Judy had never concentrated on anything so hard in her life. Her heart raced in her chest. Her nose twitched in exhilaration. Her eyes were wide and focused. Her ears stood straight up and angled directly ahead. She leaned forward so far she nearly fell over.

And none of it mattered.

She groaned in defeat and had to fight off the urge to throw her controller in frustration. Beside her, Nick let out a celebratory whoop and pumped both of his paws in the air. "Whew, you made me work for that one, Carrots!"

Judy sank into the couch and let out a long cry of frustration. "Just let me win! Just once, that's all I'm asking!"

"I thought you liked earning your victories in life," Nick chuckled.

"In life, sure, but Gran Furismo isn't real life!"

"It is pretty realistic, though." Nick admired the picture on the television screen. "It almost looks like a movie instead of a video game."

"No it doesn't," Judy mumbled grumpily.

Nick turned back to her and smirked. "You're just saying that because you lost."

She glared at him. "I wonder how realistic the blood in Mortal Wombat looks. You wanna compare?"

"Nah, I'm good." Nick raised his controller and wiggled his eyebrows. "What do you say? Five out of nine?"

She studied his face for a second. "You're going to let me win, aren't you?" When he hesitated, she pointed at him accusingly. "You are!"

The fox set his controller on his lap and raised both of his paws. "I promise I won't let you win!" His eyes widened and he started waving his paws frantically instead. "No, I mean, if you do win, it will be fair and square!"

"I don't believe you, Wilde!" Judy crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I'm never going to win again!"

"No!" Nick tried to grab her paws, though she stubbornly kept them hidden from him. "You're going to win plenty of times, Carrots!"

She closed her eyes and turned her head away. "You're just saying that."

"No, I mean it!" Nick gave up trying to grab her and instead rested his paws on her knee. "All you need is a bit more practice and you'll be driving circles around me before you know it!"

Judy cracked open one eye and glimpsed at him. "Didn't you say something like that about Furtnite?"

"Hey." A scowl appeared on Nick's face. "I thought we agreed not to bring that up again."

"Oh, yeah, like I'm the kind of bunny who would let that go. I will remind you, I was one shot away from getting my very first win."

"It's not my fault!"

"Oh yeah? Then who unplugged the PreyStation?"

"I thought it was the toaster!"

"The toaster isn't even in this room!"
"I realize that now."

Judy turned her nose up and refused to look at the fox any longer. "Well, I still won't forgive you."

Nick leaned forward, appearing in the corner of her eye. "What if I stayed off the PreyStation for a week so you could practice by yourself, would you forgive me then?"

She thought about it for a second. "What else have you got?"

Nick's sly smile slowly faded onto his face. "Well…" He lifted his paws off of her knee. This time, when he tried to take her paws into his own, she allowed it. He looked deeply into her eyes, and his voice dropped to a soft, gentle tone. "All that I am, all that I was, all that I ever will be, I give unto thee…"

Her heart leapt in her chest at his words—words that he had said to her more than once in the past—and small smile formed on her face. Still, she asked again, "What else have you got?"

An amused sigh escaped from his lips. "How about this?"

Judy knew what was coming next, and she did not resist. Nick closed his eyes and leaned forwards, and she closed her eyes in return. A moment later, their lips connected in a tender kiss. One of Nick's paws began to wander, moving up Judy's arm and coming to rest on the back of her head. He rubbed her lovingly as their lips continued to glide across each other, occasionally moving to one of her ears and giving it an affectionate stroke.

The rest of the world seemed to fade away. Nick's paw caressed her gently but firmly as he pressed himself deeper into the kiss. His paw pads massaged the back of her neck. The hairs on his tail tickled her toes. Judy could smell the scent in his fur, and she wanted more. Her own paw began to drift, and she wrapped it around Nick's waist, silently beckoning him to come closer. In response, he straightened his posture slightly, which caused him to sit much higher up than she was. Keeping a strong grip on her, he took her body and lowered it into the couch cushions, keeping the kiss going the whole time. She let out a soft moan, and he finally pulled away. They both opened their eyes again and smiled at each other.

"You convinced yet?" Nick asked quietly.

Judy's eyes narrowed again playfully. "What else have you got?"

