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

…..

"What the hell, Carrots? Answer your damn phone."

Nick was a mess. He'd barely slept the night before and had had to drag himself into town for his shift this morning, which had gone fine enough until his sixth try at calling Judy had gone straight to voicemail.

Dropping his phone on the seat next to him, Nick wanted to pound his head against the dashboard. He was done. It was like she'd dropped off the face of the planet. Finn hadn't heard from anyone that had seen her, Pawson wasn't answering his phone, even Clawhauser wouldn't take his calls. Something was wrong, and he'd told Sheriff Hoofson that he needed to cut his shift early and drive back to the city for an emergency.

Coming up on the Hopps' farm, Nick ran through the math in his head, five minutes to get his stuff and say his goodbyes, drive like a bat out of hell, and cut about forty minutes off his trip to the city, and then…

"Whose car is that?"

Nick parked his small convertible near the house and then looked over at the large black SUV parked in Stu's spot near the front door. The thing was built like a tank. As Nick walked around the vehicle, he could tell that it had been heavily modified with armor plating, bulletproof glass, gun ports, an armored roof hatch, and reinforced run-flat tires. The SUV had to weigh over two tons. Standing at the back of the car, trying to figure out which agency, or family, had dreamed this monster up, Nick examined the license plate. To anyone else, it looked like a random plate number, but to someone who had spent a lot of years staying ahead of the cops, Nick recognized–

"ZPD."

Nick bolted through the front door, slid into the kitchen, and came to a stop just as the crowd of bunny kits in front of him parted.

It was like the sun had burst through the dark clouds after a heavy rainstorm. Seeing the light of his life standing only a few feet away, Nick's face broke out in the biggest grin he'd ever had, and he held his arms out, ready to embrace the girl he'd been longing to hold for weeks.

"Carrots!"

Judy's ears shot up as she turned around from talking with Janae, and a look of pure joy swept across her face as her whole body vibrated in anticipation of feeling her fox's arms wrapping themselves around her and holding her tight.

"Nick!"

And then they both froze.

Every rabbit in the room had gone silent. First, the kits looked at Judy, then as one, they looked at Nick, and then back to Judy. Ears at attention, no one moved, no one said anything, no one breathed.

Nick's eyes moved around the crowd of kits and then landed back on Judy. As he made eye contact with his bunny, every fiber of his being screamed out for him to scoop her up and hold her tight, but instead, shaking his head ever so slightly, he let his arms drop and said, "Officer Hopps, how nice to see you."

Judy, poised to leap into Nick's arms, saw the conflict raging in her fox's eyes, and after quickly scanning the group of her young siblings, she focused back on Nick, gave him a slight nod, and replied, "Nice to see you too, Officer Wilde."

Pawson rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe these two. Peeling himself off the wall he'd been leaning against, he set his empty glass down on the counter, turned to the only adult civilian in the room, and asked, "Ma'am, is there somewhere private where we can talk? Judy and, uh, her work partner, Officer Wilde, have a few things they need to discuss with each other about a case we're working on."

Janae's eyes narrowed as she took in the scene before her, a smirking wolf, her flustered, blushing littermate, and an unflappable fox whose tail was wagging so fast, papers were blowing off the table behind him. Something was up.

"Sure, Mom and Dad won't be back for a while. You can use their office. It's right over there."

Janae watched as Pawson opened the office door and waved his two partners over. Nick moved first, and as he made his way to the office, Janae watched her littermate follow Nick's Every. Single. Move. with a focus and level of concentration she'd rarely seen from Judy before.

"Hopps?" Pawson said as Nick's tail finished flowing into the room, "Anytime now."

Startled, Judy quickly followed, mumbling to Janae, "ZPD business."

Ever the gentlemammal, Pawson stood by the door, and as soon as Judy was through, he grabbed the handle and started to pull the door closed.

"Connor, what are you doing? Nick needs to hear from both of us." Judy hissed as she reached out to hold the door open.

Gently pushing Judy's paw away, Pawson shook his head, "I think you've got this one, Hopps. It'd be better if I wait out here, you know, third wheel and all."

After closing the door, Connor turned around, folded his arms across his chest, and then said to the still silent group of young bunnies staring at him, "Important case, lots of police stuff they need to talk about, shouldn't take long."

"WHAT! In Zootopia? Why didn't you tell me?" came Nick's voice from behind the closed door.

