Vivian sat for several minutes after she got off the phone with Nick. She was feeling a little shellshocked from all Nick had to say, and more so, from his impromptu invitation to come for an overnight visit—a visit to meet his girlfriend who he was living with. Vivian scowled for a moment, but then she relaxed with a heavy sigh.

Raising a paw, she rubbed her forehead while thinking of her son and his bunny girlfriend. If Nick had already imprinted on her as he'd stated, then she couldn't fault his actions. For a red fox todd, it was in his biology to keep his chosen mate close to him, even if they hadn't officially taken each other as mates. The very fact they had already chosen meant his instincts were demanding that he take care of her and keep her safe. And he would be driven insane if he ignored his biological demand to be with her. Well, not literally insane, but it would feel a bit like it to her son if he couldn't see her throughout the day and if he couldn't take in her scent and rub his own over her. For a red fox who lived in a world of scents, being able to smell his scent on his mate and hers on him, was imperative. It proclaimed loud and clear to any with the nose to smell such subtle scents, that she was his and he was hers.

Vivian wasn't quite sure what it was about smelling their combined scents, but for a red fox with a mate, the very act of smelling their mingled scents soothed the savage part of their brain. With a bitter laugh, she thought of the bloody allegations that the prey species had been spouting ever since the savage mammals were discovered. They all ranted and raved about how it was in a predator's biology to hurt and maim, but never once stopped to consider that it was also in their biology to care for and protect those closest to them—their mates and offspring.

Not that all predators were historically protective of their mates, but all mothers were very protective of their offspring—at least until they were old enough to fend for themselves. Predators who lived in family groups and remained together for life were especially protective of their mates and kits.

And yet all prey could focus on was the erroneous conclusion that the only thing predators did in their savage past was hunt and kill for the sake of hunting and killing. And never once did any of the prey species consider their own savage past and how brutal they themselves had been, especially the males during the rutting season. How many of their own kind did they hurt and maim, and sometimes even killed, just so they could have one or two more females in their breeding harem?

It made her sick inside to listen to prey species rant about the evils of a predator's ancestors while completely ignoring their own ancestors' unfaithful and bloody past. It especially made her sick when listening to misinformed and bigoted prey spout off about how unfaithful and sly red foxes were. As if they knew anything, she thought with huff while crossing her arms.

Canines still lived in a world of scents whereas most other mammals had lost their ability to smell anything but the strongest smells (and unfortunately, fox musk was one of those strong scents). For canines, being able to read a scent was almost like reading a foreign language. Wolves had the strongest sense of smell of all canines and were highly efficient at reading scents, but when it came to their mates—red foxes took it a step further. They were hardwired to respond in certain ways to the scents of their mates.

So Vivian had no doubt that Nick was correct in his assumption that he couldn't hurt Judy, even if he had gone savage. If he had imprinted on Judy as he thought, then even savage, the moment he got close enough to smell his scent mixed with hers, any instinctive thoughts he had to hurt or eat her would instantly vanish. And in its place, their combined scent would evoke a feeling of comfort, a sense of security, and the need to protect. And the more savage a red fox was driven (especially the todds), then the stronger those instinctive feelings and needs would become.

Vivian would have sat longer thinking about the ramifications of her son's odd choice of a mate, but just then Lucinda came in from a shopping excursion she'd gone on and Vivian suddenly remembered what it was she was supposed to be doing. She needed to get home and pack!

But she didn't leave right away. First, she had to tell her friend what had transpired and about the trip she was making the next day. After not seeing her son for nearly two years—and worrying herself sick over him the last three months—she was finally going to see him! She was so excited! Lucinda shared in her excitement but said she should pack for several days. After all the heartache he put her through, Nick should have the good grace to let his mom stay a few extra days. And if he wanted to argue, she was to tell him it was pay backs for ignoring his mother.

Vivian laughed at Lucinda's reasoning and readily agreed, then headed home to start packing. She needed to find the perfect outfit to wear when meeting her soon-to-be daughter-in-law, as well as an outfit to wear when she met Judy's parents. Walking into the house, Vivian froze as she realized she would soon have a whole slew of rabbits as in-laws. With a groan, she muttered, "What is the world coming to?" With a little trepidation, she made her way upstairs to start packing, with the only silver lining she saw to the whole weird event was that Judy's mom already knew about their relationship and was supporting them (she had finally remembered Nick saying the night before that Judy's mom was on their side).

...

