A/N: Sorry to everyone for the delay. Not much of an excuse except that life gets in the way. Thanks again to Uzrfrndly and EmberLarelle276 for the inspirational story and comic.

I have made references here to ideas that have appeared first in the works of other writers. I must recognize them to give them their due. Thanks to Kulkum, MinscLovesBoo, and eng050599. If I have failed to reference anyone else, my apologies. I do not own the characters of Zootopia. ©Disney does. Feedback is appreciated.

Bogo was not a happy camper. In fact, one never saw the Cape Buffalo with a hint of a smile on his face. He surveyed the scene in the gymnasium of Zootopia High and looked over the remnants of the previous night's altercation. Bogo was the sole detective assigned to the case. Normally, because of his stellar performance, he would have been handling cases involving murder, robberies, drugs or even mob hits. However, his Chief had assigned what looked like a simple case of two young teenagers getting into a fight over a girl to him because of political pressure from the father of the victim. He had been told by his chief not to expect any help from any other department as it was considered an open-and-shut case of attempted homicide by a – Bogo glanced down at the case folder - Nicholas Piberius Wilde on a Robert Peterson and Judith Laverne Hopps. According to the notes of the case, Wilde was a fox who had went savage and attempted to sexually assault the female bunny, Judith Hopps. He had not succeeded due to the timely intervention of the buck, Robert Peterson. In the course of attempting to rescue the doe, the buck had suffered numerous injuries inflicted on him by the tod while the doe had been scratched in the face.

Bogo frowned. There was an appalling lack of physical evidence except for the injury reports from the EMTs and the testimony given by the buck and supported by his three friends who claimed that they were present but had no clear recollection of the attack. There also was no corroborating statement from the doe who happened to be a minor and was being kept away from the police by the overprotective father. Bogo sighed and put on latex gloves in order to clear the crime scene by himself. Bogo took in the enormity of the gym and sighed again. It was going to be a long shift.

Bogo went to John Wilde's shop in order to advise him of the impending investigation against Nick. Bogo had an arrest warrant for Nick but something in his gut told him that something fishy was going on. He had discovered the muzzle in the gym complete with matted fur and blood along with the butterfly knife. The evidence he had seen did not add up to the witnesses' testimonies. Plus, there was the matter of the equipment he had discovered that spoke more of a dance practice rather than an assault by a savage predator. Bogo had carefully filed all the evidence he had managed to gather and had tucked it away in a small corner of the evidence room without mentioning anything to his chief. He felt that the young Reynard was being railroaded simply because of his species.

When Bogo arrived, he found the shop closed and a note saying that it would reopen again in a few months due to extensive renovations. Bogo went to the back to see if there was an open window or door but it looked like everything was shuttered tight. Bogo sighed again. He would have to file a report with his chief saying the suspect, Nicholas Wilde, was now a fugitive and that a nation-wide arrest warrant would have to be issued for him along with his father for being an accomplice. Until such time that Nicholas Wilde stood before a Zootopian court, the case could not move forward.

Bonnie came out of the guest bedroom. "She's resting for now."

"What's going on Bonnie?" Nick worriedly asked. "What happened to Judy out there?"

Bonnie sighed. "Nick, how much do you know about bunny mating habits?"

"Not much. I only know that rabbits are unfairly stereotyped as being promiscuous because they tend to have many sexual partners but once rabbits settle down, they remain faithful to one partner, very much like foxes."

"Well, Nick, how shall I delicately put it?" Bonnie chuckled. "It seems that our 26-year old doe went into heat at the height of your performance," she smiled.

Nick looked perplexed. "Hold on, from what I remember, females only go into heat if they are attracted to another male rabbit. And there definitely weren't any bucks out there."

Bonnie slapped a paw to her head. "Nick, are you really that dumb? It isn't always the case that the target is a male rabbit. Some females go into heat when they are in the vicinity of the person they consider to be their mate." Bonnie gave Nick a knowing grin. "You're the buck! Wolfard was the first to notice Judy's aroused state, which I'm surprised you hadn't. Haven't you smelled Judy's scent? I thought it would have been obvious to you by now."

"You mean that delicious sweet scent of flowers in summer rain that makes me want to tear her clothes off and have my way with her?" Nick said wide-eyed. "I did but I thought that was just her natural scent. In fact, if I recall correctly, the very first time I smelt it on her was back in Zootopia High. I thought I had died and gone to heaven."

"I see," said Bonnie. "So, tell me more about that time."