The tiniest hint of disappointment flashed across Nick's face, but he recovered quickly and stared deeply into her amethyst eyes. "Well…" He rubbed her forehead affectionately with one of his paws. "How long until we have to leave to pick up Skye?"

Judy had no idea, but she was not about to get up to check her phone while she was stuck in this position. "About thirty minutes," she guessed.

Nick's smile widened, and he leaned back down to give her another kiss. "All the time in the world."

Two hours later, Judy and Nick ran into the front entrance of the mall, both of them breathing small sighs of relief that the automatic doors had not been locked yet for the night. Their coats were clearly thrown on in a hurry, their fur was slightly disheveled, and both of their faces were flushed with a tiny extra shade of red, but they made it in time, and that's all they cared about right now.

The mall was mostly deserted by now, save for a few mammals who were busy making their last-minute purchases before closing time. Most of the shops were closed, except for a few kiosks that lined the center of the concourse and one or two stores crewed by tired employees, so it was a relatively quick sprint to Santa's House. Unlike their visit earlier today, the run-down shack was completely deserted now—which was fine with them, since it meant nobody was around to witness them stopping to catch their breath just outside the empty queue entrance.

Before they had completely recovered, however, the rear door burst open, and Finnick walked outside, wearing a black blazer and matching wool pants, and holding a soda can in one paw. He noticed them immediately. "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up."

Nick stood up straight and tucked his paws behind his back. "What are you talking about?" He flashed his sly smile and tried desperately to suppress his labored breaths. "We've been here for quite some time."

The small fox's eyes narrowed. "How long, exactly?"

"Depends. How long were you in there getting changed?"

"Thought so." He turned his attention to Judy. "Just so you know, the only reason I'm not beating him up for that stunt he pulled earlier, is because I don't think that's something a lady needs to see."

Judy raised an eyebrow playfully. "You do realize I'm a cop, right? I see worse things than that practically every single day."

The corner of Finnick's lips curled slightly. "So you're giving me permission, then?"

Nick's smile disappeared. "Wait, what?"

To his relief, Judy shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Remember when I mentioned I'm a cop? I'd hate to arrest you for assaulting my best friend, and I'm sure there's hundreds of children in Zootopia who would be mortified to read tomorrow's paper and see their favorite Mall Santa behind bars on the front page."

Finnick's frown returned, and a growl escaped from his throat. "I let you two get away with way more than I ought to, you know that?"

"And we love you, too, big guy," Nick replied.

"Whatever." Finnick took a quick sip from his soda and started walking away. "Tell Skye I'll see her in the morning," he called over his shoulder.

"Why not just tell her yourself?" Judy called back.

"Because bah humbug, that's why!" Finnick snapped. With that, he disappeared around the corner.

Nick turned to Judy and let out a sigh of relief. "For a second there, I thought you really were going to let him beat me up."

She snickered. "Well, with all the shenanigans you've pulled against him, maybe you're overdue."

Nick pressed a paw to his chest as if he was wounded. "My good bunny, pigs will grow wings before Nicholas Wilde faces consequences for his actions!"

"Oh, really?" Judy sneered at him. "Didn't Gnu York University just publish a paper about—"

Nick quickly brushed past her, walking fast towards the back door. "Anyway, we should check on Skye!" He flashed a nervous grin at Judy. "Maybe she's gotten her fur stuck in a zipper or something!"

Judy rolled her eyes, but her smile remained on her face, and she started following him. "What am I going to do with you, you old fox?" she mumbled.

Nick's grin softened. "Keep me and love me forever?" he asked.

Judy's smile broadened. "I can do that."

They reached the back door before she even finished her sentence. Just like she had the night before, Judy gently knocked on the painted green wood, alerting the arctic fox inside that they had arrived.

"Come in," the voice inside called.

Judy pushed open the door and led Nick inside. Skye was already changed back into her warm winter attire, and was just closing the clothing trunk as the two of them walked in. When she finished, she turned around and gave them a polite smile in greeting. "Sorry if I kept you waiting."

"Don't worry," Judy assured her, "we haven't been here long."

"Unless Finnick asks," Nick quickly added, "in which case, we were here for very very long time."

