The new tales from Zootopia

by Vindictive456

This story is a well thought out work of fan-fiction that will cover in moderate pace how Judy came back to the force and convinced Nick to be her partner, Nick's training to become an officer and his days at the academy, a weird new case involving corrupt mammals and a new dangerous drug, all of that sprinkled with the growing love between Zootopia's favorite pair of officers.

38. Episode 38: The Date (Pt2)

Episode 38: The Date (Part 2.)

After leaving the crowd and the noise behind, Nick released a little sigh, showing that he was surprised just how much movement they had encountered right after leaving the savanna, most nights when he visited the rainforest the flow of mammals coming or going through the paths on lower levels had been mild at worst, then again it had been quite a long time since the fox meandered alone through the bridges and rails of that part of town. Nick noticed as Judy was encountering some difficulty in following him, the bunny did not wish to bump against anyone and she really did not want to damage or smudge her dress up, Nick eased her mind by leaning a little closer to the left and calling to her attention by saying:

- Hey, we're almost there. I guarantee that things will be a little easier on the way back. There is a tram lift right around here that will take us back to the ground floor without any hassle.

Half a block of walking later and Judy could see a wide fork on the path, Nick moved his body to the left and Judy trailed along, she could see a sign decorated with bright neon lights and she heard as the fox right next to her spoke up in reverence of the location ahead:

- Here we are. The Tree Top Bop, the best little nook in all of the rainforest. Great food, great music and excellent service. Sure hope they aren't too busy tonight.

Nick's brief description of the locale made Judy almost bounce in place with anticipation, the restaurant was quite lovely, a picturesque spot suspended by reinforced beams and safety wires anchored between the trunks of two neighboring trees with a wide area reserved for sightseeing near the back which just added to the ambiance, Judy squinted her eyes in order to see the inside but she turned her eyes to Nick shortly after hearing him say:

- Watch out for the first step.

Judy looked down and noticed the short staircase leading up and right towards the front doors. The two mammals climbed the short staircase together until they could both see the wide front entrance of the restaurant with one mammal waiting inside and leaned against the right side window sill by the front of the establishment and smoking a cigarette as he waited with vigilance just in case the flow of costumers were to bump up on that night, it was the owner himself. The mammal standing in wait was a meerkat, a rambunctious fellow born in the savanna, he was short, slim and covered in trimmed dark cream colored fur with a slick and straight looking style hanging over his head, his eyes were dark brown with really wide pupils and there were small dark spots placed near the area on the sides of his eyes, purely a pattern showed by his fur but easily mistaken for freckles at a distance, a condition very rare amongst underground mammals such as he. The meerkat was dressed in a long sleeved white shirt with two buttoned up pins by the neck area and a pair of short pants with a wide opened seam on the posterior that let out his slick and long tail swing free behind him right from under the strap of his belt.

The meerkat waited patiently by the window, admiring the sights and the calm forest air just outside his restaurant, the afternoon shift was filled with orders to his kitchen and he had earned a break after managing a long lasting business event catered during most of the afternoon leading up to that night. There was only a single patron still hanging around at the serving area, an aardvark who had run late at work, taking his time with the only ordered dish he wanted to sup before heading back home, the meerkat let out a sigh that mixed satisfaction and weariness as he expected the rest of the evening shift to be calm and monotonous, that is, until he detected movement shortly after taking one long puff of nicotine. He blinked rapidly as he saw the image of a memorable looking vulpine approaching his front entrance and all that he had to say before squeezing his cigarette out over the ashtray next to him was:

- No way! There is just no way.

The meerkat patted his own shirt and combed over his fur with quick swipes of both his paws, he dashed in the direction of the front doors and nearly tripped over his own tail as he made his way there, not that long of a distance but his rush nearly trampled him down only a few steps after leaving the window sill behind. The meerkat walked only a few steps out of the restaurant, he performing a halting heavy step with his left foot and met eyes with the fox in front of him, Judy was unsure of what was happening but she could see a little smile forming on Nick's face as the fox raised his left paw and showed a gentle waving motion of his wrist before saying:

- Hi there, Tommy. It has been a while.

The meerkat, named and greeted, had his ears raising slowly and his tail perking up as he watched the fox walking closer, he opened his arms and made a wide gesture directed at Nick's entire figure before greeting him right back:

- Nick Wilde, you old something-or-another. I missed that mug of yours, c'mere!

The fox and the meerkat shared an interlocking shake with their arms, paws gripping firmly and linking at the base of the wrists. The greeting was a little short lived, the meerkat stepped back and began to ramble on, gesturing at Nick as he spoke up:

- When Vinnie and the others spoke to me and told me that Nick, as in the Nick, went on to become a cop, I was incredulous. I just could not see the fox I knew for so long as a full on 'rule enforcer'. Then… I see the news, YOU…. EVERYWHERE! There were just so many voices talking up about this and that with you placed in the middle of something or another, it was plain ol' crazy! What gives?! I want to know! Say that again!

Nick tried calming Tommy down, the fox gave a step forward and placed his right paw over his friend's left shoulder, the meerkat halted for a moment as he looked at the fox with wide eyes and heard him saying:

- Tommy, my guy, breathe.

Tommy spun his wrists around, wanting to give continuity to his thoughts but suddenly finding himself unable to chain words together and somewhat thankful for the fox stopping his ranting. Tommy released a little laugh before taking a deep breath and then telling Nick:

- I'm sorry. Phew… It's great to see you, Nick. There was just a lot to take in and say all at once. I'm very glad to know that you are still willing to visit my rustic old place, mister bigshot.

Nick shook his head slowly without losing his smile, Judy was nearby and watching the whole scene unfold, silent and curious to know more about the mammal that Nick was conversing with but opting to wait patiently before getting any closer and introducing herself. Nick took a step back and gestured at himself, telling his friend only a couple of seconds later:

- I'm no bigshot, Tommy. I'm just doing what I believe it's best to help out. I grew tired of Finnick and everyone else babbling in my ear to get off my own tail and start doing something with myself.

Tommy nodded once and pointed at Nick, releasing a humorous retort as he said:

- We both know how much Finn loves to hear himself dishing out the harsh truth. Even when no one asked him for it.

To which Nick complemented:

- *Especially* when no one asked him for it.

Nick and Tommy shared one final laugh before the meerkat got the cue to ask of his old friend:

- I'd take it that you have come around to bash and bout. Are you on the mood to celebrate on something?

Nick shrugged that off, leaning his head to the left as he then raised and lowered his shoulder before answering:

- Yeah. Something like that.

Tommy wasted little time in inviting his friend into the restaurant, scooching in closer to the fox's side and then attempting to guide him towards the best available table in the house, but Nick stopped him short without moving a single inch forward before saying:

- Actually, Tommy, I'll need a table for two. I'm here with someone.

Tommy only the took notice of the bunny who was walking close to Nick, the meerkat looked at Judy and almost felt weak in the knees as he saw her dress swishing about as she walked in a little closer and introduced herself. Judy saw Nick turning his head and looking at her, a supple gesture of his left paw directed at her and the meerkat leaning his entire body in the direction shown by Nick before acknowledging her with dropped jaw and locked on sight, she showed the palm of her right paw in a greeting manner and said:

- Hi, I'm Judy. It's nice to meet you. Tommy, right?

Judy made her greeting as polite and casual as she could, modeling her voice to sound as cordial as possible, no forced greeting from her as she did not even mind going unnoticed during the interaction between Nick and Tommy. The meerkat looked at the fox, not even bothering to respond to Judy's greeting, crossing his arms and showing an angry expression directed at Nick as he beckoned menacingly:

- Nick.

Nick looked over, unsure what was happening or what Tommy would say next, the meerkat surprised the two mammals right out of the gate as he gestured at Judy with both arms without taking his eyes away from Nick and telling the fox in a very blunt and loud way:

- It's about time you brought a pretty girl up to my restaurant.

Tommy walked past Nick, almost making it look like he was shooing the fox out of his way, as he moved towards Judy and properly greeted her by extending his right paw to shake hers and saying:

- Thomassy Lograund, but everyone just calls me 'Tommy'. Head chef and proud owner of the Tree Top Bop and I just know what you are thinking:

The meerkat let go of Judy's paw, took a step back and gestured at his whole self with a quick gesture of his paws, moving up and down near the sides of his torso as he continued to summarize and bolster:

- Meerkat… should probably had taken a job and a place closer to the ground, right? Wrong! I aim high or I don't take a fair shot at all. Screw what other mammals think! I make my own rules and then add a few more when I damn well feel like it!

Nick placed his right paw over his eyes, thinking to himself that he really should have expected a reaction and an introduction of such caliber out of his friend. Judy raised her right paw as she said in response while holding some laughter back while she spoke:

- I… was actually thinking that you have a really beautiful restaurant.

Tommy looked back at his own place and then over to Judy before saying in order to save face at that moment:

- That… was going to be my next guess.

Tommy returned to his previous role as host and directed Nick and Judy inside the restaurant, the bunny and the fox walked closely behind as they walked over the front carpet and into the main area of the restaurant. The place was spacious, low hanging ceilings with inserted light affixtures installed at equal distances to one another, the walls had minimalist decorations except for the wall near the back which had autographed images of famous figures that came to dine at that place as well as a few depictions of musicians who played their hearts out over at the modest looking stage which now laid empty, having only a set of boom box speakers playing old songs from a digitally recorded playlist to fill in the atmosphere. Nick looked to his left and he could see the narrow hallway that lead to the kitchen, the remnants of cooked food still lingering in the air and filling his nostrils, causing him to salivate and look forward to ordering a nice dish to start the date proper. Nick called to Tommy's attention, one last look around and the fox felt compelled to ask:

- The place looks a little stale, Tommy. I really was expecting it to be a little more packed tonight.

The meerkat shrugged that off, he kept walking as he directed Nick and Judy to the table nearest to the outside looking window on the far side of the restaurant as he looked over his right shoulder and spoke to Nick:

- Meh, it only looks like this now. Any other day and this place really gets bopping. Earlier this week I had to make room for a big birthday bash, seven whole tables for events just… smooshed together to make room for everyone to sit and sing along. Real 'party animals' vibe, I'll tell you that much, took me a while to get the whole place cleaned back up again.

Tommy finished his sentence as he showed the one table he was sure Nick had in mind for the night, he was right. The round table with two empty chairs on each side covered in a wine red cloth shaped like a perfect square and furbished with plates, napkins and clean cutlery for each occupant was situated rather close to the crossway window, a panoramic view of the far off open rainforest skyline, the large glass made to be as a sliding panel opened wide on each side to let the refreshing air of the night flow indoors and an entire line of potted geraniums perched and bolted on the outside of the window sill to add to the visual and class. The wide pots placed outside of the windows may have been a bit of an impulse purchase on the part of the owner, he once admitted to that, but he stuck to his convictions and added them to the original floor plan of the establishment anyway, no one complained about that.

Nick and Judy grabbed their seats, the bunny pulled up a chair and sat herself down first by the left while Nick took his place by the right. Judy realized, just as soon as she dragged the chair closer to the table, that her seat was not tall enough to comfortably let her reach the plate and utensils set over for her, an unsure air that lingered in her voice alerted the meerkat right next to her right away but Tommy fixed that right up. With a quick motion of his right paw that just screamed without words 'I got this', Tommy reached down for a hidden switch placed on one of the legs of the chair and the seat perked right up, a spring mechanism was released slowly as soon as the switch was pressed and Judy was gently elevated to the perfect height, she looked down and was pleasantly surprised to witness that the chair had adjustable height and, as her arms raised slightly to her sides, she could reach for any area of the table in front of her without any issue.

Tommy took position next to the table and handed out two menus out so that the two mammals could make their choice of meal, he removed himself shortly after so that Nick and Judy could talk amongst themselves and decided on what to order. Judy placed the menu that was given to her down and looked around one more time, utterly fascinated by the restaurant's atmosphere and the marvelous accommodations, she could not help it but crack a smile as her eyes moved around. Judy looked straight ahead, she found Nick seated calmly and scanning the menu for suitable dishes to start things off, the fox closed the menu with a slow folding motion and placed it over the table before turning to Judy and asking of her:

- Are we on a decision already, fluff? I got my eye on a delicious fish platter but I think we might need to get our heads together to decide on a drink. I don't drink wine, I'm driving.

Judy did not answer to Nick's question, her mind was already too busy with admiring the environment around her, she leaned over the table and spoke to the fox with a single short breath in her lungs, her smile showing just how excited she was to be there. The bunny looked at her partner and told him with a moderate volume to her voice:

- Nick, this place is sensational. I guess I really should not be surprised that you know the owner.

Nick leaned his head to the left, he spoke up in response while showing off a little side smile:

- Yeah. Tommy is one of the oldest friends I got, even if we really don't see each other that much anymore. Me and Finnick… sort of… co-founded this restaurant alongside him.

Judy had her jaw dropping after hearing that, her expression soon gave way to a wide open smile that she was quick to cover up with the palm of her left paw right before asking:

- There is no way that is even a thing, is there?

