A/N: Thanks to GhostWolf88, Guest, and PizzaSteve3902 for their reviews of chapter 4! And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for...

Nick's Basement Suite, Present Day:

Tap TapTapTap Tap!

A familiar knock at the front door put a slight smile on Nick's face as he emerged from his bedroom to answer it, having just finished putting on his uniform. Now remember, he reminded himself as he gripped the doorknob, there's no party, it's only a dinner.

Then he tapped out 'two-bits' as usual and opened the door. "Morning Nick! Happy Birthday!" greeted the smiling bunny before him.

"Thanks Carrots, good morning to you too," said Nick as he grabbed his wallet and keys from the counter. "And congratulations, you are officially the first person to say that to me in ten years." He added as he closed and locked the door behind him.

Nick let out a yawn as they started down the street towards the precinct. "I sure hope we catch that new gang soon, because I've had enough of these hour-early shifts. There ought to be a law against making foxes wake up early on their birthday."

"Aww, just think of it as an extra hour of birthday to celebrate!" Judy responded, the usual spring in her step intact.

"And speaking of celebrating," said Nick, "I heard from Mom last night, she said the dinner tonight is all-go, thanks again for arranging that."

"You're welcome," Judy seemed to mull over her words before she added, "Sorry the surprise party didn't work out."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry for the part I played in ruining it," said Nick with a touch of real remorse.

"Nah, it wasn't going well anyway, so many people couldn't make it because of their schedules. This is exactly why we bunnies don't do birthday parties."

"For what it's worth, I'm still grateful though," said Nick.

"And I'm glad," said Judy, "But you might want to hold off thanking me, because I still haven't even gotten all the guests for dinner tonight."

Nick kept his face as casual as possible. "Let me guess, Flash?"

"How long does it take a sloth to send a simple text message?" Judy asked in exasperation.

Ping!

Judy's ears gave a twitch as a sudden ding came from her pocket. "Huh, maybe that's him now," she muttered as she pulled her phone out. But when she looked at the screen she stopped, and her ears visibly stiffened.

"Is it him?" Nick asked.

"No, it's…one of my sisters." Said Judy. Her eyes darted around, then landed on the convenience store next to them. "I'm sorry Nick, but do you mind if I duck in here for a minute? I need to make a call."

"Why? You can call out here, I don't mind."

"No, it's…" Judy seemed to be fumbling for an answer, "It's bunny stuff, okay?"

Nick blinked in confusion. "Bunny stuff?"

"Girl bunny stuff."

"Girl bunny stuff?" Nick repeated. "Carrots, are you gonna be an auntie again for the three-hundredth time? Congratulations!"

"No, not that kind of girl bunny stuff!"Judy huffed. And without another word she ducked into the store, a little bell inside tinkling when she opened the door. However, as the door slowly closed, Nick couldn't help but sneak in himself just before it shut completely. Looking over he saw Judy disappear around a corner into a small frozen foods section on the far wall. Keeping his head low and moving as quietly as he could Nick crept through the store and snuck into the candy aisle adjacent to the frozen section, hoping the ambient hum of the freezers would keep the bunny from hearing his footsteps. Through a thin crack between the shelves he could see Judy, frantically dialling her phone with her back to him. She put the phone up to her ear:

"Hello? Clawhauser?"

Yep, that confirmed Nick's suspicion that the text was party-related. If it really had been one of Judy's sisters he would have left the store then and there.

"I just got your text: What do you mean you can't come to the party? Do you mean you really can't make it?"

Nick leaned closer, his ears standing at rapt attention.

"…You mean you really, really can't make it? Look, Ben, I know I must sound awfully mean asking you to come over when you think you're getting the flu, but… Gee, it's just not going to be much of a party without you!"

A little pit dropped in Nick's stomach. Was the party falling apart for real?

"Well, so far only Finnick! You can't come, the Ottertons couldn't come, half the officers are working and the other half have other things, and, and I still haven't heard back from Flash! I told Nick we'd have Flash and you at the restaurant, and now he'll never believe two guests cancelled!"

Nick felt his heart go out to Judy; the poor bunny was starting to sound distraught now.

"Okay, okay, listen: if you feel any better this afternoon, will you call me, please? Thanks."