"Yes, I was wearing my vest, now stop with the sniffing, I'm fine."

Pawson coughed and waved his paw toward the overly attentive rabbits, "I think, maybe, ears down, you know, sensitive information, ongoing case and all."

The kits looked at the wolf confused, until Pawson motioned again, this time with both paws pointing at their ears and gesturing for them to let them drop down their backs.

Looking around at each other, one of the oldest of the kits, let his ears drop, and then like dominoes, ears fell, one pair after another, until only one young doe stood defiant with ears held high.

Janae got up from the stool she'd been sitting on, and petting Sunni's head fur, she gently brushed her ears down and said, "It's okay, I think Judy and Mr. Nick have a lot of adult things they need to talk about, boring adult things that kits don't care about." And then, facing the hulking wolf, she crossed her arms, looked him in the eyes, and said, "Isn't that right, Officer?"

Nervously glancing toward the office, Pawson replied, "Uh, yes, ma'am."

"Ow, stop with the poking."

"Connor told me all about my gear. How much did it really cost?"

Pawson cringed at hearing his name, but he'd wondered the same thing about the gear, so he leaned in to listen but couldn't quite make out the answer–

"WHAT! You tricked me."

"Ooof, ow, Carrots, OW! I had to hustle you. Otherwise, you would've picked the cheap stuff."

Pawson rubbed out his ear, and straightening back up, said, "Our, uh, meter maid equipment is expensive, you know what we use to give out parking tickets."

Janae huffed and intensified her stare, hoping to break the wolf."

"Come on, you know, you…"

"You... you stop right there, don't you dare!"

Sunni leaned away from Janae's leg and toward the door and waited. A few moments later, she took a step closer to the door, and then she waited some more. Finally, one ear went up, rotated a little, and she whispered, "They aren't saying anything anymore, are they okay?"

Steven came up next to Sunni and lifted an ear, "I hear yummy sounds. Do you think Judy brought home some treats from the city?"

"I don't know, but if she did, they sound pretty good. I hope she saves some for us."

Janae tilted her head as she started to tap her foot, "Important police business?"

Connor gulped, "Uh-huh," and then knocked on the door, "Hopps, Wilde, how's the debrief going, are you guys almost done in there?"

"Five more minutes," called out a breathless fox.

"Ow! That hurt."

"Good."

Connor turned as he heard the door open and saw Judy in the doorway, brushing her shirt smooth.

"All done."

"Uh, Hopps…"

Judy looked up at Connor, and seeing him motion to the side of his mouth, she quickly turned so no one could see, and wiped her muzzle fur dry of any of the fox briefing that was there, and then whispered, "Thanks."

"Awww, she doesn't have any treats. Come on, let's go outside and play."

"Stay near the house. Lunch will be ready pretty soon," Janae said to the kerfluffle of kits that jostled their way out the door and into the yard.

"You too, Sunni."

"Where's Mr. Nick?"

"I'm right here," said Nick as he wiped away any residual bunny from his muzzle and then ran his claws through his head fur to smooth it down. "Go ahead, Sunni, I have to help Judy with all her stuff."

Judy lifted the small bag Bogo had given her and said, "All I've got is what I have on and what was in my locker." Turning to Janae, she added, "Can I borrow some clothes?"

"Sure, come on. Let's drop that off first. Nick's in the big guest room. You can use the small one next to his. You should get your bins out of storage, too." Waving back toward Nick and Connor, Janae said, "You two go watch the kits, I'll take care of Judy."

Nick lifted a finger toward the receding does, 'How did he get stuck with Pawson having to watch the kits?' Hearing the very light tap, tap, tap of a small foot behind him, Nick turned and saw Sunni waiting impatiently for him.

"Time to play."

Nick rolled his eyes, "You heard the kit, after you, Pawson."

-/-/-

"So, you're not going to stay and have lunch with Dad and Mr. Hayes?" asked Cody, starting the pickup truck's engine.

Bonnie glared at her mate sitting and talking with Emmett at an outdoor table. They'd taken two trucks and corralled Cody and Colton into helping them pick up parts from the Burrow Farm and Fleet and a truckload of household supplies for her. Loading Stu's parts had taken longer than she'd expected, and, much to her chagrin, she'd advocated an early lunch before heading over to the General store to pick up her part of their monthly supply run.