Nick leaned his back against the chair repost, there was a soft creaking noise from the legs settling over the hard wood floor beneath, he looked to Judy and saw the bunny leaning her upper body over the table, her ears raised, her elbows over the cloth and her arms lightly crossed over one another as she waited for what she could only sense to be a nice story before diner. Nick moved his tail from side to side at the back of the chair shortly before the fox began another short narrative:

- Tommy never really had a lot of money growing up. Both of his folks worked double shifts and they hardly saw one another all day long for most days of the week, so Tommy had to learn how to cook all by himself by watching cooking shows and writing down all of those recipes by paw, he also created a few recipes of his own. He became really good at cooking, then he became great, soon enough he became *amazing*!

Nick spoke that last word while showing a gesture with both of his paws in front of him, a waving motion as they parted to different directions as if the fox was envisioning a big outdoor unveiling at an opening night, at least, that is how Judy imagined it to be. Nick continued as he tapped two fingers of his right paw over the table, the tips of his claws leaving minute imprints over the table cloth, as he continued to speak:

- Some years later, Tommy came to me and Finnick. He was gasping for air, sweating gallons, I thought he was in serious trouble. He came to us and asked if we would help him start a restaurant. I thought it sounded fun, so I agreed to help.

Nick then gestured to the restaurant around them as he said:

- We found this place on a solicitor's ad on the paper, it used to be a gentlemammal's club and it went under without any sort of warning. Me and Finnick helped spruce the place up, Tommy took the reeds in the kitchen, next thing we know, the line of mammals was out the door. I think I helped fix a hole in the wall that was… right over there.

Nick said the last portion of that narration as he raised his right paw to search and then point to a random wall in the distance that looked spotless, though he was not even sure himself if it was the correct wall that he aided in repairing. Nick then placed his clutched right paw in front of his mouth, as if doing that would quell the smile building up on his face as he recalled that time long gone. Judy leaned her head to the right, looking over at Nick and trying t get a read on him from another angle, right before asking as a follow-up:

- Why didn't you stand by if the place became so successful?

Nick shook his head from side to side, his smile softened but it did not disappear, the fox looked at his partner and told her:

- Waiter didn't feel like the right course of career for me at the time; Most costumers back in those days were really rude; Finn and I took our leaves and left Tommy to hire more mammals and make his own way without butting in. On the plus side, every time I come to eat here I not only get good food that Tommy makes himself, I get the best seat in the house.

Nick pointed to the table and the lowered his arms, placing his paws to rest over the edge of his side on the table frame. Judy kept her eyes focused on the fox for an extended interval of silence and appreciation, Nick figured that he had probably been droning on for quite some time so he gave Judy a turn to speak her mind as he leaned a little closer and asked of her:

- So… what do you think?

Judy directed her eyes up and then back at Nick, turning her head slightly to an upper angle and to the right, as she answered him:

- I think this is just great. I know we have gone to a few places to eat while out on patrol and they were all really nice, but I think this is the best of them all.

Judy directed her sight to the left, her eyes moving slowly as she scanned the rainforest outside, the paths, the lights, the breeze, the sounds of the leaves and the water making it just past the smooth music playing in the back, it was all captivating to her. Judy took in a breath through her nose and let most of the air out of her chest as she spoke in an yearning sigh:

- The view here is so beautiful.

Nick looked out the window, a view he had already seen many times before, his eyes turned to Judy not even five seconds later before he spoke in retort:

- Yeah. That's a sight that just pulls at you in the best way.

Judy turned her attention back at the interior of the restaurant, she reached for the folded up menu in front of her and was set to open it to check on her choices once more as she said:

- I'm really looking forward to our first course. If the food is really as good as you say.

Nick pointed a finger of his left paw to the hall located far behind where Judy was seated, he directed a portion of her attention at the kitchen and said:

- Tommy will take care of it, he is a true wizard in the kitchen. The dinner will be awesome and the desert is going to be a trip.

Judy tucked her arms in, she raised and lowered her shoulders as she did a little shimmy almost as if she was trying to perform a little dance while seated just to show how she was looking forward to the meal, Nick found that extremely adorable and felt his heart clenching up in the best of ways as he looked at Judy. The bunny had her ears raised and directed at the fox, her sight turned to him as she asked:

- Is the meal really going to be that good?

Nick shrugged that question off at first, raising and the lowering both of his shoulders, still having in mind the cute shimmy that Judy performed, right after answering her:

- Well… I think it will actually depend on the service that we…

- NICHOLAS. PLIBERIUS. WILDE.

Nick squinted his eyes, lowered his ears and felt his entire body locking and clenching as he heard that gruff female voice calling to his name, all that he could say as soon as the tension in his body diminished was a low volume:

- Oh… No…

Judy and Nick directed their eyes at the owner of the voice, a female hyena who had come from the backroom of the restaurant and was walking with heavy steps to quake the ground in the direction of their table. The hyena herself was a beautiful mammal, bulky shoulders, fit body with softly curvaceous sides, round snout and thin lips marked by a smooth dark outline, a line disrupted by the sharp glint of only two of her front fangs which protruded from the inside of her mouth in a proportioned manner making her look rather fierce at first sight. Her sharp stare could pierce a rock, her visage was intimidating and getting closer by the second, her fur was prickly but well-tended, her fur dark gray in coloration with traces of black spread over in a spotted pattern, a long black and messy tuff of hair over her head. The hyena was dressed in dark clothes, a black top with no sleeves and a dark pair of jeans with clawing tears by the knee joints, both almost entirely covered by a white apron with a wide pocket sewed up front to place a pen and the note pad where she jotted the orders, that whole look complemented by the silvery straight piercing that she had o the very edge of her right brow.

Judy surmised that she was a waitress at the restaurant and she could also guess by her stare and tone of voice directed at the fox that she knew Nick, very well by the looks of it. Nick knew that meeting up with that particular mammal, at that time, in that exact restaurant, was a little bit of a risk, but he did not mind it too much. The fox showed an awkward stare, not sure if he should buckle down for that conversation or simply retreat as he said:

- Oh… hey, Ella.

The hyena pointed a claw right at Nick, stepping forth and supporting most of her weight over her right leg as she confronted him and made quite a scene, unburdened by the fact that other probable patrons might hear her loud and daring tone of voice as she told him:

- Don't you 'Hey, Ella' me. You got some pebbles on ya to show up in front of me again, you sad sack of wet fur.

Nick lowered his ears and turned his body to look at the hyena while still seated on his chair, assuming a bit of a pleading stance as he gestured at her and said:

- C'mon, Ella, you can't still be mad at me for what happened, can you?

Ella clenched her paw and shook it at Nick before telling him in response:

- Your nosy meddling cost me my boyfriend, you jerk!

Judy placed both of her paws in front of her mouth, that was quite the thrilling accusation pointed at her partner and she was even more surprised to know that it was true due to the fact that Nick did not even try to deny it, that date turned out to be quite dramatic right at the start. Nick tried persuading Ella to reconsider her feelings towards that problem as he said:

- Ella, If he was true 'boyfriend' material he would've stuck around for you. I was trying to help you at the time, that guy was faker than a three dollar bill. He was a crook, a flim-flamer, a farce.

Ella leaned closer to the fox while showing a toothy and mischievous grin, her surefire counter against Nick's words paired with a stabbing retort:

- Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle?

Nick leaned back, his ears raised and his face showing a blank expression as he said:

- That cuts, Ella. That cuts deep.

Ella placed her paws on her hips and looked at Nick's company, Judy saw the sharp stare of the hyena directed at her and she sounded off a little yelp that got stuck at the back of her throat. Ella looked back at Nick and nudged her head his way before saying:

- Tommy told me that you had a nice looking date in toe. He was not exaggerating, but I didn't want to believe him. Shows what I know.

Ella walked a single step closer to Judy, staring down at the bunny with a much more tamed but still quite intimidating air surrounding her. Judy thought about coiling away, bracing herself in case there would be more yelling to that scene, but she did not want to be impolite, so she waved a quick gesture of hello with her right paw before saying:

- Hi, I'm Judy H…

- Yeah, yeah. I know who you are.

Ella cut Judy off, now the bunny really was not too sure on how to continued, she directed her sight at Nick, hoping that the fox would have any insight on the matter but, upon further inspection, he looked just as out of sorts as her. Ella raised her left paw in a quick greeting that came and went just as fast just as she began to say:

- The name is Ella Fern. My little sister, Ray, is a big fan of yours.

Judy had her ears twitching as she leaned closer to Ella and asked:

- R… really?

Ella closed her eyes for a moment, taking her time to recall something she heard of her little sister quite some time ago, she opened her eyes and looked to the void before saying in a very convincing reenactment:

- "Try to make the word a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you, it starts with me, it starts with all of us." My little sister must have watched the 'Mew-tube' video about seventeen times already.

Judy looked at Nick, placing her left hand over her chest as she asked stupefied:

- My speech is on 'Mew-tube'?! I never knew about that.

Ella nodded her head before saying:

- Yeah, my little sis saw you on that fancy-pantsy graduation cerimony speech and she got on her head to hit the books harder than ever and make a difference when she gets older. She wants to be a fancy attourney, even if there are still some mammals who told her she couldn't do it. Really, she thinks you're the best… Well… right after me, obviously.

Judy placed her paws together in front of her mouth, delighted with the fact that her words had managed to inspire a young mammal into pursuing such big dreams, although, still a little out of sorts due to the fact that she only then discovered that her epic speech had been recorded and uploaded to the internet. She could not help but wonder how many views and 'likes' she had received by her words alone, merely for vanity sake. Judy lowered her paws, her ears were placed on the side of her head for but a moment as she looked up at the hyena and told her with a very moved tone of voice:

- That is so nice. Thanks.

- Don't mention it. I should be thanking you.

Ella looked back at the fox, seated still and silent across from the bunny, the hyena renewed her sharp stare directed at him, he noticed it right away and leaned back. Ella gestured at Nick as she turned her eyes back at Judy, she asked with a lower volume to her voice but still brash enough so that he would hear it too:

- So, how did this clown con you into going out with him?

Judy looked in the direction of Nick, her answer to Ella's slightly insulting queary was posed as she made a soft dismissive gesture with her right paw before saying:

- Oh, that is a quite the… long and endearing story.

Ella sounded out a little scoff before saying:

- Psh… Yeah, I'll bet.

The hyena looked at the fox one more time, still remaining ascetically unconvinced that Nick could be on a real date with a beautiful, upstanding and sweet bunny girl of all mammals in Zootopia. Ella leaned a little closer to Judy and placed her opened left paw by the right side of her face to form a sort of concealed shield for her to say:

- You want me to hold him off while you go and make a break for it?

Nick showed a squinted look on his face as he raised his paws and whispered to whomever might hear him and be willing to answer:

- What is happening right now?

Judy looked over at Nick, catching his words right away and showing a little side smile, much like the fox himself would do. Judy turned her sight to Ella, she made it look like she was thinking long and hard about the answer she would post but the answer was obvious to her, Judy spoke and politely dismissed the aired idea:

- That is tempting, but I am all set on it already. I really want to see where this night goes.

Ella raised her shoulders and rolled her eyes before saying:

- It's your loss. So, what can I get for you two tonight?

Now adopting the role of a cordial waitress, Ella asked firstly to Judy what would be the starter meal. Judy grabbed the menu in front of her and scanned the vegetarian options before saying:

- I think I will start with the Soramn Salad with accompaniment of potatoes on the side. This eggplant parshet also sounds delicious, a crunching tip to a filler plate. Finally, for drinks, I'll have the spring lemon amon.

Judy order was impeccable and Ella managed to pick all of it up and note it on the paper booklet in her paws, she dotted the order and then turned her sight to Nick with a less than enthusiastic look to grab his side of the dish as well. Ella pointed the tip of her pen at the fox and asked of him:

- What about you, Wilde?

Nick raised his paw and said:

- I'll… I will have the salmon steak with the… cassava as a side. Not too fried. I also think I'll get the mountain road as a drink.

Ella finished writing down the order, she stored the pen back on the pouch of her apron and turned around to deliver the order to the kitchen, she was looking forward to it. The hyena rushed over to the kitchen and sought that chance to get Tommy to work on something besides wafting his seconds hand smoke into the restaurant, Ella really did not like the smell of cigarettes and she always tried to get Tommy to stop smoking, sadly, her repetitive advice proved fruitless, smoking was a habit that had been imprinted on the meerkat for quite some time. Nick and Judy were left alone at their table once more, Judy accompanied Ella's movements until a certain distance before turning her head slowly to face Nick once more, Judy asked of her partner just as soon as he was in the center of her field of view once more:

- So… what was that all about?

Nick reached for the left side of his head as he raised his arm and gave it a little scratch, the fox swallowed a small spec of saliva he had on the back of his throat before saying:

- That's… a bit of an awkward story to tell.