Nick watched through the crack as Judy pressed the end call button and then the arm holding her phone fell to her side, her back still to him and her ears drooping as low as they could go. Thinking fast, Nick whipped around and tiptoed back to the store entrance. He threw open the front door and made the little bell tinkle, and then retraced his steps making as much noise as he could. He poked his head around the aisle corner:

"Sorry Carrots, but we gotta go. We're gonna be-"

And then he saw something that made his heart break on the spot: Judy was crying, right in the middle of the frozen foods aisle where she stood.

"Ohhh, Nick!" Judy ran up to the fox and buried her face in his chest, her head shaking with tears. "Clawhauser is siiick!"

Taken aback, Nick gently ran his paw over the top of Judy's head, "Oh, don't worry, Clawhauser is a big cat, I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"No no Nick, you don't understand!" Judy's muffled voice choked out.

"Oh, I think I do, Carrots," said Nick with a smile.

"No you don't!"

"Believe me, I do." the fox affirmed.

"No you don't!"

"Oh Carrots…"

"Oh Nick!" Judy unstuck her face from Nick's chest and gazed into his face, her teary purple eyes staring into his green ones. "Do you have any idea what I have gone through in the last few days? I have worked, and arranged and called and texted and e-mailed and all other kinds of sneaking around, just to give you a surprise birthday party…" she sniffled, "…and everything fell through!"

She started sobbing into Nick's shirt again.

"Judy, Judy, don't cry…" Nick consoled.

"WHY SHOULDN'T I CRY!?" Judy wailed, "I have a perfectly good and honest excuse to cry and now I'm gonna CRYYY!" Nick was deeply touched but also had to fight back the urge to laugh at what a big scene she was making of this.

"Judy? Look, if it'll make you feel any better, I'm glad that the whole surprise thing fell through for real."

"Whyyy?"

Nick pondered his answer. "Because… because I just couldn't have looked properly surprised, that's all. I've known what your plans were since Wednesday."

Judy gawked up at Nick again, her nose twitching. "Oh, you couldn't have! Not really, no!"

"Believe me Judy, I did."

"How could you?"

"I just did! What's the difference – ask anybody! Ask my mom!"

Judy stepped away from Nick, their eyes never breaking contact. "You knew…everything?"

"Yes Carrots, I knew everything. The other day when we were in the diner, and I started asking you party questions, I could read that cute little face of yours like a book." He playfully booped the end of her nose with his finger.

Judy swatted his paw away in annoyance, "You only knew what I wanted you to know!"

Nick's eyebrow shot up. "How's that?"

"Well, after you basically told me you knew a surprise party was in the works, I knew you would start questioning people so I told everyone to tell you that the party had been cancelled and so we were just going to go to a restaurant and have dinner."

"That's right, and everyone would have been waiting at my mom's and yelled surprise when we came back for cake! Judy, I'm sorry to tell you, but I knew that was your plan all along! And look, believe me, I appreciate this every bit as much I would if the party had been a success, if not more."

"*Sniff*, you're just saying that."

"No, I mean it! Surprise or no surprise this is still one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me," Nick kneeled down to Judy's eye level and gripped her shoulders, staring intently into her face. "And I will always be grateful for it. Thank you, Judy."

Judy gave an adorable little sniffle, "You're welcome."

The pair embraced once more, and then Nick started to lead her out of the store, for they were truly running late now.

Judy was very subdued for the rest of the trip to the station, but once they were walking up the steps to the precinct her ears began to perk up again and that familiar spring returned to her step.

"By golly Nick, next year I am going to surprise you for your birthday, even if I have to do it three months early!"

They crossed through the revolving door into the lobby.

"Ha, if you ever pull that off, I will wear the costume of shame to work." Nick retorted.

"Is that a bet?" Judy asked.

"It's a bet."

The pair strode through the lobby, where instead of Clawhauser at reception they were greeted with a grunt by Officer Kang, an antisocial kangaroo who normally worked in records. They passed the desk into the hallway that led to the bullpen, but just when they were at the door, Judy stopped him.

"No, better yet – three months late! Then you'll never guess!" she stated.

Nick chuckled. "That's a good idea, keep me on the edge of my seat for half a year, that's perfect. Might as well just skip the whole year, then I'll forget my birth date altogether."

