Disclaimer: Zootopia and all related characters are owned by Disney. All other characters, product names, trademarks, and copyrights, belong to their respective owners.

…..

The Hopps kitchen was running at a lull at the moment. Dinner was still a few hours off, so the kitchen was pretty calm. Some of the younger kits were in the common room coloring or playing on their phones while a half dozen teenage does were laying out pots or poking through the pantry gathering up dry ingredients for tonight's meal.

Nick was lost in thought as he walked down the hallway. He didn't like press conferences, they were too freewheeling for his taste. The reporters would either ask the same question over and over or try and trip you up with a leading or trick question. Ever since Carrots had cratered at her Q&A session a year ago, he'd taken care of all their press events. Due to all his years of hustling, he had a flair for handling the press, it just wasn't something he liked doing. He'd worked in the shadows for so long it made him nervous to see his muzzle on the nightly news.

Nick's thoughts came to a halt as he heard a wolf whistle come from a doe sitting at a table with a few of her sisters in the common area. As Nick stood frozen in confusion, all four of the does wrote something down and then, as one, lifted their sheets up so Nick could see them.

'10', '9', '10, '10'.

Nick, recovering quickly, waved his paw from his head to his tail and then gave his one overly harsh critic a 'seriously' look. The doe looked at her sisters and then updated her rating, giving the fox the perfect score he'd lobbied for, followed by a lot of giggling.

With a quick thumbs-up gesture and a dramatic swish of his tail, Nick strutted the rest of the way into the kitchen.

Janae and Sunni had been sitting at the kitchen counter working on a coloring book when they saw Nick get 'rated' by a litter of their sisters. Of course, they weren't the only ones. Janae's ears perked up as she heard the footsteps of more of her sisters gathering around to watch Nick show off as he entered the kitchen.

Sunni clapped, and Janae laughed at the fox's antics.

Janae spoke up first, "So, Officer Wilde, why are we all dressed up this afternoon?"

"Well, Miss Hopps, the Mayor has asked for my attendance at a press conference this fine afternoon. City Hall at 4 p.m., if I recall the summons correctly."

Sunni jumped up on her chair, "Wow, Mr. Nick, are you going to be on TV?" Turning to Janae, she clapped her paws in excitement, "Janae, can we watch?"

Nick relaxed his runway look and chuckled, "Sunni, trust me, these things are no fun to watch."

"I'd like to watch."

"Yeah, me too."

Janae rolled her eyes as she listened to Amy and another one of her sisters behind her.

Sunni clapped her paws again, "See, we all want to watch."

Nick reached over and tussled Sunni's ears, "Okay, but if you fall asleep, don't say I didn't warn you."

Sunni threw her little arms up, "Yay," and then ran out of the kitchen to organize her siblings for a watch party.

Looking at Janae, Nick shrugged his shoulders, "I better get going, wish me luck."

…..

Pawson pushed the muzzled coyote through the atrium doors toward the reception desk. Judy followed behind gesturing to herself, "Just once, when I yell, 'Stop, ZPD,' I'd like to see someone actually stop. Is that really too much to ask?"

Pawson smirked, "You want me to let him go so you can try again?"

The coyote yelped from behind the muzzle, "No, I give! Don't let her touch me." Going to his knees, he started to plead, "Please, I swear I'll tell you everything, my supplier, my contacts, everyone I stole money from in middle school, all of it. Just keep her away from me."

Pawson looked at Judy, shrugged his shoulders and motioned toward the coyote, "Well?"

Judy huffed, "Just book him. Next time though… Maybe if I use a deeper voice or I wear a mask with a voice changing speaker system."

"Darth Bunny?"

Judy rolled her eyes, "I am surrounded by kits."

Clawhauser waved as the group made it to the reception area, "Hi Judy, hi Connor. Do you need someone from holding to collect this guy?"

Judy hopped up on to Clawhauser's desk and put her paws on her hips, "Yup, he's a Nip dealer, and he ignored me when I told him to stop running away."

