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Judy and Nick had started to watch a movie at her small apartment, snuggled together on her bed. However, they were so short of sleep that soon after they slept like spoons. The rabbit was the first to wake up in the morning. She had managed to get a good night's sleep after having not slept for a long time. It was good to sleep arm in arm with someone. Nick's warm fur was so soft and she snuggled her head against him, her eyes still closed and smiling with a satisfied expression on her face. She listened to his slow and constant heartbeat. Her exceptional hearing always told her when someone she was talking to was lying, or at least nervous and excited. Over the years, she had learned to differentiate between a dishonest heartbeat and an excited one, to differ between a sad one and a relaxed one. It was not an exact science, but it helped here now on interrogating suspects. In addition, by now she could keenly determine Nick's mood only by listening to his heartbeat. Currently he was still deeply asleep, and judging by his smile, he was having some sweet dreams. Judy fondled with his bushy tail, embraced it and fell into a light sleep, for her part having some sweet dreams, too.

It was about two hours later, around 9 o'clock on a beautiful Sunday morning, when Judy awoke again. She yawned and rubbed her eyes with her paws. Even before she opened her eyes she noticed Nick's slow, but this time awake heartbeat. She blinked and looked directly into his green eyes, a dreamy smile on his snout.

"Hey, carrots. Slept well?" he rubbed his nose along her cheek only to kiss her sentimentally on her neck.

"Mhmhh…" she hummed approvingly with a big smile. They both just lay there for a while, enjoying the nearness of each other. Judy was the first to get up: "I could go on forever, just being with you. But I'm hungry and could eat you accidentally". She giggled.

"Say, which of us is the predator again?" Nick laughed and straightened up on the bed.

"Last night you were pretty tame, so I'm not totally sure". Judy returned with a wink and hopped to the refrigerator. Her ears sank when she opened it to scan for something to eat. "It seems like I have promised too much with regard to having breakfast". She grumbled and closed the door with a frustrated sigh.

Nick leaned his head to the side, moving his tongue seductively over his lips, slightly showing his white teeth. "Then I guess its rabbit that's on the menu…"

"Or I just invite you to some breakfast at Starpaws", Judy answered, paws on her hips; with a sly grin. It was some gorgeous view, Nick thought, seeing Judy in this provocative pose only in a shirt and underwear. But Nick acted disappointed and Judy added: "Okay, and some Blueberry Muffins, too!"

Nick grinned again, from ear-to-ear. "Proposal accepted! Sly Bunny…"

"Simple Fox."

They sat together on a park bench, both enjoying some blueberry muffins and a hot pot of coffee for Nick and a hot chocolate for Judy respectively. It was a great Sunday, with sunny weather and all. A few mammals were doing sports, running through the park or doing yoga on the meadow. Some others, just like Judy and Nick, were just enjoying the weather, going for a walk or sitting under a tree or other benches. Nick wore the same casual clothes as yesterday, as he did not have anything to change at Judy's apartment. Judy wore some leggings and a tank top, knowing exactly what a turn on it was for Nick as she heard his heartbeat accelerate when she was changing. She now sat laterally on the bench, leaning her head back against Nick's shoulder, and he put his arm around her, his paw resting on her belly. He caressed her with his thumb just were her top ended, stroking through her thin fur.

They had both sat there in silence, watching a family of about a dozen rabbits picnicking about 150 meters away on the lawn. The kits were playing tag and romped around the grass, giggling loudly and having fun. It was Nick's heartbeat again, that let Judy predict that something had been bothering Nick for a couple of minutes. He seemed to be uneasy, something she didn't really notice that often with the sly fox. She opened her eyes and looked up.

"Hey, earth to Foxy. Anybody home?" she asked playfully, tickling him with her ears under his chin.

Nick gave a jerk and smiled to her. "Roger that, everything's fine".

"'Fine' is the smaller sibling of 'bullshit'".

Nick looked shocked. "Such bad words from such a small bunny, you are poleaxing me carrots!"

"Come on, Nick. I always know when something is wrong with you. I don't want to drag everything out of you, and you just downplaying it every time doesn't help either". Nick was watching her closely so Judy continued: "You can trust me. I love you, you know that?" She laid her paw gently on his and smiled.

Nick returned her smile. "Are you sure about this? About us?"

Judy was somewhat irritated. "Of course I am. Why do you doubt?"

"I don't know. Mixed species couples aren't anything fancy these days, even between predator and prey. But a fox and a bunny also isn't quite standard".

"Do you mind being seen with a bunny in public?"

"No!" Nick denied quickly. "I love you like crazy!"