Judy tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Orrr…" She gripped the doorknob, "Maybe I'll just give you a party – RIGHT NOW!" She flung the door open–

"SURPRISE!"

A cascade of noise made Nick jump three feet in the air and his jaw dropped in shock as he felt himself thrust into the bullpen: a crowd of animals in party hats stood before him, arms in the air and cheering. Nick stared bug-eyed around the room: at least a dozen other officers were there, including Tony, a smiling Clawhauser who clearly did not have the flu, and even Bogo, who unlike the others not wearing a hat. And in front, almost miniscule next to the much larger officers in the room, stood two very familiar foxes: Finnick, who was gleefully capturing Nick's reaction on his phone, and his mother, who was dressed in her Sunday best and beaming at him.

"Mom…" Nick mouthed, walking up to her, "Carrots…" he looked back at Judy behind him, and then at his mother again, "What is – you two did this?"

Both vixen and rabbit flashed him the smuggest smirk imaginable and replied in unison: "It's called a hustle, Sweetheart."

"BOOOOMM!" howled all the officers in the room, and then everyone burst into laughter and clapping.

While all the guests in the room wooted and cheered Nick looked around the colorfully-decorated bullpen: all the chairs and tables except for one had been stacked up against the east and west walls to make room for everybody, festive balloons and streamers lined the ceiling, and a large banner with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK hung over the chalkboard on the north wall. The remaining table in the corner held an assortment of refreshments, including coffee, doughnuts and (Nick's heart gave a leap) a bowl of blueberries next to a crate emblazoned with the Hopps Family Farm logo. He felt somebody stick a party hat onto his head as he began to make his way through the crowd towards the delectable blue treats.

And then a loud knock at the door silenced everyone.

"Oh good – that must be the entertainment!" Mrs. Wilde declared as she went to answer it.

"Entertainment…?" And then Nick noticed: behind the crowd of guests, on the dais that normally supported Bogo's lectern now rested a drum set, a guitar on a stand, and an electric keyboard. "You guys hired a BAND? Mom, isn't that a little overkill?"

"I have a lot of birthdays to catch up on here, Nicky," Mrs. Wilde declared as she put her paw to the doorknob, "And it's not just a band, it's also our special guest of honor!"

And she opened the door, revealing a familiar brown-furred Torch Key raccoon holding a pair of drumsticks.

"Hey again, Officer Wilde!" greeted Max Thrash as he walked up to Nick and shook his paw. "Happy Birthday!"

"Max?" Nick gaped in disbelief, "You're the guest of honor?"

Max chuckled. "Oh no, not me, I'm just here to play!" And he strode over to the dais where he sat down behind the drum set.

"And this is Errol," Mrs. Wilde gestured to a portly golden jackal wearing sunglasses and a turtleneck who entered next, "He will be playing keyboard."

"Mornin' Nick, Happy Birthday!" greeted the jackal as he walked past Nick to join Max on the dais. Nick frowned a little as he watched the jackal go by; he seemed to have avoided Nick's eye, although that was hard to tell since he was wearing shades.

"And I believe you know who this is!" Mrs. Wilde called to Nick. Nick turned and looked, and his jaw almost dropped again.

Standing before him was an elderly raccoon with green eyes and brown and tan fur nearly identical to Max's. His facial fur was now flecked with grey and he wasn't wearing a puffy-sleeved shirt or a feathered hat, but he was still completely recognizable from his appearance in the 1970s. It was Roger Thrash, retired country singer and portrayer of the minstrel Alan-a-Tail in Robin Hood.

After a second Nick realized he was starting to stare, and then he fake-coughed and put on his trademark grin. "Hey, Roger Thrash, right? Nice to meet you."

And with that Roger strode right up to him, took his paw, and shook it enthusiastically. "And it's a really big honor to meet you, Officer Wilde. My family and I are all fans of you and Officer Hopps."

Nick chuckled, and suddenly realized he sounded a little nervous; his usual mask of indifference seemed to have a crack in it.

"Why uh, thank you," Nick rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, what brings you here?"

"Well, your mother called me two days ago," explained Roger, "She said she got my number from my grandson, and explained that she wanted me to come entertain at her son's birthday party. I was a little hesitant, but then she said it was for you and mentioned you liked Robin Hood and, well, who could resist?"

