Chapter 2 – The Museum:

It's been two days since Nick had been shot, and Judy was on her way to pick him up. The undercover mission had to be delayed because of Nick's recovery. Judy walked up the steps into the hospital and went to the elevator. She hit up and stepped onto the elevator. She pressed the 5th floor and waited. When the doors opened, she walked up to the lioness running the reception desk.

"Excuse me, but can you tell Mister Wilde, in room 545, that Miss Hopps is here for him?"

"Yes. Just a second. Please have a seat while you wait."

Judy went to the seating room and waited. She pulled out her phone and just started looking through Furbook.

After about half an hour later, Nick came into the waiting room wearing his Hawaiian shirt and kakis, but his right foot was in a gauze wrap, and he was walking with crutches.

"Judy!" Nick said as he came in.

"Nick!" Judy ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"You ready to go home?"

"Am I ever, Carrots."

Judy giggled and led him to her car and helped him into the passenger seat, and put the crutches into the trunk.

As she was driving, Nick started to look sad.

"What's wrong, Nick?" asked Judy.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I'm just a little upset that I'm forcing Bogo to postpone the mission, and it's all my fault."

"But you couldn't have controlled the situation," Judy said. "And plus, I heard that they caught the wolf who did it. He's in prison now for ten years for attempted murder, robbery, and police assault."

That made Nick feel much better. "Thank you Judy," Nick said.

"For what?"

"For making me feel better."

.

Over the next few weeks, Nick was home recovering, and Judy would visit him every day. Nick was trying to walk without crutches and without limping, but it was taking some time to heal. After two weeks, the doctors told Nick he could take the gauze off and leave it off, as long as he didn't poke really hard at the wound.

One day, while sitting on the couch watching TV with Judy sitting next to him, he started thinking about how good she had been to him during the recovery.

"Hey. Uh, Carrots?"

"Yes?"

"I was just thinking about how...you know...how well you've treated me and helped me during my recovery."

"No problem, Nick. You would've done the same for me if I had been shot."

Nick realized that it was true. He would have done this too. "And…another thing."

Judy thought she saw Nick blushing. What could he be asking? "Yes?"

"Would you, after I'm all healed up, before we go undercover, would you, uh, like to go out and eat dinner sometime?"

Judy stared confused at Nick. "Say that last part again, I couldn't hear you, you said that too quietly."

"Would you like to go out and eat dinner sometime? You don't have to, it's just that, you've treated me so well, and I want to thank you."

"Wait, so you, Nick Wilde, are asking me out on a date?"

"If you don't want to look at it that way, you don't have too…"

"I'd love too."

Nick smiled really big and Judy hugged him hard. "Thank you again for helping me."

.

Nick called Bogo one evening after Bogo would have gone home.

"What do you need, Wilde?" Bogo grumbled.

"Sir, you said if any of us had something troubling us, to talk to you, correct?"

"Yes. I did. What do you need to talk to me about?"

"Sir, I feel I am—how do I put this—in a difficult situation."

Bogo softened up. "What can I help you with?"

"I am going to take Judy on a date. There. I said it. I know it's against precinct policy, but I just don't know."

Bogo was silent for a while. "What did you have in mind?"

Nick was taken aback by this. "What?"

"I will help you with this. Clawhauser even talked me into going into the betting pool on you two."

"Wait, the others have been betting on us getting together?"

"Even before you joined. It was quite amusing, actually."

"So, you won't separate us if we do get together?"

"Only if you keep your focus on the job. I will not tolerate any emotions getting in the way on the job. I'll make sure you remember that for eternity."

"Sir, yes sir!"

.

Two months later, Nick was walking fine and he was preparing to take Judy out to the fanciest restaurant in Zootopia, Délicieux Volaille et Légumes. He was calling in for reservations.

"Hello, this is Délicieux Volaille et Légumes. Would you like reservations?" said the woman on the other end of the line.

"Yes. Hi. I'd like a table for two," Nick said.

