Author's Notes:

So, I had a great couple of weeks at my job, really helped me kick some of my angst. Long story short I am an Excel god and you should all fear my power. Regardless, here is the next chapter, full of Nick spending time with his future in-laws!

Nick was not happy, he was far from it in fact. Earlier today, while they were lounging in bed, Judy had gotten a call from the ZPD asking her to cover a shift and she jumped at the opportunity without thinking. When she'd disconnected the call Nick asked her gently, "Did you forget your parents are coming to pick up their truck today?"

Her paw flew to her forehead, "Sweet cheese and crackers! I did forget. I guess I could call them and tell them to come another time, or maybe I should call dispatch back and tell them I can't make it today."

Nick placed a single finger over her lips quieting her for a moment, "Carrots, you don't have to do anything, I'll pick up your parents from the station and take them out to lunch. They're still coming in on the 11:30 right?"

Judy nodded, "Yes they are. You're sure you don't mind meeting my parents without backup?"

Nick laughed, "What are partners for? Besides, if I can handle you, the rest of the Hopps clan can't be too bad."

Judy nudged him lightly while sharing a laugh, "Oh ha ha Slick. Alight it's only a half shift so I should be off around 1, we'll meet up once I'm free?"

"Sounds reasonable to me Sweetheart."

"You promise you're not upset?"

Nick smirked at her for a moment before he answered her question with another question, "Do I sound upset? No, no I do not."

Before she could replay he pinned her to the bed and gave her a thorough… "tongue lashing" until she was very nearly late for work. She only had enough time for a brief shower while Nick prepped a breakfast shake in the kitchen. He was humming to himself as his tongue probed the inside of his mouth trying to find more of her flavor that might have been lingering.

Just as he was bottling up her breakfast she came flying through the living room making a dash for the door. Nick had to call out, "I got your breakfast here!"

She turned on a dime and took the bottle from his paw as well as the car keys he'd grabbed for her. She hopped up to plant a kiss on her perfect mate but he turned his head so she only kissed his cheek. When she landed Judy was pouting at him looking a little upset at the perceived snub.

Nick chuckled and said, "I haven't had a chance to really clean myself up, so unless you want your face to smell like…"

Judy flushed crimson with a fierce blush before she yelled out, "NOPE! You're right. Love you, bye!"

Nick smirked to himself and called out as she was leaving, "I love you too Judy!" and softer to himself, "Stay safe out there while you make the world a better place."

With the memory of the morning pleasantries still playing in his mind (and the mild pain where she'd been gripping onto his ears) he shook his head trying to refocus himself. He glanced up at the clock on the station wall and saw that the train baring his future in-laws would be arriving any minute. It was time to get his game face on. It was a rather bright day so he had an excuse to wear his sunglasses which should help in that regard.

He didn't have to wait too much longer as the train actually arrived a couple of minutes early. He couldn't spot the Hopps in the sea of mammals, but he did catch the scent of Bunnyburrow easily enough, it was the same scent Judy gave off when she'd apologized under the bridge. He followed his nose until he spotted a pair of bunnies looking stunned at the shear size of the city around them. Stu was the first to spot him and Nick raised his hand in acknowledgment as he jogged over to the two of them.

Just as Nick was going to open his mouth to introduce himself Bonnie stepped forward and wrapped him up in a hug causing Nick to freeze up, caught completely off guard. As he stood there in shock she began sobbing into his stomach, "Oh Nicholas, I'm so sorry! You did so much to keep our Judy safe and we thank you by trying to kill you! I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" She just kept repeating that over and over again.

It had been a long time since Nick had been held by his own mother, but the emotion he felt behind Bonnie's grasp felt oddly familiar and he felt his own arms begin to encircle the smaller mammal. His throat was suddenly raw as he said, "Bonnie, please, you have nothing to apologize for!"

She sounded truly miserable when she replied, "But I do Nicholas. Stu and I have always been wary of predators, especially foxes after that incident when Judy was a kit. I just never thought that…" her words failed her as another bout of sobs wracked her body.

Stu stepped forward with his hat in his paws, "We just wanted our kits to be safe, but… I think we just made them scared more oft' than anything. I'm sorry son, we've made mistakes and it's caused you a whole heapin' of trouble."

Nick was glad that he hadn't pulled his sunglasses off, he was pretty sure if either of them could see how misty his eyes were he wouldn't have been able to hold back from a full emotional breakdown. 'That's what I get for taking a bunny as a mate' he thought to himself. 'So emotional.'