Skye stared at him. "Huh?"

"Huh?" Nick spun around, looking for anyone else who might have walked in after him. He turned back around and pressed his paw into his chest, feigning innocence. "Me? I didn't say anything!" He adopted his usual smug smile and dropped his voice down to a whisper. "Unless Finnick asks, in which case, I said that his effort to clean this place has come up a bit short."

Judy shot him a look, but decided it was not worth her time to lecture him. She opted instead to simply roll her eyes and turn back to Skye. "You ready to go home?"

Skye hesitated for a moment, still confused by Nick's behavior, but she finally nodded her head and walked forward. "Yeah." A hint of nervousness crept into her voice. "Are we taking the subway again?"

She knew why Skye had asked, and she gave the fox a reassuring smile when she answered. "No, we'll be taking the car. No back alleyways tonight."

The vixen breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Judy grabbed the door and held it open while she gestured for Skye and Nick to exit. "Trust me, Skye, the last thing I want to do is force you to relive what happened last night."

"That, and it was too late to take the subway by the time we noticed what time it was," Nick mumbled.

Skye turned around to face them and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did you two lose track of time playing that new PreyStation?"

The door slammed behind Judy a bit more abruptly than she had meant for it to. "Oh. Yes. That." She nodded her head quickly. "You know what they say: time flies when you're having fun!"

Nick was far more subtle. He patted the top of Judy's head, rubbed it affectionately, and leaned over to Skye. "She beat me in every game," he whispered, almost as if he was proud of the fact. "You'd never know just by looking at her, but she is very skilled. It will take a lot of practice before I am able to best her!"

"At least you know how to play video games. I've never played one." Skye folded her paws in front of her waist and looked down at the ground, as if she was ashamed to admit it.

Judy was not surprised at all to hear this, and she patted Skye's paws comfortingly. "If you're interested, it's never too late to learn!"

"Yeah, let's go home right now and start!" While still facing them, Nick started walking backwards toward the mall's front entrance. "We can stay up late and play video games as much as we want! And yes, that might sound just a tad irresponsible, but we're adults and we can do whatever we want, because nobody's going to stop us!"

"I'll stop us," Judy shot back. She grabbed Skye's paw and started dragging the vixen after him. "My alarm goes off at 5:30, and I want as much sleep as I can get before then."

Nick shrugged. "Suit yourself. Skye, what about you?"

Skye started walking on her own fast enough to no longer need Judy's encouragement. "Maybe some other time, but thanks for the offer, that's very kind of you."

Nick paused long enough for them to catch up, then fell into step beside Judy. "Okay, it looks like I'll be playing solo tonight." He rubbed his paws together in anticipation. "Fine by me, I've got some stats to grind out."

"Just don't come complaining to me when you can't keep your eyes open past lunchtime tomorrow," Judy teased. "You've already used the 'I was up all night donating my old clothes to the needy' excuse, and frankly, I don't think even Clawhauser believed that one."

"Actually, if anyone needs new clothes, it's him. I swear, he's lost at least fifteen pounds since Howl-o-ween."

"You think so, too? Oh, good, it wasn't just me! I wanted to say something, but I didn't want him to feel bad in case I was wrong."

Nick smirked at that. "Oh, so you're perfectly fine hurting my feelings, but you're too scared to tell him that he looks thinner than he did two months ago?"

Judy narrowed her eyes lightheartedly. "Of course! I'd never do anything to hurt Clawhauser's feelings, but I know you will forgive me for just about anything."

"Oh, yeah?" Nick tilted his head and eyed her curiously. "And why's that?"

In response, she reached up and grabbed his paw with her own, letting their arms sway together in sync with their steps. "Because I'm your bunny." She looked up at him squeezed his paw tenderly. "And I know you love me."

The fox's smile turned warm upon hearing her words, and he squeezed her paw right back. "Do I love you?" His eyes twinkled as he gazed upon her. "Yes. Yes I do."

Judy's heart leapt at his words. She had lost count of the number of times she had heard them, but every time felt like the first time all over again. Perhaps it was partly because he was so cautious about saying them in front of other people, which meant he had to reserve them for more private, intimate moments. Maybe it was because he so rarely showed his true emotions, and when he said the words to her, she couldn't help but believe him no matter what.