Judy made a gesture with her right paw, pointing at Nick and telling him:

- I don't mind it. It's alright if you don't want to tell.

Nick lowered his ears, his eyes traveled over the table before he spoke up:

- It feels like I have been talking and babbling the whole night up until now. I don't want to bore you with my constant talking.

Judy leaned a little closer, trying to reach her right paw over the table and towards Nick before telling him:

- You 'never' bore me, Nick. I really like figuring out new things about you, but if it's really awkward to talk about, you ca leave it be.

Nick shook his head slowly from side to side, Judy's polite insistence lead him to open up and speak out no matter the situation, he really appreciated her words, he just wanted to talk to her. Nick let his tail down as he adjusted his posterior over his chair seat, he turned to look at Judy with a bit of a blank expression on his face, his mouth alternating between a frown and a smile as he spoke:

- Ella has always been a cool and tough mammal. Then this weird guy comes along and sweet-talks her, promising all sorts of things, I saw right past that. He was scamming her out of all of her money, I would have stayed out of that, let her figure things out on her own but… I didn't want to take any chances, Ella's got a little sister to look after so… I butted in and… she has been kind of mad with me ever since.

Judy leaned her head to the left, her ears flopping and leaning to the side as they followed the motion of her head, Nick finished his abridged narration as he said:

- Although, I really think that all comes from a place of caring.

Judy reached for the utensils on her side of the table, flipping the plate with its concave surface facing up as she told Nick:

- Yeah, I could just feel all of the care when she called you by your full name.

Nick decided to organize his own side of the table, placing the plate, napkin and utensils in the same way Judy was doing, the fox showed up a smile that looked a little forced as he said:

- Yeah. I really thought about hiding under the table as soon as I heard her voice.

Judy released a little giggle but it died down almost abruptly as she recalled one little detail from the mention of Nick's name:

- Sometimes I forget about your middle name. I heard it quite a while ago from agent Howlbert but I kept just forgetting to bring it up. I think it is absolutely precious how your middle name is 'Pliberius'.

Nick lowered his head as he said:

- Yeah… it was my great-grandfather's name. One of the gifts my dad trusted me with. He always said that it would give me a little bit of strength to push through since his grandfather was the strongest mammal he had ever known.

Judy showed a sweet smile as she heard that, it always brought an interesting air out of Nick to mention his father. It was a weight that the fox carried along with great pride and pleasure. Nick pointed at Judy as soon as he finished organizing his side of the table for the time before asking of her:

- Hang on, I just now recall seeing that your name has an 'L' in the middle. What's it for?

Judy leaned her head to the right as she raised her right shoulder before returning her body a straight stance over her seat and admitting:

- It's for 'Laverne'.

Nick showed a face that was hard for Judy to read, his lips puckered lightly, his ears raised and his eyes squinted right before he said:

- Oh, that is such a cool name!

Judy had her ears twitching before they placed parallel to one another, she looked at Nick and asked:

- You really think so? I always thought it was a little silly. It's a maiden name from my mother's side of the family. I think it belonged to a great-aunt of mine.

Nick and Judy continued to talk during the course of the evening, their food arrived and was served shortly, two separate plates each with a different option on food and two small pitchers containing their separate ice cold drinks, and Judy wasted little time in plucking the first bite out of her vegetarian dish, she could not remember the last time she tasted something so appetizing apart of her mother's cooking. Nick's hype concerning the appeal of the food prepared by his friend had been answered in full, the fox was also delighting himself with each tore piece of the salmon meat spread over his plate, he offered Judy a small piece of the fried cassava sticks that had been placed in his plate as a side and she gladly accepted, more for her to enjoy that meal and make it last. Every bite Judy took of her plate urged her in taste alone for her to continue eating, the little hums that she released after one scoop or two of her fork entered her mouth only added to showing how much she was liking the dish. Nick leaned close and asked as he placed the knife he was using to cut the salmon down by the left side of the plate:

- Really does not disappoint, am I right?

Judy chewed the bite of she had just taken, she rushed so she could swallow it right away and answer to Nick:

- This is incredible. I recall making a similar dish to this back at my place but this just blows that one out of the water. I can identify some of the same ingredients that I have seen before but this just tastes so much better.

Nick made a pinching sign of approval with his left paw before telling her:

- That is because Tommy is a wizard in the kitchen. I'm honestly not sure if that counts as a joke because I am almost entirely sure that he uses some serious magic trick to make the flavor pop and he just doesn't tell anyone about it. He is not only the owner, he is the head chef, so if he gets in his head to cook for a costumer, no one argues on it, he is going to cook.

Judy lightly clutched her left paw and placed in front of her mouth, letting the laugh escape through her lips while making sure that her teeth would not be entirely visible as she grinned and giggled, just in case there might be some scraps of food still stuck to her teeth after she chewed her food. Nick kept looking at her, they talked, ate, sipped, it was a peaceful and successful date overall. From the distance, next to the couture separating the main area of the restaurant to the immense kitchen where Tommy himself was one of the few cooks on duty, leaned against the inner portion ridge of the counter with his arms crossed over it, with Ella placed right next to him. The two were watching Nick and Judy from a distance, admiring the view and trying to understand the nature behind that curious and very endearing meeting. Tommy began to talk first, the meerkat was standing over a stepping stool to get a little closer to the height of the hyena as she began leaning his head to the right and asking her:

- So… what do you think they're talking about?

Ella looked at him and said:

- Who knows. And how would I know? I'm still in awe to the fact that Wilde convinced anyone to go out with him. I've known the guy long enough to know that his game is meager at best.

Tommy turned his head to look straight at Ella and tell her:

- Are you kidding me? Nick is a cool guy. Sure he can act like a bit of a smartass sometimes but he has a few endearing qualities.

Ella took a short step forward, her left leg was positioned up front as she gestured with both of her arms pointed forward and said:

- I still am getting my head around to the fact that Judy Hopps herself is seated right there. Ray is going to flip if I let her leave through the door without an autograph.

Tommy looked over before asking:

- Do you want me to get over there and ask for it? I'm sure she will be alright with that. She seems like a really nice mammal.

Ella made a waving gesture with her right paw, raising her elbow and placing her paw at the same height in a horizontal manner before making a little shaking motion with her wrist and telling Tommy:

- No, leave them be for now. I can ask for it some other time. Let's just sit back and watch for the moment.

Tommy and Ella continued to observe the interactions between Nick and Judy, both silent for a short while, neither of the two officers dinning had any idea that their date was being witnessed and appreciated as such like a passing scenery on a moving picture filled with awe striking details. Ella squinted her eyes to try figuring out what they were saying, she turned quickly to Tommy and told him:

- They're laughing.

Tommy added to that by asking:

- Yeah, I see that. Is she laughing at him or with him?

Ella looked back at the table and still could not get a single discernable clue of the conversation, simply answering:

- Beats me, but that really doesn't look like a fake laugh for the sake of feelings. She thinks he is legit funny, for some unknowable reason.

Tommy reached for Ella's right shoulder, placing his left paw over it, before saying:

- Ella, maybe you should let this bit of anger you have against Nick go.

The hyena turned her head and looked at her employer and colleague with the same sharp stare she showed Nick earlier that night, staring him straight in the eyes as she said:

- That really doesn't sound like me. When have you ever known me a someone that can just… 'let stuff go'… at all?

Tommy removed his paw from her shoulder in a snapping motion as he tucked his left arm close to his torso and deviated his sight away from her before saying:

- Yeah, that's a fair point.

Their attention returned to Nick and Judy shortly after that exchange, they looked over and Ella felt the need to give her commentary with the newest development that she observed:

- They're just staring at each other now. They're not even saying anything.

Tommy inquired with an inconspicuous whisper:

- You don't think they're… 'together' do you?

Ella did not take her eyes away from Nick and Judy as she responded with unsure air to her voice:

- Maybe? I don't know. I'm really not the best in answering that sort of question.

Returning to the table, Judy was nearly done with her plate, Nick still had a lot of his meal to finish up but everything just felt great. Judy grabbed the glass containing the refreshing drink she had ordered, quenching her thirst as she directed her eyes to the outside once more, Nick noticed that, he swallowed another bite of his meal before asking of her:

- Looking for something, carrots?

Judy's ears twitched and pointed at Nick's direction, she turned her sight back at him nearly immediately after hearing his question, she placed the glass in her right paw down before answering him:

- I guess I am. I have never seen the rainforest like this. So still. So peaceful.

Judy leaned closer to Nick and told him:

- I am having a really good time.

Nick showed a little smile before saying:

- I'm glad that you're liking the date so far. I figure this night has got to be top five material for you, right?

Nick was not quite sure why he said that, that boastful, though honest, inquiry by him prompted Judy to answer shortly after:

- Actually, as far as dates go for me, this one is top of the tier list.

Nick was just about to resume his meal when he heard that, he was taking another bite of fish up to his maw when his ears twitched due to hearing Judy's excitable answer, he placed the fork down on the plate once more and turned his attention back at her to ask:

- Really? That is quite the claim for something so simple as a little dinner out on the rainforest. Am I really worthy of such a claim?

Nick placed a little of a dramatic out tone on his question, not too much as to not blare things out for the rest of the restaurant to hear but just enough to elicit a little laugh out of Judy. The bunny placed both of her paws on the table and told him:

- Well, yes. I told you before, all the dates that I've had back in Bunnyburrow have not been the highlights of my life. My dates would usually end so soon since I didn't want to be on one to begin with, I guess I really don't know how to have a proper date. But I am having a lot of fun with you tonight.

Nick released a little sigh out of his mouth, paired with a short lived smile, his eyes were still focused on Judy as he admitted to her:

- That's good to hear. I was actually a little nervous if I'm being honest.

Judy looked at her partner, dismissing the fact that she was also plenty anxious for the date itself during the hours leading up to it before asking of him shortly after:

- Why would you be nervous?

Nick looked down at his meal and began to cut another piece of his salmon, the meat of the seared fish was crispy and it took quite the grip on his fork and knife to cut a satisfactory piece of it, the crunching noise of the meat being sawed and separated along with the scent of the juices being released from the meal filled him with anticipation for another bite but he held that piece back for a moment as he stopped to answer Judy's question:

- I had a really nice and quiet time in mind for the two of us, my thoughts set on this very restaurant, but I had no idea what to do if something turned up wrong, you know?

Nick set his knife down and the looked at the glass beside his plate, he had already exhausted his drinking reserves with long swigs after only three bites or so, he looked over at Judy once more, his face letting show some worry as he said:

- I mean, what would have happened if the restaurant was close for some event? Or if we hit traffic on the way here and couldn't find a spot to sit? I was a little worried that I might have things messed up along the way and my planning, even if it turns out there was only a little bit of it, might have been for nothing.

Judy found Nick's attitude really adorable, she often considered her partner the kind of mammal who could not be easily fazed by trivial matters, someone who could go with the flow if the situation called for it or if all forms of planning and calculation were to be thrown out the window. Much like herself, Nick had facts and interactions to others in various scenarios well in mind, but he knew how to improvise and dash past expectations if the moment called for it. Judy leaned a little closer to Nick, setting aside her plate and glass before telling of him:

- I don't think I would have mind any of that even if it were to happen.

Nick looked at his partner, Judy finished her thought as she told Nick:

- I don't mind what we get to do or where we get to go as long as we do it together.

Nick looked over at Judy, seeing her trying to reach for him as she placed her right arm over the table. Nick decided to do the same, the circumference of the table was not that long so he reached for Judy's paw by leaning his body and stretching out his left arm only a little bit, their paws touched over the table cloth with the fox's paw placed right over the bunny's. Judy was a little surprised to feel Nick's warm and cozy hold over her own she did not even consider removing her paw from beneath his paw as she looked over to him and heard as he said:

- You really are just the most amazing mammal ever.

Judy could not hide her blush, her shoulders raised and her head lowered as she felt her cheeks becoming warmer. Ella and Tommy saw the scene unveiling from their observation point, the joining of the paws over the table was all that the hyena needed to see before she said in confirmation:

- Yup. They're 'together' alright.

The attention of Ella and Tommy momentarily turned to the one other patron inside the restaurant, the aardvark had finally finished his meal and wanted to ask for one last drink before heading on home. The mammal raised his right paw and his long claws tapped over one another as his fingers fiddles about, he called to the attention of the hyena on service, ignoring the fact that she looked preoccupied with something else, as he called out:

- E… excuse me? Miss? Can I get a…?

Ella answered to that right quick, turning her head in the aardvark's direction and shaking her head with an aggressive nod as she told him:

- Yeah, I'm coming. Keep your shirt on.

The night evolved at a slow pace, Nick and Judy were just about to finish their meals and the fox had convinced her to split some dessert just as soon as they were done, Judy was significantly interested when she heard that there was a pudding option on the menu which was painstakingly made with flavor up to the very last detail. As the bunny finished the last bite of her meal, she set the plate aside and waited patiently for the arrival of dessert, Nick was just about done too and looking up at him suddenly alerted her of one thing, one crucial detail that she had added to her investigation trail relating to the entirety of the case as a whole and she had just forgotten to keep Nick on the loop about it, she really should have told this when they were at the ZPD earlier that day, but it just… slipped by.