When Nick was able to regain enough composure to speak once again he said, "Bonnie, listen to me. You didn't do it out of maliciousness, it was simply a mistake, and I know plenty about making mistakes. If your daughter can forgive mine and accept me, than I can do the same for her parents. So please, dry your eyes, you look too much like Judy to watch you cry."

Bonnie managed to choke out a little giggle, "Oh you're a charmer aren't you. With that silver tongue it's no wonder our Judy fell for you."

"My mom always said mammals should be more frightened of my silver tongue than any of my other features, claws and fangs not withstanding."

They all shared a light laugh at that and Bonnie finally took a step back, pulling a tissue from her purse to dry her eyes. As she was getting herself composed Stu stepped forward, offering his paw to Nick, "Your mother sounds like a smart woman. It's good to meet you face to face Nicholas."

Nick shook the paw in front of him, "She was one of the greatest mammals I ever knew, not that I appreciated it as a kit, and the pleasure is all mine Mr. Hopps."

"Please call me Stu."

"Of course, call me Nick."

Bonnie had composed herself by now, "Well, that's not how I was planning on meeting you Nick, but it is good to put a face to the name."

"Thank you Bonnie, I feel the same way. Now, I don't know about you two, but after that I could go for a cup of tea and some food, and I think I know just the place."

Bonnie wholeheartedly agreed, "That sounds lovely, Nick. The only other time we were in Zootopia was to pick up our delivery truck that Judy took. Seems to be a reoccurring problem with our trucks ending up in Zootopia. She was too busy watching over you to give us any kind of a tour so we didn't stay all that long. I know she's working for now, but would you mind showing us a thing or two?"

"Bonnie, it would be my pleasure. If you'd follow me?" Nick led the pair off away from the train station.

As they neared the Hopps' truck that Nick had taken to the station, (it was the only vehicle he had access to that could sit 3 mammals comfortably) Stu stopped in his tracks. The damage wasn't as bad as he'd feared it would be, but to see the patches that were stripped down to the primer just helped drive home what happened to his kit and her new… partner a few days ago. He walked up and brushed his paws over one of the patches letting out a long sigh and he shook his head.

Stu turned around and said, "Nick, thank you for taking care of the truck. You clearly do good work son."

"It really wasn't that much trouble Stu, and I was happy for the distraction. I promised to keep my paws clean until I ship off to the academy so my days are fairly empty and I find myself board out of my skull while your daughter is at work."

As the settled into the truck Bonnie asked, "So, your paws weren't clean before you met Judy?"

Nick barked out a laugh as he pulled the truck out of the parking spot, "Ha! Not quite. When I met your daughter I was hustling pawpsicles." He glanced over and caught their blank expressions, "I bought elephant sized popsicles, melted them down, refroze them smaller, and sold the results for a profit. Technically I had all the paperwork to keep it legit, but it was slimy business. Though, there weren't exactly a ton of opportunities for a fox like myself. Course, I didn't really look for honest work. I had an… interesting career when I was younger and it didn't leave me with a great resume."

Bonnie placed a paw on his shoulder in sympathy. Once a story like this would upset her, knowing that someone her daughter was interested in had such a… shifty past. But she trusted Judy's judgment, and Nick had proven that he was a good mammal on several occasions. Any mammal who would put his life on the line for his mate was all right in her book.

The rest of the drive over went smoothly, and before too long they were pulling up outside the Jungle Café. There wasn't any parking on the street so Nick said, "Bonnie, why don't you hop out and get us a table while Stu and I find a parking spot?"

"Sounds good sweetie." She kissed Stu on the cheek and popped out of the truck.

Nick found a spot not too far away, and parked the truck. Stu stepped out and fed the meter before Nick could get his change out. The stood there awkwardly for a moment before Stu spoke up, "Well son, what did you want to talk about?"

Nick scratched the back of his head, "Judy's ruined me. Once upon a time I could keep things to myself." he muttered under his breath. Louder he said, "Well sir, I know of a decent florist around here and thought we could get some flowers for our girls."

Stu beamed up at Nick, "That is a fantastic idea Nick. Please, lead the way!"

The two of them set off down the sidewalk together. Before they got too far Nick spoke up, "I am very serious about your daughter by the way. I uh, I just wanted you to know that."

Stu chuckled, "I already figured that one out Nick. You did spend a few weeks in a coma to keep her safe. Besides, she head over tail about you Nick. If you weren't serious about her, well then god help you, cause I don't know if you'd have a choice in the matter. What Judy wants…"

Nick cut him off, "Judy gets. Trust me I know." They shared a laugh at that one and stepped into Emmitt's shop. Sadly the otter had the day off but the clerk who was working was more than helpful. Stu got a dozen roses and Nick got a few sunflowers and tulips, just like the flowers he'd gotten for her on their first date.