"As I said I love you, too. So what's the point?" Judy was uncertain why Nick was so hesitant.

"It would be easier for you to be with a nice rabbit like Victor".

"I already told you, he isn't into females", Judy rolled her eyes, she hated it when Nick walked on eggshells instead of just getting to the point that was really bothering him.

"I know, It was just an example. Your parents…" "So that's what was causing his grief", Judy thought to herself. "…I am sure, they wish you to start a family of your own". Nick looked back at the bunny family and their nearly a dozen children. Judy put her paw on his snout and pulled his face in her direction.

"I'm sure, they wish me to be happy, and if you don't want to have children that's ok. I have 275 brothers and sisters; they will get a lot of grandchildren in either case". Her smile was so heart-warming, Nicks heartbeat made a few leaps.

"You don't want kits, Judy?"

His mention of her name gave her jimjams in her belly again. "I want to be with you, Nick", she heard his heart beating like a drum, but it was a happy sound. Nevertheless, he seemed contemplative. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you know anything about fox relationships?"

erratic with promiscuous behavior?" Judy winked.

This time, Nicks shocked facial expression wasn't an act. "No! Dumb Bunny."

"So, tell me then".

Nick leaned back and thought for a while before talking again. "We aren't promiscuous in any way. Quite the contrary. We rarely fall in love with others. However, when we do, it is an eternal relationship".

"Oh…" Judy suddenly sounded a bit disappointed. "So you are saying this is just a short-time thing?"

She hardly finished her sentence and immediately his heartbeat responded excitedly. "No! Nothing like that! I… I think…" Nicks heart attempted to just burst out of his chest, as measured by his heart frequency. "I think I already found my life partner, but…"

Judy jumped around on her knees, laying her arms around Nick's neck. "Is it a sly bunny?" she asked seductively, smiling at him. Nick just nodded and looked defeated. "I think…", Judy whispered in his ear, "…I found my life partner, too." She pecked his ear and they both sat there, arm in arm, cuddling together. Finally, their heartbeats synchronized – even though for every beat of his heart there were three for Judy's. But both of them knew they had found someone special.

Case File 732829/HW-2903, Report of arrest

On Sunday, 17th May 3316, Officers Judith Hopps and Nicholas Wilde were off-duty in the Sahara Central Park. The suspect, a koala later identified as Jackson Piering, known under the nickname "Baggy", approached them about half past eleven in the morning, offering some nice and cheap selling jewelry. He was also assuming that Officers Wilde and Hopps were having an affair and could need some non-retraceable smartphones to message each other. Both officers played along and the suspect showed them a collection of phones, jewelry, sunglasses and other small electronics like MP3 players from his backpack. Officer Hopps examined a few phones, apparently looking for one that matched her fur color. As she could identify two smartphones as presumably those being stolen on a few occasions in the Hollow Bar, Officer Wilde identified himself as police officer with his badge and both, Officer Wilde and Hopps could overpower the suspect. They Mirandized him and called the precinct controller to have him retrieved by Officers Fangmeyer and McHorn. The suspect refused to give any evidence. The secured items were later identified to be booty from all eight thefts.

Both, Nick and Judy, sat on the big chair in front of Chief Bogos desk. It was Sunday afternoon and the buffalo read their report of arrest that they had just handed in. Nick wasn't happy to be in the precinct on their day off, but after the arrest they made this morning, there was quite some paperwork to do. Independent if it was their day off or not. They could finish their open case, quite a bonanza for sure. But that also meant more work and less cuddle-time. Judy was taking it with a pinch of salt, glad to take any opportunity to prove herself. Finally, Bogo discarded the report. "Good work. Enjoy the rest of your day off. Dismissed".

As they walked out of the precinct Judy seemed to be disappointed.

"What's on your mind, carrots? Not pleased with our achievement?"

"Just a lucky shot. We wasted the whole day yesterday with interrogations and those stupid surveillance movies, and today this fool just run into us".

Nick lay his arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently to his side. "Don't worry, fluff. There will be plenty cases for you to prove you, and I'm not sad that this case is now closed".

Judy kicked a ball back to some kits and smiled. "You are right. We solved the case, it doesn't matter how".

"Yepp, that's the spirit I am talking about, carrots".

They lingered around the city for a while, stopping from time to time to look at some shop-windows or to have some ice cream. Later they sat in a restaurant, eating some pasta for dinner. They talked and laughed a lot and time flew again. It was around ten o'clock when they decided to spend the night at Nick's apartment, eventually watching a movie together. However, cuddling together on his bed, they did not even bother to switch on the TV and after a while, they dozed: Nick curled up on the sheets, his tail touching his head, and Judy lay midway on her side, facing Nick's face and snuggled into him.