Ben smiled knowingly, "Okay, I'll make sure they add one count of felony stupid to the list."

Judy felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out. Check out BNN, Nick's doing a press conference with the Mayor at 4.

Judy waited until Clawhauser finished his call to the holding tank and then asked, "Hey Ben, would you put the Bunnyburrow News Network on the lobby monitor? My littermate just texted me and said Nick is doing a press conference with the Bunnyburrow Mayor."

…..

Nick stood next to the railing surrounding the raised porch of the City Hall building. Nick had just finished saying 'Hi' to the Gardiners and the Thrashers who were now taking their seats behind the podium. A dozen chairs were set up in two rows facing out toward the town square. The podium and microphones were set up at the top of the main stairs where Nick saw a buck jiggling a few wires and tapping the microphone to make sure it worked.

As a few reporters settled themselves in the chairs set up in the courtyard in front of the building, Nick headed over to his seat. He'd wished he could have picked a spot behind one of the large columns, out of view of the cameras being set up, but the Mayor's assistant had been quite specific about which chair he was to occupy.

Nick checked the time on his phone and then set it to vibrate if someone called. Hopefully, this would be over quickly, Janae had told him blueberry cobbler was on the menu tonight, and he wanted to be back in time to get some before it was all gone.

Nick turned as he heard the large doors open behind him and saw a small group of mammals make their way to the front row of chairs. Standing, he greeted the mammals and waited for them to be seated before sitting back down himself.

…..

"Look, look! It's Mr. Nick." Sunni clapped and pointed at the screen.

All the kits in the media room went silent at seeing Nick standing as Mayor Ackerbunn walked to her seat.

Bonnie poked her head in the door and saw the room full of kits, "Janae, what's going on?"

"Nick was asked to attend a press conference. He didn't say anything about it except that it was happening."

Bonnie leaned back out of the room and yelled for her mate, "Stu, come down here, Nicholas is meeting with the Mayor."

…..

Clawhauser clicked a few times on his computer screen and then pointed at the large lobby monitor as it blinked and then showed the BNN feed. Clawhauser tapped another checkbox, and the speaker on his desk turned on with the voice of a commentator pointing out all the mammals waiting for the Mayor to arrive.

"There you go, Judy."

Sitting down, Clawhauser sent a quick IM to Chief Bogo to let him know what was going on and what feed to use to pick up the press conference in his office.

Judy looked at the monitor and saw as a BNN camera showed a wide shot of the front of the Town Hall building. Judy recognized most of the mammals sitting with Nick except for the rabbits sitting next to Sarge Gardiner, they must be new to Bunnyburrow.

Judy was surprised when she saw old Mayor Burns come out of the City Hall building with Mayor Ackerbunn. She wondered what was going on that he would be involved.

"Hey, Pawson." Came a voice from behind the wolf, "What's going on?"

Pawson turned to see Collins and then gestured to the screen, "Wilde is getting ready to do a press conference."

"Huh, doesn't look like he's in cuffs, so I suppose that's good."

Judy shook her head and ignored her co-workers as she waited for the presser to start.

…..

"Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemammals, and distinguished members of the media. Before I take any questions, I have invited former Mayor Teddy Burns to help me in recognizing one of our own for outstanding service to Bunnyburrow. Joining us for the presentation are heads of two of our Burrow warrens, Mr. and Mrs. Thrasher and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and members of their families.

"Four days ago, there was an accident at the old beaver pond. A young kit, Alex Thrasher, was washed down the river, and his sister, Jessie, followed him for three miles trying to pull him from the water. When she finally rescued her brother from the river, Jessie was injured and knocked unconscious. Alex bravely pulled his sister from the river but was hurt himself getting her to the shore.

"As many of you will remember, it was a chilly, moonless night, and these two kits were stranded in their swimsuits, injured and unable to call for help.

"Officer Wilde, who had recently joined our sheriff's department, was off duty and on his way home when he took the call to track down the two lost kits. Officer Wilde scent tracked the kits and found them injured and suffering from the first stages of hypothermia. Officer Wilde, unable to call for help due to being in a cell phone dead zone, devised a way to keep the kits warm and carry them to safety tied to his back.

