Chapter Five: Memories

In the life Nick and Judy would share together, there would be points in time that would mark certain radical shifts for the better, whether the improvement was personal, professional, or even domestic. These moments would come to be some of their most precious memories.

A week after their first kiss, Nick took Judy to Jerry's Crabshack for their first date, just like they had told Judy's parents.

It started out well enough. They had agreed on casual wear, so they both wore jeans and plaid button ups. When they met. Nick complemented Judy on how good she looked in her jeans and Judy complimented him on the same. They walked to the restaurant paw in paw. When they got there, Nick pulled out Judy's chair for her like a gentlefox and, after he seated himself, they gave the otter waitress with a pretty smile their drink order. As they perused the menu, Nick gave some helpful tips on some items Judy might enjoy and Judy thanked him.

Then it was quiet.

The quiet persisted until the waitress returned for their orders, then it returned as soon as she left. As the silence stretched on, the two mammals began to fidget. Judy began tearing squares off her napkin, while Nick began to read through the little drinks/desserts booklet.

After reading about the Cherries Bonanza! for the third time, the fox had had enough.

Judy jumped in surprise when Nick threw the book on the table, then watched as he slapped a paw to his forehead and pushed it back over his ears.

"Why is this so weird?!" the fox demanded of no one in particular.

"I know, right?!" Judy answered back eagerly, glad for the awkward silence to be over.

Nick put his elbows on the table and leaned forward, paws gesticulating wildly. "I mean, we talk all the time! At work, in the cruiser, during movie night. Bogo has to threaten our jobs at least twice a week to get us to shut up."

A flash of insight struck and Judy blurted, "Maybe it's because we're on a date?"

Nick froze, paws still in the air. Then, his head tilted curiously. "Why would that matter?" he asked, sounding like he genuinely wanted to know.

"Well…" Judy began slowly, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she worked out how to explain. "Dates are supposed to be about getting to know someone, but what is there that we don't know about each other?"

"...huh." Nick's eyes blinked as he processed the idea, then narrowed as he realized Judy was right. What was there to talk about that they hadn't already talked about? He dropped his paws and folded his arms over the table as he considered. It only took a few seconds to work out a solution. "Why don't we talk about what we always talk about?"

"What? Work? Do you really want to talk about work?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Judy's eyes rolled upward as she thought about it, then back to Nick. She shrugged. "I guess not. So..."

"So…oh!" Nick snapped his fingers. "You heard about how Fangmeyer got body checked through a storefront window last week?"

"Of course, everyone heard."

Nick leaned in, eyes circling the room for eavesdroppers. "Well, don't tell anyone, but a certain fox may have found the traffic cam footage," he whispered conspiratorially. His paw disappeared below the table and reappeared holding his smart phone. "—and downloaded it."

Now Judy leaned in, using both paws and practically crawling on the table to get close enough to Nick to whisper without being overheard. "Nick!" she hissed harshly. "You're not supposed to download footage without express consent from the Chief!"

The fox shot her a flat-eyed stare, the effect magnified now that they were only a few inches apart. "Do you want to see it or not?"

Judy dragged a paw down her face while letting out an aggravated sigh. "Of all the stupid, irresponsible...yes."

"That's what I thought," Nick said with a smug smile as he placed the phone down between them.

Six months later, Judy got her first promotion.

"Hopps, you have met and surpassed every qualification asked of you by the Zootopia Police Department," Bogo grumbled during morning announcements. Then he smiled, genuine warmth dancing in his brown eyes. "Congratulations, Detective."

The room erupted into raucous cheering. Judy was lost in a sea of well wishes and oversized pats on the back.

Bogo let his officers get the worst of it out of their systems, watching with fondness as they all expressed respect and admiration for a mammal that they had once barely acknowledged. It was a proud moment.

But, life could only wait so long.

"Alright, alright! Shut it!" Bogo shouted over the noise. The officers reluctantly took their places, leaving Judy in her seat, beaming through her mussed fur. Beside her, Nick smiled smugly, like his partner was simply getting what she was supposed to have all along.

Once the room was under control, Bogo placed his reading glasses on his snout and prepared to read the docket. Something occurred to him, and he glanced up at Judy. "Hopps. Come to my office after announcements." His eyes flicked to Nick. "You too, Wilde."

