Nick looked himself over in the mirror with a critical eye and took a deep breath. "How do I look?" he asked Judy.

She scanned him up and down, a pink toothbrush hanging out of the side of her mouth. "Here," she said, reaching up and latching onto his necktie. Nick thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head as she pulled and twisted, but Judy was eventually able to work it into a more comfortable and presentable position.

"Thanks," he said, and returned to inspecting his uniform. "Maybe I should wear this tonight. No one can resist a fox in uniform, you know."

Judy shrugged. "I don't think it's the uniform that makes you a charmer." Nick watched as she set her toothbrush down and reached for some floss.

"Flossing? Now who's taking things too seriously?"

"Hey, you try going around all day with carrot bits stuck in your teeth. It's not exactly fun."

Nick's docket would have been full for the day even if he didn't have to plan around dinner that night. Somehow, he was going to have to get the Ewehaul back to dealer and then get to Gusteau's, all in the space of about an hour. Oh, and he needed to find a way to get changed into something a little more formal as well. Nick rummaged through his closet, but nothing stood out immediately. He had never owned a proper suit before, but really felt the need for one. He added it to his mental wish list for when he got his next paycheck and grabbed the nicest pair of slacks and collared shirt (one of the few without a Hawaiian pattern) that he had and tossed them into a duffel bag.

Nick and Judy took extra precautions to make sure that they weren't late for their shifts two days in a row, so they ended up arriving at the precinct half an hour early, Judy in the cruiser and Nick in the Ewehaul.

"What's your day look like?" Judy asked as they strolled down the hallway.

"I kind of didn't finish my report yesterday," Nick grumbled. "That takes first priority."

"So are you going to the briefing?"

Nick shook his head. "I already emailed Chief Bogo about it. I shouldn't be needed on assignment anyway."

They stopped when they got to the briefing room. They were the first to arrive.

"I guess that means I'm going to be out on patrol again," Judy sighed and Nick flashed her an apologetic look. He knew that giving out tickets wasn't exactly her favorite thing to do. Judy made a move to go inside.

"You're just going to hang out here?" Nick asked, checking the time on his phone.

"Better safe than sorry when it comes to being on time," Judy replied, to which Nick nodded in agreement.

"Alright then." He quickly glanced down the hall to make sure the coast was clear before giving Judy a little hug. "I'll see you tonight."

"I'm looking forward to it!" And with that, she was gone, closing the door behind her.

Nick ambled down the hallway, stopping in the locker room to drop off his duffel bag, and then headed toward the offices. He was feeling a lot better now than he had the day before, both physically and emotionally. I guess a good night's sleep does have its benefits after all. He thought back to the night before. The last thing he remembered was Judy snuggled up against him, her arms wrapped warmly around him. He was surprised at how quickly he had been able to fall asleep.

Nick made it to his desk and logged into his computer. In reality, Nick could get all his work done on the computer, but Chief Bogo still liked to get handwritten memos whenever possible. Nick felt very much obliged to provide him with one, given what had transpired the last couple of days. Nick stared blankly as he waited for the computer to boot up. This aspect of the job had never really agreed with him. He got back up and headed for the break room. One cup of coffee couldn't hurt.

Nick sat at the table in the break room while he waited for his coffee to brew. He tapped at the table with a pen that he had found, thinking things over. His mind had returned to the Cooper brothers case for the first time since he had stormed out of Finnick's. There was really nowhere to go with it. He had no evidence. He had no leads. He had nothing. It seemed to all the world that the raccoons' only motivation was a strong distrust of police. But Nick couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more going on. No, there had to be something more going on. The pen slipped from Nick's grasp and rolled off of the table. Nick slouched in the seat and looked down at it laying on the ground. Perhaps he had let himself become too emotionally involved after Nicko had insulted him when he was making the arrest. Nick frowned. He wasn't one to let his emotions get the better of him.

Nick heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall and watched the table vibrate in front of him. Soon enough, an elephant poked her head in the door, her trunk twitching back and forth, finally angling toward the coffee maker. When she saw Nick, she froze.

"Hey, Francine. How are ya?" Nick waved at her.