But most likely, she just really loved hearing her fox say that he loved her.

"I've been wondering…"

Judy was so absorbed in her conversation with Nick, she had almost completely forgotten Skye was walking on her other side. She kept holding Nick's paw and turned to address the arctic fox. "Yeah?"

Skye's paws were in her pockets. She was vaguely looking ahead to see where they were walking, but her gaze was far away, deep in thought. She took a few extra seconds to think through her question, before finally asking it, in a voice quiet enough for only the three of them to hear. "You never answered my question last night. Why do you trust me?" She turned to face the bunny. "Why did you tell me you two are married? How can you trust me with that kind of information if you don't even trust your closest friends and family?"

It took Judy a second to remember, but yes, Skye had asked her that question last night—just before the shooting, which prevented her from answering at the time. She had not wanted to bring it up since then, for fear of triggering a traumatic memory in Skye, but since the fox herself has brought it up, it must have meant she was okay talking about it now.

However, she did not feel quite as qualified to explain it as the fox whose paw she currently held. She glanced at Nick and gave him a gentle squeeze, silently requesting that he answer the question instead. He squeezed her paw in return and looked at the vixen. "That's a good question," he admitted. He thought for a minute before continuing. "Have you ever heard of a group called Proud Prey?"

"No," Skye replied. "Should I?"

"Since you're not from Zootopia, probably not. They were a domestic terrorist group that attacked the city a few years ago." His paw squeezed Judy's again, though this time, he did not relax his grip. "Their goal was to make it impossible for predators and prey to have relationships. And I'm not just talking about romantic relationships, either. Work, friendships, even kits and cubs attending school together. They wanted for prey and predators to be completely separate."

"And they were willing to do anything to make that happen," Judy added.

Skye slowly nodded in understanding. "And I take it that when they found out about you two, they…"

"They didn't find out." Nick's voice sounded strained as he relived the bad memory. "Because at the time, we weren't in a romantic relationship at all. We were partners on the force, but that was it."

"Though, we did have feelings for each other." Judy gently bumped her elbow into Nick's waist. "Like I told you yesterday, it took us way too long to finally admit them to each other."

"Speak for yourself," Nick mumbled, "I admitted my feelings just fine."

"Yeah, while I was asleep," Judy shot back.

Skye cleared her throat, gently trying to bring them back on track. "So, what did Proud Prey do?"

"Same as any other terrorist group," Nick answered casually. "Tried to take over the world."

"And very nearly succeeded." Judy's voice was more grave than his. "They turned the entire population against predators, they infiltrated the highest levels of the government, and they blew up City Hall…" She gulped back the lump in her throat. "With us inside."

Skye's eyes widened, and she stopped dead in her tracks. "What?" she gasped.

Judy and Nick both stopped as well. Judy raised her other paw and patted Skye's arm. "Don't worry, we survived."

"Well, obviously, but…" The look on Skye's face reminded Judy of the one she had last night after the shooting, though this one was a lot less pronounced. "They tried to kill you…" She looked up at Nick. "Just because you two were friends?"

"Basically, yes." Nick's voice was solemn, and his brilliant green eyes were filled with a rare look of sadness. "And they were willing to kill themselves, too." He let out a sigh. "They were also in the building when it blew up." He rested his paw on Judy's shoulder. "We were the only survivors."

Skye cupped her paws over her mouth. She stared at the two of them in stunned silence for several moments. Judy patiently waited for her to recompose herself, and when she finally did, all she could manage to get out was, "Why?"

It was a big question. Judy knew what Skye meant: why were there people willing to go to such extremes, for such a seemingly trivial reason? It was a question she herself had struggled with a lot, especially as a cop who was used to seeing lots of people do lots of terrible things. And the simple answer was, she didn't know, and it was not something she felt she would ever understand.

Nick, however, was able to answer. "Because a fox and a bunny don't belong with each other." His answer baffled Skye, and he continued, "Since the dawn of time, we have always been each other's enemies. That didn't change when animals learned to speak or wear clothes or walk on two legs, and even when Zootopia was founded on the basis of peace between predators and prey, it still didn't change. It doesn't make sense for us to be friends. It is unnatural. It is profane."