Ten minutes later found Judy and Nick standing in relaxed attention before Bogo's desk, with the cape buffalo himself sitting in his chair.

"Well, you're a detective now," Bogo grunted. "Don't let it go to your head. You still have a long way to go."

"Yes, Chief. I know," Judy said, looking serious.

"You continue to be the most inspiring mammal I know, sir," Nick quipped.

"Shut it, Wilde," Bogo said, voice mild

Judy and Nick shared a glance over their hot headed boss' unusual lack of volume.

Spotting their silent communication, Bogo sighed. No point in dragging this out. "Hopps, Wilde. I have to split you up."

When Judy and Nick both snapped in his direction, Bogo held up a hoof to stall any comments. "Hopps, as a rookie detective, has to spend time studying under a more seasoned officer and Wilde won't meet the mandatory minimum time as a patrol officer before he can become a detective for another year."

Bogo expected loud denials, or quiet begging, or something. When all he saw was acceptance on their faces, he grew suspicious.

"Yes, Chief. We know," Judy said. "We did the homework. We know the procedure."

Bogo didn't become Chief of Police by being anyone's fool. Glancing from the rabbit to the fox, he didn't see two mammals resigned to anything. They were prepared.

"But, you have a way around that," Bogo spoke with authority. It wasn't a guess.

"You know us too well, Chief. Ow," Nick muttered mildly as Judy punched him in the arm.

"Yes, sir," Judy said as though she hadn't just struck her partner in front of her boss.

Bogo ignored it, too. "Well?"

"Sir, there is no mandatory minimum when it comes to a new detective's probation period. It ends the second someone in the chain of command above them signs off on it."

"That is correct," Bogo conceded.

"And an officer may be assigned to a detective for on the job training, which can supersede the mandatory two years as a patrol cop."

Bogo put the pieces together immediately. He stabbed a hoofed finger at Judy. "You, Hopps, want me to write off your probation the very hour it begins, and assign Wilde to you as a detective trainee," he rumbled. "Even with the knowledge that two of you are romantically involved?"

For her part, Judy stood straight and proud, unafraid of the impending storm before her. "Yes sir, Chief Bogo."

The two small officers didn't quite suppress their flinches as Bogo slammed his hoof on his desk. "Just because you uncovered the most insidious conspiracy in Zootopia's history and brought the perpetrators to justice does not mean you will receive endless favor from this office!" he scolded.

Judy and Nick glanced at each other again, real fear that they were going to be separated flashing over their faces.

"There's a limit," Bogo continued, drawing the duo's attention back. "I can do this," the bull huffed, causing Nick and Judy to stare at him in confusion. "But it will use up a great deal of my favor. Enough to slow down what otherwise might be a meteoric rise through the ranks." He leaned forward, staring Judy in the eye with utmost gravity. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Hopps?"

Judy sucked in a steadying breath. "Sir, I understand. I don't care how long it takes to go the distance, as long as Wilde is with me every step of the way."

Bogo grunted, knowing that trying to convince the stubborn rabbit to do otherwise would be futile. But, this dance required three. Intense brown eyes shifted to Nick. "Wilde, you're willing to let your partner go through with this?"

Nick grinned, back to his smug self now that victory was so close. "You know how Carrots is, Chief. She gets what she wants. 'Sides, who better to watch a rabbit's back than a fox?"

"I wonder," the one ton Chief of police grunted.

Bogo glanced between his two smallest officers, searching for any sign of doubt or hesitation. Seeing none, he gave in.

"Fine." Bogo snorted as he leaned back in his chair. "I'll be watching you. No favoritism. No allowances. One screw up—Just one!—and I won't just assign you to different partners, I'll make sure the only time you spend together at work will be on Parking Duty. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Nick and Judy answered as one.

Bogo huffed. "Go straight to Mammal Resources. They'll get you sorted. Get out of my office before I change my mind."

Judy and Nick turned and hurried out of the office as fast as dignity would allow, knowing that Bogo didn't make empty threats.

Three months after Judy became a detective, she was handed another missing mammal case. According to Maria Prata, her husband of less than three months, Diego Prata, a twenty three year old chinchilla, had gone out drinking with his friends in Tundra Town and hadn't come back. That had been two days ago.