Officer Francine didn't answer him; rather, she disappeared back around the corner. That's odd. After a moment, she reappeared in the doorway and then hesitantly tried tiptoeing into the room, moving shockingly lightly on her feet.

"Oh… uh… hey Nick," she said. "Are you, um, making coffee?"

Without waiting for his answer, she rushed over to the counter and grabbed a coffee cup with her trunk.

"Wait!" Nick called out. "I don't think…"

Francine had already made it over to the coffee maker, poured herself a cup of coffee, and was practically running for the door, holding the cup perfectly still with her trunk to prevent it from spilling.

"… It's done yet." Nick trailed off. Well, that was really odd. He shrugged. Maybe she was late for the briefing or something.

After a couple more minutes, a timer went off and Nick was able to grab his own cup of coffee. As he was returning to his desk, he saw the familiar broad figure of a tiger leaning over the printer in the corner of the room. Nick strolled over, sipping his coffee.

"Fangmeyer! You're just the mammal I need to talk to right now!"

Officer Fangmeyer jumped when he heard Nick's voice and then spun around to face him. Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Wilde. Uh… what's up?"

Nick took another sip of his coffee. "Did you manage to get any information out of those two raccoons?"

Fangmeyer looked at him, puzzled. "What info are you looking for?"

It was Nick's turn to give Fangmeyer a look. "You're not suspicious at all? Of them, I mean."

"Nah, I think they're just idiots who did an idiotic thing."

Huh. "Where are they now?"

"Probably at the clink by now. Our twenty-four hours were up, so we had to transfer them out last night. I don't know if any charges will stick or not." He shrugged. "It's not my problem anymore."

Nick bit the inside of his cheek and cursed silently to himself. He knew that he had probably blown his chance to pursue the case any further. There was simply nothing substantial that he could pin on them.

Fangmeyer was studying Nick closely. It looked like something was on the tip of his tongue, but he just stood there, staring. Nick's eyes darted back and forth. It felt like he was being sized up on the street or something. He sure is acting strange today…

Just then, the printer jumped to life, startling both of them, and saving Nick from the awkward situation. Fangmeyer grabbed his papers and was off, without so much as a goodbye.

Nick shrugged it off as some weird anomaly and returned to his desk. He dropped into his seat and stared at the blank memo that unfortunately hadn't moved from his desk. He let out a sigh. It definitely wasn't go to fill itself out, no matter how long he left it there.

Nick tried to avoid watching the clock as he worked, but the temptation was too much, and he found himself stealing glances. 9:30. He looked again. 10:30. And again. 10:35. And again. 10:36. What?! There's no way it's only been a minute! He pushed away from his desk and looked around. For the first time, he noticed that he wasn't the only one in the office. Officers Delgato and Higgins were both at their desks working on something or other, while Johnson and Andersen were having a hushed conversation in the far corner. In fact, it was quieter in the room than he could ever remember hearing. Nick glanced at the clock again. Now that he thought about it, it was odd that no one had approached him yet today. He was generally one of the most popular officers when it came to idle chitchat. Nick rolled his chair out into the walkway and tried to meet Officer Delgato's eyes but the lion kept his gaze down on his work. He waited, his suspicion growing. Finally, Delgato's head jerked up from what he was doing. When he saw that Nick was staring at him, his eyes darted quickly away. Nick furrowed his brow in confusion. Ok, something is going on here, for sure…

Nick mulled over the lions's reaction. Could Delgato be mad at him for something? Nick tried to think back to the past couple days, but he couldn't come up with anything that had been remotely contentious between the two. Hmmm. It wasn't just Delgato either; Francine and Fangmeyer had both acted cautiously toward him as well. What was going on? Nick's mind raced a million miles an hour; did something he had said reach unintended ears? No, that couldn't be it; Nick went out of his way to avoid being critical of his fellow officers, as workplace squabbles irked him to no end. There had to be some other explanation.

Nick froze, a cold chill running down his spin. All of a sudden, the room around him felt like it was spinning and Nick clutched at his head as the familiar dull ache of worry began to build. While Nick's vision was blurred, his mind was hyper focused on the one explanation he could think of.

