Finnick was watching television in his favorite chair when Nick staggered out from the spare room. The little fox glanced briefly up at his friend, then did a double-take and fumbled for the remote control to pause the show. "Damn, Nick, you look awful. What's wrong? You hurtin' bad for a drink?"

Wilde stared at him through bulging eyes. "No." Yes. YES. HAVE A DRINK. WHAT WILL IT HURT? YOU NEED A DRINK. "No, just…" He took a deep breath and flopped into a chair. "Kind of an anxiety attack. Judy just texted to say that her fiancé wants to meet me for lunch Saturday."

Finn's eyes widened to match Nick's expression, down to the worried grimace. "He what? Where? Is Judy gonna be there?"

Nick swallowed and shook his head. "No, just… Luke, some place downtown that Judy says is casual. He says he's heard so much about me, and since we're both going to be part of her life, we should get to know each other."

"Mmmm." Finn's muzzle relaxed a little, and he looked thoughtful. "That ain't exactly unreasonable. You worried that he's gonna tell you to back off? Threaten you?" He sat up in his chair. "Or get some buddies to beat the crap out of you in an alley?"

The red fox turned to fix his friend with a look combining disbelief and horror. "Well, no, Finn, honestly those didn't cross my mind until just now, thanks."

Finnick slumped back into his seat again. "Sorry. Been a while since I was in a good scrap, and I guess I got a little hopeful."

Nick smoothed the fur down on his head with a paw that only trembled slightly. "Judy swears he's a nice guy, and just wants to talk. Nothing sinister, no intimidation or anything like that. But how the hell do I do this? What do I say to the mammal who's going to marry Judy?" He heaved a shaky breath and plucked nervously at his shirt. "I don't really want to get to know him. Whether he's great or an asshole, I…"

Finn fought the urge to interrupt and tried to let Nick work through what he needed to say.

With a heavy sigh, Wilde finally managed to articulate his feelings. "I don't want to do this because I'm still not over her. I'm still struggling with trying to be just friends. And yeah, there's still a voice in my head telling me that a few drinks will make everything better. Adding this on top", he waved his paws expansively, "really doesn't help me deal with everything else on my mind." He sagged forward with his elbows propped on his knees and stared miserably at the floor.

Several moments passed before Finn said quietly, "But you know it's gotta happen sooner or later. Unless you cut her off completely, you're gonna have to meet her… the guy who's gonna be her husband."

The look of misery turned into a scowl. "Yeah. I know. And knowing it doesn't help either. I hate being backed into a corner, even if I do it to myself." Another enormous sigh escaped him.

The little fennec scratched his muzzle. "Try not to think about it that way, then. Don't work yourself up and dread it, just… grit your teeth and push through it. Maybe gettin' to know him will help you work out all that shit about Hopps."

Nick closed his eyes in a very slow blink. "Sure. But that's easier said than done."

"And that's the point, Nick. Stop talkin' about it and just do it. You said that gettin' out of the house and workin' again helped you out of the bad place your head was in. Sounds like this could be more of the same."

"Maybe." Wilde's green eyes focused on Finn for the first time. "Hey, thanks. For… being here to talk me through things. Sticking with me."

Finn scoffed and thumbed the button to resume his noisy show. His retort was nearly lost in the aural onslaught, but Nick made out the quiet mumble. "That's what friends do."

The next day, Nick was feeling… well, slightly less panicked, but still anxious. Coogan noticed within half an hour and asked what was wrong. Partially annoyed that his discomfort was so obvious and partially pleased to talk out his nervousness, Nick described the text exchange from the previous night.

When he'd finished, the old puma let out a low whistle. "That's a tough situation, all right. No wonder you're lookin' so flustered."

For a moment, Nick felt like he should protest, but realized it was pointless. He was flustered, and had no doubt that his inner turmoil was on display. "I didn't see a way to say no, but I'm almost hoping that I get struck by lightning today, or catch… I don't know, leprosy or something. Anything for an excuse to cancel."

Coog nodded sympathetically. "I got no advice for ya, kid. My ex-wife remarried but I wasn't in the loop at all, I heard about it months later. Stay strong. I know you're feelin' the urge to hit the bottle."