A quick review of Diego's file showed no reason to suspect foul play. By all accounts he was a straight-laced accountant fresh out of college that had never done anyone any harm.

The first order of business was calling all of Diego's friends. Every one of them said that Diego had been fine when they split up at the end of the night and they had seen him walking away unmolested down the path to his apartment, a story corroborated by the waitress that had been serving them at the bar in Tundra Town.

Since there were no witnesses, they checked the cameras. They managed to track the little chinchilla for four blocks. Then he walked into a blind spot and did not reappear.

Nick and Judy drove to Tundra Town to check the area between cameras for clues.

Instead, they found Diego, curled up in an alley in front of a vent, looking for all the world like he was asleep. Nick had to hold back a frantic Judy from trying to resuscitate the long dead rodent, then held her as she cried.

While Judy moistened his shirt, Nick called in the find. An ambulance and several patrol officers arrived in minutes.

Once Judy pulled herself together, she insisted on finishing the case and finding out what happened.

It took less than hour. The vent belonged to the stove of a nearby restaurant. Diego had been cutting through the alley when he felt the heat coming from the vent. He stopped to warm himself up and fell asleep. When the restaurant closed, the stove was turned off, and the heat stopped. Within minutes, Diego Prata was frozen to death.

Now, Nick and Judy stood outside of Diego Prata's apartment, where his young wife, Maria, lived.

Nick put his paw on Judy's shoulder. "You don't have to do this."

Judy stepped out from under Nick's paw and looked up at him, face set with determination. "Yes. I do."

Then the bunny cop turned and knocked on the door before she could lose her nerve. Nick, knowing there would be no changing her mind, took a few steps away, allowing Judy to face what was coming on her own two feet.

The door cracked open, allowing a brown eye surrounded by dark gray fur to peek through. It widened as it landed on Judy. "Detective Hopps!"

The door was thrown open to reveal Maria Prata. Judging from her wrinkled dress, mussed fur and the bags under her eyes, she hadn't been coping well with her husband's disappearance.

The chinchilla female, only slightly shorter than Judy, stepped forward and grabbed Judy by the arms.

"Detective Hopps!" Maria cried, voice steeped in desperation. "Have you found him?! Have you found my Diego?!"

All the strength Judy had been gathering evaporated; nothing before the sheer weight of the chinchilla's fear for her missing husband.

Judy went to say something, but words couldn't escape past the lump in her throat. Swallowing thickly, she tried to force the words out, the ones she knew she was supposed to say. Mrs. Prata, it's my duty to inform you…

But that's not what came out.

"I'm so sorry."

The whisper seemed to echo about the hallway, filling it with an inescapable dread. Maria's eyes widened as she rocked back, thunderstruck. When her knees gave out, Judy only just managed to catch the chinchilla by her arms and lowered her gently to the floor.

After a moment, Maria seemed to come back to herself. Her face twisted in anguish and she cried, "No! Diego! My Diego! No!"

Judy couldn't ever ignore someone who was hurting so badly. Kneeling before Maria, she put her arms around the distraught female and gathered her into a comforting embrace. Maria pressed her face into Judy's chest, Judy pressed her face into the soft fur between Maria's ears, and the two wept together.

Nick silently stepped up next to them. Stooping down, he placed one paw on Judy's back, quietly lending her all the strength he could.

One year after their first kiss, Nick proposed.

Judy was surprised when, seemingly out of the blue, Nick asked her to come with him on one of their increasingly rare personal days.

"Nick, where are we going?" Judy asked as they walked down the street, paw-in-paw.

"Now, Carrots. It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," Nick replied, smug.

"Niiick," Judy whined, tugging at their joined paws.

Nick waggled his eyebrows at Judy as his only response. Ears falling back, the doe huffed, thumped her head against the todd's arm and pouted. It just made Nick smile wider.

She's so cute when she's mad, Nick thought to himself, since he daren't say the c-word aloud.

Judy's pout melted away as they turned down a familiar back road. Ears springing up, she raised her head off Nick's arm so she could look up at his face

"Are we going to the bridge?"

When Nick would only smile mysteriously, Judy scoffed. "Fine. Keep your secrets."

