Zootopia - Loves Blind

by OneWolfe

Office Judy Hopps finally has the life she always wanted as a police officer with the perfect partner. However her growing personal relationship with Nick is putting a strain on her job that everyone else can see except them. Love can be so very blind at times. (Drama)

19. Loves Blind 19 - Captivated

Chapter 19 - Captivated

In the middle of the city, a tall brownstone building was nestled between others of its kind. A warm, evening glow filtered through an open window and into the apartment. Inside, an old rickety bed sat in one corner and across from it was a well worn, antique table that doubled as a desk. Above the bed, hung two selfie photos of a fox and rabbit enjoying the city sites.

An orange tint covered everything in the room, causing them to glow as the jingle of keys could be heard beyond the door. The keys rattled, followed quickly by a thump and a clatter that echoed through the gap under the door. Following the loud noises, a small, angry voice spat out the names of several fruits and vegetables.

The jingling sound returned once again and shortly after, a soft click could be heard from the door. An old, brass door knob slowly rotated to the left before it quickly jumped back to its original position. A small grunt and several rustling noises came through the door before the knob began turning again.

Suddenly, the tall door flew open to reveal a grey-furred rabbit wearing a police uniform. She was carrying a plain, brown, cardboard box with a stylized smiley printed on each side. The box hid most of the rabbit's upper torso and muzzle, only her tall ears could be seen above the light brown, squared-off surfaces. In one paw, she struggled to hold onto one edge of the box while juggling a ring of keys. Her left, hind paw was raised into the air, causing her whole body and the box to lean to the right.

She lowered her raised paw and shifted her weight for a better grip on the box, nearly dropping the keys again. With a spring in her step she half skipped, half hopped into the tiny room and placed the big box in the middle of the floor.

From a small pouch strapped to her belt she pulled out a large pocket knife. Carefully unfolding the knife she quickly sliced the clear tape that kept the box sealed shut. With one deft swing of her blade the box popped open to reveal the contents stored within. Beneath the cardboard flaps, was a small bundle of neatly wrapped, plain, white tissue paper, like a puffy, little cloud trapped below the cold, dark earth. The rabbit pulled the bundle out of the box and began to carefully unwrap the delicate paper. Hidden inside the translucent white folds, was a sapphire blue cloth that sparkled and shimmered in the late evening light.

"It's finally here," the young bunny exclaimed as she hopped in place while pulling the evening gown from its resting place inside the simply wrapped package. She held it to her chest and twirled around in a tight circle, admiring the way the soft light sparkled and danced around the fancy dress.

She laid the dress carefully on top of her bed and began to shed her uniform in a furious abandon. Freed from the confines of her work clothes, she easily slipped into the tight fitting dress and zipped it up in the back.

Judy stepped up to her free-standing, rabbit length mirror to admire the sparkling, blue dress and how well it accentuated her bunny-like curves. A pair of thin straps held up the soft, smooth fabric and showed off the bare fur on her shoulders. While the tight dress didn't have the usual skirt that she was familiar with in most country dresses and only reached her knees, it still hugged her hips like a glove. Unlike most of her well rounded sisters, Judy had a firmly toned and muscular body that most bucks, back in Bunny Burrow, found unappealing, but looking at how well this new dress fit, made her feel very feminine.

Turning her hips to examine one side of the dress then the other, she realized that something was lacking and began searching her tiny apartment for just the right accent. Not immediately finding exactly what she was looking for, she entered the bathroom and began rummaging through the cabinets. Finally she spotted a bright purple flower that was attached to a small ring of beads. She stretched the elastic band around her right ear and pulled it taunt at the base.

With the flowery earband in place, Judy pulled a glittery make-up kit out of the bathroom cabinet where it had been sitting untouched for months. She wasn't the kind of mammal to wear a lot of make-up but tonight felt extra special, so she decided that a few additional touches here and there couldn't hurt. Starting with the fur around her eyes, she drew a thin, dark streak of liner around each one. Next she applied a hint of black mascara to her lashes before liberally coating her lips in a purple, berry-flavored gloss that sparkled nearly as much as her new dress.

The shimmering blue rabbit hopped from one paw to the other in excitement as she examined the results of her amateur artwork in the mirror. After her quick review she redrew the eyeliner and gave the mascara a second coat. She smacked her lips twice and blew a kiss in the air, to no one in particular, before returning the pencils and brushes to their pretty box and closed the lid.

As she placed the kit back into the cabinet over the sink and closed the door, a small, white box with green writing fell out and onto the counter. When the box hit the imitation marble surface, a thin strip of plastic leapt out and fell into the sink. The strip quickly slid, like a skier gliding over fresh snow, to the bottom where it bumped into the drain's metal plug and suddenly came to a stop.

Watching the plastic strip of pills fall into the sink, the rabbit's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed slightly in irritation. She lifted the pills out of the sink and shook off the few drops of water that they had collected on their swift journey to the bottom. Before putting them back into their box, she turned the plastic strip over and looked at each tiny bubble where the pills were sealed. Seeing that only a few of the months worth of pills had been used, her expression again changed to shock and then slowly shifted to horror.

"Oh no!" the rabbit cried, shoving the pills back into their box. She swiftly placed the box back onto the cabinet shelf and slammed the mirrored door shut like she was trying to hide their existence from a nosy sibling. Shaking her head she continued muttering in distress, "No, no, no, no. This can't be happening!"

Pacing the tiled floor, she covered her purple eyes with a pair of light-grey paws and continued to shake her head, "I really am just a dumb bunny." She glanced down at the sparkly dress she wore and her eyes began to moisten. "I can't believe everything I have been feeling this past week is because of these stupid bunny hormones." Kicking the cabinet under the sink with a bare paw she stormed out of the bathroom and flopped down on the edge of her bed.

"What am I going to do now? What has Nick been thinking of my attitude?" she sobbed. "I must have been acting like such an emotional rabbit in front of him this whole time." She stood up and started pacing the room again while chewing on a sharp claw.

"He has been such a good friend to me," she thought out loud as she passed by her desk for the third time. "But now, because I forgot to take my pills this week, all I can think about is jumping on him and handcuffing him to my bed." Her paw firmly slapped across her forehead and slowly slid down her snout.

"I need to fix this," Judy grabbed her phone off the desk and took a deep breath while opening up the quick dialer app. "I will just cancel this evening and explain everything to him. I am sure he will understand."

Looking down at the first number in the list, the rabbit could not come up with any good words to explain why she had been fawning over her friend all week. With one finger, she scrolled down the list to another name, this one started with a 'C'. "Maybe Cotton can help me figure this out?"

As she was about to tap on the number next to the rabbit's name she shook her head and pulled her paw away from the phone, "Mom said this would happen the other day." Judy tapped her chin with the claw on the end of her index finger, "Maybe she will know what I should do?"

Pressing down on her mother's number, her finger slipped as if a mysterious paw had bumped her own causing her to dial the next number down. She did not even realize the mistake until she heard the unexpected voice and saw a brown muzzle instead of her mother's grey one.

A rabbit doe with very light, tan fur that almost appeared like a pale orange, appeared on the screen of Judy's phone. Her eyes were a dark brown and the fur on her muzzle was a rich chocolate that contrasted well with her bright pink nose. She wore an orange top with thin black, horizontal stripes and a simple, yellow, collarless sweater jacket. Around her neck hung a jade pendant in the shape of a carrot on the end of a silver chain.

"Jenny!" Judy cried. "Where is Mom?"

"Um, is this a trick question?" the other rabbit asked with her nose twitching. "She is probably back at the main house with Dad, cleaning up after dinner."

Judy looked puzzled, "So why are you answering Mom's phone?"

Jenny's muzzle swung away from the screen for a second as she double checked to make sure she hadn't accidentally switched phones with her mother. "No, this is definitely my phone. You must have dialed me by accident."

"Oh sorry, bye," Judy lifted her paw to hang up, but something deep inside made her change her mind. "Um wait," she cried, waving her paw in front of the screen. "Maybe you can help me instead."

Smiling, the other rabbit replied tartly, "Sure, anything for my favorite sister." At that moment she noticed the fancy dress and the flower tied around her sister's ear, "Judy, what are you wearing? Are you going on a date?"

Shocked, Judy fumbled the phone and tried to cover her chest, "Oh, this, no no, oh no, this, this is just a temporary thing. I'm just trying it on before I have to send it back."

"Uh huh, sure," Jenny crossed her arms over her chest. "Who is the lucky buck? With a dress like that, he must be something real special."

Judy blew out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes, "He is only a good friend, and I am probably just going to call the whole thing off anyway."

"Wait, let me get this straight. You called me to help you cancel this date with your good," the other rabbit coughed into her paw, "friend? Is this the same friend that you have been mooning over for months now?"