The two males made it back to the café and joined the Hopps matriarch and Stu presented his flowers, "Here you go beautiful. These are for the prettiest girl in Zootopia."

Bonnie lit up at the bouquet and said, "Oh Stu! You shouldn't have, they're lovely. Nick I have to assume these were your idea?"

"I merely showed him to the store Bonnie, the roses were all him."

"Well, thank you both, I love them." She kissed her husband sweetly before she turned to look at Nick, "Let's order some drinks and a snack or two, then you can tell us all about the cases you helped with. Judy was never very forthcoming with details. When she moved back home she didn't want to talk about her time in Zootopia, and after she came back here, she spent all of her free time at your side."

Nick pulled off his sunglasses, "All right Bonnie, I think it's about time you heard about the Missing Mammal case. Let's see, I was in line at Jumbeaux's Café trying to get a jumbo ice-pop..."

"… so we stopped the train in the station and stepped off with the weapon case. We were in the museum station, so we ran upstairs and found the place was closed, I think they were working on a new."

Bonnie gave him a look that he'd seen from Judy more than once and she said, "I thought I heard that the train derailed and exploded…"

Nick laughed once and said, "Ha, yeah, I missed most of the reporting on the incident itself. Should've guessed that it was fairly widely reported." He took a sip of his tea, "We leapt clear of the train before it crashed into the station and the drug equipment was quite volatile. The rest is a bit foggy…"

Stu was stunned silent but Bonnie was still engaged in the conversation, "Well thank you for sharing what you could Nick. I'm so proud of our little trier, right Stu?"

Stu shook his head and replied, "Of course, but it's still kind of a proud-scared combo Bon-Bon. But it's what she was born to do, and I won't stand in her way any longer, she knows what best for herself."

Nick smiled to himself and took another sip of his rapidly cooling mug before glancing up at the clock above the counter, it was already after noon so Judy should be getting off shift soon enough. Nick set his mug down and said, "Well, Judy should be getting off work fairly soon, while we wait I thought we could go see the Kingdom State Building. It's not really the tallest building in Zootopia anymore, but I prefer the classics anyway."

Bonnie leaned into Stu, grasping his arm in hers, "Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea."

Stu placed his paw on her cheek, "It certainly does Bon, I'll bet it'll be a pretty romantic view too."

As Nick polished off his drink he though how much he and Stu apparently thought alike: his first thought was also about what his bunny's reaction was going to be. He pulled out his cell and started typing away on the screen and said, "Great, let's get going! It's actually not too far from here."

The three mammals finished their drinks and snacks before making their way out of the café. Nick guided them to the nearest bus stop and they rode a few blocks down to the building in question. When they stepped off the bus Bonnie sounded a little disappointed, "Oh no, look: there's a line for the observation deck!"

Nick smiled to the two country bunnies, "Not a problem Bonnie."

"But the line's so long, it leads out the door and halfway down the block! We don't really have the time to wait that long."

Nick merely said, "Just follow me you two." and proceeded to walk past all the mammals waiting in line. There were a few grumbles from the mammals in queue making the Hopps look around a little sheepishly, but Nick kept walking forward without looking around so they followed him closely. Nick walked right up to the customer service desk which had no one in line. There was a marakeet with a bored expression sitting behind a raised window. Nick walked right up and knocked politely on the counter stirring the mammal from their stupor.

Once they spotted Nick they recited what sounded like a mantra they've had to repeat a million times, "Thank you for visiting the Kingdom State Building, we do not offer refunds if you've already visited the observation deck. How can I help you today?"

Nick said politely, "Well we haven't been up to the observation deck yet, we don't have tickets…"

The marakeet sighed, "Sorry sir, I do not sell tickets here. You'll have to wait in line like everyone else."

Nick understood how much of a pain in the ass most mammals could be so he wasn't upset at being cut off, "Actually, could you call Steve here for me? He's the head of maintenance and he has our tickets."

They looked at Nick for a moment before deciding that it wasn't an unreasonable request so they picked up the phone and pushed a few numbers connecting to the intercom, "Steve to the Customer Service Desk. Steve, Customer Service Desk."

"Thank you for calling him, I appreciate it."

The marakeet looked a little surprised at the genuine thanks and said, "Uh, sure, no problem."

They didn't have to wait for too long before a tapir walked out from an Employee Only door and approached the group. Nick broke out in a grin, "Steve! It's good to see you again, I can't thank you enough for helping out here."

Steve didn't look too impressed, "Uh-huh. Good for you Wilde, I'm sure. I can get your tickets, but you'll have to pay for them. I can't get you 4 VIPs for free."