Judy's annoyance didn't last long. The afternoon sun was warm and Nick's paw was big, strong and gentle around hers. As they walked along the increasingly barren path, Judy felt herself growing more and more relaxed until finally, she rested her head against Nick's arm. Closing her eyes, she let her partner guide her along while she enjoyed the walk.

"We're here," Nick announced some time later, pulling Judy from her pleasant haze. When the doe opened her eyes, the sight before her made her gasp.

It was the stone bridge where they had reunited after the Press Conference Debacle. But, now, the whole scene was changed. Dozens of string lights hung from the side of the bridge, hiding the nook beneath behind a curtain of a thousand, softly colored lights.

"It's so pretty," Judy breathed out, in awe of the spectacle before her.

"You like it?" Nick asked, smiling smugly down at her. Though he looked confident, Judy had spent enough time with the fox to know when he was seeking her approval.

Judy beamed a bucktoothed, megawatt smile up at her partner. "I love it!" she gushed.

"I knew you would," Nick said, chest puffing out. Judy just kept smiling, amused by her fox's quirks. "Come on. There's more."

The fox led them toward the curtain, then through it. Another curtain of lights hung from the other side of the bridge and dozens more strings of lights hung from the bricks arching overhead, illuminating the space beneath in a soft, prismatic glow.

Dazzled, Judy stepped away from Nick to wander among the forest of brightly colored bulbs. She reached out a paw, to touch one of the strings. "You've been with me all day. How did you do this?" she asked as she watched a dozen different hues of light play over her arm.

"I'm a well connected fox, I'll have you know," Nick bragged. The fox stood in the center of the space, his paws in his pockets. He was content to watch Judy as she enjoyed his surprise.

"You hired a light installation firm," Judy guessed as she walked along one of the curtains separating them from the outside world. She trailed a paw behind her, disturbing the strands and setting the lights swaying. It was enchanting.

"You know, it was a lot easier to impress you before you became a detective," Nick quipped, smiling good-naturedly at being figured out so easily.

Judy smiled at Nick from over her shoulder. "It just means you have to work harder. You do your best work that way." The smile dimmed as her sharp analytical mind inferred something else. "Nick, this couldn't have been cheap. How did you afford this?"

Nick shrugged carelessly. He didn't see a point in hiding it from her, knowing that the tenacious bunny would find out eventually. "I may have dipped into my savings."

Frowning now, Judy turned to face the fox fully. "Nick, you shouldn't spend your savings on things like this. What if something happens? You might really need that money." As she spoke, she walked towards Nick until she stood before him, paws planted on her hips.

"It was worth it. Tonight is special, after all. It needs to be memorable," Nick explained, unperturbed by the doe's scolding.

Judy tilted her head curiously, one ear folding in half. A quick mental review revealed the most likely answer. "Ugh. Our anniversary is next week, dumb fox." Even as she rolled her eyes and insulted him, her voice remained fond, touched that he would go to such efforts to celebrate their first year together.

"Well, the anniversary of our first date is next week, yes, but it's not the anniversary of the first time I told I loved you, is it? No, that's today, Fluff," Nick said as he took one paw out of his pocket. He circled it around her slim waist and pulled her into a hug.

Touched by the romantic gesture, Judy gave herself completely to Nick's embrace, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest.

"I love you, Nick. And I love that you'd do something like this, but let's try not to have an anniversary for every first thing. We can't afford it."

"We could have just the two," Nick proposed as he fondly caressed Judy's ears. He grinned at her pleased murmur. "This one and the one next week. That way, if I screw up the first one, I can make it up to you on the next and you'll only be mad at me for a few days."

Judy chuckled at her fox's pragmatic approach. "That sounds like a good idea."

Nick tapped Judy's head, prompting her to look up at him. When he had her attention, he asked, "Does that mean all the important stuff can only happen on two days of the year?"

Judy plopped her chin on his chest. "I think so," she teased with a smile.

The fox tilted his head thoughtfully, one ear straight up and the other back. "I guess that means I have to make them count."

"You better—oh!" Judy was forced to break her embrace when Nick suddenly kneeled. The fox used his free paw, the one that wasn't in his trousers' pocket, to gather both of Judy's.