"Jen, you don't understand," Judy nearly cried into the phone.

"Well then, please, feel free to enlighten me," Jenny sighed pulling on one ear.

"A few days ago I nearly attacked him in public and then demanded that he take me out to the fanciest restaurant in town."

"Well, that doesn't sound like the Judy that I know, pouncing on males in public, but it sounds like a better reason for why you're wearing that amazing dress." The orange doe took a deep breath and leaned closer to the phone wishing that she could wear a dress like that. She had gained some extra padding after her first litter was born and would never have fit into such a slim outfit. "So are you saying that you knocked him down and begged him to take you on a date?"

"No!" Judy declared with her fists on her hips. After a moment of glaring at her sister, her expression softened and she replied with a tilt of her head causing her ears to flop to the side, "Well, sort of. Things have been a little strange lately."

"What do you mean, strange."

"My emotions have been out of control for several weeks now, so the doctor here suggested I start taking these suppressants to keep things in check," Judy answered looking slightly ashamed.

"Ok, so if the pills are helping keep things under control, then what's the problem?"

"That's just it, everything has been out of control," she said, raising her voice to almost a yell.

"Well, you know, if the pills aren't working, then you should probably go back to the doctor."

"No, that's not it at all." Judy sighed in defeat. "The pills were working fine, but I haven't been taking them."

"Oh?" Jennifer uttered, leaning forward with renewed interest.

"Last week, when Mom and Dad were here for their anniversary, I came down with a fever and stopped taking the pills," the grey rabbit said with a sniffle. "And now, I guess I just forgot to start taking them again."

"I see, so now you've been an emotional train wreck in front of this guy that you like? And you're worried that you may have ruined your chances with him?" Jenny asked, with a nod of her head.

"No, not at all," Judy explained with her ears raised and her nose twitching a mile a minute. "Quite the opposite actually. I've been the typical hormone driven bunny. Every time I get near him, I want to kiss him and tear off his shirt."

Shock filled the other rabbit's eyes before she began to chuckle, "Wait a minute, what kind of suppressants are we talking about here? These aren't heat pills, the ones that keep you from jumping every male that walks by?"

Judy's ears flopped down behind her head, her nose suddenly stopped twitching and her eyes looked down shamefully at the floor, "Y-yes." She lifted her head and gave her sister a serious look, "What do I do now? I don't want these stupid hormones to ruin the friendship we have."

Tapping her chin, Jenny thought for a second, "When did you start noticing that your emotions were getting out of paw?"

"Um, a couple of months ago, I guess. Why?" the rabbit asked.

"Did you meet anyone new at that time? Maybe someone who made you sit up and take notice?"

"Not really," Judy said sadly, but her ears slowly perked up, like a carrot sprout first breaking into the sunlight, as she started talking about her partner. "I guess it was around the time that Nick graduated and we started spending most of our free time together after work. He has been a real gentlemammal, showing me all the sites around the city. We even went to the carnival while it was in town."

The rabbit on the other side of the phone smiled warmly, "Sounds like a great guy and I think I know what's going on."

Sitting up straight in the old rickety chair that came with the desk, Judy queried her sister, "What is it?"

"I am surprised that you don't know, but then again you were always too busy chasing bad guys to listen when mom gave our litter the talk," Jenny chided the grey bunny over the phone.

Judy rolled her eyes and took a short breath, "I know that rabbit does don't have seasons like other mammals, but doesn't the heat just come on randomly?"

Slowly shaking her head, the image of the rabbit on the phone began to bounce and stutter with silent laughter. "No, not at all," she chuckled.

With her arms crossed in front of her chest the grey rabbit asked, "What's so funny, Jen?"

Several moments passed as her sister's laughter calmed down and she wiped a few tears from her eyes. Still lightly chuckling she leaned back and asked, "So let me guess, you have never really been in heat before?"

The grey rabbit's eyes turned away and tried to look everywhere but at the phone or her sister, "Not, really, no. Well maybe, once, while I was taking classes at the Bunny Burrow Community College. But it was so short I could never really tell."

"You mean while you were dating Alex?"

A dark scowl crossed Judy's muzzle and she set the phone down on the desk for a moment. One paw knotted into a fist and she took a deep breath before she spoke, "Yes, and right before you swooped in and stole him from me."

"Well I am sorry for that, I just thought that ..." Her voice hung in the air for several heartbeats before she continued her apology, "I'm sorry."

Judy's smile brightened, "It's all right, I do forgive you sis." Her ears lifted and the small pink nose twitched slightly, "But that still doesn't answer the question, why are my hormones so messed up right now?"

Jennifer's ears stood up straight as a serious expression filled her muzzle, "Because your body is telling you that you have found The One."

Puzzled, the grey doe tilted her head to one side, "The one what?"

"A mate."

A loud clatter echoed through the tiny apartment as the small i-Carrot hit the wooden floor and bounced twice. Judy scrambled to pick it up and brushed it off quickly, "Oh, no! Sorry Jen." With the phone once more under control and resting back on her desk she continued her questions with a slight stutter, "W-What do y-you mean?"

The cream colored rabbit shook her head in dismay, "Let me spell it out for you, ok. You're not going crazy for this guy because your hormones are out of control. It's that your hormones are going crazy because you have already fallen for this guy, and pretty hard by the way it sounds. And I doubt that dress came cheaply."

Pulling lightly at the shimmering sapphire fabric that was tightly wrapped around her body, Judy replied, "Oh, this? I got it through the mail actually."

"That makes sense." the other rabbit nodded.

"So what do I do now?"

"About the date? Well you're all dressed up now, so you might as well go have fun with this guy you like so much."

"I meant, about the pills."

"Well it sounds like you have been fine without them so I guess you have a choice to make."

"A choice?"

"On one paw you could continue taking those pills, and go back to being just friends."

"And what's the other choice?" Judy's ears were pointed directly at the phone in her paws and her nose twitched furiously.

"Well, on the other paw you could forget to take the pills," a glimmer crept into the orange rabbit's rich brown eyes. "Just forget the pills and see how far this new relationship can go."

At that moment the phone chimed and a small message popped up in the corner of her screen. "I'm here with the cab," it read.

"Um, I have to go. Thanks for everything, Jen-Jen."

"Sure thing Ju-Ju. You owe me, so I want to hear how the date goes. Every juicy detail."

"It's not a date," the grey rabbit huffed, reaching out to hang up the phone.

"Yeah, right..." and her sister was cut off before she could finish the sentence.

Judy quickly grabbed a small purple handbag and stuffed her phone into it before heading out the door. As she passed the bathroom she stopped and turned around to quickly step into the tiny room. She slid the strip of pills out of their small box and popped one of them from it's tightly sealed bubble. With a quick toss, she downed the pill in a single gulp then rushed into the hall and locked her apartment door behind her.

---

The little boxy car was not your typical cab. On the outside it shouted, "Cheap economy car," but the luxurious interior told a different story. A mammal could easily fall asleep in the rich, chocolate brown seats and the faux wood trim gave it that feeling of a classic, old-world style carriage. Yet when the driver hit the gas pedal, everyone for three whole blocks knew that this was a souped up hot rod, it positively roared like an angry tiger.

Nick was slammed back into the seat so hard that he bit his tongue when the light finally turned green and the spiky echidna in the front seat slammed on the gas. Hardly noticing the force of acceleration that kept his passenger pinned, the driver looked back at the fox, "So where to pal?"

Barely able to move or breath in the back of that little rocket car, Nick simply groaned. When he had called for a cab, using his Zuber app, he did not expect anything like this, this driver was possibly more insane than his partner. It wasn't like he was breaking any laws, just bending them till they screamed and begged for mercy.

Only a few seconds passed before the foreign model car reached the speed limit and the todd was once again able to move freely. He took a deep breath, raising his chest as high as it would go and enjoyed the freedom of movement. "Grand Pangolin Arms in Savannah Central," he stated, slowly letting all of the air flow out of his lungs in one long exhale.

"Oh, that's close to downtown. We'll be there in a jiffy," the small mammal declared. The car was built for medium sized mammals and this tiny, spiny anteater shouldn't have been able to see over the dash, let alone reach the petals, but he obviously made his living driving around in it.

After zipping through a third intersection, the echidna turned to glance at his sharply dressed passenger, "Got a hot date tonight or something?"

The fox sitting in the back seat was wearing a dark charcoal jacket over a black button-up shirt with the first two buttons undone. In the jacket pocket, hung his aviator sunglasses. The whole ensemble looked like he had just stepped out of a popular night club. He lowered his phone and looked up at the driver with his everyday smirk, "Nope, just showing a friend around town."