"During the hike back to the pond, Officer Wilde, exhausted and suffering from dehydration, impaled his arm on an exposed root which added to the difficulty of his task since he was carrying the kits while on all fours. Upon reaching the pond, Officer Wilde was attacked while defending the injured kits from an unknown number of drunken animals.

"Sheriff Hoofson has reviewed Officer Wilde's actions and informed me that no one else on his staff would have been able to find Alex and Jessie as quickly or been able to carry them out on such a dark night the way that Officer Wilde did.

"In recognition of this gallant mammal's selfless actions, it is with great honor that I have authorized the awarding of the Bunnyburrow Burrow Meister award to Officer Nicholas Wilde."

Nick's eyes went wide, the Burrow Meister Award? What kind of award is that? Sighing, Nick wanted to shake his head, 'What is it with Mayors throwing cops in front of reporters without telling them what's going on?'

"To help me with this presentation, I have invited former Mayor Theodore Burns to officiate the awarding of the medal to Officer Wilde. Please welcome, Mayor Teddy Burns."

Nick broke out of his reverie when he heard the clapping and cheering for Mayor Burns. Nick remembered from Mr. Gardiner that Mayor Burns had been a pretty popular Mayor back in the day.

"Thank you, Mayor Ackerbunn."

Mayor Burns motioned for Nick to come forward and stand next to the podium, "Officer Wilde, if you would please join me."

"Yes, sir." Nick squared his shoulders and stood up. Remembering his academy parade ground training, he moved to the left of Mayor Burns and came to a perfect parade rest.

"We are gathered here today to honor the bravery and service of this young mammal, Nicholas Wilde, to the Bunnyburrow community.

"Before we do the honors, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about an award that most in the community know very little about. In the last hundred years, the Burrow Meister has only been awarded six times. Five of those times, it was to posthumously recognize members of the Bunnyburrow community that selflessly gave of themselves to help our community and its citizens.

"One recipient stands out in particular, Lewis Grazer, who sixteen years ago rescued four young kits from their family's burning home. Without consideration for his own safety, Lewis ran into the small house and found the kits hiding in a bedroom closet. Lewis had to navigate around burning rooms and through a smoke-filled house to rescue these kits and return them to their parents.

"Lewis was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation and never recovered."

Mayor Burns paused for a moment of silence in respect of Lewis' memory.

Looking back up, he continued. "Over the last century, the Burrow Meister has only been given to one living recipient. Most people don't realize that only one living mammal at a time may hold the award, and for another living mammal to receive it, the current holder must agree he's deserving and, if possible, help in passing it on.

"Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Officer Wilde and get to know him better. He shared with me some about his background and what it was like for him growing up as a young fox in the city. He was also quick to confide in me that he has not always been the best of role models, but I could see that in his heart, he has always cared about those around him.

"At a dinner a couple of nights ago, I learned, as many others did, about Officer Wilde's family and their aid and support to another of our Burrow families many years ago. By the end of that evening, it was clear to me that giving of themselves and selfless duty is a Wilde family trait.

"I had a lengthy conversation with Officer Wilde's Police Academy instructor, Major Friedkin. She spoke highly of his commitment to the ZPD and the effort he put into his training. She told me that Cadet Wilde was one of the hardest working mammals that she had ever trained and he demonstrated that by setting multiple ZPA performance and academic records and, ultimately, graduating as valedictorian of his class.

"I also had the pleasure to speak with Officer Wilde's ZPD supervisor, Chief Bogo of Precinct One. Chief Bogo, notorious for being a mammal of few words, shared with me, and I quote, 'Wilde is a major pain in my tail, but he and his partner are among the top-rated teams in the city. Anything else, I don't know because I don't care.'"

Nick couldn't help it and whispered out the side of his mouth, "He loves me, we're best buds."