Saturday morning. As Nick staggered bleary-eyed past him towards the kitchen, Finn said in a not-entirely-sympathetic tone, "Lemme guess, you hardly slept."

"Shame you never became a cop with those detective skills," he grumbled. "Tell me you made coffee."

The fennec rolled his eyes, which was a wasted gesture since Nick's were barely open. "No, this was the first morning in three years I didn't make coffee." He clinked his claws against his mug for emphasis.

Before long, Nick was seated at the dining room table with a large cup of coffee and a slice of bread sloppily smeared with peanut butter. Although the coffee seemed to help open his eyes, nothing changed the scowl on his muzzle.

"Look at it this way," Finnick offered. "Good or bad, at least it'll be done by this afternoon, and you'll have one less thing to worry about."

Nick cut his eyes sideways to glare at him. "Yeah, life will be simple and easy again. I'll…"

Finn shook his head. "Okay, I get it, I'll shut the hell up."

Silence held for a moment before Nick huffed in exasperation. "No. Sorry. I just gotta get through this, it probably won't be a big deal."

"Tryin' to make it a bigger deal ain't gonna help. Just… look, I know you don't want advice, but just try to relax. The only thing this meeting's gonna change is that it'll give you an idea whether he's an asshole or not."

"Yeah. You're right, Finn. I just get locked in this… loop where I want to make a good impression on him, then I wonder why I care what he thinks of me, and then I think maybe I should do my best to piss him off, then I feel bad imagining how it would make Judy feel, and then… it just goes downhill from there. If you can imagine that."

Finn took a sip from his own mug. "That the problem? This whole thing is makin' you crazy 'cause you still ain't worked out how to feel about the bunny?"

"No!" Nick growled. His brow wrinkled and he mumbled, "Maybe." He slapped his paws over his eyes and groaned. "Yeah, I think so. One of the problems."

After agonizing over his limited wardrobe for hours, Nick picked a respectable-looking pair of dark grey pants and a light green button-down shirt with an unobtrusive check pattern. He considered a tie, but decided against it. Still makes me think of my con-man days, and I really don't need that weighing on my mind right now. He bundled up in his warmest coat since the forecast had predicted near-freezing temperatures.

Finn insisted on driving rather than making Nick rely on the bus. As they putted along in The Van (Finn's business had been generating good money, with which he had made several repairs to his vehicle but seemed to enjoy the loud backfiring and vehemently refused to consider changing the paint job), he said, "Just text me when you need to be picked up, I'll be there as soon as I can." Nick smiled tightly in genuine but distracted gratitude. "Just be yourself, man. If he don't like you, to hell with him."

As the van rattled on, Nick began to wonder what Luke looked like. I know he's a wolf, but that's all. It never really seemed like a good idea to look him up online, but now I have to hope he'll already be there and recognize me. I guess if I stand there and no one approaches me, I'll just go home. I wish I had a bottle of something to soothe my nerves. As he thought about alcohol, saliva flooded his dry mouth and a spike of anxiety shot through his belly. I can almost feel the burn in my throat as it goes down, the warmth spreading throughout my body. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried the exercise Coog had mentioned – he visualized a safe, door open to show thick walls, and then a bottle that represented his craving. The bottle floated into the safe and the door closed with a solid metallic thunk. He saw the dial spin itself, and then the safe sank from his imagined view. As he slowly reopened his eyes, he realized that his hands felt steadier, and the sick ache in his head did seem fainter. Son of a bitch. It works.

He felt the vehicle slow and realized with a nervous start that they'd arrived. He exhaled through his mouth, thanked Finn sincerely, and clambered out of the van. He took a couple of tentative steps towards the restaurant – which looked as casual as Judy had promised – and realized that he hadn't heard the expected noise behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Finn watching him intently and raising one small paw in an encouraging gesture. Nick nodded back to him, squared his shoulders, and walked into the restaurant as the van's backfiring echoed down the street.

