The five mammals sitting along the table adjusted their glasses, cleared their throats, and rustled their papers. The antelope in the middle seat said, "Thank you, Mr. Wilde. You've been very forthcoming." She raised her eyebrows and looked to either side. "Does anyone have any further questions or concerns before Mr. Wilde leaves?" There was a general shrugging, sniffling, and sense of not particularly which followed. "Very well. Once more, thank you, and we will contact you as soon as we've made a decision. Typically, this happens within two weeks." She flashed a manufactured smile.

Nick stood and smiled graciously to each member of the board. "Thank you for the interview. I look forward to hearing from you." He turned and left the conference room, winding his way to the building's exit.

On the sidewalk, he paused to take a cleansing breath. Well, it's out of my paws for now. Gosh, why does that sound so familiar? He gave himself a faint smile as he began to walk.

Spring had made itself felt in Zootopia, and Nick enjoyed the warmer temperature. It had been… a pretty tough winter. But the snow had melted and it seemed like every plant in sight was putting forth buds, blossoms, and/or green leaves. It's hard to remain in a bad mood at a time like this, he thought, no matter how much practice you've had.

Before long, he'd reached his immediate destination. As he passed through the enormous doors, he heard a familiar gasp and couldn't suppress a grin. "NICK! How are you?"

"Oh, you know, Ben. Same old fox." Nick winked and aimed finger-guns at the cheetah. "Could you let her know I'm here?"

"Of course," Clawhauser said, picking up the receiver of his desk phone. He paused with the handset in mid-air to ask, "So how did it go?"

"Hard to say," Nick admitted while Clawhauser dialed. "They don't give much away. I'm supposed to hear yes or no within two weeks." He gave a relaxed shrug which, amazingly, wasn't particularly faked.

The chubby cat grinned and spoke into the phone. "Lieutenant? There's a suspicious red fox here asking for you. Should I have him arrested?" He giggled under his breath at the response. "Yes ma'am." He hung up and said to Nick, "She'll be down in just a few minutes. It's great to see you, Nick, and I really hope you'll be around a lot more often soon."

"Thanks, big guy. I hope so too. How's the new chief working out?"

Ben puffed his cheeks out and rolled his eyes. "It's an adjustment. I never thought I'd miss Bogo this much. She runs a tight ship." He gave a broad wink. "Don't worry, though, we'll have her broken in before too long."

Nick chuckled appreciatively. "I have no doubt, Officer Clawhauser. My faith in the working mammals of Precinct One remains rock-solid."

He glanced towards the staircase and saw Judy bouncing down the steps, smiling broadly. "Nick!" she called across the entryway. Nick returned the smile and waved.

Once she hit the floor, Hopps sped over to him. "So? Did you get a good feeling about it? Do you think you're in?"

Nick cocked his head over his shoulder. "Walk me to lunch, I'll tell you all about it. See you later, Ben."

The cheetah waved frantically. "Bye, Nick! Best of luck!"

As they walked into the sunlight, Judy prodded Nick in the ribs. "Well?"

"I was just telling the Clawmaster, they don't give you much indication one way or another. It was a lot like my initial interview, about as much warmth as talking to a walk-in freezer." He looked down at Judy's worried expression. "But… honestly, I have a pretty good feeling. They weren't hostile. They asked all the questions I expected, and I feel like I had good answers for them. Nothing to do now but wait."

Hopps walked for a few moments beside him. "I still wish you'd have let me write a testimonial for you," she said quietly.

"I know you do. But like I said, I want to get this or lose it on my own strengths. A kind word from such an important bunny would have tipped the scales unfairly."

Judy rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Important bunny. Yeah, without me around, all that paperwork would… just fall on someone else's desk."

"See? My point exactly. You're providing crucial civil services." They walked in companionable silence for a while longer. "So," Nick said at length. "How's Luke?"

A quick flash of purple in the edges of his vision alerted him to the glance Judy had just given him. "He was fine this morning. Who knows what excitement a day shift at the hospital holds?"

Wilde hummed noncommittally as they arrived at the diner. Nick held the door and bowed as Judy entered, making her giggle as usual. Once they'd been seated and placed their orders, they looked thoughtfully at each other.

"So," Nick said.

Judy maintained a deadpan expression. "So."

He spread his paws. "Not that I don't appreciate the company, but I guess we're just going to avoid talking about the obvious?"

Judy fidgeted and averted her eyes. "I'm not sure what obvious thing you mean, Nick."

"Oh. That's how we're playing this, huh?" He pulled back his lips to expose his canines. "Tiptoe around the big issue?"

"Could we not make a scene? Again?"

"Dammit, Judy, I thought we'd gotten past this. Open and honest communication, remember? Don't hold things inside until they fester?"

Hopps sighed. "You're right. I… you're right. We need to talk about it." She held her paws out in front of her in a gesture of surrender.

Nick straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "Okay. That's better. So." He took a deep breath, held it for a four-count, and released it. "I'm not trying to make a big deal out of it, I'm honestly not. But we have to be clear."

Judy nodded. Her expression was unreadable.

"I have my own ideas, but I'd really like to get input from you. This can't be a unilateral decision."

The small gray rabbit heaved an enormous sigh. "Nick, I… there are just too many options. Too many ways this could go wrong. Can't we just…" she made a small gesture, "wait and decide later? When we have more information?"

Pouting, Nick threw himself back against the bench seat. "Fine. I thought we could talk it out like adults, but that's fine. We'll just…" and here he waved his paws sarcastically, "wait and see. What's the worst that happen? Not like it could end in complete disaster or anything."

With a wry expression, Judy laid her paw, palm upwards, on the table. Nick pretended not to see it, so she wiggled her fingers and made eye contact with him. With an air of ill humor, he placed his paw in hers.

"Nick. I appreciate the… drama. Really, I do. But I think we've had enough of the real stuff that we don't need to manufacture more. It's only a movie."

"It's not just a movie," he grumped. "It's our first official date. The first date of our second chance. And it needs to be perfect." In response to her raised eyebrows, he reluctantly added, "As close to perfect as we can realistically expect."

Judy smiled warmly. "We've gone through a lot to get to this point, Slick. I think we can survive sitting through a lousy movie."

Finally abandoning the petulant act, Nick grinned broadly in response. "Been to hell and back. More than once, I think. But when I look into your gorgeous eyes, I know…" he paused and squeezed her paw. "That I'm totally worth it."

Hopps burst into laughter. "There's the Nick I've been expecting. Good to have you back."

Green eyes twinkled merrily. "It's good to be back, Carrots."