Nick's usual laid back expression melted away and, when he spoke, it was without the humor he always used to separate himself from the world. "Judy, there's a reason I brought you out here."

If Nick's serious demeanor didn't grab Judy's attention before, the use of her name certainly did.

Nick continued. "You see, all of this—" he rolled his gaze around, indicating their surroundings, "is a metaphor."

That hadn't been what Judy was expecting. Her brow pinched as she parroted, "Metaphor?"

"That's right, a metaphor. For my life."

Judy looked around, even more confused than before. When she looked back to Nick, she didn't say anything, but the question was clear in her expression.

"Before you found me, this place was a lot like my life. It wasn't bad, but it was dark and lonely. Then, I met you."

Nick smiled, the sparkle in his eyes enhanced by the reflections of a hundred tiny, shining bulbs. "The day you came back, it made my life brighter, just like if someone hung one of these lights. Every day spent with you since, it's felt like another light was put up. Now, this—" he let go of Judy's paws so he could hold his arm out, indicating their cheerfully lit surroundings, "—is what my life is like. Bright. Happy. And it's all because of you."

When Nick went to take her paw again, Judy grabbed his paw with both of hers and brought it to her chest. Sparkling violet eyes grew moist as Nick's heartfelt words moved her to tears.

"Nick, I-I—" Judy tried to speak through the tears, only to give up when Nick gently shushed her by lifting his paw from her chest to touch a finger to her lips.

"Hang on. I have one more thing I need to say, okay?"

When Judy gave a shaky nod, Nick moved his paw to cup her cheek. The fox felt his heart melt when the doe nuzzled his palm and looked up at him with glittering, adoring eyes.

"Judy, you're the light of my life and I want you with me, always." The paw that Nick had been hiding in his pocket finally came out, drawing Judy's attention down. She gasped when she saw it held a little black velvet box. With a flick of a thumb, it popped open, revealing a modest gold ring. The single diamond, embedded in the band as a practical concession to their often physical line of work, sparkled with the hundreds of colored lights.

"Judith Laverne Hopps, will you marry me?"

Nick barely kept hold of the ring box, not to mention his balance, as a little furry missile crashed into his chest. Judy threw both arms around her wonderful fox's neck and shouted through her happy tears.

"Yes!"

~o.8.o~

Less than two months after their engagement was announced, Nicholas Piberius Wilde and Judith Laverne Hopps were bound in holy matrimony amongst friends and family. A joyous occasion indeed, one the newlyweds, whose thoughts were only of each other, were eager to get away from. They slipped away at the first opportunity.

A fox with arms full of giggling bunny, Mr. Nick Wilde carried Mrs. Judy Wilde into what was now their apartment. They would be leaving for their honeymoon destination in Furance in two days, which gave them some time before then for some relaxation and other... activities.

"What are you laughing about?" Nick asked as he made his way to their bedroom. His heart skipped a beat at the thought.

"I'm just so...so happy." Judy sighed, only to giggle softly once more. She had her arms around Nick's neck, her face pressed into the thick, warm ruff.

Nick tightened his grip on her as he pushed the door open, having planned ahead on how he would take her to their room. "Me, too, Carrots."

A serene silence settled over them as Nick set Judy on their bed. The lights were off, but the moonlight streaming in through the curtains and his night vision combined together to show him a vision that took him years back in the past—to when everything he had now was only a dream.

Small paws tugging gently at his tuxedo jacket had Nick snapping back to reality, and the fox eagerly followed their silent request. Waist cradled between her thighs, the fox nuzzled the side of Judy's neck as he kept most of his weight off her with his forearms.

"I love you, Nick." Judy whispered as her fox began to kiss and nibble along her neck. She felt his weight settle more firmly against her at her words, and tightened her grip around his neck to bring him closer.

Pulling back to gaze down at her, darkened emeralds shimmered in the moonlight, allowing the doe to see the heated gaze she felt upon her. Leaning in, Nick brushed his lips against hers in a gentle caress, gaze locked on hers. "I love you, Judy."

The first touch of lips was chaste in design; a reconfirmation of the tender feelings they felt for one another. The second, third, and fourth kisses became more and more passionate, their desire for one another increasing with each meeting of lips, until the end of one kiss could not be distinguished from the start of the next.