"I know my way around this city pretty well. If you're looking for someplace special don't hesitate to ask."

Evening had officially arrived as the last hint of light faded in the west and the small, boxy cab pulled up to a tall, brownstone brick building. The cabbie parked under the streetlight along the sidewalk in front of a five story apartment. Nick quickly sent a text from his phone before he climbed out to wait for his partner.

Leaning calmly against the car door, Nick wondered if the country bunny even owned anything suitable for the fancy bistro where he had set up reservations. Luckily, he had been able to call in a few favors to get their dinner reservations on such short notice. The pretty, pink outfit she wore for their first undercover op was definitely cute, but it really wasn't classy enough for the most exclusive restaurant in town. Thoughts of how she had clung to him on the dance floor brought a tight feeling to his chest and he began to pant in the evening heat.

"Cool it Wilde," he said to no one in particular. His tail had been wagging as he remembered how her warm amethyst eyes seemed to pull him down into their depths. Swatting at the overly excited appendage, he cautioned it to calm down, "What are you so happy for? She is a rabbit and could never see us as anything more than friends." The bushy, orange brush continued to sway despite his scolding, "Besides, this city would not take kindly to a fox dating a rabbit."

A beep from the phone in his pocket interrupted his dark musings. Lifting the device he swiped his paw across the screen and entered the code to unlock it. The text message simply read, "On my way down." Before he could type in his reply, a warm voice called to him, "Hey, Slick."

The most beautiful mammal he had ever seen, stood at the top of the stone stairs in front of the apartment complex. She was a light grey bunny wearing a shimmering, sapphire blue dress that sparkled like a country sky on a dark night. Nick had never thought about Judy's figure before, but the tight-fitting dress she wore left him drooling over every curve. The rabbit was quite fit and her well toned muscles showed through her bare fur, but he could not have dreamed up a more gorgeous sight.

His tail wagged freely and he could only stare as the blue and grey angel slowly glided down the stairs to stand in front of him. She smiled up at him shyly, "Do you like the dress?" The only response was a sight nod of his head as his jaw opened. "Are you ok, Slick?" she asked, patting his cheek softly.

Another nod from the stunned fox was followed by an unintelligible mutter.

"Well, I'm hungry so let's get something to eat," she lifted her paws and secured the top two buttons of his dark dress shirt before she could bury her muzzle into the thick, creamy fur that kept poking out. "Are we ready to go?"

Like waking from a deep, pleasant dream, the fox shook his head and finally noticed the rabbit no-so-patiently waiting for him, with her paw thumping on the sidewalk. "Oh, yes. Right this way m'lady," he pulled open the door and bowed slightly. She took his proffered paw as he helped her climb into the cab.

Judy leaned her head on the fox's shoulder once he was able to climb into the seat next to her. She wrapped her paws around his arm and his tail soon found its way into her lap.

The echidna looked back at the snuggling couple through the car's rear view mirror, "So where are you two lovely mammals going for your date tonight?"

"It's not a date!" they both declared firmly in unison.

"Oh. I understand," he stated, nodding while his long, thin snout flopped up and down. "You don't have to worry about me, I am not going to judge. My girlfriend is a kangaroo rat, and other than my parents, you're the first mammals that I have told."

"That is really sweet, but trust me, we are just good friends," the rabbit affirmed while she subconsciously ran her fingers through the thick, fluffy red tail that was sitting in her lap.

"3 West Feye Boulevard," Nick read off the address to the driver.

"Wait, are you two planning to go to the Angani Bistro? I've heard they don't really tolerate mixed couples very well," the driver cautioned as he put the car into gear. "I might be able to suggest something a little more accommodating."

"No, that will be alright," the todd replied. "A friend assured me that we have reservations for this evening."

The cab's engine groaned as the driver carefully turned the car around and headed back downtown. "Ok, you're the boss, but if you run into any trouble though, feel free to call me. My driver number is on the receipt in the app. Just enter it when requesting a pick up."

---

A tall, red fox dressed in fashionable evening wear escorted a shiny, beautiful bunny in a form fitting dress, off the elevator with her right paw gently wrapped around his left arm. The pair chatted comfortably and the rabbit's bright smile warmed the dark evening, as they slowly drifted through the elegant, sky lobby. Her slim, sapphire dress shimmered and sparkled with each step.

The lobby was tastefully decorated with large ferns, antique furniture and priceless paintings. To the left of the elevator, one wall was made entirely of glass and revealed an amazing night view of the city lights far below. Judy looked through the window with eyes wide like a child's, taking in the scene spread out before her. The next tallest building was several blocks away, but she felt like she only had to reach out a small, grey paw to touch the enormous glass and steel structure.

Opposite of the glass wall, was a large arch that separated the lobby from the next room. Steps led down from the arch into a dining area where cozy tables were sectioned off by rich brown dividers. At one of the tables, Judy spotted a pair of large felines in business suites, while a pretty hyena served their drinks. Bright red curtains hung in tightly bound bundles on the edges of the arch, further obscuring the rabbit's view of the restaurant.

At the top of the steps and sitting barely inside the arch, was a tall podium stained in the same dark, rich brown as the tables and dividers behind it. Standing patiently behind the podium was a large, grey wolf in a sharp, black tuxedo with a fresh, red flower in the pocket of his jacket. The maitre'd did not look down or acknowledge them until Nick walked up and announced themselves, "Reservations for Wilde, party of two."

The wolf looked down his snout at the pair for a few moments before responding, "Oh, of course, let me check." He pulled out a small black book from beneath the podium and flipped through a few pages. Looking back at the mixed couple before him, he replied with a snooty shake of his head, "I am sorry, Mr. Wilde, but I do not see that reservation here."

Lifting a paw and pointing in the air Nick quickly responded, "There has to be some mistake. I called Edwin earlier to make sure the reservation was still set for this evening.

"There is no reservation for a Wilde and company," the wolf declared matter of factly. "Without a reservation, we won't be able to seat you."

Judy patted Nick's arm and confronted the wolf, "Maybe we could speak with the manager?"

"That won't be necessary,'' a voice replied from behind one of the curtains. A black jaguar stepped through the arch to look down accusingly at the fox. This was not the friend who had assured him that they had a reservation for the evening. "Sir, we are currently booked for the evening, maybe you can call back later and set up a reservation for another time."

"We already had a reservation for this evening." With fists on her hips the bunny glanced through the large arch, noticing that most of the seats were empty. "There is hardly anyone here, so why won't you allow us to be seated?"

Ignoring the small prey mammal in the sparkly blue dress, the manager leaned over and calmly addressed the fox, "Sir, I am afraid that you and your toy are not welcome here this evening." With a rude sniff he stuck his nose in the air, "And if she continues to cause a scene we will call the police and have both of you removed from the premises."

Infuriated, Judy sternly declared, "We are the police and will site you and your establishment for Unjust Discrimination."

Nick sighed and grabbed her arm to calm the hopping mad rabbit, "It's not worth it Carrots. We're off duty, and not even in uniform."

"What? This isn't right. I am not just going to let them get away with this kind of discrimination." Opening the small purse in her paws, Judy realized that she had not remembered to bring along the spare badge that she usually kept around for just such an occasion.

Shaking his head, the fox looked down at her sadly, "The most exclusive bistro in town turns us away and you want to write them a ticket? Their lawyers probably make more than all the police mammals in this entire city. Besides, there are better places where we can find a good meal." He graciously held out his paw for her to take and led her back to the elevator.

Waiting in the lavishly decorated lobby for the elevator to return from it's long journey, Judy took several deep breaths and tried to let go of her anger at the ungrateful jaguar. She fiercely squeezed the fox's paw, "What about our reservations."

His downcast eyes glanced over at the image of his partner reflected in the mirrored shine from the sealed doors in front of him, "Let it go, Carrots. This isn't just some elephant's ice cream parlor on Central Avenue, where you can threaten them with a health violation."

A soft chime announced that the elevator had arrived and with a nearly silent hiss the doors opened. Inside stood a tall lion dressed in a very expensive business suit with golden cuff links and a large ruby stud in one ear. He was carrying a gold trimmed briefcase and he appeared to be arguing with himself before the small rabbit noticed the earpiece hiding in the well-groomed mane around his huge ears. At first she thought it might have been ex-mayor Lionheart, but the predator's fur color was slightly off and his voice was deeper and sounded more like a herd of pebbles rolling down a mountain.

The large business mammal stepped out of the elevator without a single glance at the smaller couple and Nick had to pull Judy out of the lion's way. When he approached the large arch he did not stop at the podium but continued down the steps like he owned the place and the manager greeted him warmly, "Good evening, Mr. Clawfield. The usual for you today?"

Once the steel doors closed silently behind them and the fox had selected the first floor, he turned and apologized to the still fuming bunny, "I'm sorry."