Judy gave a sad nod in agreement. "And even though Proud Prey were willing to go to extremes, they were not the only ones who felt that way…" Her voice grew a bit fainter. "Or feel that way."

"We can't tell our friends at work, because they might accidentally let it slip out in the field," Nick explained. "We trust our fellow cops, but we do not trust the people they interact with."

"And we can't tell my family because this is exactly the kind of gossip that bunnies spread around faster than a barn fire," Judy added. "It would take all of five minutes for all of Bunnyburrow to find out that a bunny married a fox, and if that happened…" She let out a long sigh. "Oh boy, I don't even want to think about it."

"We only told our parents." Nick let out a small chuckle as he thought of an amusing memory. "I still remember how nervous I was about how your father would react."

"Honestly, so was I," Judy admitted. "But all things considered, I think he took it well."

"Sure did," Nick agreed, "but I still wonder if those tears during the wedding were of joy or sadness."

Skye stayed still as she listened to their words, but seemed to suddenly remember that the mall was about to close, and rapidly started walking again so they could continue toward the exit. "You still haven't answered my question," she pointed out. "I feel like I'm the last person you should trust with this information. I tried to break into your car, and I tried to pounce you right in front of your wife, and you've only known me for a few days, and…" Her voice faded away, and she could only look at both of them with bafflement.

Nick and Judy fell into step beside her. Judy decided to speak up this time. "Well, we've already mentioned this before, but when you first came to Zootopia, Nick and I could tell there was something different about you. You looked like you were in trouble, but more than that, you looked like you needed a friend." She chuckled. "Or two."

"And we already knew you could keep a secret." Nick quickly raised a paw. "And you can keep all the secrets you want. It's none of our business."

"So we talked it over a few nights ago, and we decided to tell you when the time was right." Judy offered the vixen a kind smile. "I'm just going to guess here, but I don't think you've had many friends in your life, have you?" Skye shook her head. "And I'm willing to bet the few you have had, didn't last for very long, did they?" She shook her head again. "Well, Skye, that's why we wanted to share this with you. It's the most important secret either of us has, and we're entrusting it to you to let you know that you are our friend." Her smile broadened. "And that we want to be your friends forever."

Skye's face lit up at Judy's words, and a small gasp escaped from her mouth. Her stride slowed slightly, though this time she did not completely stop. Slowly, tears started to form in her eyes, and a small, happy smile formed on her lips. She was obviously deeply touched by the sentiment, and Judy could only imagine the joy she was trying so desperately to suppress right now.

She started to say something, but a noise behind them cut her off. She glanced backwards, then immediately ducked her chin close to her chest and hid her face as much as she could. A second later, a white wolf rushed past, holding a huge cardboard box in both paws. He yelled a quick apology as she ran past the trio and towards the mall exit, which by now had come into view up ahead.

It was their first encounter with anyone else since they started their walk. Skye kept her face down and looked down at her feet, trying her best to minimize her appearance as much as possible. Judy's heart sank at the sight. Clearly, she was still shell-shocked from the night before—and, likely, she would remain so for quite some time.

Judy placed a paw on her arm. "Hey." Skye's head remained still, but her bright blue eyes shifted to look at her. "It's okay. We're still here to protect you. Okay?"

Nick reached over Judy and placed his paw on Skye's shoulder, silently reassuring her that he was there, too. The vixen took a few seconds to compose herself, but she managed to take a deep breath. "Okay." She nodded. "I'm okay." She waited for the two of them to let her go, then finally turned her head back to them again. "Can I ask you something…" She hesitated, but nonetheless forced out her next word. "Personal?"

"Sure, shoot," Nick replied immediately. "Ask away." Judy simply nodded in agreement.

The skin underneath Skye's cheeks turned a faint shade of red. "Can you two…um…" She cleared her throat and finished her question in a quiet voice. "Have children?"

Judy blinked, caught off-guard by the uncharacteristic bluntness of Skye's question. "Whoa. When you said 'personal', you sure meant 'personal', didn't you?"