Nick placed the cutlery he had used to tear through the salmon stake down, nothing but small bones and scraps left on his plate, he took in the last few swigs of his drink with perceivable gusto as he downed swig after swig of the cold and artificially colored drink, he put the glass down and looked at Judy, seeing her with a pensive expression on her face. Nick figured out on the spot that Judy had something weighing on her mind, something that could be taken as a critical point for a conversation, though he could not be sure what it was just by looking at her, he thought about he should really get a little more practice in reading other mammals, especially her. Judy had her left ear dropping slightly over her head, leaning to the side as she placed a lot of thinking power in what she should tell her partner next, it was an important detail and Nick deserved to know of it too, Nick leaned a little closer and asked:

- Carrots, is something wrong? Is your drink not settling well?

Judy had both of her ears raised straight over her head as she heard Nick's voice, she turned her eyes at him and assured that she was feeling fine, she decided to speak up about what she really wanted to discuss with him shortly after:

- Nick, there is something I forgot to tell you. Something important.

The bunny now had the undivided attention of her partner as Nick placed his elbows over the table frame and then put his paws together while interlocking his fingers one over the other, showing Judy that he was listening while also bracing himself for the subject wanted to be discussed by her at that moment. Judy showed some apprehension in her eyes as she took in some air and said:

- Chief Bogo has been doing some digging on the incidents surrounding our latest encounters, more specifically, the one where we were ambushed and you were… hurt.

Nick lowered his ears, his tail halted all movement as it stagnated limp and immobile behind his seat, but the look in his eyes remained steadfast as he continued to listen to Judy's words. Judy made a gesture with her paws, separating them slowly before telling Nick the rest and most significant part of the talk:

- Chief Bogo received some information from the local data gather with the help of the ZBI, the name of the feline that used the lead spewing weapon against us. His name is Andersen Corvathia and he is the prime suspect on a bunch of other case reports from very early in the ZPD archives.

Nick looked slightly to the left but his ears were still focused on Judy and if she still had something left to say, Nick stored the name of the mammal in his mind, he felt some ease in finally being able to put a name to the face relating to his injury from before. Nick found it a little strange that Judy had chosen that moment to tell him about that fact, he also spared some thought to searching his memory and trying to recall if he had ever heard the name of that particular mammal from before, even if it was from a strange rumor from his time as a hustler, nothing came to mind. Judy continued to speak, giving a few more details that she had already annexed to her investigation file, mostly personal things about the feline:

- According to the chief and the archive he managed to pull up, Corvathia used to be a military mammal, he learned to fight and handle all sorts of equipment but he was dismissed. He had returned to Zootopia and found employment in security providing agencies and was even married.

Nick separated his paws and placed their palms over the table as soon as he heard that, the fox pushed his upper body up to a straight up sitting position as he asked right out:

- He was married?

Judy nodded her head once before telling the remainder of that subject strain:

- Yes, but it's not worth the bother chasing after this particular lead. He was divorced within a year or so and his ex-wife now lives far from Zootopia. What is worse is… according to the files pulled from storage, Andersen is supposed to be deceased.

Nick lowered his paws and spoke in a puffing jest to diminish some of the tension:

- Seems like he's getting quite a lot done for a dead guy.

Judy did not really know what to make of that, she did not feel like laughing and did not know what to say, but Nick continued to speak shortly after as he had a more solemn tone to his voice when he asked:

- When did you learn all of this stuff?

Judy had her ears lowered to the back of her head as she gripped two fingers of her right paw under the hold of her thumb and answered:

- Right before I invited you to come to Bunnyburrow with me. The chief pulled me aside and let me know all that he had found concerning the ambush and the one responsible for leading the wasps. This was all that was found about him, nothing more.

- I see.

Nick directed his eyes back at Judy before saying:

- And you chose to tell me this now.

Judy had her eyes focused on Nick, believing that he had become somewhat crossed with her and the fact that she had chosen to hold on to that information and not tell him sooner. Judy took right to apologizing, not wanting for the mood of that night to be ruined because she decided to tell him all of that, she placed the fingers of her paws together, almost as if she had assumed a pleading stance over her chair, right before saying:

- I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, Nick, I just wasn't sure of how to break it to you once I heard. You were hurt and still recovering and the chief insisted that we took some time to real stuff in and I didn't want to burden you with any of this.

Nick reached for Judy, his left paw was still far from her position as he showed her its palm and told her:

- Hey, easy. You didn't burden me, you'll *never* burden me, in any way. I'm actually glad you decided to tell me all of this.

Judy placed both of her paws over her lap, she leaned her head a little closer to look at Nick's eyes and ask him:

- Is it really alright? I didn't want to make this date about work, but I also felt like I should have told you this sooner.

Nick freshened up his drink, placing the last bit of liquid contained inside the pitcher handed over to him, he put the used pitcher down and hoisted his glass up once more, not even having enough of a drink in it to fill a fourth of the vial in his paw, before telling Judy:

- I'm grateful you decided to tell me this anyway. We'll add more info to the case and then we'll tackle it together.

Judy sighed with a touch of relief and a lot of appreciation for Nick, their dinner came to an end and Nick smiled satisfied after the last refreshing sip of his drink was done and the first course of the dinner had officially come to a close. After ordering dessert and gorging themselves on the flavor of pudding that they had both agreed to share, the dinner was concluded and Nick asked for the check, Judy excused herself so she could go to the bathroom before they departed and Nick remained seated to wait for her. Just as Tommy was arriving with the receipt containing the bill for the meal, he noticed as Nick reached for his jacket pocket and pulled out a small plastic container with an unmistakable label that marked it as a breath mint dispenser, the meerkat got closer without Nick's immediate notice before asking:

- Would you look at that. Never knew you to be a fox to chase a kiss right on the first date. I guess weirder things have happened.

Nick heard his friend's voice and stored the dispenser back inside his jacket in a hurry, Nick turned to the left to look at Tommy before telling him:

- It's only a precaution.

The meerkat nodded just once before saying:

- You don't have to worry about me blabbing on, I figured that there was something else going there as soon as you came by with her in toe, doesn't take a genius to figure you out, Nick. I've seen you chase a lot of girls back when we hung out together on the regular, never figured that a nice and proper girl like her would get you all riled up like this.

Nick raised from his seat, he snatched the bill from Tommy's paws before telling him with a pointing gesture of his left paw:

- Nervous? Me? Why would you think that I of all mammals in this city would be nervous?

Tommy made a gesture with his right paw, moving it towards his mouth and then back as if he was trying to imitate Nick's previous motion, he turned to Nick and then answered him with his gesture enough to signify emphasis for the answer to come:

- The double mint you just popped down.

Nick made a clicking noise with his mouth, acknowledging the response of the meerkat shortly after by saying:

- Whatever you say there, 'smokey'. You should pop one yourself, you need it more than me.

Tommy leaned back and responded in a humorous tone:

- Wow! You came out punching high, Wilde! Did they teach that in cop school?

To which Nick responded with a slow shake of his head and a simple:

- I wish.

The two mammals exchanged a hearty laughter right before Nick let it slip that Judy really enjoyed the meal prepared by Tommy, the meerkat immediately let that go over to his head. His vegetarian meals were not that special, he was always more apt in preparing dishes for carnivores, but having praising review from the ZPD star himself felt downright commendable to him.

Nick and Judy exited the restaurant as soon as Judy returned from her short trip to the washroom, she had been stopped along the way by Ella who requested an autograph before the bunny left through the doors, Judy's response was suggesting a selfie to commemorate such a great night and Ella snagged one right quick with her cellphone. The hyena and the bunny looked great, each of them smiling with toothy grins in the picture and Ella could hardly wait to tell her little sister all about that. As Judy and Nick walked slowly through the elevated paths of the rainforest on their way back to the car, Judy leaned close to Nick as she had done before, pulling his left elbow softly towards her as they matched speeds walking ahead, Nick shot a side glance at her and listened attentively as she said with low volume and a sweet tone of voice:

- Tonight was so great. You really know how to make a great date happen, slick.

In response to that, Nick decided to take a small risk in extending the date just a little bit more, the fox still carried a sizeable ace up his sleeve, he took the chance and he reached for it. Nick turned to Judy and told her:

- Well, carrots, the night isn't over yet. I still got one place left for us to go.

Judy kept holding on to Nick's arm with both of her paws but her upper body leaned back as both of their walks reached a near halt and the fox continued to speak by saying in a reticent but forthcoming tone of voice:

- There is this spot that I haven't thought about in quite some time, I would like to check on it. It's quite the view and it's really special to me, so I would like to show it to you. If you'd like to come with me that is.

Judy thought for a moment, taking her right paw from its position over Nick's left forearm and bringing her pointing finger close to her lips as she thought things over. Judy had already experienced a nice meal and a great conversation with Nick but she would have jumped at the chance to spend more time with the fox without a second thought. Judy agreed to have Nick lead the way once more and show her this mysterious place which sounded like it meant a lot to him, the fox pointed to a path ahead, already having a mental map to the precise location he wished to disclose to her and walking forth with quick short strides so Judy would have no problem following along by his side.

Spent some time on their walk, Judy could see varied places around the rainforest, the different levels of suspended roads that crisscrossed around the trees, the hidden signs of several businesses that remained open up to those hours and a few glimpses of night life, many bars and clubs remained open near the canopy of some of the trees to accommodate some mammals who were nocturne by nature. As they continued walking, Judy noticed how the movement around them diminished, then ceased completely, the path Nick had guided her on assured that they were the only mammals around, they had not gone up or down any steps but Judy noticed that she was no longer stepping over the smooth wooden planks of the over paths, there was rock and gravel beneath her feet and there was also not that many trees around them, it was like they were walking away from the very heart of the rainforest up to a place where no remnants of the district's natural life or its soothing greenery dared to reach.

Judy directed her sight up, she could still search and find without any issue the trail of shadows and shades left by the leaves of the tall trees flowing back and forth in the wind, but one look ahead sliced right through her mind and alerted that there could be something else afoot. Judy looked forth and she saw what looked like an abandoned booth to purchase tickets, like the ones one might find at a carnival, except that one looked dilapidated and falling to pieces, she looked over at Nick and the fox appeared unfazed by that sight, to Nick it was only a mark that they were headed to the right place. Next sight was a large wooden sign, unclamped from its perch stuck deep on to the ground and left facing down on the ground, not only could no one passing by identify what was written due to the inutility of the sign but it appeared that the wooden post had been claimed by growing vines and a relentless colony of termites, leaving it hollowed out and broken. Judy looked around then behind her, to the trail Nick and her had left behind, a thought creeped into her mind as she believed the fox may have dragged her into some sort of prank but that thought was dismissed, she trusted Nick and decided to wait a little more before any suspicious conclusions were drawn.

Nick gestured ahead with a motion of his right paw pointing forward, his arm stretching straight ahead and the umbrella that the fox was carrying by the same manner as before swinging lightly while hooked up around the sleeve of his coat. Judy looked ahead, she could see a huge fenced off gate with a chain wrapped by a massive lock keeping it closed, beyond the meager security measure there was what she could only assume to be a dark dank cave which cut right through the uneven rock face of a tall and steep hill located right in the middle of the rainforest as well as warding off signs with various languages adorning the gate and each of them shouting the same message loud and clear for any mammal who dared approach: 'KEEP OUT!'. Judy let go of Nick's arm as she felt her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach and then come back to its place inside her chest, she watched as Nick moved closer to the gate, the smile plastered on his face only reinforcing the fact that the unsightly place they were now located was the exact spot where the fox wanted to take her, now she was beyond confused, but she dearly hoped the large lock and all of the signs would be more than enough to discourage the fox into going any further. Judy pointed at the gate and said:

- Nick, we can't go this way.

Nick turned his head to look at Judy, he asked with his eyes squinted and his ears raised, already knowing the tone of the words heading his way:

- We can't?

The fox asked while fainting ignorance. Judy once more pointed at the fenced gate as she said:

- It says so right there: 'Entry prohibited. Authorized mammals only.'

Nick looked at the sign that Judy was referring to, just as she said, fact of facts, that was exactly what the sign was saying word by word. Nick nodded his head once and, using the same kind of tone as before, the fox said:

- That it does. That. It. Does.

Nick turned his body and faced the linked fence, the locked gate that stood between them and whatever waited inside, that was not going to stop him. The fox stepped forth and placed both of his paws between the point of the chain-link fence where the seams of the gate met, the banging of the metal releasing a loud clanking sound that responded to the fox's sudden and aggressive motion. Judy raised her ears and bent her legs, the sound startled her along with Nick's course of action, she was unsure if she should rush forth in order to halt the fox or hold her position in case the loud noise were to attract any attention of some mammal who would be passing by near that place, however unlikely that might be. Nick opened way through the gate, employing his strength just enough to stretch out every link in the chain keeping the gate shut, separating the seams of the passageway and opening a way wide enough for him to squeeze through, the fox emerged on the other side of the gate with a triumphant puff of air coming out of his mouth and was met with the unnerved questioning of his partner who remained by the other side of the precarious barrier:

- NICK! What do you think you're doing?!