Nick stared at his phone, then dropped his head back against the seat. Wiping a paw down his muzzle, he muttered, "Mom is coming here tomorrow and I have a date with Judy tonight." He sat for a moment, then bolted upright and stared at the clock. "I have a date with Judy tonight and Mom arrives tomorrow!"

Pulling on his seatbelt, he put the jeep in reverse, then twisted around to make sure no one was behind him, then pulled out and made his way back into traffic. He hardly paid attention to anything as he drove home, lost in thought. If he was taking Judy flying tonight, he needed the flight plans of any other planes or choppers in the air so he could come up with his own flight plan that avoided theirs.

While thinking of taking his honeybun up, Nick then had to decide on whether to take her with the sun up or the sun down. Although seeing Zootopia from the air during the daytime was a spectacular sight, seeing it lit up at night was something out-of-this-world. "Daytime or nighttime?" he muttered under his breath. While tilting his head back and forth while the debate raged on within his mind—they both had their perks—he finally smacked the steering wheel, saying, "Why does it have to be one or the other? We'll do both." With a grin, he added, "It'll be like a triple date. We'll tour the city in the evening, stop at some romantic place for a picnic dinner while watching the sunset, then tour the city at night on our way home."

With a plan in place, he picked the phone back up and hit speed dial. Stopping at a red light, he waited for the call to connect, then heard the deep voice of his diminutive friend say, "For Pete's sake, Nick, what do you want now!?"

"Well, hello, to you, too, Big Guy." Punching speaker on his phone, Nick set it in his phone holder so he could drive hands-free.

Finn's ears flicked back. For 3 months he'd hardly heard from the larger todd as Nick had given up on their main source of income (not that it would have been easy getting their supplies with all the savage attacks going on), and now that he'd mentally returned and had his head back in the game, Nick went off instead and hooked up with his bunny girlfriend and wouldn't stop calling! "What do you want, Nick," he reiterated in an irritated tone.

"Nothing, hopefully," Nick replied with a grin still on his face. Just as he found Judy's irritation cute, he found Finn's irritation funny.

"Huh? Then why are you calling?" Finn scratched his head as Nick usually only called when he needed something.

"I'm calling to give you a heads up. I'm taking Carrots flying tonight for our second date."

Finn sat in a stupor for a minute. He wasn't surprised Nick was taking Cottontail out on dates seeing how soon they intended to marry, but Nick hadn't taken the gyrocopter out in over a year. He knew Nick was planning to give Judy a tour of the city before flying her out to his cabin once they were married, but that was weeks away—not tonight! "Are you sure that's safe?"

Nick switched lanes to get around a slow-moving yak van as he asked, "Why wouldn't it be? You did a checkup on the gyro five months back, so what's the problem?"

Finn rolled his eyes. "I was talking about the fact you haven't flown for over a year. Are you sure you remember how?"

It was Nick's turn to roll his eyes this time. "Flying is like riding a bike—once you learn, you never forget. And besides, with my brain and memory it could be five years and I'd still remember how to fly. One year isn't nearly long enough to even begin to forget."

Finn had to nod at Nick's assessment. His friend had an excellent memory and rarely forgot anything, especially about something he enjoyed doing so much.

At Finnick's silence, Nick continued, "Anyways, I'm headed home now to fire up the engine and do a diagnostic on it. I'll let you know if anything doesn't sound right."

Finn nodded, saying, "You let me know if anything sounds off, even if it's a little hiccup—because it'll be too late once you're up in the air and your engine blows or something."

Nick rolled his eyes again (they kept the gyro in excellent condition, so there shouldn't be any problems). "Yes, father," Nick answered in a serious tone.

"Don't 'father' me, Nick. I'm serious. You nearly died several days ago, and I don't want to scrape yours and Cottontail's carcasses off the side of some high-rise building you decided to crash into."

"Okay, okay, I got it. I promise to call if the tiniest thing is out of order."

"You better, because if you don't and you wind up hurt—I will kill you myself for worrying me."

Nick grinned. "I love you, too, Big Guy," he smirked.

Finn merely grunted. After a moment he said, "Oh, and send me your flight plan when you get it. That way I know where to send the Search and Rescue when you don't make it home."

Nick laughed. "I'll do that." They hung up a few minutes later and Nick focused on what to have for their picnic dinner while he finished the drive home. It wasn't until he pulled into the driveway that he realized he had a problem.

Looking through the windshield at the weed-infested yard and peeling paint on his porch and house, Nick scowled. He'd kept the inside of his house in good order, but had neglected the outside, as he always planned to take care of it 'tomorrow'—which, of course, never came.