Mayor Burns glanced at Nick and had to cover his muzzle with his paw to keep from laughing. He'd lay odds that Bogo's comment about Wilde being a pain in his tail was a gross understatement.

After a final chuckle, Mayor Burns motioned to the Thrashers and Gardiners sitting behind him off to the side.

"Finally, I have consulted with the heads of the two families most involved in this traumatic event, and been given their blessing to recognize this very deserving mammal with Bunnyburrow's highest award for service to the community."

"Officer Wilde." Mayor Burns waved over Mayor Ackerbunn as Nick stood at attention in front of the small crowd.

"Today, as the current holder of the Burrow Meister, I am honored to recognize Nicholas P. Wilde as its newest recipient."

Mayor Burns stepped back from the podium, reached under his jacket, and lifted a medallion off of his chest. Looking up at Nick, Mayor Burns smiled and motioned for him to lean down. Nick lowered his head and folded his ears down so Mayor burns could fit the antique brass chain over his head.

Mayor Burns leaned in as he adjusted the chain around Nick's neck and whispered, "Congratulations Son, well deserved."

Straightening up, Nick couldn't help but see the look of satisfaction on the Mayor's face. Nick was stunned, here he was a fox in a town of rabbits, and Mayor Burns, easily the most respected mammal in the entire Tri-Burrows area, was honoring him.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Nick took one step back and did something he'd never done before, no matter how special the occasion had been, Nick bowed deeply using a reverent form and held it for a full ten seconds. Returning to a standing position, he watched as Mayor Burns returned the gesture by executing a perfect bow of respect between equals. Once Mayor Burns was done with his bow, he gave Nick a pat on the arm and then turned back to the podium.

Clapping while looking back at Nick, Mayor Burns said into the microphone, "A round of applause for Bunnyburrow's newest holder of the Burrow Meister."

The bunnies in the crowd clapped politely while the surprisingly large number of predators and other prey mammals added more than a few whoops and hollers to the response.

Nick moved to the podium, smiled, and waved to some of the mammals still cheering.

"Thank you, Mayor Ackerbunn and former Mayor Burns, Mr. and Mrs. Thrasher, and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. I am honored to receive this award today and am humbled to hear about one of the previous award holders and to have my name included among such a distinguished group of respected mammals.

"In police work, it is all about the team you work with. Your leadership, your coworkers, and your partner. Without a solid team, it's like you're working with one paw tied behind your back. It is important to me that everyone understands that I did not rescue these two kits all by myself."

Turning to Jessie and Alex, he said, "First to Jessie, without a thought to her own safety, she followed her brother over difficult terrain and saved him from the river. And then to Alex, one very tough little bun. As the Mayor mentioned, alone and hurt, he pulled his sister to safety and kept her safe until I arrived, and then on the hike back, he bandaged my injured arm after I had impaled it on a dead root. Without his help, the hike back would have been much more difficult, and I also appreciate that he kept me from drinking the river water."

Nick paused at the moans and groans from the crowd and then continued.

"Next, I'd like to give a shout out to Abigail Gardiner and her family. They responded faster and better than any Zootopia medical unit could have. Without their timely arrival and expert aid, I'd probably be in the hospital right now, or worse." Waving to Abigail sitting next to her father, Nick clapped his paws and mouthed another 'Thank you.'

"Lastly, I need to thank the one mammal that is most responsible for me being here today. A name all of you will recognize because she grew up in Bunnyburrow. Officer Judy Hopps, my partner, and my best friend. Without her support and encouragement over the last year, I wouldn't be who I am today, and I certainly wouldn't be a cop."

Pausing to gather himself, Nick looked directly into the BNN camera and continued, "Judy spoke at my Academy graduation, and one thing she said always stuck with me, 'Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us.' Judy's encouragement to change led me here. Let her words lead all of us to be better than we are now, and together we will make the world a better place one small change at a time."

Nick straightened up and said a little more formally, "Today I accept this award for all those I mentioned and all the other mammals that have supported me over the years. I pledge to try as hard as I can to live up to your expectations and to someday be worthy of the respect you have shown me as an Officer of the Bunnyburrow Sheriff's Department.