Skye looked back down at her feet. "I'm sorry, that was stupid of me, you don't have to—"

"No." Nick spoke up, silencing Skye's apology in an instant. "No, we cannot have children."

"And that's okay," Judy added. "It's not a big deal to us. And everyone else either respects that, or they're not important enough for their opinions to matter in the first place." Skye raised an eyebrow at that. "Let me use my family as an example. Bunnies are very family-oriented, and when I was growing up, there were literally hundreds of friends and relatives who insisted that I needed to focus on starting a family of my own, rather than pursue a career that wouldn't allow time for that. I think they meant well, but I never could convince them that I wasn't interested in finding love."

Nick nudged her. "Thanks a lot," he mumbled, but he flashed a smile to let her know he was just kidding. He turned back to Skye and picked up the conversation. "I don't know how things are where you're from, Skye, but when I was growing up, I was taught that a fox's family was the most important thing in the world. A fox's family is more important than even his own life. So when I decided to make Judy my family, that meant putting aside every other desire I could ever have. And that meant giving up any chance of having children and carrying on my family name, too." He chuckled at a memory. "You can imagine how nervous I was introducing Judy to my mother. Having to tell her that I had fallen in love with a bunny and couldn't ever give her grandkits and she would have to make vegetarian dishes any time we came over to visit for the rest of her life."

By now, they had reached the mall's exit. They walked through the automatic doors and out into the cold evening air. Skye's pace had been brought back to normal, and it seemed that talking with them about this new conversation had distracted her from her trauma. "How did she react?" she inquired.

Nick wrapped his arm around Judy and pulled her in to give her a sideways hug. "Loves her like her own child," he proudly proclaimed.

"Treats me like her own child, too." Judy hummed with giddiness. "She made me my favorite meal for my birthday, and it was probably the best thing I've ever eaten."

A smile formed on Skye's face as Judy shared the happy memory, but then faded again as she thought of something else. She looked around once more, making sure they were still alone, then turned back to the two of them. "You two can't have children. You didn't have a big wedding. You can't even tell most people that you're even married…" She stared at Judy intensely, begging for an answer. "That seems like an awful lot of sacrifice." She turned to Nick and gave him the same look. "Is it really all worth it? Do you really love each other that much?"

The question caused Judy and Nick to both stop in their tracks. It was a heavy question—one that they had asked themselves and each other many times over the past several years. Since the day they began their relationship, they had to ask themselves if it was all worth it. The secrecy, the sacrifices, and the inherent danger they would face if the wrong people found out.

But right now, all it took was a quick glance at each other for them to know exactly how to answer.

"Yes." Nick's smile widened as he looked into his bunny's amethyst eyes. "With all my heart."

Judy smiled warmly as she stared deeply into her fox's twinkling emerald eyes. "With all my soul."

Nick snorted. "Really? Trying to one-up me?" He crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out. "Well, then, I love you times infinity!"

Judy narrowed her eyes and smirked at him. "I love you more than our new PreyStation!"

His smile disappeared. "Oh, I can't top that." He nodded and conceded, "Okay, you win."

Their exchange caused Skye to chuckle beside them, and they turned their attention back to her. The arctic fox was clearly entertained by their banter, and even though she seemed a tiny bit embarrassed by her laugh drawing their attention, her eyes sparkled as she continued to look at the two of them. After an awkward moment of silence, she couldn't help herself, and let out another laugh, this one much louder and lasting much longer. Judy joined in, and Nick soon after, none of them able to contain their mirth.

The three of them stood there in the parking lot, laughing at the top of their lungs, not caring about the few passersby who gave them the odd look on the way to their cars. They did not pay attention to the security guards that locked up the mall doors and started their nightly patrols. Nor did any of them notice the snow start to gently fall all around them. The only thing that mattered to them was how joyful they felt being with each other right now, and though none of them said it out loud, all of them wished the moment could last forever.

However, the moment passed, and as their laughs slowly died down, Nick started walking further into the mostly empty parking lot. "Come on," he called to the two of them, "the car's this way."

There was no need for him to say it, however, since Judy knew already and Skye could clearly see it in a lone parking spot with no other vehicles in sight. They followed the red fox through the parking lot, taking only a minute to cross over the thin layer of snow and reach the car.