They arrived at the precinct a little early on Monday morning. Nick's apartment was farther away, but Judy picked up some clothes from her flat the evening before so they didn't have to make a detour. Before they walked through the door they looked at each other.

"Left!" Judy asserted and Nick smirked.

"Right, then".

They opened the door and approached Clawhauser's desk.

"Hi buddy! Had a nice weekend?"

"Ohh, hi Nick! Judy! I had a great weekend, my brother came by for a visit, and I heard you two had some action?"

"Just an arrest of an alleged thief", Judy responded smiling, then pointing to his neck. "You... have some donut there... no, not there, on the other side… more left... yepp!" – Clawhauser took the donut from his skin/fur fold under the left side of his chin, (Judy had won!)

"You two cannot enjoy even your free day, can you?" the cheetah mocked.

"We were just out for a walk in the park when he really tried to sell us some of those stolen Goods". Nick snickered.

"Ohhh, you two were dating, then? How did it go?"

"It went like clockwork, until we had to call dispatch for an arrest". Judy winked at him, and before Clawhauser could ask for any more details, they were both off to get some coffee/hot chocolate before getting their daily Rota from Chief Bogo.

Fangmeyer sat beside Judy and Nick in the conference room and they chatted about the arrest the day before. "I Didn't believe you two could pass off as undercover agents; least of all you", he nodded in Judy's direction with a wink. "Being the first and currently only rabbit on the force and those months of media attention I thought you were known all over town. Good work you two!" he put his thumb up approvingly. Judy beamed with pride and her nose twitched. When Chief Bogo entered the room, a bawl went through the crowd, as usual. 'Too much testosterone', Judy said to herself. Bogo scheduled all the different districts and patrol routes into teams. Then he added:

"As most of you already know by the end of the week the 47. Diversity City Festival is going to start. I'm going to create an operational schedule tomorrow. Everyone who wants to enlist in the sport competitions on Friday has to hand in a notification by end of the day, by the end of the late shift. You will be indemnified from regular schedule on this day for your participation. However, the least I expect is a medalist! Any questions?" Some mumbling and quiet laughter was going on, so Chief Bogo finished the meeting and left the room, most of the officers following him, leading in one direction or the other.

"What do you think?" Judy asked Nick while strolling to the parking area.

"Hm? Think about what, carrots?"

"Well, enlisting in the sport competitions, of course!"

"Huh? I would have thought that you of all people would rather do scheduled service".

"Yeah, but I heard about the Diversity City Festival of Zootopia back when I was a kit, and I already thought back then that it was a great idea! Every type of mammal living together in a big city, anyone can be anything, this City Festival celebrates everything I love about Zootopia! And look at us, Nick!" They both stopped in a corridor, and Judy was now facing Nick with an enthusiastic smile. "The first rabbit officer of the ZPD, and the first fox officer of the ZPD! And maybe even the very first Rabbit-Fox-Couple. We both are living the spirit of the festival. Wouldn't it be great to be an active part of it, too?" Judy was gettin0067 more and more enthusiastic about this idea, bouncing on her feet in front of Nick and twitching her nose.

Nick smiled at her, leaned against the wall and flipped his feet over. Not only could he see – and hear – Judy's enthusiasm, he literally smelled it. He always had a distinct olfaction, but most of the time he just suppressed it. Living in a big city like Zootopia with such a big diversity of animals was an olfactory challenge. Too many pheromones and artificial scents, it was too much to deal with. However, it was more difficult to ignore smells when you were with the same person day in, day out. Over the years as a Conmammal, Nick also learned to use his skills to his advantage. It could be a huge benefit to know if someone you try to outsmart is nervous or relaxed. When you try to distract a woman by flirting, it is useful to know if she finds you – or what you said to her – attractive or boring. Moreover, by now he could tell that Judy was definitely excited about the idea of participating in this Diversity Festival with him together as a couple. Pheromones are a better lie detector for emotions than any electronic device!

"And for what disciplines should we register?" Nick asked, still smiling.

"I don't know", Judy replied sheepishly. "What disciplines are there?"

"Well, there is a cycling race in Sahara Square, a Biathlon with kayak and running, skiing, a swimming contest…"

"Sounds a lot like our academy training", Judy laughed and Nick grinned.

"Yeah, there are quite a few similarities. The sport activities are on Friday, distributed all over the dozen districts of Zootopia. So we can register for one, perhaps two of them", Nick shrugged.