Clawhauser.

Nick had almost completely forgotten about his slip up around the cheetah the day before, as he had been in a haste to go see Finnick. The memory came rushing back to him, causing Nick to simultaneous cringe and sweat. That had to be it. Nick smacked his forehead with his paw and groaned. Of course Clawhauser hadn't kept his mouth shut; when had he ever? Had he truly thought that their secret was safe with the cheetah? Well, no, not exactly, but he figured that it would last more than one day. Nick instantly regretted not being more insistent with Clawhauser to keep things on the down-low. He looked up as he felt the full weight of four pairs of eyes bearing down on him. His fellow officers had all stopped what they were doing and were casting unblinking, unabating stares his way. He felt their judgement, their distrust, their scorn. He had hear their voices echoing in his head. A fox and a rabbit? What world do they think they are living in? "No…" Nick whispered. He thinks that he's good enough for her? Who does that fox think he is?

Nick felt like he was going to be sick.

He jumped from the chair and tore across the room. He didn't know what he was doing or where he was going, he just knew that he needed to get out of there and away from the judgmental stares.

"Nick!" he heard Delgato call out behind him. "Where are you going?!"

"Lunch!" he managed to choke out just before he burst out into the hallway. When no one immediately pursued him, Nick slowed down to a trot and tried to focus his thoughts.

"What are you thinking, fox?" Nick growled to himself. Up ahead, a door opened and he could just make out the burly shape of Chief Bogo stepping out of a conference room. Nick skidded to a halt. The chief had his back turned to him, but stood disturbingly still. Nick's eyes darted back and forth, finally fixing on an escape route in the form of a door with a glowing neon EXIT sign emblazoned above it. Nick scrambled for it, diving through just as he saw Chief Bogo beginning to turn toward him.

Nick collapsed up against a dumpster just outside of the precinct. He pulled his knees in tight to his chest, trying to keep himself from shaking.

Well, this is the last place I figured I would end up today. Nick couldn't help but laugh at his situation, a little wheezing noise that gradually grew in strength until Nick threw his head back and let out a full throat yell.

Nick slowly pushed himself into a standing position and took in his surroundings. I may have overreacted just a little bit. Nick dusted off his uniform. I guess I might as well go out for lunch.

Judy monitored the cars passing in front of her through the sunglasses she had stolen… ehem… borrowed from Nick. She glanced at herself in the cruiser's mirror. I really do look the part now, she thought, smiling slyly, before pulling back when she realized just how much that expression reminded her of Nick. She wondered what he was doing at the moment, or perhaps more importantly, what was going through his mind. She was acutely aware of how nervous he was about meeting her parents, and one part of her felt guilty for forcing him into it, while the other part felt like chiding him for being so hesitant toward the idea in the first place.

Judy's phone began vibrating, causing it to leap off of the dashboard. Judy fumbled for it, hot potating it back and forth, before finally gaining control. A picture of her mom glowed up at her from the screen. Judy's ears stood up and she couldn't help but smile as she answered it.

"Hi Mom!"

"Hi bun bun. I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Judy tuned out the sounds of traffic just outside of the cruiser. "No, not at all," she replied.

"Good. I just wanted to let you know that your father and I are getting ready to leave… "

"Just give me five minutes! I'm almost ready!" Judy heard her dad call out in the background.

"… soon, I think," her mom continued unperturbed. "We should be there in about four hours. I can't wait to see you!"

"Same! It's been too long. Oh, you're going to have such a good time here!" she said excitedly.

"We're looking forward to it, trust me. Oh honey, before I forget, I just want to check to make sure that we have the right address down. I have eleven hundred Farmway Drive written down here."

"Yeah, that's right," Judy responded before suddenly remembering something rather important. "Oh! Oh, hey Mom, I almost forgot to mention this, but I was thinking that we should go out to dinner first. You know, before you guys come over. I have a surprise for you!"

"Oh?" Bonnie's surprise was evident and Judy gave half a second's thought to just telling her about Nick right then and there. Not now, Judy convinced herself. Deep down, she wanted to see how her parents would react, if just to prove Nick's suspicions wrong.