Confused the rabbit looked up at her fox, "Why? What for?"

"Because I should have looked into this place a bit more before suggesting you come here."

Wrapping her paw around his arm once again, she patted it and replied, "It's ok. I really didn't like the look of that place anyway."

"I would be surprised if you did."

Her ears fell behind her head, "What do you mean?"

"I am certain that this is a predator only establishment. I think that is why they turned us away, because they don't serve prey."

A small pink nose pointed at the floor and the rabbit frowned, "How could you tell?"

"Did you see any other prey in there? All the staff were pred's as well."

"So. Lots of restaurants have mixed staff," the rabbit rebuked.

"Plus there was the smell of fresh meat and fish. Most places that serve mixed menus try to hide the smell so it doesn't scare their customers. But in there, it was very strong, almost as if they were flaunting the fact that they sold fresh meat."

The rabbit turned slightly green at the fox's admission, "That's disgusting."

"As I said, I am sorry that I brought you here. And I am sorry I didn't look into it more."

Pulling him closer, she gave him a warm, friendly hug, "It's all right, Nick. We can just go somewhere else this evening."

Returning the hug, Nick pulled out his phone and clicked open the Zuber app.

Minutes passed in silence as the elevator slowly descended from the upper floors. A familiar car was waiting for them outside when they finally arrived in the main lobby and stepped out onto the street. "The date didn't go so well I take it?" the echidna asked the couple.

"Uh, yeah," the fox replied before his companion could respond to the driver's comment. Nick held Judy's paw as she climbed into the small, boxy car, "What was that place you mentioned earlier?"

"Seasons?" the driver asked.

Sitting down on the plush seat in the back of the car, the todd closed the door and responded, "Yeah. I've not heard of it before."

Putting the car in gear, the driver looked through the rear view mirror, "It only opened a few months ago, but they have a really good menu that changes every few months. I've taken my girlfriend there several times." He hit the gas and both mammals were plastered deep into the back seat. "Plus you won't have to feel overdressed."

Several minutes later, the cab pulled up to a brand new building that had been neatly placed between two giant skyscrapers. It was built in a modern style that combined cobbled block supports with rich mahogany arches. Everywhere the fox and rabbit looked, no two corners of the building matched. Each section of the structure lay scattered about like a jumble of rocks fallen from a cliff, but the shapes that formed remained quite pleasing to the eyes.

Nick held Judy's paw as she climbed out of the cab again and through the steel arches up to the entrance. He held the door for her and asked the gratuitous antelope waiting inside, for the next available seat. Only a few minutes passed before they were escorted to a table near the center of the dining area.

They were led through a quiet dining room to a round table surrounded by comfortable, plush short back chairs with curved arms that wrapped around the seat to hug the mammals as they sat. Nick helped the rabbit climb into her chair before taking his own across from hers. Judy's chair seemed to fit perfectly while she was able to lean back comfortably and still see over the table with ease. Nick's own chair had room for his tail so he didn't have to feel cramped or wrap it around himself while eating. A pair of tall candles stood in the center of the table that lit each mammal's muzzle with a flickering, warm glow.

"Nick, this place is absolutely perfect," Judy cheered. "We really have to thank that driver for the recommendation."

"Yes, you rarely see fox sized," he held his breath for a second. "Or rabbit sized tables in any restaurant these days. Most use the One-Size-Fits-All style of seating."

"Which rarely does fit every mammal," the rabbit chuckled and glanced shyly at the fox across from her.

Large folded menus were laid in front of the small mammals and their drink orders were taken with bright, engaging smiles from the hostess. Neither menu left the table while the couple soaked in their surroundings.

The atmosphere in the room had an old fashioned, comfortable feel filled with warm, oak-brown and light-grey, stony textures. Though the building was brand new and very modern, the high ceiling was supported by wooden beams and a fire burned in a charming, cobblestone fireplace. Everything felt antique yet was obviously very new and stylish at the same time.

Even though the dining area was one large room, several seating areas were sectioned off with a tasteful variety of stone, wood and glass walls that gave the room a cozy, almost private feel. The small table where Nick and Judy sat was in the center of a section for smaller mammals. Near them, was a tall divider that looked like a wooden jigsaw puzzle. On the shelves that formed between the puzzle pieces, small, potted plants grew. Some of the plants flowered brightly, while others tried to creep their way up the sides of the wall.

Entranced by the pair of beige candles that burned between her and Nick, Judy failed to notice the waiter as he approached. She was quite shocked when she finally looked up and saw a very strange mammal standing next to their table asking in a thick, Latin accent, if they were ready to order.

The waiter had bright, beige fur with dark patches at the ends of his extremities and he stood slightly shorter than the height of most rabbits. He wore the same muted, black outfit that served as a uniform in this establishment, but what caught her attention was his tall, stiff ears. The ears were not as long as her own, but they stood up straight on the back of his head and he seemed not to have the same control over them as she did. Like two built-in radar dishes, she could rotate each of her ears more than 180 degrees around the sides of her head and raise or lower them at will. This new mammal's ears seemed to be stuck straight up and could only turn about half as much. He wasn't like any rabbit she had ever seen.

His muzzle was much longer than any rabbit or hare, almost like that of a large rat and he had far too many whiskers. He was also quite plump, like a big ball of fur. As he walked from her side of the table to Nick's while placing down their drinks, she noticed the most unrabbit-like feature about this strange new mammal. The waiter's tail was long, scruffy and curled up like a cinnamon bun. Never had she heard of any mammal with a tail like that.

Curiosity filled the shiny, blue dressed rabbit, but she was too polite to ask the question that burned inside her. She could not take her eyes off the unusual creature until Nick placed his paw on top of hers. With a small jump she looked down at the untouched menu sitting in front of her, "Oh, um. Give us a few minutes to look over the menu first."

"Take all the time you need," the strange, rabbit-like waiter replied with a friendly smile as he left their table.

The fox's paw pad was rough and warm against her fur causing a pleasant tingle of goose bumps to rise up her arm. She grasped his paw trying desperately to hold onto the feeling, but the tingle slowly faded to a soft, warm glow that seemed to fill her chest. With her other paw she lifted the menu to hide her broad smile from him.

Unable to focus on the words written on the stiff card-like pages before her, she finally placed the menu back on the table and leaned across it, towards her partner. "What kind of mammal was that?" she asked him with almost a whisper. "Do you think he was one of those hybrid's they mentioned at the research clinic last week?"

"What? Who?" was the reply she heard from the other side of the fox's menu.

"That waiter. He looked like some weird cross between a rabbit and some kind of rodent. Maybe a large rat or even a capybara."

Placing the open menu back down on the table, the fox looked curiously at the puzzled bunny across from him. He tilted his head to the side slightly before smiling at her, "I guess being from the country you would have rarely encountered their species before. I forget what they are called but I have only ever seen them rarely around the Canyonlands, where it is always hot and very rocky."

"Yes. This city has a much greater variety of mammals than Bunny Burrow and many I have never seen or even heard of before."

"I guess you could always ask when he comes back."

"Oh, no. I don't want to be rude," the rabbit gasped and quickly stuck her nose back into the menu.

After several minutes the waiter returned, "Are you two ready to order?"

With a cheerful smile, Judy nodded, "Mm hmm, I know what I want. How about you Slick?" The fox also nodded his agreement and she began pointing to the salad items she wanted for her dinner, while the waiter quickly jotted them down.

Nick ordered a roasted vegetarian sandwich that was smothered with three different kinds of cheese and added an appetizer of fried okra for them to share.

Before the waiter walked away to give their orders to the kitchen, Judy's curiosity got the better of her, "Do you mind if I ask where you are from?"

The desert mammal barely hesitated as he gathered the menus off the table, "Oh not at all. I live in the Canyon District, it's near the heat wall between Sahara Square and Tundra Town. But I am guessing that is not what you meant." Judy simply nodded in curiosity. Placing the pair of menus under his short arms, he continued, "Well my family is originally from a desert island far to the south. I am told it's really nice there, but I have never seen it myself."

Wiggling her nose, Judy tilted her head curiously, "I don't remember any desert islands south of Zootopia from my geography classes."

"It's actually an island in the middle of a lake, the largest lake on the southern continent."

"That does sound pretty impressive," Judy agreed. She was about to ask another question but her phone chimed and the waiter left as she looked down at the new text message.

"You're dating a fox!" the message read. Looking up at the mammal across the table from her, the warm feeling in her chest grew and a smile split her muzzle in two, "I guess I am."

"Am what?" the fox asked, perplexed by the bright glow coming from the rabbit.

"Oh, it's just my sister," Judy replied, quickly trying to cover the slip. She typed a response into her phone and pressed send, "Maybe." Her reply was followed by a winking smiley face.