Her family-focused lunch plan had been derailed when Emmett Hayes, wannabe patriarch of ancient Burrow morality, had come along and insisted on bending all of their long ears with his foul, speciest claptrap. Claptrap about all the horrors being perpetrated against the decent citizens of Bunnyburrow by all the newly arrived carpetbaggers intent on ruining the town.

Especially the town's newest fox deputy.

Bonnie tried to pull her mate out of the foul conversation, but Stu waved her off and invited Hayes to join them. Huffing at the unwanted intrusion, Bonnie countered Stu's invite with the addition of a stop to their shopping trip, grabbed Cody and Colton, and left before any of Hayes' outrageous ideas could infect her boys.

"No," Bonnie nearly spat out, "Take me to the market, and then we'll stop by that drive-thru barbeque place you two like. Your father will be along shortly, I hope."

-/-/-

"Alright, sit over there on my bed, and let's see if we can't find you something a little less stereotypical farmer to wear."

"Oww, help me get my vest off first."

Judy unbuttoned her pink plaid shirt and then judiciously took it off.

"Why are you wearing that under your shirt?"

"It's a long story, help me get it off. I bruised my ribs, and it hurts like falling into a thornberry patch to take off."

Unfastening the mesh vest at the seam, Janae carefully maneuvered the vest off Judy, leaving her in only a black zip-front sports bra.

"Ow, oh, mmhhh,"

Setting the vest on the bed, Janae asked, "Were you in a fight or something?"

"Yeah, or something. That's why I'm here. I'm supposed to rest and get better, kind of a forced vacation."

"You're not going to tell me what really happened, are you?"

"No, I can't. Police business."

"You mean, like back in Mom and Dad's office, that kind of police business?"

"What? Nick and I were going over a case."

"Steven said he heard 'yummy' noises, care to explain what kind of case involves that much heavy breathing?"

"Uh, no, not really."

Janae sat down next to her pink-eared littermate, put an arm around her, and gently squeezed her, "Being as I'm so much way older and more mature than you, you should know that you can trust me to hold whatever you say in the strictest confidence."

"You're like, not even ten minutes older than I am."

"Aww, come on. Pinky-promise, I swear I won't tell," said Janae, holding out her paw and wiggling her little finger.

Judy looked at the paw, rolled her eyes, and hooked her pinky around her littermate's, "Fine, but if you tell anyone, and I mean anyone…"

"Deal!"

Judy groaned and then flipped her ears over her eyes and whispered, "I'm in love with Nick. I have been for a while."

"YES! I knew it. As soon as he walked in and saw you, I could totally tell you guys had a thing for each other." Jumping off the bed, Janae bounced around, "That's so cool. Is he a good kisser? Has he taken you anywhere romantic? Have you guys had sex yet?"

Judy coughed, "No! No, we haven't. Now stop, this is serious."

"No? Which part?"

"What do you think?"

"Oh. But, he's a good kisser, right?"

Judy sighed loudly, and then unable to ignore her littermate bouncing in front of her, said, "Yes, he's an amazing kisser," and then smiling as she thought back to their dinner date, "Our first official date was a month ago, and, uh, it ended in a long make-out session."

Judy's face fell as she remembered the day after their date.

Noticing the misery that washed across Judy's face, Janae asked, "What's wrong?"

"The next day, I broke up with him. I told him we couldn't be together."

Putting her paws over her muzzle, Janae replied, "Oh, no. You're the girl in the city, the one whose family would have a problem if she dated him. We all thought you were some stuck-up vixen."

"He said that?"

Janae cringed a little, "Not exactly. I might have outed him having a girlfriend from hearing him, I guess, talking to you on the phone. The vixen part, all us girls just sort of assumed."

Not bouncing anymore, Janae asked, "So, why did you break up with him? Most everyone here likes him. In between Pawpsicle meetings, Colton and Cody are always trying to game with him, and Sunni's entire litter thinks he's one of them, Mom too, now that I think of it."

Judy rolled her eyes again, "Figures, I think he stopped maturing around seven."

Janae sat back down next to Judy, "So, what gives, why not go for it? He obviously loves you as much as you love him."

"Janae, he's a predator, and," motioning to herself, "I'm prey. Not only that, he's a fox, and I'm a rabbit, so besides it being illegal for us to be mates, Bunnyburrow rabbits don't tolerate interspecies couples, at all, heck, some of the old-timers freak out if they even see a rabbit talking to a hare."