"Yeah! I, um, actually already reserved a table at a place called Gusteau's here."

"Gusteau's? That sounds fancy. You don't have to go out of your way to treat us, bun-bun."

"It's not a big deal!" Judy said earnestly. "I just figured that you guys should experience the best of what Zootopia has to offer."

Bonnie hesitated, but before the silence became too uncomfortable, she said "do we have to dress up?" Judy giggled at the concern in her voice and responded with an insistent "no."

"I won't keep you any longer," Bonnie said. "I have to go round up your father anyway. Oh dear. Where did he run off to?"

"So I'll see you guys there?" Judy asked, just to make sure…

"You can count on us," came the reply. "I'll see you soon. Love you."

"I love you too," Judy responded and waited on the line until she heard her mom hang up. Judy set her phone back down on the dashboard and slumped back in the seat, returning to the noisy real world once more. Only a few more hours to go and her parents would be back in her life. Judy could barely contain her excitement.

Maybe I should dress up after all, she thought.

Nick pushed his way through the crowd and raced up the subway stairs, narrowly avoiding getting his tie caught on a rhino's horn. He emerged into Warm Springs square, the center of the restaurant and bar district of downtown Zootopia. He looked around, trying to find his bearings. A sea of animals extended out in front of him, only confined by the shops on either side vying for the attention of even a single member of the crowd. Nick worked his way through the throngs of various mammals. He hadn't told Judy of course, but he knew exactly where Gusteau's was. It was better for a con artist if the mammals they were targeting had money, after all.

Earlier, Nick had returned to the precinct in order to get changed, and had then driven the Ewehaul all the way to the dealer near Tundratown. He figured that he had given himself plenty of time to get back downtown, but the subway was overcrowded on account of it being a Friday night. He just hoped that he wasn't late; he didn't want to hear what words Judy would have for him later if he was. I bet Finnick's making out like a bandit, he thought, as he weaved and darted through the crowd. Up ahead, the numbers thinned somewhat and he could see the makings of a line forming.

He had finally arrived at his destination. Gusteau's was an older building, but it was impeccably up kept and just oozed class. It was the kind of restaurant that didn't need to have a sign out in front. Up ahead, he could just make out a familiar set up black tipped ears.

Deep breaths, Nick told himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this nervous, but then again, he doubted that he could remember much of anything at the moment. He rubbed his sweaty paws on his pants, instantly regretting the decision when he saw the paw-shaped spots that were left.

Calm, cool, collected. Like always.

"Yoo-hoo. Behind you, Carrots." Nick watched as Judy's ears shot up upon hearing his voice and she swiveled toward the sound. Nick emerged from the crowd with his paws in his pockets, trying his best to keep his usual easy smile on his face and the uneasiness out of his eyes.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't breathe so hard…

Judy's eyes lit up upon seeing him and before Nick had time to process anything, she had launched herself at him, arms extended invitingly. Nick barely managed to brace himself for impact, and he almost lost his balance as Judy flung her arms around his neck and hung there for a second, perhaps to help him stay upright. Regardless, Nick wasn't complaining. She lowered herself to the ground and Nick got an opportunity to really look her over for the first time. She was wearing a little black dress that just hung off her shoulders and had a violet ribbon tied tightly around her waist. The color almost perfectly matched her eyes, Nick noted. He squinted to get a closer look and noticed cute little carrots embroidered here and there. So much for dressing casual, he thought.

"Nick?"

Judy's voice brought Nick back to his senses and he felt his face go hot when he realized that he had been staring at her.

"Oh, uh, Carrots, you look… uh…" Nick found himself tongue-tied, an absolute rarity for a fox that had made a living as a fast talker.

Judy cocked her head to head to side and gazed at him with expecting eyes, a small smile working its way onto her lips.

"Yes?" she said coyly.

Eh, screw it. Say what's on your mind, Wilde. "Carrots, you look absolutely stunning. You're making me self-conscious about my appearance," he said, gesturing at his suddenly shabby looking outfit.

"You're always so hard on yourself. I think you look very gentlemammally."

"Wow, those are words I haven't heard before," Nick said, involuntarily grinning at the thought.