Judy still was all hyped up. "The Biathlon sounds great! But I want to do something together with you, too", She smiled broadly and put her paws together like she was praying.

"Hmm, the Biathlon sounds good to me".

Judy leapt into the air and reached out with one arm.

"But only on one condition, carrots".

The rabbit raised her eyebrow skeptically, "And what condition is that?"

"You will accompany me to the festivities on Friday evening as my escort", Nick smiled and winked at her.

"Sly Fox".

"Dumb Bunny. Do you agree?"

"Yes, of course! Let's go to Bogo to register for Friday immediately!" Judy grabbed Nicks paw and wanted to rush to the Chiefs office.

But Nick stopped her: "Hey, hey, not so fast. Registration is at the front desk; we have to talk to Clawhauser for this". Then he dragged her into the other direction to the front desk.

The rest of their day was just routine patrol around Central Square and the Rainforest district. There were a few motoring offences, like speeding, and a road traffic accident between a giraffe and a beaver. Overall, it was a quiet shift, and Nick and Judy left the precinct, after finishing their daily reports, just in time.

"Are you in the mood for some pizza, carrots?" Nick suggested on their way to the subway.

"Sounds good to me", She hesitated a moment, then continued. "Do you want to sleepover at my flat?" She smiled a little coyly.

"Another favor I should do for you?" the fox asked mocking.

Judy wrinkled her nose. "Nah, you don't have to. I could ask my neighbors to come over. A deer is not as cuddly as a certain fox, but I could surely accustom myself to it".

Now it was Nicks time to wrinkle his nose. "Your neighbor is a bit fishy in my book. I cannot allow for him to utilize you."

Judy smirked. "So, you're coming?"

"I cannot promise to come, but I will stay at your apartment". Nicks sly and gamy grin made Judy blush and she boxed him against his shoulder.

"Dumb fox!"

"Cheeky bunny".

They went to the subway station and drove off to Nick's apartment. He wanted to take a few spare clothes and around the corner was a very nice pizzeria, run by squirrels. As they sat down on the outside, a squirrel in a suite came up to them to take their orders. "We'll take one bottle of Merlot, a pizza with carrots and zucchini and a pizza with mushrooms, peas and some carrots", Nick said without hesitation, before Judy could even have a look at the card. The squirrel nodded and shooed back to the counter.

Judy cocked her head, and squinted her eyes. "How do you know what I want to eat?"

"You like carrots on your pizza, carrots, and you always ate them with zucchini, when you are …" Nick suddenly interrupted himself and looked embarrassed to Judy. Then he quickly re-arranged the silverware and napkin on his side, although everything was straight already. Nevertheless, it was clear as day that Judy would not drop the subject.

"When I am what, Nick?" She heard his heartbeat rushing. It seemed as if this was awkward for him, even though she hardly experienced this with Nick. He sighed and he looked defeated, as if he was pleading with his eyes that she let him drop the subject, but she returned his look with a resolute and questioning look. He closed his eyes and mumbled something so quiet, that even Judy could not understand him. She kicked her feet against his under the table.

"Ouch!"

"What is it, Nick?"

He sighed again, and bent over to her, speaking very quietly. "I noticed that you always eat some carrots mixed with zucchini when you are in heat. As a salad, in a wrap or on a pizza".

"Wow, you are a good observ… wait a second…" Her eyes grew bigger when she realized what Nick just suggested. Moreover, she blushed because he was right. "How do you know?" She asked almost in a whisper and a little frightened.

Nick shrugged "I am a fox. We have an excellent olfaction, and your scent changes ever so slightly when you're in heat".

Judy clasped her paws over her mouth and did not know what to say. "You can smell it?" She mouthed without speaking aloud and Nick smiled slyly.

"Not only that…" Judy groaned and wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Nick was fair enough to not say anything and waited for her to handle this. In Private, he was afraid that this revelation could scare Judy enough to bail on him any second. As their meals were served they started to eat, still without saying anything. Nicks heart sank into his boots. He was sure that he had goofed this up, he had showed too much of his true self. He had been thinking since their kiss on Friday night that she was too good for him, that he didn't deserve someone like her, and now he had said to Judy that he could smell her scent, even know when she was in heat. This must have been daunting. He thought about getting up and running. But even when Nick didn't say a word, Judy knew exactly what was going on inside of him. Finally, his heartbeat was anxious – just like that of a prey when hunted by a predator, Judy thought – and she thought he was going to spring up from the table at any moment. That was the second she could not postpone a reaction; she reached out her paw and laid it gently on his. He seemed to ease off at her touch and she smiled at this realization.