"Judy…" Nick let out in a shaky whisper as the doe began to squirm beneath him, her hips grinding against his own in the most pleasant of ways.

"Nick, please." Judy begged, leaving urgent kisses along the underside of the fox's muzzle. She had never felt such a fire ignited within, not even when they had fooled around a bit before today. There was just something about the fact that he belonged to her...that she belonged to him...that filled the doe with a need that could only be satisfied by her husband.

Growling softly, Nick made quick work of Judy's dress, barely having the presence of mind to not rip the damn thing right off of her. Passed down or not, it was getting in his way of supple flesh and soft fur. Judy was of a similar mind in regards to Nick's clothing, and soon, the two were bare before their beloved.

Paws explored and learned, their voices and cries of pleasure mingling as their passion grew. Bodies writhed in ecstasy. Gazes locked, baring their desire and love to the other.

Their wedding night had begun.

~o.8.o~

Six months later, Nick was roused from slumber by the sound of retching. Still half asleep, he rolled out of bed and staggered his way to the bathroom, where he found Judy bent over the toilet. Stumbling in, the fox fell to his knees behind his ailing mate and gathered her ears behind her head so she wouldn't get last night's dinner on them.

"You still sick, babe?"

Judy gasped as another painful cramp rolled through her abdomen, feeling like she'd been punched in the gut. She retched again, but at that point she had nothing left to expel.

Nick wrapped his free arm, the one not holding her ears, around Judy's slim torso, careful to not put any pressure on her stomach. "I'll call Bogo and let him know we're not coming in."

Judy coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her paw. "We? Why aren't you going?"

"Because I'm taking you to the doctor."

Judy settled back into her husband's embrace, relieved the worst had passed. "It's just a stomach bug. I don't need a doctor."

Nick let go of Judy's ears so he could wrap his other arm around her. He settled back until he was sitting on the tiled floor, dragging Judy down into his lap. He buried his nose between her ears and spoke into her fur. "It's been three days. You need a doctor."

Being sick wasn't doing Judy's mood any good. "I don't want to go," she insisted mulishly.

"You're going," Nick said, steel in his voice.

Judy sighed in defeat. She knew what the doctor would say. She'd come from a big rabbit family. The signs were obvious. She had been putting off telling Nick for as long as she could because she was unsure of his reaction.

"Nick, there's no point going to the doctor. I know what's wrong with me."

"So do I."

Judy's smile was full of challenge. "Oh, yeah?"

"You're pregnant, dumb bunny."

Judy's smile turned into open mouthed shock. Twisting about in Nick's grip, she looked up into his downturned face so they were nose to nose. "How?"

Because Judy had been moody for the last few days, and had nearly puked in the street when they had walked near a fish market, something that had never bothered her before. Now, paired with what was almost certainly morning sickness, and Nick was certain he knew what was making his wife sick, and it wasn't a stomach bug.

Since they were already so close, Nick bumped his nose against Judy's. "Don't forget who the sly fox is in this relationship. Of course I know my wife is pregnant."

"Oh… Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, because you didn't say anything. I thought, maybe, you know…" Nick trailed off and looked away, looking uncertain and more than just a little afraid, "that you didn't want the pregnancy, and I didn't know how to handle that. If I could handle that."

Judy smiled and shook her head, in silent awe of her own foolishness. Here she was, worried that Nick wouldn't be happy with her pregnancy, all the while Nick was scared to death that she didn't want it.

"Oh, Sweetheart," Judy said. Reaching up, she grabbed Nick's furry cheeks and guided his gaze back to hers. Judy smiled, pouring all the loving reassurance she could into the gesture. "I want these babies more than anything in the world."

A small, hopeful smile broke over Nick's muzzle. "Really?"

"Really really."

Nick's tail began to wag, thumping against the wall, and his smile grew larger. "Carrots, you're going to be a mommy."

"And you're going to be a daddy!" Judy cried jubilantly. She threw her arms around Nick's neck and buried her face into his ruff.

Nick clutched her tight, tears of joy gathering at the corners of his eyes. His voice was a reverent whisper as he said, "We're going to have a family."

Author's Note: Chapter written by ADeadMissionary and Starfang's Secrets.