The place was predictably busy for a Saturday lunchtime. Nick looked around uncertainly until he spotted someone who seemed to be waving at him. He glanced around to make sure he was the one being hailed, and as a last precaution raised his eyebrows and pointed to his own chest. The mammal grinned in obvious amusement, nodded in a hugely exaggerated fashion, and waved him over again. Nick stepped over to the table and said, "Luke?"

"Luke Packton. Yeah." As he stood, Nick fought to hide his surprise. He was clearly some species of wolf, but not nearly as big or bulky as the timber wolves he was familiar with. Luke was only a few inches taller than Nick, with a slender build and fur that was black at the tips and tan underneath. Brownish-orange eyes gleamed as he shook Nick's paw with a firm but not painful grip and smiled warmly. "I'm really happy to finally meet you. Please, sit."

As he pulled out a chair, Nick thought, Well, decent first impression. He doesn't come off as an immediate raging jerk. "You, uh, you recognized me pretty quickly."

Luke's smile spread further. "Judy has a lot of pictures of the two of you around." He tapped his temple with one finger. "Seeing the bright green eyes helped a lot."

"Oh. Yeah." Wow, better go easy on that famous Wilde charm, silver tongue. Don't want him falling in love with you too. "I'm sorry to say that I don't know much about you. Only that you're a doctor, and that you met Judy after she'd been hurt?"

The wolf's smile dropped back a bit, but warmth remained in his eyes. "That's right. I work the emergency room, and she was brought in because some suspect had shoved her to the ground. She had minor abrasions on her paws and bruises on her arms and legs. Nothing that really required emergency care, but you know the policy, always get checked out." Luke glanced down at the table, and he said, "You probably don't want to hear the details, but it felt like we clicked right away. There's a strict policy forbidding us from getting involved with patients, but I made a note of her name and precinct, and when I still couldn't get her out of my head a few weeks later, I looked up her work number and called." The wolf's dreamy grin faded into slight worry and he hastily added, "She wasn't under my care at that point."

Nick couldn't resist his own grin. "Okay, I got it, you didn't violate any policies. We had some worries about fraternization when we first started dating, so I can appreciate the concern."

Luke relaxed and chuckled amiably. "She told me about that. I've heard so many stories about you, I feel like I almost know you already."

"Oh, god. I apologize for all of it."

"No, seriously. I don't think I've heard Judy say a bad word about you."

Genuine puzzlement settled across Nick's face. "Nothing bad?"

The wolf looked slightly abashed as he raised his paws placatingly. "Whatever it was that… came between you, she doesn't talk about it. It's obvious that you still mean a lot to her. That's why I'd like there to be some sort of peace between us. I want you to feel welcome around us at any time."

Slight problem there, doc. There's a decent chance that I'm still in love with her. Luke picked up on Nick's hesitation and lowered his paws to the table. "Any time you feel comfortable, I guess. I can't expect there to be total peace and harmony in a situation like this. Judy's been very clear that you're a close friend, and she doesn't want you to feel like you can't still be one. And I don't want to be the reason you feel like you can't."

Before Nick could try to form a response, the server, a young goat, approached. "Have you had a chance to look over the menu?" he asked, despite obviously watching them fumble for the previously untouched cards.

"Sorry, no," Luke muttered. "Uh, I'll have… the grilled salmon and… um… iced tea, please."

Nick scanned the laminated sheet with as much attention as he could manage, although nothing left much of an impression. In desperation, he picked one of the first things his focus settled on. "Pasta salad is fine." As he flipped to the back, his eyes involuntarily gravitated towards the alcoholic beverages. A sudden chasm opened in his belly, and he forced his eyes away from the section. Come on, imaginary safe, hold. "And, uh, coffee to drink."

The server flashed a thin smile, took the menus, and departed. Luke lowered his voice and said, "Nick, I really hope this doesn't offend you, but if you're worried about the price, I'll be happy to cover you."

Still distracted by the pangs of craving, Nick was slow to understand. "Oh. No. No thanks. My appetite has been kind of wonky for the last few weeks. The pasta salad sounds… manageable. But no offense taken."