The fox saw as his partner placed her face close to the gate and placed both of her paws over the thin interlocked metal wire that formed the barrier that now stood between them, Nick made a waving gesture with his left paw as he silently asked Judy to do as he did and follow along before telling her:

- It's a sign, carrots, not a guard. C'mon, this way.

Nick walked off into the cave, disappearing from Judy's field of view and into the darkness, Judy shook the gate and rattled the chain as she whispered with tone and volume remarkably close to a yell as she said:

- Nick! Nick, you get back here right now!

N answer came to her, she was convinced that the fox had heard her but was choosing not to respond or attend her words, Judy released a sigh and turned around to pace for a few seconds before deciding to follow her partner into the dark. Judy did the same as Nick, placing her paws where the seams of the two swinging portions of the gate met before separating them and slipping inside, muttering to herself as she said:

- Stupid fox. What is he even thinking. Going into unsanctioned areas without authorization and I'm no better, I'm following him. If I get this dress ruined because of him… I'm going to be so crossed!

Judy stepped closer to the entrance of the cave in front of her, the place where Nick dared to enter but she did not step into it. Judy leaned closer to the entrance, placing her paws on the sides of her face as to project her voice ahead and she spoke up:

- Nick!? Nick, are you there?!

No response came, again. Judy squinted her eyes and checked ahead, even with the illumination of a few street lights clamped to the path behind her, Judy could only see pitch black darkness ahead and no discernible sign of her partner, she clenched her paws and continued to look without stepping a single inch forth. To her surprise, Judy would get an actual answer soon enough as Nick's voice, extraordinarily close to her, sounded off as the fox asked simply:

- Yes?

Judy stepped back, placed both of her paws over her chest, feeling the unconstricting lacing of the lingerie and of her dress cushioned the sudden impact she inflicted on herself due to the shock, she looked ahead and could see Nick's silhouette emerging from the shadows before telling him:

- Geez and peas cheese and crackers! Don't do that to me!

Nick walked forward only by a single step before telling her with an uneasy smile on his face:

- Sorry about that. I forgot for a moment that you can't see in the dark like I can.

Judy looked up, her right arm extended in front of her while she kept her left paw over her chest to ease up the bumping beat of her heart against the inside of her chest, gesturing with her right paw as she pointed to the ground before saying:

- Nick, you get back here this instant! We're really not supposed to be here!

Nick leaned forth and explained to her real quick:

- I know that, but this is the place I wanted to show you. Trust me, you're going to love it. You just got to follow close.

Judy then saw the fox extending his right paw her way, beckoning her to follow along into the dark with his guidance, Judy undid her previous stance of fear, now placing her right paw forward and her left paw only placed close to the front of her chest almost like she was trying to attain a sloppy fighting stance with both of her paws raised and clutched into fists. Judy felt her knees become week, her ankles nearly buckling with uncertainty, Nick's hold felt so enticing for her at that moment, even if the aura of that entire place around them threatened to scare her straight out of her wits. Judy lowered her left arm, opened her right paw and softly placed it over Nick's palm, giving him consent to guide her ahead, the fox gently tugged at her and the two mammals walked slowly forth into the veil of shadow housed inside of the cave.

Judy moved her eyes around but she could hardly see a thing, the only source of light she could identify, the entrance to the cave, was slowly falling behind as she placed one foot in front of the other, the only thing keeping her from shouting out and preserving a sense of safety and stability in her mind was Nick's hold as it steered her deeper into that place. Judy could hear two sets of steps echoing lightly, the sound fading and then reemerging as it bounced off to the walls and ceiling, that place was deep and it also sounded like it twisted and turned into several different paths, at least, that is how she envisioned it in her mind. After a little while, letting her mind wander through the dark, Judy began to hear the loud bating of her own heart, afraid that something might go wrong and surprise her, like an obstacle in her path that might go unnoticed causing her to trip and fall or an unknown assailant that occupied that keep with an incomprehensible nature, a formless force that might ambush them, all of those fears swirled around in her mind but she did not let them overwhelm her or hinder that moment.

Judy kept telling herself that it would be fine as long as she kept holding on to Nick's paw, he obviously knew the place and would be a reliable source that would let her know if something was amiss. Following a few more steps, Judy decided to break the silence between her and Nick as she finally decided to ask of her guide:

- Nick, what is this place? Where are you taking us?

Judy's words left her mouth and her voice cracked for a bit, her volume was low and the irregularity on her breathing caused her voice to sound rather raspy as the air passed through her throat, Nick looked back and his ears twitched as Judy's voice bounced all over the place, he answered to her as he slowed his walk and then spoke up with low volume to his voice though slightly louder than Judy's:

- Remember a while ago when I told you the story of how mammals tried to make the rainforest work as a district but many of their plans failed?

Judy felt a little more at ease after hearing Nick's voice, she answered to his question shortly as she searched her memory for only a couple of seconds before answering:

- I remember that.

Judy looked in the direction of Nick's voice but she could hardly see him at all, the only things she had to indicate her partner presence and proximity were the sounds he let out like his breathing and his steps, both enhanced by the acoustics of the cave and the touch of his paw over hers. Receiving her confirmation, Nick answered shortly:

- This place is a museum built in honor of all the mammals that worked tirelessly together to build Zootopia as we know today, it is called the Moray Museum in honor of Jackson Moray, the first mammal who climbed this very hill and carved his way through it to build the advanced post that would map out the entirety of the rainforest before turning it into a trading post and adding it to the city as a district.

Judy was actually surprised to know that, Nick's follow up description painted a much better image of the environment around them, making certain that Judy could see what he was seeing inside her mind as he was the only mammal between them with the capability to discern the shapes in the dark. Nick spoke of the several items still on display, left behind for historical significance even after the official closure of the museum, all of them too heavy or not valuable enough to be worth stealing, however, all of them were signed marks of Zootopia's origin days. Nick began to point to several spots around the room as he narrated the sections they were passing through, although he was suddenly reminded once more that Judy could not see the directions he was pointing at so he decided to improvise:

- Over there, by our right, is the anchor of the S.S. Greenpeace, the first trading ship to ever sail out of the Tundra port. Real monster of a ship, it's entire crew went sharply into the trading business and they said that each of the crew's families got to keep a piece of the ship's main hull when it got turned into scrap to build new ships. This anchor is the only piece of the vessel that is intact, well… aside from all of the rust.

Judy moved her ears in the direction of Nick's voice and she just could not believe it, the fox was giving her a full tour of the what remained of that great museum. Amidst the joyous sensation of learning more about Zootopia with her partner as a source, Judy selected a nearly cartoonish image of the item in display inside her mind, wondering if the real article would look anything like that in actuality with slick metal textures and exaggerated proportions. Nick continued to speak shortly after, another display right ahead called to his eyes and his intuition told him he had to talk about it:

- Up to our left, there is a huge wall with signs and plaques that list all of the workers of the fort before it became a museum, everyone who contributed to the foundation of the place way before it was donated to the city proper. Even the name of the janitor who made sure the place was always spotless is listed among them. I remember when I picked my first fight near here.

Judy asked with a whisper, Nick turned his head to the right just as soon as she heard her voice asking:

- You got in a fight here?

Nick answer, almost sounding proud of it:

- One of the first ever fights of my life. I don't… really remember what it was all about, but I remember that I lost. Hard. Really stood my ground though, I was a scrappy little fox.

Nick's improvised tour was at an end, that museum was abandoned and dilapidated but it really brought quite the slew of memories to the fox, he was glad to be sharing that moment with Judy, factually, she was the only mammal that he wanted to bring along to that place, but the true reason why he had chosen to bring Judy there was coming up straight ahead. Judy squinted her eyes for a moment as her head and sight turned to her immediate front, she could see some light coming from up ahead, originating from an enormous threshold shaped like half a circle, the other side of the cave, it prompted her to hurry her steps so that they could leave the darkness all that much sooner. Judy hurried along, surpassing Nick in their positioning as she took the lead, but Nick halted her dash by holding on tightly to her left paw and then telling her:

- Watch out, there are a few steps right in front of us. Here comes the first one.

Judy's ears twitched, she cursed herself silently for even thinking about rushing forward while still in the dark, she believed it was merely a lapse in instinct, the inherit desire to leave the darkness behind impairing her full judgement at that moment, upon further analysis she believed she should have brought along her cellphone but she was all set to not ruin the lining on her new dress, choosing only to bring along the keys to her apartment and a small amount of money, both contained in a miniscule pouch placed on the right side of her dress, a small although very useful detail she had not detected when she purchased the attire. Nick slowed his steps and then guided Judy to raise her legs slowly and methodically so that she would not bump her feet on any of the steps leading up and on to the path to the exit ahead. Judy followed Nick's instructions and climbed three steps, the fox had to hold out some laughter as he saw Judy raising her knee much higher than necessary in order to pass over the first step on the ladder, but now their path to the threshold was completely clear.

Nick and Judy continued to walk together, they passed through the threshold and Judy let go of Nick's paw, but the only thing Judy could see on their arrival was a huge open space, the light of the moon and the few stars above shining through an open sky and illuminating that big open area, an open space carved by the edge of a cliff near the top of the hill and fenced off by a moderately high stone wall with thick safety rails made out of iron. The rails had already rusted and corroded throughout the years and were pierced into the top of the wall which encircled that whole space without any visible openings. There were a few stone benches spread out through that space, numerous light posts which now were cold without any electrical activation for many years and a solid foundation on the ground that was covered with huge and thick stone tiles, some of which lay cracked and loose, but, aside from that, there was nothing else there. Judy turned to Nick and asked of him:

- This is it? You wanted to show me this?

Nick turned to Judy and then gave a few steps back, his tail turned towards the railing and the walls that encompassed that entire area, performing a subtle bow while keeping his body in motion and then telling Judy:

- Yeah, I get it. This place right here is not much to look at anymore…

That is when Nick turned towards the wall and made a gesture of revelation and enlightenment with both of his paws directed at the sight beyond the wall, to the sight Judy was supposed to be looking at. Judy approached cautiously and began to see something popping up from over the wall as she got closer, the angle of her approach soon revealing a magnificent sight. Just above the wall and beyond the eroded railing, Judy could now see in the distance, to her surprise and delight, the lights of the other districts, the savanna, the desert, even the tundra looked so dazzling from there, the shadows of the buildings, the waving skyline in the distance and the colorful lights all mixed together in a mesh of color and form, like a glimmering diorama of the entire city stretched itself right in front of her leaving her awestruck and nearly breathless. Judy's ears twitched as she heard the completion of Nick's previous thought:

- But the view can't be beat.

Judy gasped, her eyes opened wide, her tail elevated and tugged on the fabric of her dress while both her ears and her jaw dropped, the bunny never dreamed she could be seeing such a sight as that. The entire city of Zootopia, bare and brilliant while covered by the night sky, right in front of her eyes. Nick gave a few seconds before he scooched closer to Judy, encroaching on her position while utterly delighting himself on her expression, he was glad to keep that ace up his sleeve. Nick leaned closer and asked of her:

- So… what do you think?

Judy turned to look at her partner for what felt like a mere fraction of a second before turning her sight back at the spectacular and static view ahead, the panoramic and wide view of the city lights in the distance trumped the near obscure and mostly peaceful view of the restaurant from earlier in many different ways, the overall beauty of Zootopia so far from her reach yet so abundantly close, she felt like she could reach forth and pluck a beam of light straight out of that view so she could keep it for herself. Judy spoke up in response to Nick's question, her breath still reeling from before:

- Nick, this is amazing! I think I can even see the palm tree from over here.

Judy said as she leaned forth and to the left, squinting her eyes to check if she could absorb any more hidden details in the view, sadly, the safety wall surrounding the venue prevented her from going any further so she decided to boost herself lightly over the barrier to look a little closer. Judy was already at the tips of her feet but the enchanting view simply demanded that she explored more, she placed the palms of her paws over the wall, more precisely, at a section where the separating poles of the safety railing would not be a bother by blocking her sight, she hoisted herself up, her legs dangling only a few inches off the ground as most of the strength was transferred to her arms so she could elevate her own body without difficulty. Judy had elevated herself with success and she could see a much broader view of the city ahead but she was stopped from going any further in that course of action by Nick as she felt the fox's left paw placed over her chest.

Nick was also riveted by the view of the city, but the fox's true intent was to see the continuous reaction on his partner's face as she looked over it all. Nick turned his head to the left and looked down, expecting to see the glistening spark of wonder in her eyes, he wagered that the sight of her smile would surpass the view of the city lights by a wide margin . Nick was very surprised to see Judy as she had her paws placed over the wall and hoisting herself up to check everything from a more advantageous angle, the fox felt his heart jump for a single moment as he reached forth to stop her just as she spoke up:

- It's so beautiful.