Nick withdrew the key from his pocket and pressed the remote. "Open sesame!" At his command, the interior lights flickered on and all four doors made the distinct sound of unlocking. He gave a satisfied smile. "Like magic, every time."

The car was parked in such a way that they approached from the passenger's side, so Judy reached her door first and cracked it open. "Let's see if your magic can help warm us up." She sat down in her seat and wrapped her arms around herself. "Sweet baked potato, it got cold in here!"

Skye and Nick both walked around to the driver's side. Skye opened the rear door and poked her face inside. Her head shook against her will with a sudden shiver, and she quickly backed away. "No kidding! It feels like an ice box in there!"

Nick rolled his eyes and opened up his door. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad." As soon as his paw entered the car, however, he paused, and it was clear from the expression on his face that he was struggling to convince himself to finish climbing inside. "Okay, maybe it is that bad…"

Judy gave him a smug grin. "What, is the big fluffy fox afraid of a little cold?"

Without another word, Nick dropped down into his seat and shoved the key into the ignition. "Me? Afraid? You wound me, Carrots." He turned the key, and the car started to sputter to life. "I'm just…concerned about your comfort, that's all."

Judy pressed her paws to the vents in front of her, anticipating the warm air that was sure to emerge from them in just a few seconds. "Sounds like excuses to me, but if it helps me warm up…" She raised an eyebrow. "Um…Nick?"

The fox was way ahead of her. He tried turning the ignition again, but after a few more sputters, the car went back to lying dormant. "Come on, baby, work for papa…" He tried a third time, but this time it did not even sputter once. The interior lights flickered off and back on again, but otherwise, nothing happened at all.

Skye, still standing outside, leaned her head over Nick's door and peered inside. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know." Nick sat back in his seat and crossed his arms, partly to keep warm but also partly because his mood was soured. "I don't get it, this thing has never given me any problems before."

Judy tucked her paws underneath her legs in an attempt to warm them up. "Do you think it's the battery?" she suggested.

"Could be, but it's not very likely," Skye replied. "If the lights are working but the car's not starting, it could be a blown fuse. Maybe the fuel pump? And we can't rule out a faulty ignition. There's a few things it could be, and you can't narrow it down until you get underneath the hood and look around."

Nick let out a frustrated sigh. "Great. I don't know any mechanics who are open this late."

Judy gave him a look. "What are you talking about? We know a great mechanic." She leaned forward and looked past him. "And she's already here to help us!"

"Oh, of course." Nick bumped his palm against his forehead. "How could I forget?" He turned to his left and smiled at the vixen standing beside him. "The best mechanic in all of Zootopia!"

Skye stared at them, suddenly seeming much less confident than she had a moment ago. "You want me to look under the hood?" She pointed at herself in disbelief. "Me? Are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure!" Nick grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "It means I'm the first customer of Skye's Garage! It's the perfect bragging right!"

Skye's tail curled up to the front of her body and she grasped it tightly with her paws, one of her tells that she was nervous. "The thing is…" She looked down at her feet. "I haven't actually ever worked on a car before. I only know what I've read in books and learned from other mechanics I've worked with."

Unwilling to put up with the ice-cold interior anymore, Judy opened her door back up, hopped to her feet, and walked to the front of the car. "Pop the hood, Nick!" she called. "Let's get Skye some experience!"

"One popped hood, coming right up!" A second later, the hood sprang up on its own about a quarter of an inch, just enough for Judy to slide her fingers underneath and begin pulling it up the rest of the way. However, she was too short, and she looked over to the arctic fox who was still standing beside Nick's door with her tail in her paws.

She flashed her a grin. "Hey, you gonna help or not?"

Skye quickly let go of her tail and rushed over to Judy, taking the hood from her and hoisting it into place. Judy helped by finding the support rod and lifting it up to the right angle, and when they were both sure it was secure, they slowly let go and admired their handiwork.

Wasting no time, Judy pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight. "Okay, just tell me where to point."