The expression of concern faded from the wolf's muzzle. "Okay. Thanks for not taking that the wrong way."

Dammit. I expected to hate you, Luke. I think I WANTED to hate you. But you're coming across like a genuinely nice guy. And I hope I'm right.

Nick nodded and smiled, forcing himself to relax. As his tension eased, he was able to split his attention between holding an amiable conversation and observing the wolf's mannerisms and body language. Activating detective mode? I should come up with a name for this kind of thing. With his mind so occupied, Nick barely noticed his need to drink fading.

Every piece of information he collected confirmed his initial impressions. Luke was fairly witty and somewhat socially awkward. He wasn't trying to be ostentatious or belittling at all. At any mention of Judy, his features lit up with genuine affection. He seemed to be sincerely interested in hearing stories about not just his fiancée, but the two of them working as a team. He didn't pry into how their relationship had ended. In short, Nick was forced to conclude that Luke was exactly as he appeared: a decent mammal engaged to the bunny Nick had thought he'd spend the rest of his life with.

Well, shit. Were you hoping for some vain, arrogant doctor like from those awful television shows? A macho idiot who would brag casually about cheating on his wife-to-be? Unless he's a world-class actor-slash-liar, he's none of those things. And you knew, deep down, that Judy would never fall for someone like that in the first place.

The two mammals spent the meal chatting pleasantly. After they split the bill and were waiting for the server to return with change, Luke fixed Nick with a curious glance but said nothing. He's wrestling with something he wants to say, Nick thought. Wait him out. And as he'd figured, when the change had been distributed and Nick was reaching for his coat hung on the back of his chair, Luke took the plunge. "Hey, before you go… would you join us Wednesday for Christmas dinner? I'm sorry it's short notice, but…"

Nick looked blankly back, genuinely surprised. "I… wow, it's…" he felt himself floundering. He cleared his throat and started over. "Luke, that's really very kind of you, but I don't want to impose. Christmas is a time for loved ones, not… third wheels."

Luke tilted his head with a dismayed look. "No, honestly, we'd love to have you. Judy's been upset that she can't make it back to Bunnyburrow, and having at least one good friend there would make a big difference for her. We can have dinner, play board games, watch some holiday movies…"

The red fox sighed, knowing he never had the slightest chance of refusing. "Yes, thank you. I would be happy to be there. But please, if anything comes up and your plans need to change, I won't take it personally if…"

Luke smiled easily, exuding waves of relief. "We'll definitely let you know. But unless there's a major emergency, we're on." He extended his paw again as they both stood, and once again the shake was confident but not overbearing. "Thanks for agreeing to meet me, Nick. I was worried that you'd just blow me off."

Wilde's mouth quirked involuntarily. "I won't trouble you with the ridiculous worries that I had. I'm glad to be here. I'm happy that…" He hesitated, uncertain whether he wanted to complete the thought or how it would be received. "That Judy found someone like you. And I hope the two of you are really happy together." He blinked quickly, willing the tears not to form in his eyes.

When he glanced back up to Luke's face, he could see that the wolf was moved. He finally responded in a thick voice, "Thank you. That… means a lot to me."

Acutely uncomfortable with the sudden rush of feelings, Nick affected a cough and pretended to be occupied with straightening his coat. "Um. See you Wednesday, then. Take care." He gave a brisk nod and strode towards the door.

He was on the sidewalk, hands in pockets, glancing up at the overcast sky before he remembered Finn's offer. Normally, I'd just walk, but it's too cold for that. And we can talk things over on the way home. He unlocked his phone and texted Okay, ready for pickup and thumbed send.

A few seconds later, the reply came in. Copy, ETA 15 mins. Nick snorted and shook his head. Exactly why Finn loved using pseudo-military lingo in his texts, he'd never understand. As he returned the phone to his pocket, he shivered. Too cold to just stand here for that long. Where can I wait? He scanned the street and spotted the sign for a small bookstore a few doors down. Rubbing his hands together for warmth, Nick stomped over to verify its hours and saw that it wasn't scheduled to close until 6:00 PM. Perfect

He sighed in relief when the rush of warm air from the door enveloped him and nodded at the cashier. Stepping towards the stacks, he pulled out his phone again and sent another message. Too cold. Will be inside bookstore just down the street called Read in Tooth and Claw. Will watch for you. A thumbs-up emoji came back almost immediately.