"It's okay, Nick. You did not say anything wrong, you just dumbfounded me. It is quite plain to me that you have an extraordinary sense of smell, I just never thought about it… this way".

"I am so sorry that I embarrassed you", Nick spoke in a low voice. "I really am just a dumb fox".

"The main thing is that you are my dumb fox", Judy smiled warmly to him and finally Nick too was smiling again.

"If you want to continue to put up with me?"

"Don't ever questioned this again!" She stroked his paw with her thumb. "I love you, Nick". His heart made a little backflip at these words and Nick replied.

"I love you too, Judy".

Next few days they met in the exercise room of the ZPD after their regular shift. They were both in shape, but the competition on Friday, even if it's for the good cause, would quite be an effort. After some stretching, they both each used the rowing machines for about an hour. Then some limbering-up exercise and finally they jogged through the Central Park for a few laps and then alternated to Judy's or Nicks apartment. Judy was always first when jogging, but on the rowing machines, Nick had an advantage due to his greater developed arm musculature. It was on Thursday evening, one day before the big Diversity City Festival. In the last days, they trained after their shift for several hours and where quite dead when they arrived at Nicks flat. Judy lay flat on her back on Nicks bed spread-eagled, fanning some air with her tank top. They didn't mention again that she was currently in heat and by now it was the last, or second to last day of this cycle. Doing sports worked great as distraction, although Nicks trained and sweaty upper body was a splendid view now. The fox had taken off his shirt – 'Stay calm and eat carrots' – and threw it in a box with other dirty linen.

"I'm off for a shower, carrots. Mi casa es su casa". He ambled into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar.

Minutes later the flowing water could be heard in the other room, where Judy was still lying on the bed. She straightened up, propping herself on her elbows. "Tomorrow will be a stressful day" she said, more to herself than to Nick.

"What is with tomorrow?" Nick asked from under the shower.

"It will be quite stressful; don't you think?"

"That's what we trained all week for, carrots!"

about the sporting events, but I heard there are a few smaller protests around the city".

"Most of the ZPD will be on patrol, nothing to be worried about, fluff".

"Yeah…" But Judy didn't totally ease off. She hopped from the bed, took off her tank top and sport-BH, and sneaked through the bathroom door. She undid her trunks and undies, too, and crept behind the shower curtain, to Nick into the shower. He leaned with his head to the tiling and let the water drip down his back, not noticing the small rabbit. It was only when she stroked her paws through his fur, that he realized he was no longer alone in the shower and twitched back in surprise.

"Carrots! You will give me a heart attack some day!" he snickered, but went speechless when he realized she was naked in front of him for the first time.

"No smart comment, Officer Wilde?" she asked slyly, now stroking his hips with her paws. Nick just shook his head with a featherbrained appearance open-mouthed and reduced to silence. Judy giggled softly and massaged the fur on his stomach. Finally, Nick regained his tongue and hunkered down. One of his paws caressed Judy's cheek, the other he stroked down her back.

When he spoke again, his voice was serious and gentle. "Judy, you are the most beautiful woman I ever saw". After that, he kissed her more passionately than he ever had before. Judy pegged with her paw against the steaming up glass wall of the shower and returned his kiss.

The next morning, both Nick and Judy were somewhat weary when their alarm went off, but a cold shower woke up the rabbit first, then the fox. While Judy was in the shower, Nick prepared a small breakfast: Some crispbread, a fresh fruit salad and a drink made of mixed vegetables, mainly carrots for Judy and tomato and apples for Nick. Up to this point he had never used his mixer, he had received it as a gift from his mother the day he moved into this apartment. However, Judy quickly taught him how to make fruit and vegetable drinks with it. It wasn't so bad, after all, he agreed. While Nick finally took his round in the shower, Judy already made some warming up and stretching exercises. She felt great today! Nothing could prevent her good mood to… her phone went off, the sound already revealing her parents as the caller.

"My parents are calling!" Judy shouted, so that Nick would hear it in the bathroom; then accepted the muzzle call.

"Hey, darling!" Her mother greeted her with a big smile.

"Hi mom, hi dad!" Judy waved with a paw into the camera, still beaming in anticipation of today's events.

"Just wanted to give you a short call before you start your day. Today is the sport festival you and your colleagues from the ZPD are participating in, right?"

Nick came out of the bathroom, totally nude and smiling, leaning against the doorframe. When Judy caught sight of him, he giggled but immediately looked down to her phone again and answered her parents.

"Yepp, today is the big day. Targeting to be a medal winner, nothing short", She winked.