Nick turned his body to face Judy and then extended his left paw in her direction, placing its widened up palm with his fingers pressed over one another in the effect of an improvised barrier as he pushed her back with the slightest touch over her figure before saying:

- Yeah, I know that, but do be careful. Beyond this wall there is a steep slide followed by a sheer cliff. It's quite the drop from here.

Judy understood that right away, Nick spat out facts that came from an immediate place of concern for her safety. The bunny dropped from her precarious perch as she relaxed her arms and let her feet touch the ground once more and stepped back, only then being satisfied by the view of the lights ahead from her height and angle. Nick signaled to a spot right behind them both of his paws pointing in the general direction of a stone bench while his body turned slightly to the right to face Judy and ask her:

- Would you like to take a seat with me?

The bunny agreed promptly, she nodded her head and then walked in the direction of the bench, taking a seat near the right side edge, hopping on to the seat and settling her posterior over the hard and cold stone surface. Nick took his seat by Judy's left side, the fox placed the umbrella he was still hanging on to leaned against the side of the bench, he almost forgot that he was still hanging on to it, he swished his tail around before placing his posterior down on the bench, half of his tail length was now dangling by the left side edge of the seat and swinging slowly from side to side as the fox took a few breaths and relaxed. Judy and Nick turned both of their sight forward and continued to appreciate the view of the city from that isolated perch with looked so far off from everything else, Judy had her eyes focused ahead but she would occasionally shoot a side glance at her partner, asking of him by the third time she had done it:

- Nick, this place is so pretty. How did you find it?

The fox leaned back over the stone repost of the bench, the sculpted and molded stone was a far too brash and too much of a hard surface to relax but his jacket provided a much more comfortable cushioned feeling for his back as he leaned, he placed his left elbow over the top of the repost and then spoke in response:

- Every kid in Zootopia has to have at least one field trip to this place. I remember filling my parents ears with asking them to sign the permit so I could tag along. I think I only came back here one more time when I was a kid, my mom and my dad brought me over here, we just sat around and we had ice cream.

Nick raised his head, his muzzle directed upwards as he took a long breath of the night air, the cold and humidity of the atmosphere around them perceived in full by the fox and his sense of smell, it felt as refreshing as a cold drink of water. Nick lowered his head and looked forward once more, the sight of the city ahead looking unchanged and yet still captivating to him, the fox released the long dash of air he took into his lungs gradually as he spoke up:

- You know, this is the one spot in the whole city where I get to sit down and just get lost in thought, the deepest of thoughts. I used to come over here and imagine how every little light over there in the distance is a story, a life, kind of like mine, with all of their problems to live through and memories to sort by. With all of those lights pulsing over each other… I began to feel like my light was a little… small in comparison.

Judy turned to look at Nick, her ears raised as she gave her partner a little more attention than the spectacular view. Nick's tone of voice sounded a little gloomy but the fox was actually holding on to a nice smile upon further inspection, he was not done speaking his mind. Nick made a gesture with his left paw as his left arm was still positioned in respite over the bench repost, the gesture went unseen by Judy but it did not halt the fox's trail of thought as he said:

- That's not the case now. I'm sitting here, with you, I don't feel like my light is greater than anyone else's in comparison, although… it's definitely greater than before.

Judy could feel a sudden chill, a pleasurable tingle climbing up her spine, the fur on her tail puffing up and the tips of her ears frizzling as Nick's voice suddenly caressed her senses. For but a moment, it felt to Judy like her base instincts, the desire to come closer and drop any pretense of restraint relating to Nick so close to her, threatened to claw and thrash its way right out of her mind. Judy pressed her lips together and tucked her arms closer to her torso as her fingers gripped noting but air and her nails scrapped over the abrasive surface of the bench beneath her, Judy pressed over herself to remain perfectly still and refrain from doing or saying anything to embarrassing or brash at that time, speaking to herself inside her head:

"No! No! NO! Not now! Keep it together, Hopps!"

Judy watched as Nick turned his head slowly to the right and directed his sight right at her, the sweet smile on his muzzle dissolved and replaced by a light frown as the fox asked:

- You… feeling alright there, carrots?

Judy only then took notice of the posing she was performing over her side of the seat, her shoulders raised and her arms extending over the vertical length of her torso, tucking so close to her figure as her paws were placed clutched near her bottom, she panicked a little bit before coming up with a viable excuse as she raised her paws and rubbed her arms lightly with their palms. The bunny turned her eyes to the left to look at her partner and then answered to him:

- Oh, I'm fine, Nick. I'm fine. I just now noticed how brisk it gets over here.

Nick looked around and he too noticed the breeze blowing past them and over in that open area at the side of a rocky hill, the fox turned his head back at Judy and said:

- Oh, right. I forgot how cold the air can get around here. Do you want my jacket to keep you warm?

Judy felt that proposal very enticing, she uncrossed her arms and gestured towards Nick, keeping calm as she could be as she politely dismissed the chance, worried that Nick himself might become imperiled to the cold air himself without his jacket and also that his outerwear might be a little too large for her frame. The bunny made a slow dismissive gesture, showing the palms of her paws and moving her wrists to the sides while telling him:

- Nick, no, I'm alright. You keep your jacket. Honest.

Nick turned his head and face forward once more, he lowered his left arm from its repost at his side and then pointed at Judy before saying:

- Alright, if you say so. Just know that you would pull it much better than I ever could.

Judy lowered her head and let out a little bit of laughter, only a single dash of breath escaped her chest through her mouth as she chuckled due to Nick's retort, relieved that her excuse had come across as believable and satisfied that she was able to contain her own impulses. Judy and Nick took to silence for a short while, the two of them seated together and both of their minds wondered if this was it, the correct time to let the emotions fly, safety, isolation, clean air and ample time, there should not be a better moment than this one. Nick put in his mind just what he had to say, a way to speak unencumbered before letting all the cards on the table, Judy was prepared for it as well, she turned to him and him to her as they spoke almost simultaneously:

- Nick, listen…

- Judy, I…

The pair took to laughing after that moment, Nick placed his head down with a soft smile on his face as he said:

- I feel like we need to stop doing this.

Judy gestured to her friend with his left paw as she said:

- Go right ahead.

Nick leaned forth and looked at her, placing both paws over his chest before asking of her:

- You sure you don't mind?

Judy nodded her head once, giving Nick the turn to speak his mind first, the fox took that chance. Nick's talk, his mind engaged in the most serious alignment he could get, began with a simple question:

- Judy, how long have we known each other?

Judy leaned forward as well, getting her head slightly closer to Nick's position, her ears raised and pointed in his direction just to make sure she had not misunderstood the meaning of his question, she asked:

- Wait, what?

Nick rephrased his inquiry, asking in turn once more:

- It's a simple question there, carrots. How long have we known each other?

Judy leaned her back over at the repost, her right forearm was placed right under her chest as her right paw held on as a support to her left elbow and her left paw placed in an inquisitive manner in front of her lips, she thought for a short time about the question that was posted at her before recalling out loud as a lengthened response:

- Well, let's see… I recall that when we met for the first time, I followed you around; Then we met again come the next day; We ran around Zootopia and took to finding the missing mammals on the day after, there was that creepy office, the detention facility, the damn…

Nick lowered his head and his ears were positioned back as he said:

- Yeah, that was way scary!

Judy released a little giggle before pointing at Nick and telling him:

- You were such a nervous nelly back then.

Nick closed his eyes and lightly pressed his eyelids shut as he did so, almost like he had just received a blow from an unexpected source. The fox let that pause fly by before saying:

- Yes, I remember that. Keep going.

Judy continued to remember as she then spoke:

- Then come the next day, the press conference, we had known each other for just three days or so and I already made you mad at me. I still feel a little bad for what I said.

Nick tried easing Judy's mind so she would continue speaking and so he could get to the main point of the conversation, making a quick dismissing gesture with both of his paws and a shake of his head before looking right at her and saying:

- Hey, water under the bridge. Besides, I wasn't upright 'mad' at you, more like… 'disappointed'.

Judy retreated for a moment, placing her paws on her cheeks and giving them a little pressing as she said as if she was the one that had received a sudden and somewhat piercing blow then:

- Oh, gosh. That is so much worse.

Nick shook his head once more and tried returning Judy's attention to the main point of the conversation, shaking off the adorable expression she had just revealed to him. The fox opened his paws in a snapping gesture directed at her before saying softly and rapidly:

- Anyways, keep going. What came next?

Judy had her ears lowered as she continued to remember:

- That is when the whole city went completely nuts, I tried to return home so I could clear my mind, it felt like I didn't had the guts to be a police officer anymore, that was a whole month for me; Then I learned about the night-howlers; I came back to find you; We arrested Bellweather; We hung out for a bit before we took to training, that was near about another month on itself…

Judy's still had a ways to go before getting at the end, she took a short pause to catch her breath and then continued:

- Then you went to the academy, that was almost five months before we saw each other again; One more month of training and then your graduation after; Then you came back, you got into the ZPD, we have been partners for almost… two months now, counting the time we took at Bunnyburrow when you were recovering for a bit. So…

Judy then took to making calculations, raising and lowering the fingers on both of her paws as she tried to arrive at the precise measurement of time, after some counting in silence, Judy spoke up:

- We've known each other for… eight months and… eighteen days. Give or take.

Nick leaned back, actually a little shocked to hear that number in such great detail. The fox placed his right palm over his forehead, he brushed the fur on the top of his head and pushed his ears back with a slow motion of his paw scrapping over his head, his ears popped back up as he said in a quick recap:

- Wow… Eight months and eighteen days. Isn't that something?

Judy reached for Nick, placing her left paw over his right arm, pressing down on the thick outer layer of his coat until she was certain that she had touched his arm, and asking of him:

- Nick? What's up? Why are you asking this of me?

Nick turned to face Judy and explain himself:

- You said it, fluff. We have known each other for well over eight months and eighteen days and not once… have I apologized for the first day we met.

Judy had both of her eyes open and her brows slightly raised, her nose and ears twitched as she heard that and she did not have time to post a response as Nick continued to speak:

- I mean… when we met the first time I was a jerk to you. I mocked you, I mocked your dream, I told you right to your face that you would *never* be an actual cop and… and you are just an awesome cop.

Judy let a little smile build up as she said in a soft tone of voice:

- Nick…

That did not stop the fox as he continued to speak:

- And I made fun of your home, I practically made fun of your family, and your family is super cool. Damn it! I nearly got you trampled by a rhino on the first day we met. I just thought… Damn it!

Judy could hear that the fox was nearly beating himself over the head as he recalled all that happened on their first encounter, Judy was not really sure if she should bring something else up during that moment but she decided to say it anyway:

- You also had me distracted when I plunged both my feet on a patch of wet cement.

Judy made a subtle gesture of her right paw as she pointed at Nick, fiddling with her thumb and pointing finger right after saying that and adding to the fox's weight of mind. Nick lowered his head and placed it down while having it supported by both of his paws, almost like he was trying to hide away in embarrassment, his muzzle popping out past the cover provided by his paws. Nick let out a long puff of air though his mouth and whispered with great compunction in his voice:

- Oh, crap. I almost forgot about the wet cement.

Judy pressed her lips together and spoke up in addition to that, not as a way to try making the fox feel worse for what he had done but just as a way to keep the moment as honest and accurate as she could get it:

- Yup. The beavers who were working on that stretch of sidewalk were not happy with me, at all. They had to get me out with shovels and chisels and I nearly lost a full day of my first ever patrol route for that, if you could even call it that. I think I tracked cement powder all the way back to the front mat of my old place.

Nick raised his head, he looked ahead and spoke a question that was directed partially at himself but mostly at Judy, he spoke in a burdensome tone of voice:

- Holy crap! How don't you absolutely hate me?

Judy looked over at Nick and reached for his right shoulder with a smile on her lips, the bunny spoke up in order to call to his attention, already convinced beyond any doubt by his way of acting that Nick really regretted all of the things he said and done on that day. Judy took a short breath and said:

- Nick, you don't have to be like that. It's alright.

Nick turned his head to look at Judy in a quick motion, the fox directed boggled eyes at her before saying:

- No, it is not 'alright', fluff. Don't you even think about telling me that it's 'alright'. That's not how this is going to stay.

The fox turned his entire body over the bench, placing his right leg bent sideways over the seat as he turned to face Judy completely and then tell her:

- For all of the stupid stuff I threw at you that day, I want you to get even with me. Carrots… I want you to punch me.

Judy was looking straight at Nick when he said that, the words became trapped in her throat for only a second but she soon figured that the fox was only joking around. Judy turned her eyes away and then back at Nick once more, she leaned back as she performed a simple retreat as she tried seeing if there was a logical end to Nick's reaction, speaking up while letting out a short laugh:

- Nick, I'm not going to punch you.