Her sister's angry reply came very quickly, "Mom just told me all about your boyfriend! How could you be dating a predator, and a fox for cabbage sake?" The rabbit rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath before closing the text messaging app.

Putting away her phone, she looked across the table at the attractive fox who was typing something on his own mobile device. A hot rush beneath her fur threatened to turn her muzzle red when she noticed the buttons on his shirt had come undone again. The warm candle light reflecting off his emerald eyes drew her in and she felt like she was standing on the edge of a tall, red cliff. His claws tapped away at his phone and she wondered what they would feel like running down her back.

She reached across the table and gently took a hold of his paw and caught his eyes in her charming gaze. Taking a deep breath she decided to dive in head first and ask the reclusive fox about his past, "When was the last time you were, um." Faltering, she took another breath, knotted up her other paw and pressed onward, "In a, um, romantic relationship?"

Letting go of his phone the todd blinked in the candlelight and found himself drawn into a pair of deep, amethyst pools, "What, you mean like a date?"

"Yeah, a d-date," her ears started feeling hot and she wanted to bury her muzzle behind them, but the fox's bright shiny emeralds held her captive like a rabbit in a trap.

"It's been a long time." He felt a faint quiver in the paw holding his and he gave it a gentle squeeze. "Why the sudden interest, Carrots?"

"I just want to know more about the mammal that I have to work with." She pulled his paw closer and leaned forward with determination. "I tell you about myself all the time. You've met my parents, and yet I still don't even know your mother's name. I hardly know anything about the mammal you were before we met."

Nick tried to pull away from the intensely curious rabbit. He wanted to run as far away from this cute ball of fluff as he could, but his paw remained on the table, held by the bunny's firm grip. His eyes were trapped by the purple stare, he was drowning and yet he had never felt happier. The predator was helplessly caught by the prey and he wasn't even kicking and screaming for help.

He leaned back in his chair, while a smirk slowly crept across his muzzle. Keeping his gaze fixed on her eyes and that cutely twitching nose, he decided to play along, "All right, Fluff. I will tell you about my last date, but first you have to tell me about your first one."

The rabbit's nose scrunched up and her ears shifted from side to side as she mulled over the fox's proposal for a few minutes. She finally made her decision when the waiter returned with a steaming plate of fried okra on a bed of romaine lettuce. "Deal," she declared, shaking his paw. She let it go to grab a few of the tasty treats and dipped them into the rich, creamy sauce that accompanied the plate.

"So," the fox queried between bites of deep fried vegetable. "Do you still remember your first date?"

"Of course," the rabbit chomped out the words with half closed lips. "It wasn't that long ago."

"Do tell," Nick remarked.

Rolling her eyes, she scooped up a large dollop of sauce with the last okra circle and most of it dripped off the slice and onto her paw, matting the fur. After swallowing the fried vegetable and then licking the sauce from her fingers, she started her story, "Back before Lionheart's Mammal Inclusion Initiative allowed me to enter the Police Academy, I was taking some criminal investigation courses at the junior college in the Tri-Burrows."

"So you were already studying to become a detective?"

"Yep, or even get into the forensic sciences. But my real dream has always been to be out on the streets and helping mammals." Her smile seemed to brighten the room more than any of the candles nearby. "The college allowed me to study and take some of the classes I needed, but never really offered the physical training and discipline we got at the academy."

Wiping the leftover crumbs from his paws with a napkin, Nick encouraged Judy to continue her story, "So where does this date come into the picture?"

Judy lowered her head slightly trying to avoid the fox's gaze. She wiped her lips with her own napkin and paused for several heartbeats when she noticed that he was smiling at her. "His name was Alex," she finally replied, "and he was a business major. We met in the Introductory Corporate Law class and formed our own little study group since the class was actually quite small and we were the only rabbits that semester."

Taking a sip of his blueberry cocktail, Nick leaned closer watching the expressions play across Judy's muzzle as she told her story, "So what kind of rabbit was he?"

"Oh, well, um. I remember he seemed pretty plain, all one color ya' know, a chocolate brown, except lighter in the front, like most mammals," she waved a paw in front of her muzzle to emphasize the lighter areas of her fur.

"Mm hmm," the fox nodded.

"It was near the end of the semester when he finally asked if he could take me out to dinner. I was pretty shocked actually."

"Why is that?"

"Because I had never been asked out on a date before. Most bucks don't seem to like a strong, independent doe who wants to be a cop." She took a few sips of her orange colored drink before she continued, squinting her eyebrows together in irritation, "I guess they just want a rabbit who will stay home and take care of the children."

"Do you?" Nick asked, interrupting her. "Want children?"

Reaching out she smacked his paw since his shoulder was too far away to punch, "Of course I do, Silly. But right now my career is more important."

"Ok. So how did the date go and whatever happened to Mr. Business Mammal?"

"Right, um," the rabbit's ears fell and her eyes looked down at her paws. "The date was nice and all." She wrung her paws in the air for a few seconds, "We went to see a movie. I wanted to see the one about those mammal hunting robots from the future, but he wanted to see these giant, prehistoric lizards take over the world. He eventually decided to compromise and we went to see the robots, but said that for a second date we would have to go see the giant lizards."

"And was there a second date?"

She lowered her head again and could not meet the fox's gaze, "After the movie, we had a nice dinner and stopped at the malt shop before he drove me home. I thought the date went really well, we talked and laughed. He had some really good jokes, and I really thought that he liked me and seemed to take interest in my dreams of being a cop." Her purple eyes started to glisten and a few tears ran down her cheek before her paws clenched and her eyes hardened.

"Uh, oh. I know that look. So what happened between you two?" The fox reached out taking one of her paws in comfort.

Judy opened her paw and wound her fingers together with his and gave the fox's paw a tight squeeze. "I never got to see the giant lizard movie," she said flatly. "A week later I waited til class was over and then asked him if he still wanted to see the movie together. He just said that he already went to see it with someone, but wanted to know if I would be interested in the new comic book hero movie that was coming out later that weekend. Of course I said I would go and literally skipped all the way home. I hadn't hopped and skipped like that since I was in grade school."

"You actually skip like that a lot you know, It's actually quite, um..." he paused with his chin in his paw trying to think of a word that wouldn't offend the small mammal.

Rolling her eyes at him she replied, "Just go ahead and say it, I know you want to."

With a small chuckle, he leaned back in the chair grinning, "I was going to say 'beautiful,' but the 'C' word works too."

Sitting up straight, Judy's ears and nose turned bright red, "Wait, you actually think I'm beautiful?"

The fox choked on an ice cube and began pounding on his chest, "Did I say that, what I meant was 'adorable.' Yes. When you hop and skip through the halls of the ZPD like a schoolgirl it is quite adorable."

"No, you said beautiful," she leaned over the table with a smirk, pointing her bright red nose and ears directly at the embarrassed fox.

Taking another sip of his drink and wiping his brow, he exclaimed, "Wow, this cocktail is really strong, what do they put in it?"

Crossing her paws over her chest she leaned back unsatisfied with his excuses, "Uh huh."

Eyes deep in his glass, the fox quickly changed the subject, "What happened to Alex? Did you ever go on that second date?"

"No," she said sadly, but the hint of a smirk remained on her muzzle. "The next day I caught him making out with my sister in the parking lot after class."

"Yikes, that's rough."

"Yeah, she was my litter mate and my best friend. We grew up sharing everything, but a boyfriend was not something I was willing to share."

"So what did you do?"

"At first I was shocked and didn't know what to do, but afterwards I was furious and would not even speak to either of them for months. When they finally got married, I marched into the church and punched her right in the nose."

A rich, warm laugh filled the quiet restaurant, "Way to go, Carrots."

"It was right when the priest asked if anyone objects to their union. So I marched right up there and delivered my objections."

Nick lifted his glass in salute to the rabbit, "Cheers. That was amazing. I can't believe you waited til the wedding though. I would have expected you to punch either of them right on the spot."

The rabbit doe raised her own glass and touched his with a clink, "I know, right? I was so upset that I don't even remember driving home. Later, mom said I came home crying and locked myself in my room for the entire weekend. After that, I have never looked at another buck."

"Wait, really?"

"Yup. My mother keeps trying to set me up, but right after the wedding, I got accepted to the academy and then moved here, so I haven't had time to think about dating."

With the rabbit's story finished, they leaned back in their chairs, quietly sipped at their drinks and drowned in each other's eyes. After a few minutes passed, Judy coughed into her paw, "Ok Slick. I shared my first date, now it's your turn."

"You're really determined to dig into my past aren't you?"