"Of course you are, my dear! We wish you good luck! Give us a call after you're finished, will you?"

"Of course, mom! OK, I have to go, don't want to be late today!" They said goodbye to each other, and Judy put her phone down. Then grinned and threw a shirt in Nick's face. "Would you please dress up; we are going to be late otherwise!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Nick saluted to Judy who laughed, and then Nick quickly dressed up in his sportswear while Judy drank her carrot-shake.

They had to report in at the precinct and were dismissed right after the morning schedule. Besides Nick and Judy, Fangmeyer registered for the hurdle race and Marki, a wolf they didn't know well, was registered for the second biathlon for skiing and shooting. All others were grouped in teams all around the different hotspots.

"Remember there are two registered protests. Only a small number of participants are to be expected and precinct four will handle most of it. But be prepared if support is necessary. Dismissed".

"Hopps, Fangmeyer, Wilde, Marki, just a minute…" Bogo shouted as the colleagues were heading to the parking spot or the front hall. The four grouped around Bogo, who took a big envelope from his desk. He got four signs from it with their registration numbers. "You are figureheads of the ZPD! Don't disappoint me! You can take two days off, so see you on Monday – with your medals! Dismissed!" Bogo grunted and then left, the four athletes chatted for a few minutes together and helped each other to clip the numbers to their shirts.

"Good luck, everybody!" Nick waved goodbye, and he and Judy went to the subway station. They had to start in about two hours in the Rainforest District with kayak being their first discipline of the biathlon. They would have to row 42 kilometers together in one boat. After that, they would have to run another 21 kilometers through Savannah Central, the goal line being at the town hall. As both must cross the finish line to win the race it would not help if Judy sprinted forward and Nick went for broke during the rowing part. They registered as a team and only as a team they could – they would! – win.

"Have you ever participated in the festival in the past?" Judy asked while they were doing light stretching to warmup.

"No, never. After the incident with the boy scout's I wasn't too keen in participating in this festival as a fox".

"Oh, sorry. I didn't want to bring bad memories back, Nick."

"It's okay, who could blame them. It was another time back then, and the protests are proving that those times are not entirely gone".

"When I was a child, I always heard what a wonderful place Zootopia was, where anyone could be anything, and all different kinds of mammals lived together. I sometimes forget, that you lived here back then and it was nothing like I thought it was".

"Never mind, carrots. I would still be the sly Conmammal everyone expects from me as a fox", he stopped his exercise and turned to Judy. "You were the first one beside my mother who really believed in me. You even relied on me and gave me the feeling of being an important part of something bigger. Without you I would be lingering in the streets or be in jail by now. You made me a better person".

Judy smiled at him, fighting back her tears.

Nick reached for her paw, "And if this wasn't enough, you even gave me something even more important", he raised her paw to his snout and kissed it gently.

Judy sniffed; she wiped away some tears with her other arm and boxed him softly on the shoulder. "Dumb fox".

"Sly bunny".

"Shut up, you foxes are so emotional!" she sobbed and then both of them laughed at the same time. "We have some more exercises to do!"

(YouTube: 0OWj0CiM8WU)
It was early afternoon when they climbed into the kayak and the competition began. Besides them, there were 14 other teams participating and when the signal to start went off, they had managed to gain an early lead. When they got to the halfway mark, they had managed to get a few hundred meters ahead of the second team. They did not talk but rowed in an uninflected and steady rhythm. They arrived in first place at the first goal line after 43 minutes and 29 seconds. Their arms felt like lead, but there were still twenty-one kilometers to run. Nick was a good sprinter, but for this distance he had to spread his stamina for the whole run. Judy had been running long distances since her youth, so it was her duty to stay near Nick and to motivate him or give him some instructions to hang on. It did not make any sense to rush through this, instead they tried to maintain a constant speed. All kinds of mammals were cheering on the side of the roped road, a lot of them swinging flags and banners. There were also a few camera teams filming the whole event, and all kinds of different music was playing here and there from big loudspeakers. But Nick did not bother, he was concentrating hard to hold his speed and rhythm, Judy encouraging him from time to time. It was no help that she sometimes even ran backwards, facing him and taunting him with a wink. Not only did his arms feel like lead now, but also his legs. Even breathing was like thousands of small needles pricking his lungs. He vaguely noticed two or three other running teams passing them, but he was too focused to really notice.

Then Judy's voice brought him back to present: "Just one kilometer left, Nick! We are currently fourth, do you think we can speed up for a final spurt?" Nick was sure, she could easily sprint right ahead and even be the first to cross the finish line. But they both had to. He was not sure, he could keep up with this speed for the final meters, much less speeding up. "Come on Nick. I believe in you!" Judy's big eyes were looking at him and her paw was touching his arm.