The fox leaned closer and then said:

- Oh yes, you are. For all of the things I said and then some.

Nick turned his head to the left, exposing the right side of his face completely while still keeping his eyes on Judy and then telling her:

- Judy, I want you to sock me right in the jaw. Rev up and hit me with your best shot.

The fox raised his right paw and pointed to the center of his cheek, following that, he closed his eyes and then prepared to receive the hit of retribution that it would no doubt come right for him in no time at all, closing his eyes and bracing for impact. Judy looked right at Nick, fairly certain that she should not even attempt to take a shot at him in any way, the bunny raised her left paw and Nick picked up on that motion, pressing his eyes shut as he believed that a harsh impact would come for him at just about any second. Judy stretched out and reached forth with her left arm, placing her paw softly over Nick's left cheek and giving it a gentle pat, the fox opened her eyes and then turned his face over to look at his partner, her paw still placed over the side of his face as he turned, he raised a brow and asked her:

- Is that the best shot you got, carrots. I mean… it's not bad.

Judy released a little giggle but her face soon became serious as she told her partner:

- Nick, a while ago I was having a few problems coming to terms with my place in this city. I entered the precinct believing that I might be overlooked, maybe even a little overestimated, thanks to my notes and academy records. I thought I would be given a tough case and made my name heard right on my first day. That did not happen. I needed someone to bring me down to earth again.

Judy lowered her left paw, she took a long breath before continuing to speak:

- When I spoke to you, when I got roped into helping you, I was really trying to perform a good deed, maybe because I was still a little at odds with myself at the time. I might have made things a little harder for myself than they needed to be. I had a few issues controlling my temper, that certainly didn't help.

Judy felt like she was rambling for a while there, she looked at Nick's face with a side glance, the fox still listening very carefully. Judy continued to speak as she directed the palm of her right paw forward and then said:

- What you said to me, the way you said it, deep down it feels like something I was supposed to hear. I needed to figure out that the world is not like a movie where mammals live through a little adventure here and there and then everything gets solved, it takes time and care for things to get solved and even then it takes a lot out of use to see it all through. Even if I did want to punch you in the face back then…

As soon as he heard that last part, Nick turned his face away and braced himself once more, letting show his fangs as he took in a sharp dose of air through his teeth, waiting once more for the hit that never came. Judy waited for a moment before finishing her thought:

- I needed a healthy dose of reality to make sure that I was going to get my life back on track and I am thankful you were the one to give it. My problems went far beyond my need to prove others wrong or my incessant will to perform good acts for the sake of others, my insecurities ran deep, you were the one to make it all come to light and then you helped me brush past it all.

Judy scooched closer to her partner over the side of the seat, she leaned in closer and pulled Nick in for a hug, placing her paws around his right arm and gently tugging at him so he would come that much closer to her. However, despite Judy's attempt to pull the fox closer, she failed to take into account just how much heavier he was compared to her, Judy only managed to pull herself closer to Nick's side of the bench before coming in for the hug and telling him:

- I am so thankful for all of the things you did for me. Nick, you inspired me to do more, to be more. I will always appreciate you.

Nick lowered his head, he released a sigh through his nostril that was a plain mixture of relief and anxiousness, the fox could feel his heart beating fast and stronger due to Judy being so close to him and she also picked up on that. Judy was only trying to demonstrate how thankful she was for all that her partner had done so far, the kindness, the attentiveness, all the support culminating and spilling over through that moment, tender, warmth, Judy felt through that simple hug, the sound of Nick's strong heartbeat now ringing loud in her ears, almost like a loud thumping that radiated through that entire place and threatened to conceal even her own heart which also beaten fast through that entire moment. Judy eased on the hug, leaning back and looking over at her partner, she saw as Nick raised his left paw and placed it over the bridge of his muzzle, pinching lightly on the spot between his eyes with his thumb and the bent portion of his pointing finger, the bunny was unsure if she had done something wrong, the fox appeared tired, frustrated and reassured all at once.

Judy gave Nick's arm a small pat with the palm of her right paw, the bunny asked of her partner:

- Nick, are you alright?

Nick turned his head to the right to look at Judy, the look in her eyes, the curiosity and uncertainty directed at him, the fox tried dismissing it, even if he believed it might prove ineffective, he knew Judy would just keep digging at it until she got an answer out of him, he tried anyway. Nick turned his head to look back at the lights of the city in the distance, raising his ears and then saying:

- I'm alright, carrots. It's nothing.

True to Nick's previous thoughts, the bunny pried as she asked:

- I don't think it's 'nothing'. You can tell me.

Nick showed a soft smile as he lowered his head slightly and directed his sight to the rock tiles on the ground beneath, the fox was not discouraged from explaining himself but he issued one final attempt at warning his partner that the thing that was nagging at him was nothing t be truly concerned about:

- You don't have to worry. It's really stupid.

Judy kept trying to get at Nick, telling him shortly after:

- I don't mind. Please, tell me.

Nick took in a long breath of air through his nose, he let out through his mouth and then spoke up, feeling a little more confident but not at all less unnerved to tell his partner about something he had not really thought about for so long. Nick looked at Judy, one last shot of cold forest air before he spoke up with moderate volume to his speech:

- It's just that… I remembered something from a while ago. I thought of… how I was afraid.

Judy let go of Nick's arm completely, looking straight at him and his blank expression, his eyes being the only discernible read she could get at his emotions, she could guess of what he might be afraid of but the specifics eluded her. Judy asked for clarification, leaning in just close enough so she could ask in a soft tone of voice:

- Afraid of what?

Nick leaned a little closer, the tip of his muzzle placed so close to Judy's face, the fox blinked twice before making a slow gesture of his left paw opening in her direction just before he said:

- I was afraid that… you weren't real.

Judy had hear eyes opened wide, her mouth half opened and her ears dropping to the back of her head, her body became static and her breath suddenly felt shallow while her mind halted for a few extended seconds out of sheer confusion. What could possibly be the meaning behind what her partner just told her? Nick leaned back right before saying:

- Told you it was going to sound stupid.

Judy shook her head from side to side, slowly regaining awareness for that moment, the bunny scooched a little further away from Nick, definitely unsure if she should ask about that subject any further. Nick took another breath through his nose before explaining himself in lengthy fashion:

- Back then, after the press conference, I was real lost. I wasn't sure what to do, where to go, I hated feeling that way. I took to moving aimlessly through town, no place felt right for me anymore, not without you around anyway. I didn't feel up for working, I was not sure if I should seek after you or how you might react to seeing me again. Finnick said so himself, it looked like I had given up on everything, except being sorry for myself and the way I acted.

Judy tried to remedy that, she cut into the conversation out of concern, leaning a little closer and placing both of her paws over Nick's lap, the left paw over the right paw as she pressed over him and spoke up shortly after making sure to call to his attention:

- Nick, you had no fault in what happened, not even in how you acted.

Nick elevated the stance of his upper body, almost making it look like he was about to get up from his seat right then and there, the sudden spike of movement on the part of the fox prompted Judy to withdrawal, taking her paws off of him as she saw him sit up straight and look right at her while saying:

- Well, you didn't have fault in that either, I didn't make it any easier for you. Thinking back at it… I should have probably let cooler heads prevail back then.

Nick did not feel like staying seated anymore, he rose from the bench and walked only a couple of short steps ahead before turning back to Judy and telling her:

- I tried to forget it all, tried to force things to go back to how they were for me back then, it did not work at all. Then… you came back; I tried playing it cool, but… I was actually so glad that you came back; We got to finish what we started together, as it should have been and we got to hang out together as friends, but… there was something else.

Judy could feel the smile on her face growing as she heard Nick's words, the route that his speech was taking had her at the edge of her seat but what the fox was about to do next would greatly surprise her beyond the reaches of that conversation. Nick began to kneel down, placing himself over his right knee as he got very close to Judy, her legs dangling over the edge of the bench before she sensed Nick's approach and decided to interlock them, her feet folding up at the ankles and locking together as the fox performed that action. Judy sounded off a little gasp that actually went unheard by the fox, her mind flaring up as she thought:

"What is happening?!"

Nick felt that positioning himself in such a way was just right, no stage would ever feel good enough for what he had to say to his partner, but kneeling down that way and looking into her eyes felt just about right for him, the fox swallowed a thin trace of saliva that he had in his mouth before saying:

- As we began to enjoy every day we spent together, as I began to be more and more comfortable with the idea of you being around, being so happy close to you, even throwing all that I thought I knew aside and becoming a cop, there was this little fear in the back of my mind, the fear that all of the things we done together were part of some elaborate dream.

Nick blinked for an extended amount of time, mustering the gall to keep speaking, he continued shortly:

- At any moment, just as we began having fun or when you were helping me out figure the best path for myself, I was afraid I was going to hear my alarm clock beeping, I was going to wake up on my bed, get up, put my clothes on like I've done every morning and get out on to the streets to hustle. Just another shady fox in the crowd, a shell of a life like I had been leading before. But the worst part of that would be… you wouldn't be around. The one mammal that got me to think of a better way, of a better life, would not be anywhere near, just a figment of my mind, the best thing my mind could come up with given a voice and a name. Another piece of myself, lost.

Judy could feel her heart clenching up, more so as Nick continued to speak:

- What sense could that even make? How could an amazing mammal such as you, strong, kind, sweet, what reason could you have to give a guy like me a chance to do better, to be better? I could not hope to deserve someone like you in my life. I messed up and burned more bridges than I could ever hope to count in the name of my dumb ego, I even dared myself to feel good about that.

Judy reached ahead, her left paw untucking away from her chest as she tried calling out to the fox's attention once more and stop him from saying any more things like that.

- Nick…

She said while hoping he would lend her some sense. Nick's saddened expression was soon replaced by a smile, his green eye glistening as he came just a little closer to Judy and told her:

- But then, that fear began to vanish as it slowly hit me: I am a clever fox, sure I have my moments, but… I could never, ever, hope to come up with a mammal so spectacular as you. You are always just… *you*. You don't put up masks to fool anyone or bluntly lie to make them like you, you don't let any limitations stop you from doing your best or talking up to anyone. You are the realest mammal that I know. You are the most amazing partner I could ever hope for.

Judy felt like there was a continuous electrical current surging through her entire body, her breathing was uneven as her nose began to twitch rapidly with every short breath she took, some intervals of breathing disrupted by the near unpreventable line of tears that she was letting escape through the side of her eyes. Nick got even closer and the current of emotions passing through Judy's entire being rose in intensity as she saw the fox reaching for her and felt as the fingers of each of his paws touched both her cheeks, the fox politely and sweetly asking for her to not deviate her sight not even for an instant without using any words to do so, only that simple action which had her mind doing flips and her insides melting into a puddle. Judy placed her paws on her upper thighs, her fingers clenching and pinching the fabric of her dress, her breathing sorely irregular as she heard Nick speak:

- For all of the amazing things you did and continue to do, I could never thank you enough. I only hope that, by being with you, by constantly reminding you of all the stuff you do which just blows my mind from time to time, I can get you to see just how grateful I am. Judy… you're the star of my life.

Nick let go of Judy's cheeks, slowly lowering his paws while keeping himself placed on one knee, releasing the last puff of air he had trapped in his chest and feeling the fervent beating of his heart. Nick lowered his head and placed his paws over the joint of his left knee, the right paw placed over the left one while both bent at the wrists and comfortably placed over his knee, he thought that soon enough he would have to get up back on his feet but he decided to stay just like that for a short while longer until his heart could calm back down. Nick took in a steady dose of air, breath after breath for a short while, before looking up once more at Judy and saying:

- Wow, yeah. That was a little sappy..

Nick's eyes landed on his partner once more, he found Judy seated still over the bench and looking at him as if she had identified a critical piece of information, her eyes staring down at him with intensity while her shoulders were locked by her sides, her ears were raised and her drew in air at a steady rhythm. Nick leaned closer, having a touch of concern in his mind as he saw Judy like that, the speech felt very intense for him but he had no idea what was going on in her mind as he asked:

- Judy, are you okay?

Judy kept staring at her partner, the words and the impact caused by them still flowing very vividly in her thoughts. The only thing that Judy could spout at that moment, when all of the options concerning what she should do next laid bare in front of her, was a quick whisper:

- Screw it!

That was what she blurted out before she reached forth with both of her paws, grabbed Nick by the side flaps of his jacket and pulled him closer to snag a kiss.

Judy puckered her lips, closed her eyes, leaned her head to the right and dove straight in while keeping her stance over the bench as steady as possible, she felt the warm pressure of Nick's lips pressing against her, the intense emotions climaxing in a daring move on her part, the set objective that nagged at her mind for so long placed just ahead and she would not fight or deny it any longer. Judy kept her lips locked on the same setting, she believed that the kiss would just be a spur of the moment thing, something to be acted upon and then dispersed for only later be discussed in details, that was not the case, the kiss continued as her lips relaxed then tightened back again and she could feel the supple frame of the fox's lips starting to move, she followed along as her jaw opened and closed in a gentle and repetitive motion. Judy's eyes remained close, the unadulterated sensation of that kiss was all she wanted to experience in order to cap off that night in flawless fashion, although, her little outburst in order to attain it may have placed a dampener on it unintentionally.