Skye took a moment to inspect the area that was already visible. When she found nothing out of the ordinary, she pointed to the battery, and Judy moved her phone closer so she could get a better look. The fox leaned close to it and examined it from all angles. "Okay, that looks good…" She pulled something out of the way that Judy could not identify. "Through there." Judy moved her flashlight and Skye peered down into the newly made hole. "No…" She replaced the component and took a step back. "Can you crawl underneath the car and shine your light to me up here?"

Before Judy could answer, however, a voice called out from nearby. "Hello there! Having trouble with your car?"

Judy tried to see who the voice belonged to, but it was impossible for her to look around with the hood in her face. She held her phone out to Skye. "Here, you keep working." Skye took it and started shining it into new areas of the car, while Judy walked around to the driver's side where the voice had come from.

Nick was just getting out of the car to address the mammal in question. It was another arctic fox, this one as white as the snow that was falling all around them. He was dressed in only a windbreaker and sweatpants, which indicated he was not planning on being out in the cold tonight, and he was currently looking at the raised hood with a concerned expression.

"Yeah, it's not starting." Nick flicked a thumb over his shoulder. "Got a friend who's fixing it now."

The fox turned to Judy and flinched, as if she had just materialized out of thin air. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there, miss!"

Judy remained silent. She couldn't be sure, but she swore she saw this fox somewhere before. The amount of arctic foxes she had seen in her life could be counted on one paw, and something about this one seemed familiar to her. She studied his face, trying to figure out why. The feeling of déjà vu crept over her, as if she was just a split-second away from recognizing him.

"Well, if your car is having trouble starting, we can try and jump it for you," the fox offered.

Nick thought about it for a moment. "Well…" He shrugged. "I guess it couldn't hurt."

The fox turned around and waved at someone far away. "Hey, Jerry, bring the car around!" he yelled. A moment later, one of the vehicles in a far-off parking spot turned on its headlights and started driving over to them.

Judy tried desperately to remember every single arctic fox she had ever seen in her life. They were so rare, she knew she could pinpoint every single one if she thought hard enough. There was Skye, of course, but the very first arctic fox she ever saw was someone that she arrested soon after becoming a police officer. The only other one she could remember was a vixen she saw on a news report a few years ago. She struggled to think of any other instances, but something about this fox…

The fox's eyes widened. "Wait just a minute…" He pointed at Nick and a smile spread across his face. "You're Nick Wilde, aren't you?" He turned to Judy. "And Judy Hopps! No way! Oh, nobody back home is going to believe this!"

Nick responded by giving a polite smile and extending his paw. "Aw, thanks. It's always great to meet a fan."

The fox took Nick's paw and chuckled. "Oh, trust me, the pleasure is all mine."

Suddenly, she remembered where she had seen this fox. It was last night, in the alleyway.

Judy's eyes widened. "Nick—"

A hundred things happened all at once. The fox grabbed Nick's paw and pulled him forwards with all of his strength, catching Nick off-balance. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop beside them, revealing itself to be an elephant-sized mini-van. The side door flew open, and countless blurs of white leapt outside and descended on Nick like vultures looking for an easy meal.

Judy threw herself at Nick, but he was pulled out of reach in less than a second. She leapt at the fox who had grabbed him, but something stopped her in mid-air, and she found herself helplessly flailing her limbs as more and more foxes grabbed her from all directions. She struggled as much as she could, but no matter what she did, none of them loosened their grip on her. Her vision became overwhelmed with a mixture of white fur and black clothing, and she was only vaguely aware of being dragged into the van. She caught a brief glimpse of Nick, whose body had gone limp, and when she tried to call out his name, she was stopped by a wet rag covering her muzzle.

Darkness closed in around her, and she quickly lost control of her thoughts. Her muscles became limp. She felt the rag fall away from her mouth, and then a second later, she was weightless. Her body erupted with pain as she landed inside of the van, and no matter how much she tried, she could not move her head to see where Nick was. Countless blurry white figures surrounded her. Outside, the light gray blob that she guessed was the car seemed to fade away with every passing second. She tried focusing on it, hoping that concentrating on anything at all could help keep her conscious, but she already knew it was useless.

A single hazy figure moved near the car. Judy's breath caught in her chest. With the last bit of her strength, she managed to cry out, "Skye! Run!"

And then the world went black.