He would do it. For Judy. "For you", he heard his own dull voice saying, a smile creeping on his snout while he actually noticeably sped up. They both ran all-out for the last few hundred meters and eventually overtook one team. They almost overhauled the second placed team but crossed the finish line being on the verge of doing so. There was a lot of shouting and cheering from so many mammals, but for Nick the only important one was Judy jumping happily in front of him, flailing her arms in the air. She finally jumped against his chest, embracing him so hard he nearly fainted.

"Hello, my name is Carla Columna, and I'm live on the ground with ZPD Officer Judy Hopps at Zootopia's forty-seventh Diversity Festival". The gazelle was cheerfully talking to a camera with a microphone in her hoof. Next to her was Judy, still breathing a bit heavily and with a towel around her shoulders. "Judy, you just made the third place at the Kayak-Running-Biathlon with your partner, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm feeling pretty well. Still somewhat puffed".

"You were in first place after the kayak leg, are you disappointed that you only made it to third in the whole run?"

"On no account! It's the taking part that counts, and there was some really tough competition. I heard the first placing team won for the fourth year in a row. To be the third off the top of one's head is surely a big thing and nothing to be disappointed about".

"Of course, you are right Judy! Who was the good-looking man on your side, accomplishing the phenomenal final spurt for you?"

"Oh, that's my partner and friend, Nick! He has currently lost his wind, but we made a great team together!"

"All of the best wishes to you both! And after a short commercial, we are taking a look at the progress of the Skiing-Shooting-Biathlon over in Tundratown. Stay tuned!"

There were a lot of mammals around and Judy had a hard time finding Nick. She also tried to hear him, but there was just too many noises to concentrate. Suddenly a paw was put on her shoulder.

"Hey, carrots", Judy was caught by surprise and jumped around. "Hey, hey…" Nick held up his paws in defense and smiled quite exhausted. "It's just your dumb fox".

"Oh, Nick!" Judy smiled and hugged him. "Sorry, it's just that you usually can't sneak up on me like this. You were great!"

"Naah, I hold you back. You could have done so much better without me, I even bet you could have beaten the first place!"

"You never hold me back, Nick. Without you, I would never have made it through kayak. We are a great couple!"

"You mean a great team", He winked.

"I mean we are both, dumb fox", She laughed. "Come on, let's sit down for a while". Judy took him by his paw and they both went to a leafy bower slightly aside from the hustle and bustle.

"I do not think this is a good idea, Nick". Judy was in her bathroom for quite a while. They came back to her place in the afternoon to take a shower and freshen up for the dancing party she agreed to go to with Nick. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a black shirt and a dark red tie. However, Judy had been in the bathroom for nearly two hours and was moaning about her appearance and outfit.

"You could wear nothing but a towel and still be the most beautiful woman at that party, carrots", Nick assured her. He had never seen Judy wear a dress or something similar, he did not even know that she owned one. Anyway, he was sure that she would look wonderful.

"But you are not allowed to laugh, promise?"

"I'll promise I'll go alone if you don't come out of that bathroom at once!" he laughed.

Finally, he heard her sigh and the door opened. Judy wore a body-hugging, shoulder less silk dress in light green. Her fur was carefully brushed and sprayed with some glitter around her cheeks. She even put on some eye make-up and lipstick.

"I don't know, is it okay? I only wore it once to a wedding". Judy looked somewhat shy but smiling at him. Nick on the other hand leaned against the wall, his mouth hung slightly open. He wanted to say something, but in his head was a big black hole; he tried to make a compliment, but only some babbling was coming from his mouth. Judy began to feel a bit uncertain. "I guess I can change into something more convenient", She suggested and turned around.

But Nick managed to say a single word: "No!" She hesitated and Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. "You are beautiful like a sunrise after a rainy season, bright like the brightest star ever seen by mammals, and pure like a snowflake". Judy put a paw over her mouth and Nick finished: "I swear; you are only one halo away from being the angel of light". Judy swore she blushed so hard that she must be as red as Nicks fur. The fox made a slightly unconfident step in her direction, holding his paw out. "Please allow me the honor of being your escort for the evening".

Judy snickered and made a curtsy. "It is a privilege to go out with you".

They ordered a Zuber and when they finally arrived at the city hall, the party was in full swing. They met a few colleagues on duty, as well as off duty and greeted them. Clawhauser was in a colorful suite himself and hugged both of them on sight.