Nick felt the sudden tug on his sides, the thick fabric of his jacket looping around his shoulders and on to the back of his neck as Judy's impressive strength guided him forward and dropped him into a kiss with little to no prior warning, his upper body stretched and bent ahead and the tip of his muzzle could feel a pleasant jostle as he was able to confirm with eyes opened wide what just happened. Nick sounded off a loud hum of surprise, with his lips pressed together for the unexpected kiss, his mouth moving to initially speak out in surprise but that was the only sound he could make, the fox attempted to speak up and make other sounds but the heat of the moment sucked him further into the thralls of the kiss as he felt Judy moving her lips, that told him right away, there would be no retreat for she wanted more and she was welcome to seize it. Judy was no longer holding on to Nick's jacket with the same force as before, she had already eased her grip as her body became far more focused in experiencing the kiss in full, he did not care if he was no longer contained, he was not leaving that position any time soon. Nick closed his eyes and lowered his ears, gently leaning his head to the right as he felt himself relaxing and surrendering to Judy, his spine locked, his shoulders dropped and his tail was wagging frantically behind him as he became bathed in bliss and lowered his guard completely.

Judy kept moving her lips, her tongue shyly bent and placed near the ceiling of her mouth, unsure if that was the correct course of action, she wondered if that act of kissing on her part could be deemed as an amateur attempt at romantic entanglement saved up for the last possible minute, no sign of practice or previous experience leading to that, she worried that her long anticipated shot at kissing, her first ever serious kiss, may be considered… 'sloppy'. That was a minor reason for worry on her part since she imagined the fox may have already kissed a slew of other females before that night, she decided to put less force and add a little more effort to the ardor of the moment. Judy slowly eased her hold over Nick's jacket and her paws began to move up, her fingers brushed past the fur of his neck until they arrived to his face and held on tenderly to his cheeks, her elbows slightly bent as she had reached for him without an issue and had the precise hold of her affections from that distance. To her surprise, Judy could feel Nick's lips move in a similar way to hers, his head dipping forward as he also wished to sink deeper into that feeling, any remnant of the tension within her melted away as she could feel every muscle in her body being drawn towards Nick, the pull his very presence had on her was stronger than she could ever recall, it caused her to wonder just how far she would have dragged that kiss and how long they could have stayed just like that. Suddenly, Judy could feel the touch of Nick's paws over her body, her toes clenched as she understood just how far the kiss itself had already gone.

Nick imagined the view in the distance, the walls and railings around them, the very essence of the rainforest that they occupied melting away into nothing, shards of torn paper being scattered to the winds were the closest estimation in his head as he felt the thin puffs of air from Judy's nose hitting the whiskers on his muzzle, the influence of her touch paired with every breath she drew more than enough to get him utterly hooked on that feeling. Nick could feel the pressing of their lips together fading, Judy was pulling away from the kiss, but the fox took notice of that in a split second and he did not simply allow that as he bopped his neck forward only half of an inch, it was enough to renew the kiss and convince Judy to stretch out the duration of that kiss for just a little longer, confirmed in full upon the sounding of a melodious and solitary hum out of her part. Nick reached for Judy with both of his arms, the energy of that moment was simply too much for him not to seize every chance, but the fox held back and contained himself, deferring from holding on to the bunny too avidly the same way she was holding on to him as to avoid grazing her with his claws, the tips of his fingers touching on to her arms were more than enough to capture every lingering notion of that feeling still adrift in the air, just enough for that moment to be seared in his mind for certain.

Nick and Judy slowly drifted apart, the pressure and warmth of the kiss still enduring as they leaned their bodies away from one another, they opened their eyes and stared at one another, the dreamy glistening well present in their stares as their minds gradually reeled from the still apparent rush they had just experienced. Nick had his arms lowered and his mouth slightly opened, a thin dose of air escaping through his throat as he was very much unsure of what to say next. Judy, on the other end, had both of her paws placed over her lips as they pressed shut, the realization of what he had just incited hitting her with great efficacy and leaving the bunny to wonder if even for a single second if she had just done something dreadful without even giving it second thought. Nick could still feel his tail wagging right behind him, the fox could not fathom what to say except for a single exclamation that really punctuated the moment:

- Oh, Wow!

Judy removed her paws from her lips, gesturing towards the fox and halting any questions or further words from him as she tried elaborating on what had just happened, although finding it a little difficult to do so in a coherent manner:

- Nick, I… I wasn't… I just… You… Oh, gosh!

Nick did not say anything further, the fox moved slowly as he raised back to his feet, turned his body around while leaning back and took his seat beside Judy once more. Nick had his bottom placed over the bench once more and he felt prudent to add to what had just occurred by saying:

- That felt… so good.

Judy had her eyes focused on him as she asked while tucking away, her paws placed close to the sides of her face before she said:

- You really think so? Was I… good? Was my kiss okay?

Nick nodded his head once and let out a smile before answering:

- Yeah, no joke. You kiss real good, carrots.

Judy let out a puff of air out of her mouth before saying:

- Oh, good. I'm glad. I wasn't… really sure of what I was doing. I just went for it, you know?

Nick took in a long and slow breath through his mouth, the fox leaned his head to the left, trying to pick up on Judy's expression from a different angle, before asking her:

- Why did you do it?

Judy took a few seconds to answer to that, organizing her response well before saying:

- Because I really wanted to do it. All of the things you said to me, all of that raw emotion, there was just no way around it for me. I just had to do it, I wanted to feel it so bad and I just couldn't hold it back anymore.

Judy had her ears lowering to the back of her head before she finished that thought by saying:

- Sorry if I went a little… too strong.

Nick showed a waving gesture of his right paw, assuring Judy that there was no reason for apologizing before telling her:

- There is no need to tell me that you're sorry. You absolutely nailed it.

Nick looked away, turning his head to check on the city view once more, he let slip the words shortly after:

- I did not plan for any of this. I didn't think it could happen like this. You really surprised me.

Judy took that chance to clarify a few things, speaking up as if she had the need to explain herself and her actions to the fox, she had acted on impulse and that was not something she did without an honest and serious motive behind it. Judy gestured with both of her paws in the air before saying:

- It's just that the things you said were so beautiful and it felt like I should have said something in return but nothing came to mind… except for the kiss. Kissing you was all that I had in mind and I could not find any other way around that and it just felt like… like…

Judy no longer knew where that thought could go, Nick turned back to her, the words she blustered not even fazing him as he asked bluntly:

- Do you want to kiss again?

Judy closed her mouth and answered to that fairly quickly by saying:

- Yes, please.

The pair then returned to kissing, much softer than before. Nick reached for Judy with his left paw and his body leaned and turned over to her, the tips of his finger placed under her jaw as she guided her closer to snag another kiss, this time with him holding control over the moment. Nick had to mind the reach of his paw over to Judy, he still wanted to make sure to not scratch at her with his claws, the bunny did not even mind that, her arms lowered as she let herself be simply washed away by the ecstasy of that sensation once again. Nick puckered his lips and came closer, his kiss surrounding her lips and subjecting them to a light amount of suction, moisture and warmth. That kiss lasted far less than the previous one, it did not make it any less intense, the night air brushed with loud intensity past them and that alerted Nick to something, it would hamper any extension of the moment but, as much as he wished that was the case, time did not stop for that moment. It was already getting rather late.

As Judy felt Nick's lips drifting apart, she remained in the same pose and showing the same expression as the one during the kiss, her lips still earning for further contact with his, Judy had her eyes slowly opening and looking over at the fox, she thought about asking her for more, pulling him for another minute or so and demand more, Nick interjected by speaking up:

- Ahm… Judy, maybe we should go.

The fox's words had Judy waking up from her daze, her eyes opening wide and her ears twitching and her tail perking up behind her, she felt the need to ask what he meant by that, simply by letting out a single interrogative sound out of her mouth:

- Huh?

Nick found that undeniably adorable. The fox made a gesture with his right paw, the thumb pointed over his shoulder as his other fingers clutched before he said:

- It's getting late and I still have to take you back home. Today is a school night, remember?

Judy pressed her eyes shut as she caught the meaning of what Nick's said right away, she placed the palm of her right paw over her forehead before saying:

- Right! We have to go to work tomorrow.

- Unfortunate, but true.

Nick rose from the bench and extended his right paw so he could help Judy get up as well, she accepted his gesture ad placed her left paw for him to hold and gently pull on, he would still have to guide her on the way back out through the cave and Judy could hardly believe that the marvelous date was nearly over, she could not help it but feel a little bit disappointed that they could not stay there any longer. Nick reached for the side of the bench and retrieved his umbrella, still having in mind to not leave the item behind, and then he directed Judy back through the dark reached of the desolate museum, the pair sharing in harmonious silence during the entire way back.

Nick and Judy emerged from the other side of the cave, back at the barred entrance and Judy did not even care for the fact that they had trespassed through that area anymore, the view, the moment, the kiss, it made it all worth it in the end. The pair made their way back, the elevated paths of the rainforest near deserted at that hour of night, but they made their way back to Nick's car without any issue, they sat down I their respective seats, Nick turned on the engine and they took off back to the savanna. The drive back felt much shorter, no movement out on the street except for nocturnal mammals that had to take the highway, Nick had driven on to the front of Judy's place in no time at all and he decided to escort her all the way over to her front door, a pretense to stretch out their time together for as long as possible.

As they arrived at the front door of Judy's apartment, the bunny spoke:

- Well… here I am.

Finally breaking up the silence they had shared all the way back, each alone with their thoughts, unsure on how to add up to the highest point of that date, uncertain if there was even a point to it. Judy had communicated with that single act, with that long kiss, everything she had felt, all of the bottled up emotions, tossed out in the open and plenty still left to talk over, something to consider at a later time. Nick gestured at Judy with his left paw while his right paw was placed inside his pocket:

- I had a lot of fun tonight.

Judy nodded her head once while saying:

- I had fun too. A lot of fun.

Nick felt the need to say something more, just ask one last thing before saying his farewell for the night, he would see Judy again shortly on the next day to follow but that was a question that he just could not wait to have answered. Nick removed his right paw from his pocket before asking:

- So… hey. I know that this might be a little… I don't know. Would you, maybe, like to do this again sometime?

Judy had her ears standing in parallel over her head as she heard that, the bunny continued to listen as the fox kept going, trying to make apparent the reason behind his inquiry:

- Anyways, we don't have to go… 'all out' like tonight. We can just… hang out and relax, maybe talk for a bit.

Judy cut in the middle of Nick's adorable rambling, asking of him:

- Nick Wilde, are you asking me out on a *second* date?

The fox let down his tail and his shoulders, he looked at the bunny, her big and beautiful eyes focused on him, all he could say in response was:

- Yes.

Judy decided to place a proper response in a very daring way. The bunny reached forth with both of her paws, she reached for Nick's tie and her fingers pinched on the fabric near the tip before tugging on it, a gentle pull that left Nick wondering what exactly she was doing. Judy continued to pull on the tie, just a little added strength, Nick got in that the cue to follow the direction of that gentle pull and bend down in order to come a little closer to her height, Judy waited until he was just close enough, the fingers on both her paws moving over the extent of the tie and holding the fox in place as she leaned in to snag another kiss. That was her answer.

Nick was left stupefied as Judy finished what was meant to be the last kiss of that night, the fox opened her eyes and saw as she moved away from him, letting go of his tie then turning around to reach for her keys and unlock the door behind her. Nick stood still, bent over, as she asked of her:

- Is that a 'yes'?

Judy sounded a little giggle just as she was moving through the threshold of the door leading into the apartment, she confirmed his doubts by saying:

- That's a 'yes'.

The fox replied shortly:

- Okay. Just checking.

Judy entered her apartment but she still held on to the opened door, peeking at Nick standing on the other side and telling him:

- See you tomorrow, Nick.

Her sweet tone of voice beckoned him to respond, his voice low, deep and smooth as he said:

- Good night, Judy.

The way he said her name, her entire body tensed up, she had to fight through as she closed the door, she was inside, alone, unseen, her brain going ballistic and reveling in utter joy as she thought while performing a little bounce with her feet placed together:

'Oh, my gosh! That really happened!'

Judy was alone in the dim light of the apartment, she turned away from the door and went over to her room, hoping to sleep through the rush she was still carrying along and dream non-stop about the wonderful time she just had. Nick felt a sudden weight drop over him as the door closed and Judy disappeared from view, a sense of longing wash over him, before it suddenly got replaced by a sense of euphoria as he pumped his right fist into the open air in front of him and took off on his way. It felt like he would have to count the seconds before going to work the next day as the fox drove back to his place with a smile plastered on his muzzle the whole way through while wondering what could possibly top that incredible feeling.

Only time would be able to tell, only time would be able to build upon it.