inches from hers, and Judy didn't resist the urge to lean down just enough to press a kiss to his lips, brief yet sensuous, before pulling back to look into Nick's eyes, her paw coming up to stroke the fur on his cheek. For a long moment, they gazed into each other's souls before Judy broke the silence again.

"We're going to have a baby, Nick…"

That did it. Tears flowed freely as Nick stood up, lifting the small bunny off the chair before wrapping her in his arms and squeezing so tight she could barely breathe. She didn't care, since she was squeezing Nick back, arms and legs holding on just as tightly, her face buried in the fur of his neck.

"Judy! Oh, Judy, this is the best birthday present ever! We're going to have a baby!"

The doe grinned as she felt Nick's tears beginning to soak through the fur on her shoulder, nodding into his neck. Words seemed pointless as they both pulled back a moment to gaze at the other before diving in for a kiss. Nick shifted one arm under Judy's butt, while the other held the back of her head. Judy meanwhile gripped the fur on either side of Nick's face, while her tiny tongue rather forcefully demanded entry into Nick's mouth, a request that Nick was more than happy to grant.

The battle of tongues soon turned in to an all-out war, and the couple eventually found themselves up against a wall. Taking a breather, though by no means finished, the two broke their kiss. The look Judy gave Nick was one he had seen before. One that, like the statement she was about to make, could not be denied. One that demanded that all chores be forgotten.

"Bedroom. Now."

Present day

Nick smiled at that memory as they pulled into the hospital's emergency room lot. Back then, it was a good thing neither of them had been scheduled to work the next day; their lovemaking had lasted until Nick's old and otherwise useless alarm clock went off at six o'clock in the morning.

It turned out that Judy had traded shifts with Fangmeyer and needed the car to go shopping for the day. She'd left before Nick had even been awake, hiding out at the tigress' apartment until the stores opened. And the "wine" she'd drunk at dinner? Grape juice. Sly bunny.

The pregnancy itself had been extremely difficult. There had been multiple trips to the emergency room and visits with various doctors and obstetricians specializing in the field of hybrids. None of them had even considered that a fox/bunny hybrid was even genetically or biologically possible before meeting the two and seeing the ultrasounds.

Of course, with that came the inevitable discussion of what to call the new hybrid species. Rox and fabbit were ruled out fairly early.

That left either a box or a funny. Or a funny box. Nick and Judy didn't care what the doctors decided to call them. This was their kit, their little girl. Species name didn't matter to them.

There had been times when everyone had been scared that the baby would be lost. Being a hybrid with a fox, the baby was larger than what a bunny would normally handle. The fact that they were having just one kit instead of a whole litter was probably what made it doable.

The size of the baby had also meant that Judy couldn't safely give birth naturally, so a C-section had been scheduled three days from now. Of course, it seemed that the baby had decided it was tired of its warm, cozy home and wanted out a little early.

Nick parked the car and ran over to the passenger side, scooping his beloved doe up bridal style just as she had opened her own door. Abandoning the car after kicking the door shut, he ran toward the entrance, barely pausing as the sliding doors oh-so-slowly opened.

The emergency room was fairly empty tonight, practically unheard of in a big city hospital. Only a few mammals awaiting assistance. The fox didn't hesitate.

"I need help! She's in labour!"

That got things moving. A slightly oversized wheelchair (slightly oversized for a bunny) appeared as if out of nowhere, along with a pair of nurses. Gently placing Judy down into the chair, Nick backed off a moment to allow enough space for the two other mammals—a wolf and a pig—to do their jobs, taking the time to explain the scheduled C-section. Things got a bit heated when one of the nurses tried to force Nick to stay in the waiting room, but some words from Judy ended that potential argument, and Nick was allowed to stay.

One took down Judy's vital information—name, age, contact, social insurance number, health insurance information—and gave her a hospital wristband, while the other set her up with a heart monitor and began pushing her toward the maternity ward. The fox kept pace beside the wheelchair, reaching out to take Judy's paw in his own. All the while, her eyes had never left him.

In the operating room, Judy was quickly changed into a hospital gown, ECG probes attached to her back, and she was placed on an operating table. Her eyes never left Nick's. He could see the fear in them, could understand. But he could also see the love and joy. "We're having our baby!" they said.

Nick was given a sterile hospital outfit, which he quickly put on. Meanwhile, Judy was set up with an IV and given a spinal anaesthesia to numb her lower body. A curtain was drawn that obscured her lower half, and Nick took his place beside her head, taking her paw in both of his, his eyes never leaving hers.

Judy could feel a little bit of what was going on down below—the vibration of a razor, poking, prodding, a zipping sensation—but her eyes never left her fox's. She could see love, adoration, joy, and nervousness. Nick had once told her he was scared of being a dad; he never had a father figure growing up, his father having died before he could remember. Judy was scared, too. Before falling in love with Nick, the idea of being a mother had never crossed her mind. The idea of being a cop and a mother all rolled into one was a daunting prospect. But Judy knew that as long as they both faced it together, they could conquer anything.

Time passed. It could have been two minutes, it could have been two hours—Judy wasn't certain. All she knew was the feeling of her paw in Nick's, the love she could see in her fox's eyes, and the love she could feel for him and for their little girl who would soon arrive. The sounds of the OR were just background noise.

The time came, though, and from around the curtain, a single kit was carried—a ball of brown fluff. For the first time, the new parents laid their eyes on their baby, without the assistance of fancy technology. Somehow, she was an almost perfect meeting point between fox and rabbit—her ears longer than a fox's, more pointed than a bunny's, her tail and muzzle longer as well. The pair wondered what colour her eyes would be, and whether she'd settle on having the red coat of a fox or maybe a colour more common on rabbits, or some combination of both.