"Hello sweethearts! Good to see you having some fun, too! Woah, Judy! You look gorgeous! Moreover, congratulations on your victory earlier today! Bogo was grumbling that you only made it in third place, but in truth he is really proud of you. Fangmeyer only made it in fifth and Marki got the gold medal as usual. At least he is one of our best Snipers, and a really good skier, too!"

They made some more Smalltalk, greeting colleagues and friends passing by, and sipping on their second cocktail. It was a great party, and the live band was playing some of the greatest hits. It was nearly ten o'clock when one of the hosts, a grey koala, went on stage and grabbed a microphone.

The band played a fanfare and the koala shouted "Attention, please!" It took a while and the band played a second fanfare until the voices trickled away. "Thank you that you all appeared so multitudinously and made this festival one of the greatest we ever had! As a yearly highlight, we now start our Song-For-A-Dance-Contest, our band will be available the whole evening for your wishes. Our only condition is that you have to dance to it! Thank you all together and have a nice evening!"

The crowd applauded enthusiastically and the band waited for the first song wish. It only took a few seconds and the koala that delivered the speech was dancing with a cheetah to 'Try everything'. Clawhauser was excited about the cover version, and danced along, and many mammals did the same. Even Nick was dangling with his hips and Judy giggled.

"I have a great idea!" she exclaimed. Nicks eyes grew big and he felt somewhat uneasy. This was Judy's 'Try everything' tone of voice. She emptied her Cocktail and when the song was nearly finished she ran fleet-footed to the stage, indicating to Nick with some gesture to follow her. The fox followed her slowly to the stage while Judy had a short talk with the band leader. Quite a few animals threw a glance after them, and Nick was proud to have this beautiful bunny at his side. The moment the band started to play, Judy turned around to him. (YouTube "cyrdSGeF5Qs") She stepped light-footed from foot to foot, teetering and running her paws all over her body, finally waving them into the air.

When the front-singer of the band started with the first verse, Judy mouthed the lyrics smiling wide. "Champagne glass, and a Merlot of Whine, with an old man staring at his broken time", Nick grinned and moved along, swinging his hips to the beat and eventually meeting with Judy. They grabbed each other's paws, dancing along. When the refrain started, the whole crowd started singing along, and Nick threw Judy – much to her surprise – slick into the air and caught her again. Gradually other couples joined them on the dance floor and they enjoyed their dance as if there was no tomorrow.

At the end of the song, Judy released herself from Nick and walked prancing backward, making a follow-me gesture with her paws. "If you don't know where, come follow me…" she mouthed along the lyrics. Nick made a show, doing some crazy stupid dance moves, finally following her off the stage with the last beats. The whole crowd applauded, some even wolf whistled them. Judy and Nick were both a little short of breath, and thankfully taking the drinks Clawhauser handed them over.

"Ohhh my Goooodness, you two are such a cuuuute couple!" Nick laughed at Judy's playfully frowning face but she could not hold her own laughter back for very long.

They partied far into the night, having the next two days off. When they finally arrived at Nick's apartment, they were more than just a bit tiddly and giggled all the way to his bed. For a few moments, they just stood there, holding each other's paws and glancing at each other, smiling satisfied. It was Judy who took the initiative, grabbing Nick by his tie and pulling him down so she could passionately kiss him. He replied her kiss and his paws stroked over her back and her ear line. However, Judy was not in the mood for some tame kissing and cuddling, impatiently she tore his shirt apart and dragging his jacket down. Nick groaned and opened the zipper of her dress on her back, inhaling her scent deeply. With a firm spring, Judy threw Nick back on his bed, immediately hopping on top of him.

"You are my trophy!" she smirked slyly, peeling her dress off in front of him.

Obviously unnoticed for this night Judy's phone showed 12 missed calls from her parents and 8 texts:

"Hi darling! How was your festival? XX Mom".

"Hey Jude, the dude! We couldn't get through to you, just wanted to hear about your day and how the competition went! Love, Dad & Mom".

"Hey Judy! We just saw a résumé of the competitions on ZNN. You won the third place, congratulations! Give us a call when you have a spare minute. Love Mom".

"Judy! Pick up your phone! Mom & Dad".

"Judy, we just saw you on an interview on ZNN! You have a boyfriend? Call us ASAP! Mom & Dad".

"You have to bring him by for a visit! Are you free this weekend? We are SO PROUD of you! Love Mom & Dad".

"Judy, we still could not get through to you! Are you still at the party? Give us a call! Love you! Mom & Dad".

"PS: Don't forget your visit! XX Mom".

Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Feb 2017)