Shaking her head, Judy went quiet, "If it were only me in the crosshairs, I'd take him to the south barn in a heartbeat, but I'm worried that some of the crazies in town would take it out on you guys if Nick and I ever got together."

Janae rubbed Judy's back and then pulled her close, "Maybe it's not as bad as you think. Nick's made a pretty good impression on the town so far, I mean, they gave him the Burrow Meister for rescuing the Thrasher kits, right?"

"Someone tagged his car a few days later," countered Judy.

"And tried to frame him for being a Nip dealer," shrugged Janae.

"Really? He never told me about that."

"Yeah, Raven figured it all out. You should talk to her about it sometime."

Nodding, Judy sighed, "I don't know what to do."

Janae rubbed Judy's back a little more as the two girls sat, heads together, trying to think of a way that everything could work out for the two, hopelessly in love, mammals to be together.

Janae thought back on the few weeks Nick had been in town and all the mammals he'd reached out to, and then something clicked. "Dalton and I are together. Nick sort of tricked us both into going out on a date."

"He did? You and Dalton, and no one's said anything?"

"Mom's okay with it, Dad, I'm not sure. We get some looks in town, but it hasn't been too bad so far. We try not to rub it in anyone's muzzle, just to be on the safe side.

"Maybe if Dalton and I can make it work without the town taking up pitchforks and torches, you guys can too."

"I don't think so. Nick's not a hare, and a hare and a rabbit being mates doesn't even count as an interspecies couple as far as the law is concerned."

Janae shrugged, "It pisses a few of the old-timers, like Hayes, off."

"Yeah," Judy chuckled, "another reason you should have asked him out in high school. Besides me not having to have to listen to you pine away for him all the time, that is."

"I did not pine."

"Pffft," replied Judy as she hugged her littermate, gave her a quick nuzzle, and said, "I'm happy for you. Dalton's a good guy. A lot better than that pawsy sleazoid Blake."

"So, what about you and Nick?"

Judy shook her head, "I don't know. I think him being here has something to do with us, but I don't know what's going on in that crazy skull of his.

"Right after I broke up with him, Nick said he was going to figure things out, and if he had to make the world a better place for us to be together, then that was what he was going to do. A week later, he was in Bunnyburrow as a deputy."

"So, you think he might have some sort of plan going on?"

Judy huffed, "That fox doesn't take a dump without a plan."

"So, if he's already got something figured out–"

"I just–"

"We just…"

Judy smiled, "We just have to figure out what he's up to, and then try and help."

"Yup."

Janae hopped off the bed again and, rubbing her paws together, said, "Okay, so no one can know about you two," and then mock glaring at Judy, "which means paws off his tail."

"Awww, but it's so fluffy," pouted Judy.

"Fine, in public, paws off."

"What about you? Do we tell him you know about us?"

Janae grinned big and said, "No, not right away, I've got a better idea," opening up one of her drawers, Janae pulled out an outfit for Judy, "Change into this."

"Are you crazy? I can't wear that."

"You can, and you will. I owe your boyfriend payback for weeks of teasing, and I heard somewhere that revenge is a dish best served hot."

-/-/-

Nick and Connor followed Sunni outside to the kit's play area where the rest of her litter was playing in a wooden fort. The fort overlooked a giant pit of play sand where another couple of litters had small buckets and shovels and were making sandcastles. Sunni lasted about thirty seconds with her canid friends before she was up in the fort, ordering her siblings to heave-to or clean barnacles off the wooden planks.

"Wow, that sandpit looks fun."

"I'm sure they'd let you play if you want," replied Nick, "Just watch out they don't bury you. They're all pretty good diggers, you know."

"I used to be pretty good at burying stuff when I was a pup. My mom never did find the wooden spoon she used to whack my paw with when I tried to sneak cookies."

"So, the Mule? I never thought I'd hear his name again in Zootopia. How bad was it really?"

Connor checked to make sure no kit was close enough to hear and then said, "It was a mess. Her uniform and her Kevlar chest protector were both shredded. It was like confetti after a parade. I don't know what he hit her with, but if it weren't for the gear she had on, she'd be dead six ways to Sunday."

"Thanks for taking care of her."

"I think you did that more than I did. Sometime you'll have to fill me in on who you traded your soul to for that vest of hers."