Still scowling, he dialed Finn back.

"Nick, don't tell me you broke the gyro."

"No, I haven't broken the gyro. I haven't even made it to the garage yet." With his voice lowering in irritation, he said, "No, we have another problem."

Finn flicked his ear. "Like what?"

"Like my sky-high weeds and peeling paint."

Finn groaned. "Nick, your yard has been looking like that for months. What's the problem now?"

"The problem," Nick started while waving a paw through the air, "is that my mother is coming down for a visit tomorrow and Carrot's parents are coming down Sunday and this is not what I want to show them."

Finnick was silent for a moment, then broke out into hearty laughter as he replied, "Well, it sucks to be you, then, don't it?"

Nick scowled again. "Finn, this isn't funny."

"Ya, it is. It's hilarious! I told you to keep up with your yard and what did you always tell me: 'Tomorrow, I'll do it.' Or: 'Later. I'll do it later.' Ha! Looks like you ran out of time, Nicky-boy!"

Nick's ears disappeared behind his head. "Finnick," he scowled.

Finn laughed a moment longer, then said, "Well, what do you expect me to do? Besides laughing at you, that is." Jabbing his clawed finger in the air as if pointing at Nick, he added, "I ain't weeding that big-ole yard of yours. Uh-uh, no way, not happening." He swiped his paw through the air with finality. "And don't even think about asking me to paint your house—I'd rather wallow in bat guano." Crossing his paws, Finn slouched back in the lawn chair he was relaxing in.

Nick grinned, saying, "I could probably arrange that." At hearing Finn's scowl through the phone, he chuckled, then said, "But no, that's not why I'm calling. What I need from you is pretty simple. If you know of anyone that needs some cash and doesn't mind getting his paws dirty, I'll pay ten dollars per hour for weeding and twenty dollars per hour for painting to anyone willing to work—but just for tomorrow morning. It's first come first serve."

Finn rubbed his chin a moment, then said, "I can do that. I actually have several mammals in mind, but if I see anyone else, I'll pass the word along."

"Thanks, Finn." As an afterthought, he said, "Since mom's coming down tomorrow, do you want to come over for dinner? I'm sure Mom will want to see you again. Oh, and you need to send her and Anya your new number. They still have your old one."

Finn scratched his chin again, saying, "I can send them my number, but are you sure you want your mom down here with Cottontail being here?"

Nick took a deep breath, saying, "I invited her because Fluff is here." With a flick of his ear, he explained, "Mom was struggling to come to terms with me dating Carrots, so I invited her down so she can see how great Judy really is. And then she can meet Carrot's parents on Sunday."

Finnick's jaw went slack for a moment, and then he exclaimed, "Your mom is staying the night! With Cottontail there in the house!?"

"That's the idea," Nick said with a grin.

"Where is she going to sleep!?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Where do you think? She'll be sleeping in Honey's room."

Finn's brow furrowed. "Then where is Cottontail sleeping?"

Leaning back in the jeep's seat with the AC still cranked up to ward off the hot summer heat, Nick smirked. "In bed with me, of course. Where else would she be?"

Finn slapped a paw over his face at his smug friend's audacity. "You invited your mother to come down and meet your girlfriend, who you will be sleeping with that night? You're insane, Nick!"

"Why? There's no way I'm putting either of them on the couch and it's not like me and Carrots are going to be doing anything more than sleeping—not with my mother across the hall from us."

Finn didn't miss the double meaning in Nick's words—that if not for his mother being there while they were snuggling together at night, they would be up to something more than sleeping. Running his paw down his short, narrow muzzle, he pointed out, "You know you have a really nice loft apartment above the garage your mom can stay in, right?"

Nick's ears flicked back. "Finnick, my mom nearly lost me several times in the last few months—the least I can do is invite her into my house while she's here."

Finnick shook his head again. "You are definitely insane, Nick."

With a smug grin, Nick replied, "I blame Honey for that. With all the insane adventures she dragged me on, her insanity was bound to rub off on me."

Finnick chuckled before pointing out, "Nick, you're using your mom as an excuse to snuggle with your bunny at night—that's not something Honey taught you."

"Maybe not specifically, but she did teach me to never pass up an opportunity—which I'm not."

Finn could only shake his head. "Nutsy—that's what I'm going to start calling you. Nutsy."

Nick grinned while shrugging. "As long as I get my bunny, you can call me anything you want."

Finn slapped a paw over his eyes again. "Keep your bunny—I'm going to go. I have better things to do than listen to you yakking about your bunny lover. Let me know how the gyro fires up."