Nick nodded, "Of course not Steve, I wouldn't expect you to."

Steve walked up to the marakeet at Customer Service and said, "Hey Sam, can you print up 4 VIP tickets… and give them my employee discount too."

"Sure thing Steve." They turned to address Nick, "Sir, I'll need some information if you could."

Nick nodded and started working with Sam to get the tickets ready. While they were working Steve turned to the two bunnies who were more than a little confused, "Hi, I'm Steve." and he offered his hoof.

Stu grasped the hoof and said, "Nice to meet you Steve, I'm Stu and this is Bonnie."

"Pleasure to meet you both."

Bonnie said, "So, what do you do here Steve?"

"Elevator maintenance mostly. The company doesn't make money if they're not working. What about you two? What brings you to our fair city?"

"Oh, we're here to see our daughter, she's an officer at the ZPD."

"At the ZPD? Well that would make you two the Hopps then wouldn't it!"

"That's right."

"Wait a second… the Night Howler incident… there was an unnamed fox at the museum… WILDE?"

Nick turned and said sarcastically, "StEvE?!"

"What the hell have you been doing? Was that you who…"

Nick shot him a look that killed the words in the tapir's mouth, "I've been busy Steve. Maybe I'll tell you about it when we're not in public?"

"Uh, yeah… sounds good."

Stu tried to steer the conversation away from the awkward path it had suddenly veered down, "So Steve, how do you know Nick?"

"Huh? Oh, I fixed an elevator he was stuck in a couple years ago. He took me out for a beer afterward and I guess the rest is history."

Nick stepped away from the desk and handed the bunnies their passes, "Alright, we're all set to head on up, the VIP elevator is right over here."

Bonnie asked, "How much did these cost you Nick? We can't let you pay for us."

Nick smiled and said, "Please Bonnie, it's my pleasure."

Stu looked like he wanted to argue, but Bonnie said, "Well, that's very sweet of you Nick, thank you. And what about Judy?"

"Sam here will hold onto her ticket, right Sam?"

"Yes sir, one ticket for Judy Hopps."

"You're the best Sam."

"Thank you sir, and have a great day."

"You too. Now then, this way Hopps. And Steve, hit me up, well get another beer."

The tapir smiled at the fox for the first time, "Sure thing Wilde… just like old times."

With that Nick turned and led the two Hopps away to the VIP elevator which had almost no one in line and soon enough they were riding it all the way to the top.

When the doors opened there was a wombat waiting, "Hello, and welcome to the Observation Deck. My name is Trisha and if you'd like I'll show you the landmarks and other places of note around the city. Now, if you'll follow me?"

Nick bent over and said, "You two go on ahead, I'll wait for Judy, and we'll catch up when she gets here."

Stu nodded, "Okay Nick. See you in a bit." They followed the group away from the elevator and towards the glass leaving Nick by himself. He'd seen all the sights before, both from up here and on the ground, so they didn't hold much lure to him, he was much more interested to see Judy's reaction from the moment she stepped off the elevator.

He pulled out his phone and sent his bunny a text, "Hey Carrots, go to the customer service desk of the Kingdom State Building when you get off of work. See you soon 3"

A moment later his phone buzzed, "Just what do you have planned Slick?

Guess I'll find out soon enough

We're headed back to the station now. See you in a minute! 3"

As much as he was looking forward to seeing his bunny again he felt a little trepidation about seeing her with her parents around, he'd have to be careful about keeping his paws to himself while they were in town. Just because they didn't have any issues with him being with their daughter, it doesn't mean they want it flaunted in their faces. While he was thinking about them he looked around the deck to see if he couldn't spot them in the crowd. He spotted Stu with his arm wrapped around Bonnie's back as they stood with their faces practically pressed against the glass looking out over the city. He smiled to himself, it was nice to see such sweetness in mammals. He turned on his camera and snapped a photo of the two bunnies and sent it off to Judy.

As their cruiser was pulling into the garage Judy's phone buzzed once again. It was another text from Nick and when she opened it she let out a small squeal of delight. Delgato asked, "Good news Hopps?"

She smiled to her partner, "Yeah, looks like my parents are having a good time while they're in town. I'm going to be meeting up with them just as soon as we finish clocking out."

"That so? Well in that case, let's get you out of here!"

Author's Notes:

Had a lot of fun writing this one. I'd hoped to get Judy involved more in it, but this felt like a more natural stopping point so she'll be showing up next time!

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who read this chapter, I do this for you as much as myself, thank you all. I would like to give a special shoutout to a reader who's name starts with K, (didn't ask them if I could post their name so I'm playing it safe) your PMs meant a great deal to me and I wanted to be sure you knew that.