Nick chuckled, "A fox's soul isn't worth that much, but maybe when this is all over, I'll buy you a beer and fill you in."

Connor nodded, "She told you that we think the ZPD's systems have been hacked, right?"

"No, we didn't get to that part in the debrief, but it makes sense on how she was hit."

"Yeah, well, the version that doesn't involve as much tonsil tag is that you need to assume that whoever hired the Mule has someone on the inside and to be careful talking to anyone back home."

Handing a card to Nick, Pawson added, "If you need to talk to Bogo or me, call Clawhauser on this line, and he'll get us the message. Bogo's keeping everything to do with the Mule on the down low because he doesn't know who in the ZPD he can trust."

"Gotcha."

Leaning closer to Nick, Connor said in a hushed voice, "You wouldn't believe who Bogo called to help with security for Hopps last night at the safe house."

A pained look flashed across Nick's face as he answered, "Mr. Big."

"Yeah, how the fu–"

"Language."

"–heck did you know that?"

"You don't want to know," and then rubbing the back of his neck, Nick said, "Just believe me when I say both Bogo and Big want that psycho's hide nailed to a wall, and if Bogo finds out that someone inside the ZPD really is feeding the Mule information, then I don't know which would be worse, being iced by Big or being interrogated by Bogo."

"Well, Bogo's on the warpath for sure. As soon as I get back, finding the Mule is my top priority." Waving a paw toward the house, Connor asked, "Are you going to be okay keeping an eye on Hopps here? Bogo wants her to lay low for a while."

Nick chuckled, "We'll see. I give it about three days before she's all over me about wanting to do a ride-along or maybe raid an illicit bingo game."

"Mr. Nick, Mr. Nick, time for you to push us on the swings."

"Come on, duty calls," said Nick as he and Connor both went over to the biggest swing set either of them had ever seen and then moved between laughing kits, pushing them higher and higher until they squealed with excitement.

Nick stayed focused on his duty as a force against gravity until he heard his partner in propulsion gasp, "Holy mother of biscuits, no way," and then with a smile on his face, he turned to Nick and said, "You, my friend, are in serious trouble."

Confused, Nick looked at Pawson, and then turned toward where the wolf had been focused and froze. Next, his jaw dropped open, and then his eyes bugged out. Not believing what he was seeing, he took a step forward and felt his heart almost stop.

Janae had the biggest grin on her face as she gently steered Judy toward the now stunned fox. Judy was wearing a pink bralette and cutoff denim short shorts, her fur was freshly brushed, and Janae had applied the barest hint of eyeshadow to highlight her littermate's beautiful amethyst eyes, and to finish the look off, Judy was wearing matching silver wrist and ankle bracelets.

Coming up on Nick, Judy batted her eyes and then nibbling her bottom lip just a bit, said, "Hi Nick."

Nick took another step toward the most beautiful mammal he'd ever laid eyes on and said, "Carr– Ummph!" as the kit-filled swing he was pushing hit him in the gut and leveled him.

-/-/-

Waving to his siblings operating the family's produce stand, Cody pushed in the clutch and down-shifted the small pickup truck into second gear, slowing down enough to pull off the main road. Turning gently so as not to cause any of the supplies loaded in the back to shift or slam his mom's head into the dashboard, Cody accelerated up the dirt road, now only a double pawful of miles from home.

Looking over at his mom grimacing in the passenger seat, Cody adjusted the rearview mirror and caught sight of his equally unhappy looking littermate glaring out the back window. "Mom, are you okay? Are you mad that Dad made you finish picking up the load without him?"

"Your father didn't make me do anything. I just didn't feel like wasting you boy's time listening to Emmett go on about how awful things are with all the new mammals in town. If your dad wants to listen to Emmett prattle on, that's his problem, not mine."

"Is what Mr. Hayes said true? Was it really Nick's fault his daughter got fired from the hospital?"

"Hayes is full of crap," yelled Colton from the jump seat behind his mother. "Riley told me all about what happened, that bumble foot Courtney deserved what she got."

"Colton, mind your tongue, and be more respectful of your elders."

"Sorry Mom, but Mr. Hayes is a speciest bigot, and Courtney is just as bad. Riley's little sister broke her arm, and that mite infested–"

"Colton!"

"Fine. Courtney refused to let her see a doctor. Nick had to carry Chloe into the ER himself before anyone would look at her arm. When the Mayor showed up, she heard what happened and fired Hayes on the spot."

