A Zootopia: Partners side-story, set late in the Epilogues.
Nick decided to head into the Grand Zootopia Library on the way home, still dressed in his police uniform. Another shift had ended for him, and he felt tired. Middle-age had been fairly kind to him as he was still fairly active and free of health problems, but he did tend to get more quickly exhausted than his first years on the ZPD. He passed by the front desk and the female gray fox at the desk looked up at him with a small smile.
"Fancy seeing you here, Officer Wilde," the gray fox librarian said in a wry, sarcastic voice. "I didn't know foxes could read."
"Hey there, Catherine," Nick chuckled. "Which way to the religion section?"
"You've got to be kidding me," Catherine said, deadpan.
"Unfortunately, I'm not," Nick's smile started to fade. "Doing a little 'extra credit' before I head home." Catherine pointed him in the right direction and Nick nodded and headed down that way. He took out his phone and put it on the notes he'd gathered, picking out the Book of the Lamb from the shelf and laying the somewhat heavy book down on a table, flipping through it. He placed one hand on his cheek as he flipped through both the text and his notes, making some additional notes in his phone.
Unable to help her curiosity, Catherine made sure there were no other pressing matters to attend to and sat down next to Nick at his table. She looked around to see if there were any other mammals around, but finding none, she knew she wouldn't have to guard her voice.
"So this isn't a joke, huh?" Catherine said. "What's going on?"
"Well, I'm sure I'm not supposed to be talking about this," Nick flipped through the book looking around for any eavesdroppers, "but there's a criminal that's leaving passages from this book at all of the crime scenes. This isn't specifically my case, but I'm trying to see if I can help by finding any connection between the scriptures the criminal is leaving and the nature of the crimes."
Catherine shook her head. "Religious fanatics are the worst." Nick just hummed distantly in response. "Other than that, how have things been going?"
Nick dropped his notes and sighed. "Decently enough. Commute is longer now that I live in the Rainforest District with Judy."
"Vivian, Avery and I have been missing your more regular visits," Catherine said with a small smile.
"Yeah, that's our fault, but things are kind of busy these days," Nick said distractedly. "Judy being the chief of her own precinct in the Rainforest District is pretty good for her, but our days are filled."
"Are you working alone here at the precinct now, or...?" Catherine wondered.
"No, I have a partner," Nick said blankly. "Marco Setter. A kit fox, if you can believe that. He's... all right. I guess it's good of the ZPD to hire their second fox, and a small fox besides. He's certainly eager enough, zealous. Inexperienced, of course."
"Sounds like what Judy tells me of herself when she was that age," Catherine smirked.
"Yes, but he's definitely not Judy," Nick shook his head. "Just can't connect with the little guy." Nick shrugged. "I dunno. Judy getting moved out to the Rainforest District, me getting paired with another fox; a lot of what's going on at the ZPD seems like politics nowadays."
"Mm, to say nothing of that pig Swinton that's trying to take on inter-species marriage of late," Catherine said glumly, folding her arms across the table.
Nick shook his head, then sighed. He brightened a little. "Speaking of, Larry's going to get married pretty soon."
"Oh yeah?" Catherine half-smiled. "To that ferret Kara, I'm guessing."
"None other," Nick smiled briefly, but his smile wavered. "It's kind of seeming like it'll be a rushed thing. Larry wants to get married before Swinton makes any moves. You and your mates are invited to the wedding, of course."
"Well, thank you, and we won't miss it, but..." Catherine sucked her teeth in distaste. "It's annoying that his paw was forced." Nick nodded, and Catherine paused. "You must be proud of him, at least. I know their relationship hasn't been easy recently, but it's plain to see they were made for each other."
"Am I proud of my little squirrel?" Nick smiled broadly. "Of course. In a perfect world though, I'd like him and Kara to have as much time as they needed to plan their wedding."
"A perfect world, puh..." Catherine looked away, her expression seeming to be mildly hurt and dismayed.
"Everything okay with you, Catherine?" Nick tilted his head a few degrees in curiosity.
"Not really," Catherine admitted in a low voice, her shoulders hunched up a bit as she laid one of her paws on the other at the table. "I... I want to have kits, and Vivian doesn't."
"Vivian doesn't...?" Nick was baffled.
Catherine released a heavy sigh. "It's like some sort of cruel joke that gray foxes are so far from the rest of Canidae. We're not even Vulpes! Your average idiot mammal can't even tell the difference between a kit fox like and a gray fox, but at least kit foxes are Vulpes! But here I am Urocyon cinereoargenteus, like I come from another planet..." She drew in a shaky breath. "If it were up to me, I'd be pregnant by Avery several times over by now. But, I can't have a child with him any more than I could with a wolf."
"Mm..." Nick nodded. "Judy once went into a center to try to look over our options, but it was more of a formality, and Judy told me the clientele there was politely trying to inform her in no uncertain terms that it just wasn't possible. A bunny-fox hybrid is basically fantasy."