Nick frowned as he wondered where Bonnie was going with this line of questioning. "Well, it was the day before the High School Dance and I was having a final dance practice with Judy in the gym. I was teaching her how to dance so she would have a good time with her date, who turned out to be a real asshole and jerk. She was wearing this beautiful dress that my father made for her that really showed off her beauty," Nick recalled fondly. "Anyway, I got a whiff of her scent and I almost lost it right then and there. I asked her to stop but she continued to flirt with me and her scent even became stronger. I don't recall anymore why we argued, but we ended up dancing this real hot sensual tango number my mother once showed me that her countrymen used for their coming-of-age parties. It involved a lot of body parts rubbing against your partner's, which in hindsight, was a mistake considering we were two horny teenagers. Long story short, we stopped before we almost consummated our carnal desires."

"Wait, you said there was a lot of rubbing against each other?" Bonnie snickered. "Oh, dear, Nicholas, no wonder you both are sexually inexperienced. You poor, poor dears! The irony of it all." Bonnie was reduced to laughter, holding her sides.

Nick waited impatiently until Bonnie caught her breath. "Care to elaborate?" Nick growled.

"Well, Nick, it looks like the reason both you and Judy haven't had other sexual partners is because you imprinted each other with your scents." Bonnie explained with a smirk. "Back when we were primal animals, it was customary for partners to mark each other with their scent to let other mammals know that they've been spoken for. It's very rare when it happens nowadays but then I suspect that your mother's dance was meant to be for mammals who were to be married to one another soon. In your case, since you and Judy never consummated your mutual attraction for one another, the imprinting left you with blue balls for over ten years," laughed Bonnie.

"I don't think that's funny." Nick huffed at Bonnie.

"Nick, have you considered the fact that Judy can also smell your arousal?"

"Uh…my arousal?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Nick, for someone your age, you're still a kit! Ever since we picked her up this morning, your musk has gone off the charts. And, she certainly hasn't been keeping her distance from you. Your scent triggers her own which then increases yours. Sort of like an infinite feedback loop." Bonnie grinned again.

Nick held his head in his paws and groaned. "So, the only way to break that loop is to have sex? But what if I end up hurting her because of our size difference? I don't want that either."

"Oh hush, Nick. Look at me with the boys. I've been able to handle them so I don't see why you and Judy aren't compatible in that department."

"Including the knot?" Nick asked incredulously, his blush hidden by red fur.

"That's the best part of the love-making. Almost an hour of mandatory cuddle time," Bonnie chuckled. "What's important is neither of you panic the first time as it can be quite overwhelming. Trying to pull out when the knot is still swollen will only cause damage to both parties." Bonnie warned. "I've seen cases back when I was on the emergency room shift and the sight was not pretty."

Nick sighed. He looked at the doorway leading to Judy's room. "So, what was the cause of her ears going sideways? And why were you panicking?"

"I think I'll let Judy answer that. All I can say is that when a rabbit's ears start to vibrate sideways, there is an ongoing internal conflict which puts a tremendous amount of strain on a rabbit's heart and could lead to death."

Nick's face went white. Bonnie continued, "Nick, if you don't get this out of the way once and for all, there could be dire consequences."

"Errr…what would be they be?"

"Let's see," Bonnie thought, "headaches, extreme crankiness, mood swings, primal bunny? Have you ever seen a rabbit go savage, Nick?" Bonnie mischievously asked. "It's not a pretty sight, I tell you. In the one case I saw, the male rabbit lost almost all of his junk plus a good part of his arm when he failed to attend to the needs of his lover."

"Eeepp!"

"But, most important of all," Bonnie threatened with steel in her eyes, "Judy is starting to feel like a daughter I've never had. I'll make you regret it everyday if you hurt Judy's feelings." Nick swallowed and nodded to her as she left.

Nick got up to prepare some coffee for himself and a cup of tea for Judy. He brought both beverages into her room. She was sitting up in bed waiting for him. He offered her the cup of tea, which she took with a small nod of thanks.

The silence between Nick and Judy was deafening, each one unsure how to start.

"Uh, so I guess you must have overheard Bonnie and I talking outside." Nick began. Judy blushed but nodded.

"So you consider me mate material?" Nick continued. Judy nodded again with a small smile.

"And you," Judy continued hopefully, "find me attractive?"

"Undeniably so, Judy." Her heart skipped a beat when he called her by her real name. "I've wanted to tell you for a long time but I was scared that you didn't feel the same way as I did. Thinking back, I wish I had told you sooner."

Nick then thought for moment afraid of how to ask his next question. "So, Bonnie explained about the sideways vibrating ear thing. What was the inner conflict?"

Judy began to blush again and stayed silent. Nick prodded her, "Carrots? Come on. Remember what I said back in Zootopia High? Best friends don't keep secrets?"

Judy reluctantly whispered, "Because of my heat, I wanted to take you there in front of everyone. But I was also embarrassed about what the others would think. Plus, you had rejected my advances earlier in the evening, remember?" she shot back with vehemence.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Judy. It's not that I don't want to. It's just a fox thing."