Bonnie shook her head, "I heard Courtney was let go, but I didn't know Nicholas was involved."

"Well, he was. If it hadn't been for him, they probably would have had to drive all the way to Podunk to get Chloe's arm looked at."

"Mom, why does Dad hang around Mr. Hayes?" asked Cody. "He's bad news. His whole family treats everyone in town like they're gutter trash."

"You mean everyone not a rabbit," groused Colton. "If they didn't own a gas station and the sleaziest motel in town–"

"That's enough, both of you. I'll take care of your father, and as far as the Hayes family is concerned, I want both of you to stay away from them. Emmett could cause problems for your father on the Co-op board and being as they are Border Warren…"

"Mom, no one gives a flying– no one, not even any of the other Border Warren families care about the Hayes. Heck, I've heard Sarge thinks that the Hayes are as bad as the Edwards and wishes they'd feud themselves out of existence or that he could kick both their warrens out of town. He thinks they're both an embarrassment to the rest of the Border Warren families."

"Where did you hear that about Sarge? He's never said anything to me about having a problem with the Hayes or the Edwards."

"Riley?" interjected Cody.

"Yeah, his mom does the books for the Pawfields, and being next over from the Edwards, they hear a lot of Border Warren stuff."

Bonnie went quiet. She'd met Evelyn years ago at one of her girl's nights out at the Howling Wolf. Robert, having returned from a long deployment, arranged for one of Evelyn's girlfriends to take her out of the house for a break from the kits. Smiling while using his sternest voice of command, he told his mate that she was required to cut loose and have some fun, and she wasn't allowed back in the warren until after midnight.

Bonnie quickly absorbed Evelyn, and her friend, into her small group of 'moms needing a break,' and from there, the two girls struck up a casual crosstown friendship. Over the years, and with Evelyn's help, Bonnie had encouraged Stu to become better friends with Robert, all part of her efforts to counter the town's negative influences on her mate.

Bonnie shook her head, 'Years of girl talk and the occasional adult get-togethers, and neither Evelyn nor Robert had ever mentioned having Border Warren issues with either the Edwards or the Hayes.'

"Colton, how well do you know Riley?"

"Riley saved his tail in Economics and Geography last year," laughed Cody.

"Shut up, or you can't use my controller for your solo quest tonight." And then to his mom, Colton grumbled, "We've known each other since middle school. He doesn't game much, but we hang out sometimes."

"Good. Invite his family over for dinner sometime soon. I'd like to meet his mom. I think there are a few things I want to talk with her about."

Rounding a turn as he came up to the house, Cody pointed over the steering wheel, "Nick's home early."

Colton leaned in between the two front seats, "Yeah, and whose beast of an SUV is that?"

Bonnie squinted at the large vehicle parked in front of her house and said, "Cody, drop me off, and then the two of you unload what's supposed to go in the barn. Your dad should be here in a few minutes with the rest of the supplies."

"But, Mom…"

"No, wait for your dad," replied Bonnie, more focused on the extra cars. 'Why is Nicholas home, and what kind of mammals come visiting in a vehicle big enough to transport a small army of rabbits?'

Setting her bags down in the kitchen, Bonnie went over to the dining area and took a look around. She could see that lunch was already over, and most of the kits were already off playing or taking care of their afternoon chores.

Who was left in the room surprised her. The large table was occupied with Grace Marie at the end of the table, talking with a large wolf wearing a faux leather jacket, and sitting next to him was Janae talking to a pair of mammals facing away from her. One of them was obviously Nick, while the other was a doe wearing an oversized Bunnyburrow Sheriff's Department t-shirt over a skimpy pink top and short shorts. It was hard to tell who the doe was from behind because she was sitting so close to Nick, and he had his fluffy tail wrapped around her waist.

"So, have you ever ridden a Motorcycle, Officer Pawson?" Raven asked as she made doe eyes at the wolf.

"Uh, yes, ma'am, I used to race motocross in high school for fun, and, every now and then, my pack organizes a ride, even rode to Stagis once."

"Oh? I like your jacket. Maybe you could give me a ride on your bike sometime? I'm going to be in Zootopia studying to be a CSI pretty soon. Do you work at Precinct One? I could stop by for lunch or a quick snack."

Gulping, Pawson whispered out the side of his mouth, "Wilde, help me out here."