"I know but..." Catherine's lips trembled and she look away, her breath wavering. "When you look so close... but are so far away..."
"There's always adoption," Nick said gently, trying to catch her eyes.
"I know, but it's not just that," Catherine shook her head, avoiding his gaze. "Avery and Vivian are both Vulpes vulpes, red foxes, even though Avery's a different color morph. They're completely compatible. It's just... Vivian doesn't want kits..."
"That's kind of hard to believe," Nick's brow furrowed. "Vivian's such a joyful person and she loves children... she was great with Larry when he was younger."
"She's great with other people's kids," Catherine said. "But she doesn't want to bring any into the world herself. She says she doesn't want to give others the excuses they need to hate foxes. A kit with three parents..." Catherine exhaled through her teeth. "She's still kind of hanging onto the resentment she felt from her parents when they disapproved of Avery just because she wasn't married to him. Good thing they never found out about me..."
Nick frowned. He kept thinking of things to say, but they wouldn't come out of his mouth.
Catherine looked at the introspective fox and her brow furrowed. "Are you thinking it'd be easier if I was in a more traditional relationship?"
"It would," Nick said simply. "It would definitely be easier. It's hard enough sometimes for two mates to agree on something."
Catherine made a bitter scoff, but actually smiled. "That's one thing about you, Nick. You can always be counted on for your brutal tongue."
Nick held a paw up. "Nothing worth doing is easy. To get what you all want, you need to convince Vivian that the trouble you might go through from having kits is worth the joy they'd bring to your life." Catherine looked pensive. "Easier said than done, I know. Maybe you'll eventually be able to bring her around."
"Avery and Vivian would have such cute kits..." Catherine said wistfully. "We don't- we don't have forever. We're not getting any younger..." Nick nodded, his eyes distant.
"Yeah, and I... I feel like I need to do my part, too," Nick sighed. "I've been talking this over with Judy, but I'm thinking of turning in my badge."
"How would that help?" Catherine frowned.
"I'm thinking of running for mayor," Nick smirked.
"Pah!" Catherine scoffed again and laughed scornfully. "A fox mayor? You'd go from a beat cop to a mayor? Very funny. Who in their right mind would vote for a fox?"
"I'll have you know I'm very charming, Catherine," Nick adjusted his uniform's tie. "Voters dig that. Oh, also I'm a hero of Zootopia. Some residual brownie points from that little incident."
"Uh-huh..." Catherine rolled her eyes. "But you have those two decades of hustling to explain away. A fox mayor. That's definitely a fantasy as a concept. We've had a pred mayor, and look how that went. You think a sly, sneaky fox could be mayor of Zootopia?"
"I've seen this world through the eyes that change needs to come from," Nick said lowly, but firmly. "From where I am right now I can't do anything. But I feel like I owe it to Zootopia to protect it from the hatred that's slowly teasing its way back into the minds of the general public. The hatred that was always there, that Judy accidentally broke open, but then tried her hardest to fix up. I owe it to her, and to the rest of Zootopia, to do my best to make it better."
"Well you'd have my vote, at least," Catherine smirked, folding her arms on the table. "You talk a good game, if nothing else."
"That and perhaps I could work for some of our mutual vulpine interests when I'm elected," Nick straightened up haughtily, his eyes closed. "Solidifying inter-species and pred-prey marriage rights. Maybe seeing if there would be room for a child to legally have more than two parents...?" He gave Catherine a smirk, raising his eyebrows briefly.
"Looking out for the special interests of yourself and your friends," Catherine said wryly. "You sound like a corrupt politician already."
"Perfect," Nick laughed. "Anyway, let me know if things change with you and your foxes." Nick got up to leave, picking up his things and the holy book. "Gonna check this out and do my homework at home."
"Mm," Catherine got up and walked him to the desk to check out the book. Catherine looked distant and thoughtful as she scanned his book for checkout. "Nick, you're not serious about running for office, are you?"
"Completely serious," Nick nodded.
"And do you think you can honestly win...?" Catherine frowned, her voice hushed.
"Maybe not completely honestly," Nick smirked.
"Nick," Catherine said flatly.
"Truthfully Cathy, I don't know," Nick said wistfully. "But I sure as heck am going to try." The fox picked up his book and turned to leave.
"I never said you could call me Cathy...!" Catherine called after him.
"Ah ah!" Nick turned his head partway back to her and smirked. His muzzle was starting to get that slightly frayed look of age, but his green eyes shone with his intelligence and the secrets that he kept. "You said I couldn't call you Cat or Cat-Kat, like your mates do. You never said I couldn't call you Cathy."
Catherine held up a forefinger, searching her memory, then dropped the digit. "Sneaky little... with a mind like that at your age, maybe you could run for office after all."
Nick laughed, turning around and holding up one paw in farewell as he walked away. "Catch you later, Cathy."