After a while, the little kit was taken away to rest in a warmer in the neonatal ICU, and Judy was moved to her recovery room, along with her mate. A recliner had been set up alongside what was to be her bed, and it was here that Nick relaxed, once again taking Judy's paw in his. Both mammals were exhausted, even though it was only the early evening. Exhausted and, oh, so happy.

For a while, neither of them spoke, simply content to watch the other, before Nick broke the silence.

"You did it, Carrots," he said softly.

The doe shook her head. "No, Nick, WE did it. I may have carried her, but she's OUR kit," the bunny said.

The fox beside her grinned. "OK, Fluff, WE did it."

It was true. Medically, this shouldn't have been possible. And yet, here they were. And they still hadn't decided on a name.

The fox rubbed his thumb over the back of Judy's paw, deep in thought, before speaking again.

"You know all those letters that we get from other inter couples? The ones that say that we gave them the courage to come out to their parents or admit their love for another? Or the people that stop us on patrol just to say thank you?"

Judy nodded. "Mm hmm?"

Nick shifted but didn't break eye contact. "Well… Do you think that our little kit's story….will help even more?"

The doe smiled. "I do. Medically, biologically, she shouldn't have even been possible. But somehow, she's here. She's living proof that we aren't so different. That species, predator or prey, doesn't matter."

Nick grinned, knowing what Judy was thinking. "And maybe, just maybe, give a little hope to those mammals who are shunned and prejudiced against because of what they are or who they love."

Judy blinked, and suddenly broke into a huge grin.

"What?" The fox was confused.

"I think you just named our daughter," she answered, still grinning.

Nick thought back on what he'd said.

"… Hope?"

The doe nodded. "Hope."

Nick thought on that. Hope. An optimistic attitude that could spark the greatest of changes.

Nick couldn't help the smile. "It's perfect."

As sleep crept in on both of them, they each privately reflected on the last year, both thankful that they had found their mate, and now had their daughter Hope for the future.

And the last thing they both saw before slumber claimed them both and took them to dreamland was the eyes of the other saying "I love you".

A/N

And there you have it. A short, sweet epilogue to the longest writing project I've ever attempted. For those that guessed, yes, the aftermath of the Gazelle concert was their "first time" together.

Let's get the references out of the way. A couple people found the Saving Private Ryan reference in the last chapter. No one found the Mass Effect reference. Can you find one last one hidden in the epilogue?

It's been a long journey. Very long. I started writing this in August of 2017. I had a buffer of 9 chapters when I first posted the prologue the day after Christmas, 2017. That dwindled to 4 by the end.

Some statistics:

Total number of words: 506,772 (by my count)
Longest chapter: The Road to Emotional Recovery
Shortest chapter: Prologue
Timespan in-universe: 15 months from the "day at the museum" scene in the movie to the epilogue of this book
Total story arcs: 8

Throughout all this, I've gained a much greater appreciation for the work professional writers do. One of the greatest joys I've gotten out of all this, beyond being able to interact with those that have enjoyed the journey with me, is getting the chance to explore the world in more detail, and explore the characters – canon, semi-canon, and my own.

That isn't to say this story is without it's faults. There were a lot of them, and I'll be the first to admit it. It was long, for one. Probably a bit too long. It meandered in places, and I could definitely have done a better job of trimming down or eliminating parts that weren't needed. The length also presented additional challenges in that it made it extremely difficult to keep everything straight continuity wise, and there were a few glaring errors in that department.

There were also things I could definitely have handled better. The scene in which Judy and Nick find Eric's body is definitely one polarizing aspect for many readers, and even some of my friends.

That said, I wouldn't trade these last four years for anything. I'm sad to say good bye for now to Nolwazi, Liz Fangmeyer, Shawn Dancing Rivers, Bert Grizzoli, Chief Bogo, Marian, and of course to Nick and Judy. I'll be taking a break from writing for a while, as it's been a constant activity ever since I first set the pen to the paper for this story.

I'm NOT leaving the fandom, nor am I calling it quits on the writing. On the contrary. I've already begun the planning stages for the sequel, and I'm also planning a oneshot anthology series set in the universe of A Ray of Hope. Some of those oneshots will focus on the main cast while others could focus on new, different, or obscure characters. I'm also opening that up to other writers who want to contribute, and I hope some will! I also have some oneshots that I want to write not set in the A Ray of Hope universe. I'm also going to be going back through this story and fixing some of the misspellings, mistakes and continuity errors throughout the summer.

There are so many people I wish to thank that I can't possibly name them all in an author's note.

Firstly, thanks to Disney for creating this wonderful world to experience. Without them, none of this would have happened

Thanks to my family for supporting me, even though none of them are WildeHopps fans!

Thanks to all of the artists who have contributed art to this story, including Qalcove, Ziegelzeig, and OceRydia. You brought my ideas into brilliant colour, and I love you for it.

Thanks to my editors, Daee17, TheoreticallyEva, and GusTheBear. Daee17 started, and when they weren't able to continue, TheoreticallyEva graciously stepped up, with GusTheBear offering their services towards the end. I couldn't have done this without you guys, and you guys deserve as much thanks and praise as I do.

Thanks to ZNN for featuring my story! You guys rock!

And finally, a deep, heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you that read my story. Whether you started reading way back in December of 2017, or just recently started reading, whether you commented or not, I love each and every one of you.

For now, it's time for me to close this book. Please let me know what you thought of this work overall, whether it be critical or positive. It's the only way I grow as a writer. I'm also available to chat on my Discord server (discord *dot* gg *slash* rnQ8EE7).

Until next time, keep making the world a better place

-Camoss