"I will." Nick paused a moment, then asked, "So, I'll see you tomorrow for dinner?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there. I was planning on having you grill up that salmon I bought the other day, anyway. And it'll be nice to see Vivian again. Oh, and don't forget my blackberry cobbler." Licking his lips, Finn pictured himself biting into the blackberry ambrosia while drool started forming at the edge of his muzzle.

"I will, I will. I'll pick it up tomorrow after the workers leave."

"Which will be when?" Finn pressed. He liked to know when he could expect to be paid.

"I'll work them till noon, pay them, and send them on their way. Then I will go pick up your cobbler."

Finnick smacked his lips while still picturing his heaven-sent cobbler disappearing into his gullet. He was already drooling over it and couldn't wait to sink his sharp, pointed teeth into it for real. He and Nick said their goodbyes after that, and Finn then got up from his chair and leaned back. Once he heard his back pop, he straightened up and mumbled, "I'm getting too old for all this." After stowing his chair and locking the van up, he started strolling. There were some mammals in desperate need of cash whom he needed to speak with.

After hanging up with Finn, Nick called Willie and told him the same details about needing some hands to get his yard and house looking presentable. Willie agreed to spread the word tonight to those who came to the restaurant for their leftovers. There were quite a few who showed up, so Willie agreed to send those who were the most trustworthy and would actually work (he didn't want to swamp Nick with too many hands), and then gave Nick a warning:

"If you're going to have all these disenfranchised predators showing up, you better hide your bunny. You don't want word spreading that Judy Hopps is staying at your house or the more violent ones might just show up to cause problems."

Nick ran a paw down his face as Willie's concerns were valid. Even though they had caught Bellwether and the cause of the savage attacks was found, most predators who lost their home and jobs were still homeless and jobless—which meant they were still angry . . . at Judy. They saw her as the cause of their misfortune and not the psychotic ewe who was actually responsible.

"Okay, I'll make sure Judy stays out of their eye."

"Eyes and nose," Willie amended. Most mammals wouldn't be able to smell Judy on Nick, not with his strong fox musk, but if a predator with a tracker's nose showed up, he'd pick up on her scent readily enough.

Nick's ear flicked back as his tail-tip twitched irritably. "Right, the nose." With a heavy sigh, he pulled on his ear. "I'll have to put Judy up in my room tonight, and then spray the house down with musk-mask."

Willie's ears flicked back and then righted themselves as his black-tipped tail swayed behind him. It was still hard to believe that Judy Hopps was dating Nick, and the way Nick talked about taking her to his bed like it was the most natural thing in the world just flummoxed him. How could a rabbit—one who had claimed predators were predisposed to go savage—be so willing to climb in bed with a fox? Shaking his head as he set the confusing question aside, he asked, "Was there anything else you needed?"

Nick started to say no, but then stopped himself, saying, "Actually, there is. Did you by any chance catch the name of that jackrabbit that bothered us the other night?"

"Oh, yes, hold on. I wrote it down here somewhere." Moving over to the cash register, Willie dug in the drawer looking for the pad of paper he'd used. As he looked, he explained, "His friends were calling him Jeff, but I got his full name off his credit card when he paid." Finding the pad, he said, "Okay, here it is: Jeffery L. Lepussen."

Nick nodded as the name tickled the edges of his memory. He probably saw it on the cover of Herds and Grazing or some other equally uninteresting magazine. "Okay. Thanks. I'll look into him."

"Yeah. Let me know what you find. If he wants to hurt Judy, I'll do what I can to help prevent it. Just let me know what you need."

"I will, thanks." After saying goodbye and hanging up, Nick dialed another number.

"Hello," answered a dark cream-colored vixen with pale-blue eyes.

"Hello, Skye, this is Nick Wilde."

...

Judy sat on the couch in the piano room gnawing on her chew rod when she heard Nick drive up in the jeep. Looking up from the book she was also reading, a bright smile spread across her face as she glanced towards the window. With ears pricked forward, she listened for the jeep door to open and close, but it never did. Instead, she sat and listened to the steady purr of the engine for several moments. When Nick never got out of the jeep, Judy dropped her chew rod in the cup she had for it, then slipped a bookmark between her book pages and set the book aside. Grabbing her crutches, she hobbled over to the window and glanced outside (she had opened the curtains when she'd entered the room earlier).