"Well, I mean them."

"Judy, sweetheart! Over here!"

Judy's ears again shot up and Nick noticed that her nose started twitching, an adorable little motion that instantly filled his heart with warmth. He looked over her ears to see Bonnie and Stu Hopps waving in their direction. Nick grabbed Judy by her shoulders, spun her around to face them, and gave her a little push in their direction.

"They're your parents," Nick whispered, practically pleading for Judy to take the lead. Fortunately for him, Judy was more than willing to, as she skipped over and pulled them into a simultaneous hug.

"Oooohhh, I missed you guys so much!" she exclaimed cheerfully and drew them in closer.

"We missed you too, sweetie," Bonnie replied, followed by "alright, honey, that's probably a long enough hug. I think you're father's turning blue."

"Whoops, sorry." Judy released them and took a step back.

"Have you been working out?" Stu chimed in. "You look like you could wrestle a rhino right now."

"Oh please, Dad," Judy huffed at him lovingly.

"Nearly ripped my head off," Stu mumbled to Bonnie.

Nick wanted nothing more than to just sit back and watch their banter from afar, to be observant stranger. Alas, that wasn't an option, not after all the thought Judy had put into setting this up.

No time like the present, Nick thought, and strolled up next to Judy, his paws shoved back in his pockets.

Stu's eyes went wide when he saw the fox and he raised his paw to point toward him. "Hey, uh, Judy…"

"What's up, Dad? Oh…" her eyes darted over to Nick standing beside her and went wide. "Oh, I'm dumb." She gave Nick an apologetic glance.

"Mom, Dad, this is Nick. You've met before," she added hastily.

"I think I remember," Bonnie said. "You're the ZPD's first fox officer. Stu, he showed us the police station when Judy wouldn't, remember?" She flashed her daughter a look. Nick chuckled to himself at the memory. Judy had been absolutely right when she insisted that giving them a "tour" would be against department rules, but Nick had volunteered to do it just because he found the exasperated look on Judy's face to be funny.

"Yep, that's me. Nice to meet you again," he offered, and the two elder rabbits nodded in agreement.

"I didn't know you were going to bring coworkers," Stu said to Judy, looking down at his overalls. "I would have dressed more presentably."

"He's not just a coworker, Dad. He's my boyfriend."

Just like that.

Nick watched as Stu and Bonnie shot each other looks of surprise that slowly grew to concern. It seemed that they were mutually trying to formulate a response.

"Sorry," Bonnie spoke up hesitantly. "This is just unexpected, is all."

"We figured that we would surprise you two," Judy said, seemingly unperturbed by her parents' reactions.

Nick met Stu's gaze and gave a little shrug. He half felt like saying "it was her idea," but decided against it for reasons of self-preservation.

"It's definitely a surprise," Stu responded acerbically and Nick had to bite his tongue. It was better to go along with everything and say nothing than say something he might regret.

He looked to Judy, who still wore a carefree smile on her face. At least she was happy, was Nick's prevailing thought. All he had to do was avoid ruining dinner.

"We should go inside! We have a lot to talk about," Judy said.

Please no. Nick sighed, and he saw Stu do the same. Just don't let them see that they get to you.

"Thank you," Judy said politely to the sheep waitress as he refilled her water glass.

"My pleasure. Do you need me to get you folks anything else?" Judy glanced around the table, first at Nick sitting next to her and then at her parents, who were sitting across from them, looking for any form of acknowledgement. When none came, she replied with a meek "I think we're fine here."

After the waitress left, the table fell silent once again. Judy listened to the sounds coming from around them: the clinking of glasses, the unabating chatter, the laughter. The sounds of mammals having fun. And here they all were, staring quietly at their food and not interacting beyond the occasional stray glance and insincere complement about how nice everything was. Judy looked to Nick, who appeared more and more unsettled by the minute. Come on, Nick, Judy thought. Say something. It wasn't like him at all to be this quiet for this long around, well, anyone. It almost felt like he had decided to purposefully avoid conversation, but Judy couldn't quite figure out why. Judy looked down at the table and realized that she was gripping Nick's paw in her own.