Raven leaned over, and rubbing the faux leather jacket, asked, "Do you have a mate?"

Fortunately for the now panicking wolf, a voice broke in on Raven's ministrations, saying, "Janae, Nicholas, I see we have guests."

All at once, Nick's tail unwrapped itself from the doe, he turned to face Bonnie, the wolf stood up, and the anonymous doe crouched down trying to look smaller in her seat.

Bonnie took in all the motion but focused on the doe… and gasped, "Judy… Bun-bun, you're here."

Connor put out a paw, "Mrs. Hopps, I'm Officer Pawson, ZPD. Nice to meet you."

Bonnie reluctantly looked away from Judy, who hadn't moved or said anything in reply to her mother.

Shaking the wolf's large paw with hers, she replied, "Welcome to our warren, Officer," and then turning back to her daughter, Bonnie saw that she was still sitting looking away.

Focusing in on Nicholas, Bonnie tried to gain her footing, "You're home early."

"Yeah, I got out of work early, nothing important."

Raven stood up and leaned into Pawson as she told her mother, "Officer Pawson works with Judy."

Gently peeling the young doe's paw off his side, Pawson said, "Wilde, Hopps, I need to go. Bogo wants me back before dinner," turning to Janae, he said, "Thanks for lunch."

"I'll walk you out. Tell me more about these motorcycle rides you do. Are your girlfriends allowed to ride with you?"

Janae stood and, shaking her head, said, "I'll walk him out. How about you go start your chores." Grabbing the wolf's arm, Janae led the wide-eyed canine away from her glaring sister while whispering, "I need your cell number. There are a few things I think we need to talk about."

"Nice meeting you, ma'am," Pawson said as he waved goodbye to Bonnie and his partners and then whispered back to Janae, "Sure, and thanks for the save."

As Raven stomped away and the front door closed, Nick stood and faced Bonnie, "Mrs. H., uh…"

Bonnie's ears were drooped down her back, and she had a heartsick look on her face as she stared at Judy, who was sitting looking down at the table in front of her.

"Judy…"

Nick turned back to Judy, who he could tell was just as miserable as her mother. Head down, ears limp, shoulders slumped, Nick even heard a quiet sniffle, 'He had to do something.' Reaching out, Nick gently helped Judy up from her seat, and when she refused to turn around, Nick pulled her into a hug and waited.

Judy, still facing away from her mother, had her face buried in Nick's chest as she hugged herself inside her fox's embrace. She did not want to face her mother. She never meant to shut her mom out the way she had, but in distancing herself from her dad, she'd hurt her mom too, and now she felt horrible about what she'd done.

Nick knew all of Judy's ticks and tells, and could feel she was on the verge of tears. He also knew from last night how unhappy Bonnie was not having spoken with her daughter in so long. So, he leaned down and whispered something in Judy's ear so quietly that only she could hear, and then after she nodded, he gently turned her around to face her mother.

Neither doe moved, until Nick, still holding Judy, motioned slightly to Bonnie.

Bonnie, seeing the cue, took a tentative step toward Judy, opened her arms, and–

The front door slammed followed by a loud voice, "Who was that wolf outside talking to Janae? He left as soon as I pulled up, and why is that fox's car here? Doesn't he have a job he's supposed to be…

"…doing?"

Stu froze seeing his mate and...

"Judy."

Judy pulled back from her mother, pressed her back into Nick's chest, and then looking at her dad, she started to tremble as everything they'd said to each other a month ago came crashing back down on her.

Reaching behind her, she grabbed Nick's paw, and, pulling him out of the room, she whispered, "Come with me, I need your help getting my bins out of storage."

Bonnie stood silently. Her lost kit, almost in arm's reach, was gone again.

"What's going on? Where's Judy going with that fox?"

Balling her fists, Bonnie took a few ragged breaths and then turned to face the mammal that was the cause of her newly shattered heart. Glaring at her mate as only a protective mama bun could, Bonnie stomped her way across the empty room, readied her finger to poke some sense into the thickheaded buck, and…

…looked her mate in the eyes. She searched. Wanting, wishing, hoping, needing…

'Nothing.'

Tearing up, Bonnie let her paw drop and then ran to their shared office. Stopping in the doorway, she rotated an ear toward Stu, and sagged when she heard his confused voice.

"What did I do?"

Bonnie closed the door behind her and cried.