"Yup," the rabbit exclaimed, batting her eyelashes. "Spill the beans, Fox. Or do I have to pawcuff you to the table and read your Miranda rights?"

Holding his paws out to her with the wrists pressed firmly together he countered her threats, "Any time, Sweetheart."

Reaching back to her waist she realized that she was no longer wearing her utility belt and then began to blush when she saw the fox's curious reaction. "Um, yeah. Maybe later, Slick." Leaning forward, she pointed a sharp claw at him, "We had a deal, remember, and you still owe me a story."

Grabbing the small grey finger that was pointed at him, he pulled on it gently, but the rabbit had other ideas that quickly devolved into an impromptu thumb war. After several intense minutes, the little, grey thumb finally pinned the larger, red one, leaving the fox begging for mercy, but the rabbit would not relent. "Tell me about your last date, before things really get violent," she cautioned, trying to keep her voice down and not disturb the other guests.

"All right, all right," the fox whimpered, trying to pull his bruised and battered paw away from the rabbit's fierce grip, "but it was a really long time ago."

Letting the paw go free, she smiled at the fox, "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because, Carrots. I don't date," he stated, trying to rub the feeling back into his bruised paw.

"Really? Do tell," she leaned over curiously and placed her cheek in the grey paw that was now the reigning champion of their latest competition.

"Because it never turns out well," he sighed, fidgeting with his nearly empty glass. "No one ever trusts a fox, not even other foxes it seems."

"I trust you, Nick," with her free paw she reached out and patted his arm with a sweet smile.

"I know, Judy," he took the paw in his and gave it a gentle squeeze before folding his fingers between hers.

"So if it was such a long time ago, what do you remember of the last date?"

Lifting his eyes to a vine that was creeping its way up and around the side of the divider that separated them from the next table, he let his mind drift back many years. "I was in my early twenties, and she was a little older," he spoke after a long pause. "She wasn't into movies, or fancy dinners for that matter. She mostly preferred the bar scene."

"Ok?" the rabbit nodded and her nose started to twitch.

"We met while I was selling rugs on the corner one warm, spring day. I remember that day pretty well because it was unusually hot and there was no wind."

Judy wiggled her fingers around in small circles enjoying the feel of the dark, fox fur from his paw at the same time she felt drawn into his emerald gaze. "That's curious. Was that the same year as those early monsoons?"

"No, this was the year after that I think," the fox nodded. "Well, at first I thought she was interested in buying one of the rugs because she kept walking around the stock I had hung out on display and seemed to be inspecting each one carefully. It took me a while to realize that she was actually checking me out instead."

"So what did you do?"

"There was a small line of mammals who were actually buying rugs. I don't remember if they were wildebeest or antelopes, but I waited til they had all paid and she was the only one left. When I walked up and asked her what she thought of the merchandise, she simply gave me a serious stare and asked me if I wanted to get a drink."

"Wow, that must have taken a lot of guts. What kind of vixen was she?" The rabbit lifted her head from her paw and her ears rose toward the high ceiling.

"She was a wolverine actually and it was the start of their mating season."

"Wait. So you actually dated a wolverine?"

"Briefly yes."

"So doesn't that make you an inter?" she asked with more than a little curiosity.

Pulling his paw away from hers, he placed it across his chest and declared in a posh tone, "Ma'am, I am an equal opportunity romantic, if you must know."

The rabbit placed the recently freed paw across her muzzle to cover her sudden bout of giggles. "What about other foxes?" she asked between the little laughs.

"Well," he thought for a moment. "I have never really gotten along with vixens."

"Why is that?" She took a long sip of her carroty cocktail while watching the fox closely.

"All of the vixens I have known, or been set up with, either only wanted a quick fling, or some, when they found out what I did for a living, just tried to rob me."

"That's horrible!" Judy cried.

"Well, some foxes fit the stereotype more than others and as a general rule, I prefer to avoid vixens. I have never met one that was even remotely interested in a serious relationship."

As Nick described a rude stuck up vixen than Finnick had set him up with years ago, Judy's ears perked up and turned around. Someone sitting at the bar had mentioned the words 'rabbit' and 'fox' in the same sentence, catching the attention of her sensitive ears. She was still listening to her companion's story but her focus was trying to catch what this stranger was saying about them.

A young banded mongoose in a casual button up shirt and tie, was sharing drinks with a tough looking boar. While both mammals were sitting one stool apart they appeared to be fairly friendly. Most of their conversation consisted of the buying and selling of various commodities, but the mongoose eventually brought up the strangely mixed couple sitting at a small table in the middle of the restaurant. "Do you think they like each other?" he asked his tusked companion.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, that rabbit sitting with the fox over there," the mongoose gestured with his nearly empty glass and the ice rattled at the sudden movement.

The boar swiveled around on his bar stool and spotted a grey rabbit calmly holding the paw of a red fox. Both small mammals were staring dreamily into each other's eyes. "That's just disgusting," he uttered, gagging with his tongue hanging out of his jaws.

"Yeah, nasty. Why would they even allow something so perverted in such a nice place like this?"

"Do you think we should go rescue her?"

Downing the last of the dark liquid in his glass and chomping on an ice cube, the mongoose replied, "Naw, it looks more like he is the one who needs rescuing from that corrupt bunny."

Turning back to the bar where his own whiskey waited, the boar agreed, "Yeah. I think you're right. They probably both deserve each other."

With a repugnant shudder, the mongoose also swiveled back to the bar and motioned to the barmammal and pointed at his now empty glass, "I think I'm going to need another one of these."

Looking down at how tightly the foxes paw was entwined with hers and how his eyes brightened whenever he looked in her direction, she began to realize how they must look from the outside. Her parents tried to tell her, and now her sister knew the truth, why had it taken her so long to finally see her own feelings? That she was in love with this fox.

Ignoring the rude, speciest comments, Judy turned her attention back to her fox with a fierce determination. The word 'inter' hung in the air briefly before her mind flashed back to the autopsy room and her own research that followed. She also remembered the phone call she had with the pink glittery rabbit that same evening and the very intimate guides for mixed couples that she had spent half the day reading. "Why would a prey mammal be attracted to a predator?" she finally asked herself, while looking at the fox across from her with renewed interest.

Nick's fangs were showing through his lips as he was finishing up his story, completely oblivious to the two mammals that had been discussing them from across the restaurant, "And then she dumped the wine from her glass all over my nice, white shirt. After that I decided that I wouldn't take any more dating advice from Finnick."

A sharp tingle worked its way up the rabbit's spine as she began to daydream about the fox's bright white teeth. She turned his paw over in her own and pressed on the ends of his fingers trying to get his claws to extend. "Nick?" she looked into his eyes with a tender determination that bordered on seduction. "Have you ever bitten someone?"

Taken aback, the fox suddenly let go of her paw, pulling it back like the buck-toothed bunny had just bitten it. Blinking he carefully demanded, "Where did that come from?"

Unphased by the fox's sudden withdrawal, Judy continued to smile warmly as she replied, "It's something that came up while I was doing research for the case last week."

"Biting other mammals?" he replied, aghast. "Do you think I would deliberately do something that would give me a quick ticket to being muzzled?"

"I mean romantically, Silly," she teased with a giggle. "Have you ever bitten one of your dates?"

Raising his paw like he was pointing at the ceiling, he corrected her, "It's called 'nipping,' Sweetheart and no, no I haven't 'nipped' anyone before."

"Oh," the rabbit's ears fell. "Why not?"

"It's a very intimate act between predators, but I am not sure if rabbits have anything that's equivalent."

"Maybe," she pulled down one of her ears and began rubbing it. "Our ears are very sensitive, so we rarely let anyone touch them, but I have heard my sisters talk about how they chew on their mate's ears."

"I am not sure if that is the same," he added, shaking his head. "But to answer the 'why,' none of my dates ever ended well, so things never got that far. That wolverine did nip my neck before I turned her down though."

"What was it like?" the rabbit asked with a fiercely twitching nose.

"It was really quite the turn on. She had such a strong bite." Nick closed his eyes for a second, trying to remember the intense pleasure that bite brought him all those years ago. When they opened again, his ears perked up as realization suddenly dawned. "You!" he reproached, pointing at the rabbit on the other side of the table.

"You are the only mammal that I have ever bitten, on purpose or otherwise." Looking at her, he could clearly see Judy's intense curiosity, "Why the sudden interest in predator mating practices, Carrots?"

She wiped a small drop of drool from her cheek and stammered to come up with an answer that would appease the curious fox. Her ability to form complete sentences was compromised as her mind filled with images of him running his sharp fangs over her neck. A paw rose to rub her neck as she desperately tried to remember what his teeth felt like, when they were trapped by that insane sheep, back in the Natural History Museum a year ago.