"So how long have you two been, uh… dating?" Her mother worked out the last word like she was apprehensive of it.

"Oh, um, maybe six months? Nick, does that sound right?"

Nick held out his paws and started counting. "The math checks out."

Bonnie and Stu again shared a concerned glance.

"That's, uh, a while, Jude," Stu spoke up. "When were you planning on telling us?"

"I'm sorry?" Judy rushed to come up with a palatable answer. "It, uh, never crossed my mind." Tsk. That's not going to go over well…

"You didn't think that this was something we needed to know about?" Stu's response was more disappointment than indignation.

Judy gave it a moment's thought. "No. No, I did not," she said firmly.

"But why?" Bonnie protested. "We feel, well… we feel that we should get a say in this."

"What?" Judy wasn't entirely sure that she had heard her mother correctly. "A say in this?" She looked to Nick. His eyes were wide and he rapidly shook his head back and forth, pleading with Judy not to pick this fight. She was on her own.

"No," she said flatly. "You get no say in this, whatever this is. None."

"Please, Judy, just listen to us," Bonnie begged.

"About what?" Judy's should have known that the conversation was teetering on the precipice of disaster, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"We have, um, concerns," Stu said, struggling to make eye contact with either Nick or Judy.

"Like what?" Judy said, as her foot involuntarily began thumping under the table.

"Selfish reasons, really," Bonnie responded, looking down at the table in an almost shamed way. "There's your future to consider…" She hesitated and then fell silent. Judy stared at her in confusion, waiting on pins and needles for the next words, but they never came. Instead, Stu jumped in.

"It's fine, Bon. If you don't want to say it, I will," he said, patting her on the back before looking Judy directly in the eyes, as a new determination burned in his own. "We're looking forward to grandkits. With a fox, well, that dream's as good as dead."

Judy inhaled sharply as a tidal wave of emotions crashed over her. She tried to speak, but no sound would come out.

"Don't you want kits?" Bonnie said softly, her gaze still firmly downturned.

Judy slammed her fist on the table and took a deep breath, working up the courage to tell her parent's exactly what was on her mind. Just as she was about to let loose, she was cut off by Nick.

"Don't mind me, I just have to go use the restroom," he said, seemingly addressing no one in particular. "You know, when nature calls and all that. Ha ha!"

And with that, he was gone, leaving Judy to glower at her parents, who exchanged sorrowful glances.

This wasn't how Judy envisioned the night going at all.

Nick tore across the restaurant in search of the bathroom. Upon seeing his urgency, one of the servers gestured to his right and Nick rushed that way, finally coming upon the bathrooms at the back of the hall. Nick threw the door open and stumbled inside. Thankfully, it was empty.

Wow, did that actually go worse than I had anticipated? Nick thought, still in disbelief at the preceding events. I didn't even have to say anything!

He worked his way past a series of sinks set up for larger mammals until he got to one that was more his height. Maybe, just maybe, the past few hours had been a nightmare that he could wake up from. He splashed water on his face. Nope, this is definitely real life. Nick looked at himself in the mirror and was greeted by the haggard face of a fox. His eyes were sunken and his fur had an unkempt, matted look to it. He wouldn't look out of place on the streets with Finnick, Nick decided, no matter how nicely he tried to dress. Nick closed his eyes and listened to the faucet run. There was no way his day could have gone any worse, was there? For the first time in a long time, he felt tears beginning to well up. Nick grit his teeth and splashed more water on his face. They had definitely gotten to him.

He opened his eyes and his face again came into focus, but this time he was joined by another figure. He wasn't alone after all. Nick blinked rapidly. He hadn't heard anyone come in, and he was quite sure that he had been the only one there just a moment before. He squinted at the figure's reflection in the mirror. It was definitely a fox; an arctic fox to be exact, his white fur contrasting sharply with the dark suit that he wore. After a moment, the other fox spoke.

"Hello, Nicholas. It's been awhile."

The fur on Nick's neck stood straight up. That voice. He would never forget it, no matter how long he lived. A low growl began building in his throat.

Crevan. How can he be here?!

Nick knew that his day was, in fact, going to get a whole lot worse.