"What size table?"

"Uh, smaller than medium, but not mouse-sized, please."

"What's the date of the reservation?"

"Tomorrow night."

"What's the name?"

"Wilde. W-I-L-D-E."

"Just a second. Your reservation has been saved. Have a nice dinner." Then the other line went dead.

Glad that's done, thought Nick. Judy will be so surprised! Oh, Judy. Just thinking of her is getting me all clammy.

Nick opened his closet and took out his best shirt, best suit, and best pants, and laid them out on the bed, so they'd be ready for him.

It's silly for me to prepare my clothes in the evening before a dinner, but I'm so nervous, I'd forget to change, Nick thought.

Nick grabbed his phone and opened his contacts. He tapped Judy's picture and then tapped messages. He scrolled through her messages and remembered all those text conversations with her. He then tapped compose new and just stared at the blank text. He then typed his message and sent it.

"You ready for tomorrow night, Carrots?" the message said.

A few seconds later, Nick's phone vibrated. "Of course!" said the reply message.

"See you tomorrow!" Nick responded. Soon, his phone vibrated again,

"You too!" said the message.

Nick laid down on the couch and let out a deep breath. He soon fell asleep right there on the couch.

.

The next day, Nick had to go to work. Bogo wanted Nick to come to work to see if he could handle going undercover. Although Judy has had to go to work every day since Nick's accident, though.

During roll call, Bogo gave Nick the job of monitoring a priceless artifact in the museum during the day. Judy was assigned the same job, but to monitor the security cameras.

Great, Nick thought. We don't get to be together during work today. And, I'm going to be standing up most of the time. Bogo must really be trying to see if my foot is healed.

Nick was grabbing some supplies he'd need during his shift at the museum. Judy was preoccupied thinking about tonight, because she would go on a date with Nick. Nick finally got everything he needed, so he started walking out to the garage. He stood there for a minute to wait for Judy. No less than five minutes later, she came out and started walking towards Nick. Nick opened the passenger door for her and gestured for her to get in.

"Thank you, kind sir," Judy said.

"You are very welcome, madam," Nick said.

Nick shut the door and walked around the car and got in the driver's seat. He started the cruiser and drove out of the garage.

.

Clawhauser was walking to get his phone out of his car. (He had accidentally left it in there.) When he saw Nick open the cruiser door for Judy, and how polite they were being to each other.

He smiled and squealed. "Nick and Judy are a couple! I knew it!" He ran into the precinct.

"Everyone! WildeHopps is coming to fruition!"

There was a cheer through the entire lobby from all within, except for the visitors, who had no idea of who the ship was about.

.

Meanwhile, Nick got on Elm Street and drove towards the museum.

"So how's your foot?" Judy asked.

"A little sore, but other than that, I'm great!" replied Nick.

"So what kind of artifact is this? Do you know?" asked Judy.

"No idea. All I know is that it's old," replied Nick.

Judy started laughing and got Nick laughing. "They're all old, silly fox!" Judy said while laughing.

"Don't you think I know that, dumb bunny!" Nick and Judy started laughing even harder.

Nick pulled up to the back door to the museum and parked the car. Both got out and walked to the door. Nick typed in the code that Bogo had told him and opened the door. Nick walked down the hallway with Judy behind. They walked out into the Ancient Egypt exhibit. There was an ocelot looking at a clipboard.

"Um, hello," Judy said.

The ocelot looked up, surprised. "Oh! You two must be the temporary guards. This way, please," he said.

He led them into the other room into the room where they change the exhibit about once a month with another exhibit.

The exhibits here are always the biggest attraction, but this must be very valuable to need two extra guards. The room only had a case in the middle, but it had a cloth over it.

"This is what you'll be protecting," the ocelot said as he pulled the cloth off the case.

Inside, there was the most spectacular array of jewels and gold and silver that either of them had ever seen before.

The ocelot saw their amazement and remarked, "I hope you don't steal them."