Before she could return to her senses, the waiter arrived with their dinners. He placed a large bowl of lettuce and mixed produce in front of the rabbit. Next to the bowl, he placed a ceramic cruet filled with a clear, spicy dressing and a small plate with thin, brown crackers. In front of the fox he placed a square plate with a long baguette that was stuffed and overflowed with roasted peppers and other vegetables that were literally swimming in three different colors of cheese. On the plate next to the baguette, was a small bowl that contained a thin liquid that was so dark, that the bottom of the bowl was not visible.

While the couple ate, they shared a casual and far less intimate conversation. Judy talked about her plans to visit Bunny Burrow for the upcoming Carrot Days festival in the fall, while Nick updated her on Finnick's latest antics in the pawpsicle business. After they had finished their meals, they both shared a large cookie that was baked in a single dish and smothered in ice cream. They kept their distance from each other the rest of the evening, avoiding the occasional touch of each other's paws and trying not to look too deeply into their dinner companion's eyes.

After an hour of chatting about everyday things with his bunny partner, Nick checked his watch, "Wow, it's getting late, and we both have to be in the Bullpen at the crack of dawn tomorrow."

"Aww," the rabbit sighed, sipping at her third carrot juice cocktail. "I could sit here all night chatting with you."

"Like we have never done that before, Fluff," he replied with a smirk and the rabbit snickered at his remark. "But seriously, Carrots. We really should be going."

"Ok," Judy continued to giggle and snorted as she tried to stand but slipped back into the chair.

Nick rushed to her side in a flash of red fur to help her out of the chair. "Yep, you definitely need to get to bed. Let me see about calling a cab." She replied with a wild giggle and flopped back in the chair with her paws kicking the air, forcing the fox to liberally carry her from the restaurant.

On the ride home, Judy literally hung on the fox like a cheap shirt, but as they climbed out of the cab in front of her apartment she suddenly returned to sobriety. She climbed up the first few steps to her apartment and turned around smoothly to speak to the fox who was still holding her paw. "Thank you, Nick," she said shyly. "This has been truly a wonderful evening."

"You're very welcome, Carrots."

"We should do this again soon," she let go of his paw and walked the next few steps up the stairs before turning around again. Taking a step back towards the fox she leaned slighting forward and lifted her head up towards his muzzle. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes in anticipation.

A soft, evening breeze passed between the two small mammals as they leaned closer together, lips almost touching. When a sudden whistle split the night air, Judy opened her eyes, realizing that they had an audience. She bolted up the rest of the stairs to her apartment door. Before disappearing through the old oak portal, she turned around with a seductive wink at her fox. "Good night, Nickolas P. Wilde," she breathed, loud enough for his ears alone and then she was gone.

---

The seedy bar was crowded that evening. It was an old run down place on the edge of Happy Town, with rough customers and even rougher whiskey. But that's just how the small desert fox liked it. No one cared if he was a fox and they cared even less that he was smaller than the bartenders hoof.

Finnick sat on a worn out old stool, where the spinning seat had been raised as far as it would go, until he could rest his elbows comfortably on the edge of the bar. He nursed a tall glass of Siberian whiskey that was still half filled with ice cubes. It was a hot evening and he needed a cold drink to cool off from the long day selling pawpsicles to hungry construction workers.

Behind the bar stood a buff rhino covered in tattoos, even his horn was tattooed. He was short as far as rhinos go, but he still towered over the tiny fox. Finnick thought that he had been a sailor at one time in his life, because of the way he spoke with a salty brogue and the giant anchor inked onto his bulging forearm.

On the shelves behind the bar were roughly a hundred different bottles of booze. Each one had its own unique size, shape and color. The labels seemed to be missing from every single one and a few even had accumulated a thin layer of dust.

Finnick shook his glass and watched the cubes of ice swirl around, slowly mixing with the dark liquid that surrounded them. He took a long sip of his whiskey and waited for the familiar warmth to wash away his day. His new partner had been involved in a fight with one of the customers and the ensuing headache still throbbed in his temples.

One of the construction crew, a coyote, from the site next to where he had set up the pawpsicle stand, had tried to demand special services from his new partner and she did not take kindly to the larger mammal's advances. He had been forced to break them up with several swings of the bat he always kept close at hand and then relocate the stand. Hauling the large ice chest through the sweltering summer heat was never fun, but without the larger fox's help he could barely manage on his own.

She was nice enough as vixen's go, but she tended to get caught up in her own emotions too often. Personal feelings were often bad news on the streets. He had learned that lesson years ago and anytime he let them slip out, the city would fiercely remind him that it was better to keep them to himself. This new girl, who wasn't all that young, still seemed to have a lot to learn.

Interrupting the fennec's musings, a fully grown, red fox, in a shiny black shirt with the top two buttons undone, sat in the stool next to him. The red motioned towards the bartender when the rhino glanced his way. Surrounding the larger canid was the delicate scent of a small prey mammal.

"Your late," the small brown fox declared gruffly in his deep baritone voice, taking a sip from his glass.

Ignoring the smaller canid, the red placed his order. "Scotch, straight up," he said, pointing at the ceiling. The large, grey and furless mammal casually mixed the drink and poured it into a short wide glass.

The tan desert fox glared into his glass as the taller, forest predator took the first sip from his own glass. "Did you enjoy the meal?" Finnick asked, wincing and rubbing his long nose at the intense smell of rabbit emanating from the other fox.

Nick set down his glass and looked over at his oldest friend. "Of course," he declared matter of factly. "The Philly Sandwich was delicious." He waved two red paws as he described the meal, "It was covered in three kinds of ..."

Before the todd could finish, he was cut off gruffly, "Did you hide the body?"

"Body?" Tilting his head, the reynard looked at the tan fox beside him, "What body?"

Glaring back at the red, Finnick replied sharply, "The rabbit's body, dimwit. You're covered in her scent."

"Oh..." Nick lifted the front of his shirt to his nose and took a long sniff followed by a deep sigh. "I guess I am," he said cheerfully.

"Careful there, buddy," the small canid warned, waving his tiny paw across the room. "You better watch yourself in a place like this. A fox smelling like rabbit in here is just asking for a broken muzzle."

Nick slumped his shoulders and his ears laid back, "It's not like that."

Taking another sip and letting the warm liquid burn the back of his throat, Finnick coughed before replying, "Really, then how is it? You sure are spending an awful lot of time with her."

"You know what, fine. I'll admit it, I really like her ok!" Slamming his glass on the table and spilling a few drops, Nick turned to glare back at his friend. "Is that what you want to hear, that I have fallen for a bunny?"

With a long muzzle deep in his glass, the desert canid replied, "About time."

"What?" the red predator's head tilted. "About time for what?"

"That you finally said what we have both known for months."

"Months? What is that supposed to mean?"

Finnick gave the taller todd a serious look. "That's why you joined the 'Blues.' Because, deep down you know that you have a thing for her."

Holding out his paws in an attempt to explain the situation to his friend, Nick countered, "I took the job when she offered it because she trusts me. Plus we make a really good team, and I enjoy working with her, a lot." He paused to take a few breaths and thought about what he had just said, his eyes wide in realization, "I enjoy being with her."

"Now do you see my point? It's been obvious since day one."

"Not at all pal," Nick placed a paw on the smaller fox's shoulder. "She has just been a really good friend."

Shrugging off the paw, the little todd grunted, "Mmmhmm."

"I didn't think anything of it until I found myself staring at her tail last week, and I haven't been able to take my eyes off her since."

"I can tell. You haven't been this worked up over a female since that wolverine bit you."

Nick threw his paws in the air, "This is completely different. She is a rabbit, I'm a fox. There could never be anything between us."

"You will never know unless you try," the small fox swirled the ice around in his glass.

"She doesn't see me as anything more than a close friend and has said as much multiple times."

"What? Are you blind?" Finnick declared accusingly, smacking the back of Nick's head. "I've told you before. That rabbit has the hots for you bro."

Rubbing the back of his head, the darkly dressed fox's eyes widened, "Are you serious?"

"Seriously," the little fox nodded. "She was all over you the last time I saw the two of you together. I had to take a long shower after just being near you two love birds."

Raising his arms, Nick leaned back into a stretch, "I can't believe Judy might actually like me that way. That explains what was so odd about her tonight."

"What was that?"

"I thought it was just me getting worked up over the amazing dress she was wearing."

"Oh? Was it pretty sexy?" the fennec asked as another sip of whiskey burned its way down the back of his throat. "Did you manage to get a good picture."

Pulling out his phone, Nick flipped through his photo album and came to the slightly blurry image of Judy in her brilliantly shiny, blue dress as she glided down the stairs in front of her apartment. With a long sigh, he added, "I don't even remember taking this."