"Thank you."

…..

Judy stood with her paws over her muzzle, staring at the monitor. Mayor Ackerbunn was answering questions from the local reporters, but Judy only had eyes for her fox. The Burrow Meister. Like everyone else, she thought it was only awarded posthumously, now it was hanging around her fox's neck. Her brave, handsome, sweet fox. And all those things he said. Judy started to tear up, he was the one that had helped her, not the other way around.

"Judy, are you okay?"

The BNN camera zoomed in on Nick as the Mayor finished answering a question. Judy's breathing hitched as she stared into his beautiful green eyes.

Judy felt the light touch of Ben's paw on her back.

"Judy?"

Judy looked over at the large cheetah, "Ben, the Mayor gave him the Burrow Meister."

Clawhauser cooed, "I saw. That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, Ben, it's a very good thing."

The camera moved and focused on Mayor Ackerbunn. As she spoke and answered questions, Judy chewed on her lip for a moment and then grabbed her phone, she knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself. She quickly tapped out a short message and then watched the big screen. A few moments later, the camera angle widened out and Judy saw the last motion of Nick stealthy slipping his phone back in his pocket. As she continued to watch her fox, he looked up at the camera, smiled and waggled his left ear.

Judy clapped her paws together, and then with the biggest smile on her face, she popped up on Ben's desk, did a quick backflip and landed on the floor. With a last look at Nick on the monitor, Judy went to catch up with Pawson, she still had a Nip dealer to question.

…..

Bonnie sniffled as Stu pulled her closer into his side, "Are you okay, Bon?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, he's a fox."

"Nicholas is a good mammal. I think Lewis would have liked him."

"Mom."

Bonnie turned to her son, "Yes, dear?"

"Isn't Grazer your maiden name? Are you related to the Lewis Grazer that Mayor Burns was talking about?"

Bonnie pulled her arm out from around Stu and faced the teen, "Yes I am, and you are too in a special way. He would have been your great-uncle. You know, you should ask your grandpa about him the next time he comes to Bunnyburrow for a visit, Uncle Lewis was very brave rescuing those kits and our whole family was proud of him for what he did."

Putting her paw on the buck's shoulder, Bonnie continued, "There's something else you should know. When Uncle Lewis passed, I named one of the bucks from my next litter after him. I wanted someone brave and caring to help keep his memory alive for as long as possible."

"Me?"

Pulling Lewis into a hug, she nuzzled him and then freshened her mother's mark on the top of his head. "Yes, honey. You."

Releasing her son from the hug, Bonnie remembered something that needed doing. "Lewis, would you please find Cody and Colton and the three of you go over to the Gardiner's warren and pick up a bed and mattress big enough for Nicholas to use. They have predator guests often enough that I think they should be able to lend us something that will work. I'll call ahead and let Grandpa Joe know you are coming."

As Lewis left to find his brothers, Bonnie folded her arms across her chest and watched the Mayor field questions for another few moments. Thinking back on the last week of having Nicholas as part of their warren, Bonnie nodded to herself, 'Yeah, he and Uncle Lewis would have gotten along just fine.'

…..

Koraru-san, over on DeviantArt, created a short fancomic that goes along with this chapter. If you'd like to see her work, it's located here: www{dot}deviantart{dot}com/mikey2084/art/Nick-s-Perfect-10-895298182

A/N:

Hi everyone, since we are a couple of weeks away from the first anniversary of this little story, I wanted to say thank you to all of you for taking the time to read, comment, give kudos, or PM me with questions and feedback. I know that I'm not always the best in replying, but I do read and think about all of your comments.

Over the next six weeks, I'll be working/editing the next set of chapters, so the next posting won't be until early February. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or questions, please PM me and let me know what they are.

Next up is Chapter 23: The Meet, where Judy has her meeting with Axl Thorn and hopefully uncovers a lead that helps her with the drug case. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

~Mikey