"What is, Nick?"

"Foxes tend to pick partners for life. Until we do so, we tend to be sexually abstinent. Besides, you're not ready."

Judy looked puzzled. "What do you mean 'I'm not ready', Nick?"

"I can't tell you but you'll know as soon as I do," Nick said. "It's important to me that you are before we can begin making love."

Judy was both thrilled and frustrated. Thrilled to know that he also wanted her as much as she did him and frustrated that he was playing hard to get. She knew she was ready to have sex with him and although it might be too much in the beginning but she knew she could easily adapt. She wasn't one to give up easily so she came up with a plan.

"Look, instead of pressuring ourselves, why don't we relax by the couch outside and continue our talk there. You can also give me a back rub. It's the least you can do considering how awful you've been treating me today," she teased. "I'll take a quick shower first. These clothes I'm in smell funky. You're welcome to join me so that we can conserve water," she coyly offered.

Nick smiled at her and said, "Nice try, Carrots. I'm ok with the back rub but ixnay on the shower. You know I wouldn't be able to keep my paws off you in there. And until I know you're ready, I'm going to have to take very long cold showers by myself."

"You're no fun." Judy grumbled. "If you won't join me, can you at least ask Bonnie for some extra clothes? I forgot to pack some when you kidnapped me." Judy grinned.

"Ouch. Touché," Nick shot back with a smile.

Judy stepped out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel and found the clothes from Bonnie that Nick had left on the bed. She deviously smiled when she saw the very revealing bikini panties underneath the shirts and pants that Bonnie had lent her. "No sex, huh? Let's see how long he can keep his promise with me in these," she smirked.

She also found one of Nick's old shirts in the dresser, which she put on over the skimpy underwear. The shirt was several sizes too large and came down to her knees. She didn't care as it smelled deliciously of Nick. She rolled up the sleeves so that her arms poked out of them. She then proceeded to join Nick on the couch. Nick had prepared a cheese platter with some fruit on it and had opened another bottle of wine for their talk. She was amazed at the variety of cheeses that Canidae had to offer. Her nose detected the nuttiness of the Camembert, the sweet buttery scent of the Brie, the sharpness of the aged cheddar and the funkiness from the blue cheese. His back was to her and as he turned around, his eyes almost popped out of his head.

"No fair, Carrots!" Nick grumbled. Judy just smiled sweetly at him. "Hey, we didn't agree on attire," she smirked. "Besides, if I'm going to get my back rubbed, the less layers the better." Nick rolled his eyes at Judy but she saw his smile. That, plus the look of lust in his eyes as he took in her petite, lithe form covered only in his old shirt.

Nick couldn't help but stare at Judy. There was something to be said about your lover wearing one of your old shirts. She may have looked frumpy in it…but she carried it well and looked damn sexy.

Judy joined Nick on the couch, lay down and placed her head on his lap. "Feed me," Judy huskily demanded with half-lidded eyes as she stared up at him. Nick couldn't believe her cheekiness. He took small pieces of the cheese and fed them to her by paw. As she took each piece, she would sneak in loving bites and at one point, she grabbed his paw while she slowly sucked on a digit. Suffice to say, Nick was having a difficult time maintaining his composure and he was sure she was deliberately bouncing her head in his lap in order to further bring him to an aroused state. Judy then suddenly sat up and said with a giggle, "Now it's my turn to feed you."

She grabbed the cheese platter from him and straddled his lap facing him. She took a piece of fruit, placed it in her mouth and moved in towards him. He grinned devilishly as he took the piece but she would linger on his lips before releasing it to him. All the while she was doing this, she was slowly gyrating on his lap putting pressure on his aching manhood that was straining to burst from his pants.

Nick growled his approval and slowly inched his paws up her shirt. They froze when he encountered her naked breasts underneath. "No bra? Sly bunny!" Nick chuckled.

"Is there a problem, Captain?" Judy asked sweetly.

"Not for me. But my prisoner may not like my interrogation methods," he countered.

"Ooohhh…should this bunny be afraid of the sly fox in his den?" Judy asked playfully.

"You tell me, Fluff." Nick grinned wickedly. He slowly and softly drew a claw from the base of her neck down to the top of her tail. She froze, her eyes went blank and he heard Judy say something like, "Nnyiooggh!" and her scent hit him like a freight train. He gasped as it hit his sensitive nose overloading his brain cells to the point he swore he almost came from just smelling her. He recovered his cognitive abilities after a few moments and grinned at Judy. "I think I found the on switch."