Nick glanced towards the section marking signs and noticed Nonfiction - Zootopian History nearby. Intrigued, he strolled towards the sign. Although the section was relatively small, the books covered a range from dry, academic studies to flashy, probably inaccurate appeals to wider audiences. He'd begun to turn away when something caught his eye.

Spelled out in gold letters across a dark blue spine was the title "Trust, Integrity, Bravery: A History of the Zootopia Police Department". Kneeling, he picked the book off the shelf and flipped to the publication information in the front: published twelve years ago. Fascinated, he paged through the book and saw that it went back to the city's origins, when the ZPD was known as "the city guard", and included a lot of drawings, paintings, and photographs of jails, police stations, and officers throughout the city's past. There were discussions of the ratification of several important statutes, the repealing of others that were later considered unjust, and major crises that had required a police response. This is… Judy would love this. It's a perfect Christmas present. Hell, I'd love to get this as a present. He found the price sticker on the back and decided he could afford it.

He was walking towards the register when he realized that he should look for something for Luke as well. The wolf had made a passing reference to science fiction during their lunch discussion; Nick certainly didn't feel like he knew enough about medicine to pick out a book about it, or whether Luke would want one. He wandered until he'd found the science fiction section, where he was relieved to see a display labeled Staff Recommendations. One of these had striking cover art with a promising title: "Fatal Segfault: Journal of KillDroid, Part 1." Hey, it's a shot in the dark, but why not? He grabbed a paperback copy and headed for the checkout counter.

He'd only been waiting by the window for a few minutes when he saw (and heard) Finn's van roll up to the curb. With a final friendly wave to the cashier, he dashed out the door and jumped into the van. "Hey, Finn, thanks for the ride."

The fennec snorted and said, "I'd ask how the big meeting went, but from the look of it, I'd guess it went great. Either that, or you've passed all the way through furious and you're comin' at happy from the other side."

Nick laughed, and it felt good. "No, everything was fine. Luke's a great guy. He was nice, friendly, the whole deal." He fastened his seat belt and said offhandedly, "He invited me over for Christmas dinner with Judy next week."

"And you're okay with that." Finn's tone was somewhere between statement and question.

Wilde reflected for a moment. "Yeah. I think I am. Who knows how I'll feel about it tomorrow, but right now, I'm okay." He held up the small bag that contained the books he'd purchased and swung it lightly. "Even picked up a couple of presents for the happy couple."

Although his eyes were on the road, Finnick grinned widely, baring his sharp teeth. "Can I admit I'm still kinda disappointed I don't get to punch nobody?"

That got another wholehearted laugh, and Nick wondered how long it had been since he'd felt like genuinely laughing. "Maybe I'm jinxing myself, Finn, but I'm feeling really encouraged. About a lot of things. For the first time in… I don't know how long, it feels like everything is going to turn out all right."

The grin disappeared from the little fox's muzzle. "Shit, Nick. Why don't ya just dare the universe to kick you in the balls while you're at it?"

Nick rolled his eyes dismissively. "Oh, please. The universe has bigger things to take care of than slapping me down for a good mood." He glanced down at the books. "This book I found for Judy, it's about the history of the ZPD. Just flipping through it, I… it really made me want to be a cop again." He leaned back in the seat and stared into the distance. "I'm starting to think about talking to someone, see what it would take to get reinstated." The red fox threw a glance over to his friend, who still wore a vaguely troubled expression. "I mean, I miss it. The feeling of purpose, that I was making a difference. Belonging to something. Maybe being a part of history."

"I dunno, Nick. I'm legit now, but somethin' still feels weird about you bein' a cop." He flashed a quick look towards his passenger. "Or maybe I just ain't used to you soundin' positive about anything. But I'm happy for ya, that things are lookin' up. You're due."

Wilde looked out the window at the city rolling by. "Yeah. Maybe I am."