Looking down at the jeep, she saw Nick on the phone and whatever conversation he was having caused a wide range of emotions to cross his face. It was quite fascinating to watch, and it made her wonder who he was talking to and what the topic was. While watching Nick talk, a small giggle escaped her as his expressions and gestures were quite funny—cute, even.

She might have stood there watching him till he finished talking, but then her own phone rang. While still watching Nick's lively conversation, she answered her own phone without looking at the caller.

"Hello," she said.

"Hopps, it's Bogo."

Judy immediately straightened up, with her attention shifting to the phone in her paw and the voice at the other end. "Yes, Chief."

"I forgot to inform you and Wilde yesterday, but we're having another press conference next Wednesday to give an update on the Savage Mammals case, and the city council wants you to speak at it."

Judy's ears drooped as her stomach immediately twisted into knots and she suddenly felt ill. Taking a deep breath, she said in a voice that only slightly shook, "Okay."

Hearing the uncertainty in his officer's voice and knowing the cause, Bogo said, "To prevent the fiasco from three months ago recurring again, I'll be sending an officer over with a packet listing the facts of the case, as well as what you're allowed to tell the press and what questions you are to answer with a 'No Comment'. We'll also set you down with our PR department to go over the do's and don'ts of speaking with the press."

Feeling a little bit better about the upcoming conference (though still feeling like it was a death sentence), Judy replied, "Okay. Um, can Nick stand up with me?"

"If you can convince him, then yes, we'd prefer it."

"You would?" Judy was a little surprised they'd want a fox to stand up with her on national tv.

"We need to show a united front between predator and prey, and since you two worked together to solve this case, the City Council and I think it will go a long way towards healing the city if mammals knew that you closed this case with help from a predator."

Judy nodded as relief washed through her. Maybe, just maybe, she might get through this next press conference without screwing everything up again. Taking a relieved breath, she said, "Thanks, Chief."

Bogo shook his head. "Don't thank me yet. You still need to convince Wilde to stand up and speak with you."

With a small smirk, Judy said, "I don't think that will be a problem, sir."

Bogo snorted while telling himself, I don't care. Speaking up, he asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"Actually, yes," Judy stated, then asked, "Is there any way you could have . . . Clawhauser . . . deliver the packet?"

"Clawhauser?" Bogo asked in surprise. "Why Clawhauser?"

"Well, you see Chief," taking a deep breath, Judy explained, "While I was still . . . working . . . Clawhauser was the only one who was ever happy to see me and didn't treat me like I was a . . . inconvenience to be around. So, if I have a choice of an officer to bring me the packet, I would choose Clawhauser."

Bogo's ears splayed back at Judy's little spiel as it drove home, once again, how badly they treated her for the two and a half months she'd been with them. And explained why she didn't come to her brothers in blue when she returned to the city, but instead sought the help of a street fox. Wiping a hoof down his face, Bogo said, "Yes, I will send Clawhauser."

A bright smile flashed across her face as Judy said, "Thank you, sir."

Bogo simply snorted, then said, "And don't forget to have Wilde here after your doctor's visit on Monday. The council approved his pardon and I need to go over his . . . past . . . before we lock his file."

Judy practically vibrated on her crutches with happiness at learning Nick's past wouldn't hinder him getting his badge. "I will, sir, you can count on me."

"Yes, I know. Now I have better things to do. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Chief." As she disconnected the call, Judy did a fist pump and would have jumped in her excitement if not for her leg. Now Nick just needed to get through the academy and she'd have the perfect partner.

Some of her joy disappeared as she considered the request the chief had called about. Before Nick could enter the academy, they (mainly herself) had to survive the upcoming press conference. That was a headache and a half just thinking about it. With a glance back down at Nick (who was still on the phone), Judy then turned and hobbled over to the couch, which she dropped down onto while waiting for her other half to come in the house.

...

After hanging up with Hopps, Bogo punched in the button on his intercom and yelled, "Clawhauser!"

There was a moment of silence, then a timid voice answered, "I'm sorry, Chief, this is Belladine."

"Oh, right." After taking a quick breath, Bogo stated, "Patch me through to Records."

"Right away, sir." The female pig didn't mind her job at the reception desk, but when the chief's loud voice came over the intercom, it always startled her. Just once couldn't he speak in a calm manner when he needed something? Was that too much to ask?

There was a moment of silence as the line transferred, then the chubby cheetah's voice came on the line (though he no longer had the cheerful pep in his voice). "Hello," Clawhauser said a bit dejectedly. He was hot and depressed being stuck down here Records (it felt like a prison cell—a suffocatingly hot prison cell) surrounded by filing cabinets and boxes of dusty files. And the worst part—all the icing on his donuts just melted and ran off making a mess at the bottom of the box, nor could he leave his milk out for his Lucky Chomps.