"Captain Wilde," Judy managed to gasp. "The use of torture is strictly prohibited under the Zootopian War Convention. If this continues, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands." Nick slyly grinned and repeated running his claw down her spine.

He suddenly found himself prone on the couch facing up with Judy's rear end straddling his face. He was bombarded by the full aroma from her vagina and almost fainted with desire. He also felt Judy's paws fumbling with his belt buckle. "Judy, what are you doing?" Nick asked.

"I told you I was going to take matters in my own hands, didn't I?" Judy chuckled devilishly.

Nick picked up Judy off his face and sat her up on the couch. She started to whimper in frustration. "Hold on, evil bunny! We agreed that we wouldn't have sex not until I knew you were ready."

"Hmmpphh. It was you that agreed to it, not me." Judy complained. "Besides, didn't Bonnie warn you about teasing a horny lagomorph in heat?" Judy batted her eyelashes at Nick while giving him her patented "sad-doe-with-eyes-as-big-as-saucers-and-quivering-lips" look.

Nick froze. He knew he was dead. He couldn't resist Judy when she made that look. "That look should be listed as a Weapon of Mass Destruction," thought Nick. He tried to stall for time. "Wouldn't it be better first if I gave you that relaxing back rub that you wanted?"

Judy persisted and would not relent. Nick knew he had to up the ante if he was going to survive the night. "And I'll tell you what I've been doing here in Canidae the last ten years."

The look was replaced with a grin. "Deal!" said Judy. Nick sighed with relief.

Nick sat on the end of the couch while Judy sat with her back to him. He slowly cracked his knuckles, flexed his paws and began to rub at the knots in her back. She leaned back into his paws, enjoying how his fingers magically found each ache and pain and massaged them away. "So, Nick, what happened to you after you left Zootopia?"

"I was basically an emotional mess after that night so the first two years was spent seeing a psychologist who helped me to get a handle on the guilt I felt. It didn't go away but at least I could function like a normal mammal again. In the course of my treatment, he suggested that I could assuage some of the guilt by focusing on helping others rather than just helping myself. I wasn't able to get a regular job since I never finished high school and I couldn't go back to Zootopia, I decided to join the Canidaen Armed Forces instead. I got my diploma through them and I served six years until I was honourably discharged. For the last two years, I've been a photographer for hire, doing mostly weddings and baptisms. And I started to look for you." Nick smiled at Judy who had tilted her head at this.

"Jack mentioned that he had bumped into you while on a joint peacekeeping mission. He said he and you were friends then but something changed the dynamics. What happened?"

Nick snorted in derision. "Nothing happened. Jack was never my friend. And I'd rather move on to something less distasteful, if you don't mind." Nick said peevishly.

Judy sensed Nick's walls going up again, so she decided now was the time to take the next step. "Fine, Nick. Let's talk about us."

She promptly pulled Nick's shirt off her back and turned to face him. Nick froze in place, his hands level at her bare breasts. "Uhhh, I wasn't finished giving you a back rub?" Nick squeaked as he tried very hard to keep his eyes focused on Judy's face.

"Nick, take a good look at me."

"That's exactly what I'm trying not to do, Carrots! Can you at least put the shirt back on?" Nick pleaded.

"No, I will not, Nicholas Piberious Wilde! I'm trying to make sense of why you don't want this," as she stood on the couch, put one paw on her hip and motioned with her other paw from head to foot, "right now, when I'm eagerly offering myself to you? I know you want me because I can smell your scent spike. And I know you can clearly smell that I'm turned on by you. Why aren't you making a move on me? Is there something I should know? Are you just playing around with my feelings? Is there someone else in your life?" Judy was practically screaming at Nick as she glared at him.

"Oh, sweet fox Jesus! It's the Rabid Rabbit! Bonnie warned me she could go savage! I need to calm her down or else…" Nick didn't want to think any further than that. So, he did what he thought was best. He curled up into a ball, closed his eyes and began to whimper.

Judy froze when she heard the sound. "Oh, Sweet Serendipity! I pushed too hard! He probably hates me now!" She sank to her knees and slowly approached Nick with an outstretched paw. She started to stroke his head and softly crooned, "There, there, Nick. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to. Please forgive me."

Nick didn't say anything but he stopped whimpering and looked at Judy with puppy dog eyes. Judy took this as a sign of encouragement and went to cradle Nick's head in her lap as she sat with her back resting on his curled body. She continued to stroke his head while caressing his muzzle. She sighed. "I swear Nick, if I didn't love you, I'd have given up on you a long time ago."

Nick stiffened and turned his head to look directly into Judy's eyes. "What did you just say?"

"I'd have given up on you a long time ago?"

"No, before that."

"That I love you?"

She heard him utter those five words that she had been longing to hear.

"Now I know you're ready."