Taking the phone from the red paws, Finnick's jaws dropped and his eyes bulged. "Dam buddy!" he exclaimed, punching Nick in the arm. "You know I'm not into that kind of thing, but that bunny cop of your's can arrest me any day of the week."

The phone immediately returned to its owner's pocket and a swift red paw struck the smaller fox's shoulder, causing him and the stool to tip slightly in the opposite direction.

"Hey," Finnick cried, trying not to fall off the bar. "Since when have you been the physical type?"

With downcast eyes, Nick apologized, "Sorry, I guess she is just rubbing off on me."

"Well, you need to tell her how you feel, and stop punching other mammals," the small fox fretted, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"I'm not sure," Nick's eyes widened in fear. "This could all go horribly wrong."

"You mean like with Katelin?" the small fox said, shaking his head. "Jees, bro. You need to get over it, I said I was sorry. I didn't know she was going to turn into such a stuck up bitch, and I even bought you a new shirt."

Nick took a long sip of his amber drink. "I did get over it. Then," he sighed again. "Then I decided to try something different."

"Yes," Finnick rebuked. "And now look where we are. You haven't been with a vixen in more than ten years, and now you're dating an amazing bunny, who obviously thinks the world of you."

With his chin in a paw, Nick thought over his friend's words. "I guess you might be right. You know, tonight, while we were waiting for our meals, she actually asked me what it felt like to be bitten."

A loud clatter echoed off the bar as the fennec's glass hit the dark wooden surface. Following the sharp sound was a gasp and a series of short coughs. Nick reached out a paw and began slapping Finnick on the back. With a wheeze the little fox choked out the words, "TMI bro. T.M.I."

After coughing up the chunk of ice that he'd swallowed, Finnick swiveled the stool around away from the bar, leaned on his knees and gasped for air. Taking several deep breaths he looked up, nudging the other fox with his elbow and calmly whispered, "Would you look at that, another drug deal going down in my bar. This place has really gone down hill."

Trying not to draw any attention to himself, Nick turned and calmly glanced to the dark corner where the small, tan canid's eyes fell. Sitting at a dimly lit table was a black and tan leopard chatting with a tall hooded mammal wearing a white coat over an old button up sweater jacket and tie. The taller mammal had their back to the fox so he could not get a clear view of the muzzle, but they had long flowing horns that nearly reached down to the animal's tail.

On the far side of the glasses and mugs that were sprawled across the top of the table, Nick could make out a stack of bills that passed from the leopard to the hooded mammal. They quickly disappeared inside the long coat before he could make out what kind and how many.

"We should get out of here." Finnick downed the rest of his whiskey and began to slide off the tall stool.

"Wait, I think I know that guy." Nick grabbed the smaller fox's shoulder before he could leap off the seat and onto the floor.

"Who?"

"The dealer," the red fox turned around to face the bar again, ordering a refill and motioned for his partner to do the same. He whispered into the fennec's giant, bat-like ears, "We have been trying to find this guy for weeks now, but he always seems to be just one step ahead of us."

"Well, why don't you go over and just arrest the dirt bag?"

"Can't, no cuffs," Nick held up his paws in apology. "Besides, Bogo wanted us to find out where his lab is."

"So, what now? You think we should follow them?"

"Yeah, let's hang out a while longer and see where they go."

Taking another quick glance over his shoulder, Nick caught a swift movement from the table in the corner. The hooded mammal reached across the table to give the leopard a fist bump and paw slap that you would typically see everyday on the street. Fumbling the simple move, that any fox could perform before the age of three, the hoofed mammal dropped a clear plastic bag with at least a dozen white pills onto the table. The feline snatched them up quickly, glancing nervously around the bar.

With the deal complete, the drug dealer quickly strutted out of the bar like the entire place was beneath his notice, while the spotted mammal stayed behind and tried to down a pitcher of beer, but only sloshed and spilled most of it on his jacket. The two foxes leapt from their stools and quickly followed the horned and hooded mammal out the door and into the late evening heat.

Staying in the shadows outside the bar, the two small predators stalked their prey. They watched him climb into a large green SUV and gun the engine. Before he could pull the large vehicle out of the parking lot and into the street, Nick and Finnick raced to the small orange van that the smaller fox called home.

Out on the street, Nick could easily make out the taillights of the larger vehicle, "Keep your distance buddy and let's see where he goes."

"I know how to tail a mammal," came the deep angry reply.

The SUV made several turns through shadier districts than the one they had come from. "Do you think he is heading to the freeway?" Nick asked.

"No idea. He seemed a little full of himself back at the bar, maybe he is lost."

Driving through the next intersection, Nick noticed that the light turned yellow as they passed under the pole. "We're gonna lose him."

"Damn," the little fox pushed harder on the gas and the small orange van sped up towards the next intersection.

Once again, the signal light turned yellow as the SUV passed through the intersection. "He knows we're following him now," Finnick declared.

Bright headlights filled Finnick's window and Nick lifted his paw to cover his eyes. He heard a loud screech followed by a hard crunch and the angry groan of twisting metal. The glitter of diamonds filled his vision and something sharp scraped across his muzzle like a heavy slap. Light spun around the van when he heard a thump and another crunch behind him. His head slammed back into his seat, then flew forward into the dashboard before everything went silent.

He did not know how long he lay there, with his forehead resting against the dashboard, but everything was quiet, except for the sound of his breathing. The fox took another breath. In, then out.

The air tasted of burnt rubber and sweaty socks.

In, then out.

Something wet ran down his muzzle and dripped onto his paw.

In, then out.

It was still quiet outside, but he smelled blood. Fresh blood.

A car door slammed near him and he lifted his head causing the van to start spinning again. The blurry shape of a sheep passed through his vision and he could barely make out some voices, like they were speaking from a great distance through a wall of fog.

The fuzzy image of the sheep-like creature grew larger as it approached his window. "Did we get him?" the mammal asked in a high-pitched, almost squeaky voice asked.

"No, he wasn't the one driving." This voice was deeper and sounded like a box of rocks. "Looks like we just grazed him a bit, the boss isn't gonna like this."

A third voice that seemed somehow familiar, bellowed from somewhere behind the van, "Get back you two, let me deal with the filthy cop."

Nick's door opened with a groan and a large, long-horned mammal loomed over him. "Why were you following us, copper?" the familiar voice demanded.

He tried to lift his head to look into the big animals eyes, but he only managed to make out the shine from their lower hooves. The fox's words were slurred and malformed as he replied incomprehensibly, "M-my son. Where's my son? He's not really an elephant you see, he just wants some ice cream." Blood and drool dripped from the todd's mouth instead of the last few words.

The larger mammal grabbed the fox by his lapel and pulled him from his seat, "If you're not going to cooperate and tell us what you know, fox, then you will just have to come with us. For insurance purposes of course."

"What about the other one?"

"Leave him, he probably didn't survive the crash, and won't last long if he did."

For a few heartbeats, Nick's eyes came into complete focus on his captor's muzzle. "You!" he declared. It was the last thing he remembered before darkness took him.

---

[A/N] Wow! This is my longest chapter yet! But for the culmination of their relationship, and the first real date, I thought you guys deserved it. I have been wanted to write this one for a very long time. Ever since I started this story I have been thinking about how I wanted their date to go, lots of ideas bouncing back and forth but I think I got most of them in here. I hope everyone enjoys the final result.

This was such a hard chapter to write. Not because it was so long or that I wanted to give you my best, but because work was extra rough last month. Trust me it is very hard to write any romantic fluff when your frustrated and angry every day for weeks on end. Maybe I should have focused on one of the other chapters, maybe even a chase scene or another interrogation. But I have been writing the chapters in order so really forced myself to keep pushing through the muck to get this one done, and I am moderately happy with the results.

I nearly gave up on this entire project, again, but I found a Zootopia music video that helped me hang on and get through the month of grime. If you want to see which one, it is Theory of a Deadman - Angel on the Youtube channel Statewide tfd. I spent a lot of time working on this chapter while watching/listening to that video. That song really reminds me of an awesome story called Hereafter by ScaraMedn.

The cab driver is loosely borrowed In The Days That Followed by ayziks. It is a truly amazing story and feel like we have a similar writing style. So if you like my story you will also love that one.

Can anyone spot the other movie references and quotes that were included, deliberately or not?

A lot of ideas for this chapter were borrowed from other sources but none more than Browntable's Return To Zootopia fan film. The bar scene at the end eas greatly influenced by that movie. It is such an awesome work of art, I really wish there were more like it, and I hope that my own works can inspire someone as talented some day.

But I want to everyone, artists, writers and everyone in the world who puts so much effort into this fanart, not just those who ship WildeHopps, but everyone that brings life to this community. THANK YOU!