Nick and Judy, realizing they must've looked foolish, looked up. "Oh, uh, sorry. I've never seen this much jewelry," Judy said. "All the jewelry I have were gifts. I've never been to a jewelry store."

The ocelot smiled. "Oh, that's very much ok. That's the response we want. These are the oldest known jewels from our ancestors. It was discovered here in Zootopia, in a construction site here in downtown."

Nick looked at his watch. 7:56. The museum would open in just a few minutes.

"Not that this isn't interesting, but we need to get to work. I'll set up here, while you can show Officer Hopps where the security camera monitors are," Nick said.

"Oh yes, I guess you're right. This way please," he said, motioning for Judy to follow.

Nick got his water bottle out from his belt and filled it up from the water fountain, then took a drink from the fountain. He put the bottle back in his belt and walked over to the door, and stood off to the side from the door.

Judy was walking down the hallway, following the ocelot. He opened a door and walked in, and Judy followed.

"Here are the security monitors. This controls the camera movement, this selects witch camera to control with this, and these headphones play what the camera's mics pick up, and this chooses what mic to listen to," said the ocelot in a long sentence.

"Ok. I think I got it. Thank you."

"My pleasure. We'll be opening in two minutes, so get prepared," The ocelot said as he left the room. Judy sat down and was looking at the screens and focused a camera on Nick, who was just standing next to the door in the jewel exhibit room.

Nick stood there for most of the day, except to use the bathroom, or when his foot started bothering him.

I'm glad I brought this small anti-fatigue mat with me, Nick thought as he pulled the small mat out of his backpack he brought and set it down where he was standing and went back to work.

Nothing really interesting happened that day, but Nick thought it was fun to watch the animals who came into the exhibit room. There where all kinds of animals, from elephants to rodents.

Nick thought he heard a small group of panthers who came in mumble something like, "Why'd they hire a fox to guard something this valuable."

"I guess he's reformed," the other had whispered.

Nick thought that one must dislike foxes and the other wants to give foxes a chance.

I like that second one, Nick thought.

Nick looked at his watch. 8:58. Closing soon. Nick started packing up his things and started walking to the front desk, where the ocelot was.

"I guess it's time you should leave," said the ocelot, who the name plate on the desk said his name was Oscar Felix.

"Alright. I guess I'll go get Officer Hopps," Nick said.

"No need," said Judy from behind them. "I could hear your conversation, so be careful what you say in the museum!"

"Thank you for helping with security today, Officer Wilde, and Officer Hopps. That was very helpful," said Oscar.

"No problem. Just ask us whenever you need two extra security guards!" said Judy.

Nick nodded in agreement.

"I will, and goodbye!"

Nick and Judy turned around and walked out the back door like before. Nick opened the passenger door for Judy like before.

"Officer Hopps," Nick said bowing low and gesturing for her to get in.

"Thank you very much, Officer Wilde," said Judy.

"My pleasure," Nick replied.

Nick turned on the radio and tuned it to his favorite station, KFOX 88.5. They were starting his favorite song as soon has he turned it on, Strike Back by We As Fox. Nick started singing along at the top of his lungs, and Judy couldn't help but sing along with him.

"You think I'm gonna back down? You better think again! I've always said, the bigger they are, the harder they fall! You're gonna suffer. Hit me, I hit back harder!"

Both of them where singing along at the top of their lungs. When the song was over, they were already at the station. The museum wasn't very far from the police station. Nick parked the car and turned it off.

"I'll go and clock us both out and put my stuff away. You can go ahead and go to your home. I'll pick you up at 9:30," Nick said.

"Thank you, Nick," replied Judy.

Nick got out carrying his backpack and went into the locker room and put it in his locker. There wasn't anything in it he needed to take home. He clocked him and Judy out and walked to his car.

Author's Note: The museum from this chapter is different from the one in the movie where they discovered that Bellwether was the mastermind behind the Night Howlers. This museum is several blocks down.