"Clawhauser! Come to my office."

Hearing the Chief's voice over the intercom startled Benjamin and he nearly fell out of his chair (it was much too small for his large frame). "Right away, Chief!" Scrambling out of his chair, Clawhauser took off down the hall, though he didn't make it very far before he had to stop and catch his breath. He eventually made it to the elevator—Thank heaven for elevators!—then rode it up to the third floor, then walked down to the Chief's office. Raising his paw to knock, the Chief ordered him in and Clawhauser hurriedly grabbed the doorknob and huffed into the room. "You needed me, sir?"

Motioning to one of the chairs, Bogo said, "Shut the door and take a seat."

"Thank you, sir," Clawhauser huffed again as he stumbled over to the desk and dropped into one of the chairs.

"Clawhauser, I need you to deliver a packet to Hopps. She's staying at Wilde's house." Pushing a small, enveloped packet across his desk (the envelope and papers were sized for Hopps and Wilde) with an address scrawled across the top, Bogo added, "Here's the address," and tapped the top of the envelope.

Benjamin's eyes widened to hear Hopps was staying with the fox. Being stuck in Records all day, he was missing out on all the department's juicy gossip and it was killing him. Not knowing what was going on with everyone was almost as bad as his sorry-looking, melted donuts—almost. Other than the Angel with Horns and sugar, rumors and gossip kept him alive—which meant he was literally dying down in Records. Especially as he had poor reception down there and so was missing the news feed on Gazelle. She had another rally today regarding the news about the real cause of the savage attacks and how the predators were victims themselves—and he was missing it!

But this news—Hopps was staying with a fox! That was something he never expected. He took the packet with one paw while still a bit in a daze. After looking at the address, it finally sunk in what Bogo had just said. Bringing his other paw up to his chubby cheek, he squealed loudly, "Hopps is staying with Wilde!"

Seeing the direction his most gossipy officer's mind was going, Bogo inwardly cursed Hopps for suggesting the chubby cheetah be the one to make the delivery. Jabbing his hoof at the overweight cheetah, Bogo said, "Clawhauser, if there are any weird rumors spread about Hopps and Wilde, I will personally dump tabasco sauce on all your donuts, Lucky Chomps, and any other sugary treats you bring into the department. Do. I. Make. My. Self. Clear?"

Clawhauser gasped in horror as he clutched the packet to his chest as the image of his beloved donuts drowning in hot, fiery tabasco sauce made his toes curl and his blood run cold. "You wouldn't dare!"

"I would and I will if you say even one word about them living together as anything more than friends. Hopps is already ostracized for being a rabbit, not to mention her comments at the press conference three months ago—she doesn't need things to be made worse because you think they might make a cute couple." Bogo had worked with this gossipy officer long enough to know what went on in the cheetah's easily excitable mind. "She's a rabbit and he's a fox. Don't make their relationship into something weird."

Clawhauser's ears laid back at the reminder of how Hopps was treated before, and as much as he wanted to gossip about them living together (he hadn't seen the fox, but he imagined they would make the cutest couple ever!), making life more difficult for Hopps was the last thing he wanted to do (besides saving his beloved donuts from the horrors of tabasco sauce!). "Of course, Chief, I won't say a word." Moving his paw across his mouth as if he was zipping his mouth shut, he then motioned with his fingers, as if locking his lips and then throwing away the key.

Bogo raised his eyebrow, then pointed at Clawhauser again, saying, "Not. A. Word." At Clawhauser's quick head nod, Bogo then pointed to the door, saying, "Now go."

Clawhauser didn't waste any time scrambling for the door. Making his way to the elevator, he had to stop and lean against the wall to catch his breath before pushing the button and climbing in once the doors opened. Once the doors closed, the chubby cheetah took a deep breath, then squealed. He couldn't wait to meet Hopps again (she always took the time to sit and chat with him) and see this fox she was now living with. Even though Bogo stated that she was a rabbit and he was a fox so nothing would happen between them—but they were already living together! It wouldn't be much of a jump to see them dating . . . right?

With stars sparkling in his eyes, Clawhauser made his way down to the motor pool to pick up a cruiser to drive. Oh, he couldn't wait to see Hopps again!


WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter, Nick will have a conversation with Sky, and then a conversation with Judy.

Chapter 65: Redeeming Qualities, will post in 2 weeks. I hope you all have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them.