He patted Nick heartily on the shoulder, and strode over to join Max and Errol on the dais where he picked up the guitar.

Nick was floored; not only had he gotten his first-ever birthday party after all, but now it even included a guest star from Robin Hood. Judy and his mother truly had gone all out for him. And then he felt a soft paw on his shoulder and a smaller one on his arm, and turned to find said rabbit and vixen gazing fondly at him.

"Mom, Carrots…" he croaked. And then suddenly, without warning, he bent down and wrapped his arms around them both in a tight hug.

There was a moment of stunned silence throughout the room at Nick's atypical display of affection, and then:

"Awwww!" squealed Clawhauser.

The whole room burst into applause while Nick hugged Judy and his mother and the band began warming up for their performance.

"Attention! ATTENTION!" Chief Bogo called out.

All the guests went quiet, and Nick and his group hug separated.

"Now as you know, this little celebration is for one hour only," the Cape buffalo stated, "And by the end of that hour, I expect to have this room spotless, all the guests cleared out, and all my officers waiting at attention to receive their day's assignments. Is that clear?"

Everybody nodded.

"Good," said Bogo. And then to everybody's surprise he whipped out a party hat of his own, strung it onto his head, and threw his beefy arms into the air. "LET'S PARTY!"

"Take it away, boys!" called Mrs. Wilde.

And then the lights went out, disco lights started flashing, and Max began pounding at the drums. Everyone in the room cheered and started dancing to Max's beat, and then Roger and Errol joined on guitar and keyboard. And after a minute of warming up they launched into something Nick had never even imagined: a rock-and-roll version of the Happy Birthday song.

"Happy Happy Birthday, from all of us to youuu…" Roger began to sing.

After a few minutes of partying and munching on blueberries and listening to the Thrashes and Errol follow up the birthday number with a song by Led Zebralin, Nick found Judy in the crowd and tapped on her shoulder. "Carrots? A word if you please?"

Judy nodded and the two went out into the hall, shutting the door behind them. Nick turned and faced the rabbit almost humbly, his shoulders slouched and his paws in his pockets.

"Well Carrots, I must commend you. That party ploy was a pretty darn good hustle."

Judy smiled proudly, "Thank you, but it's really your mother you should be thanking."

"Oh believe me, I will," Nick replied, "But given the nature of the party and the guest appearance of an actor from a movie we watched a week ago who happens to be related to a raccoon we encountered two days ago, I can't help but wonder if this whole thing was your idea."

"It was at first, but then this morning party and that whole charade about the party being cancelled, that was all your mother's doing. Believe me, when it comes to planning surprise parties, I really am just a dumb bunny."

"Oh no, you're just not a natural at keeping secrets," said Nick, "You're too honest."

"I will take that as a compliment, and I do hope this little venture has taught you a lesson about eavesdropping."

Nick's ears pinned back a little, "Oh, you knew about that, huh?"

"Since Wednesday, that's how we got you," Judy pointed up at her own long ears, "Never underestimate bunny hearing."

Nick grinned. "Sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

"Nice little performance in the store by the way. Someone give the bun an Oxcar."

"Oh that? That was nothing – you should have seen my Lady Macbun back in junior high."

"And bringing in Roger Thrash to meet me, wow. The only thing that could have made this any better is if Brian Bedfurd himself had come."

"Actually we tried to find him too, but Roger couldn't get ahold of him," Judy explained.

Nick nodded in acceptance, and then patted her on the shoulder, "Come on, let's get back to the party, I hear there are presents."

The two briefly hugged once more, and as they stepped back inside to the music and the dancing officers, Nick discreetly slipped something into his pocket.

A/N: I just had to release this chapter today, because today, March 4th, marks the second anniversary of Zootopia's release in theaters! Happy Birthday Zootopia, and what an impact you've had on all of us!

This is not the last chapter, there are two more to go. But I don't know how long it will take to get the next one out because starting tomorrow I'm going back to school to begin a 30-week trades program, so only time will tell how much writing I can get in while doing the program. But I will update as soon as I can, and in the meantime wish you all a good day!

P.S. Officer Kang belongs to Aninat131.