Hi everyone! Man, I can't even remember the last time I posted ANYTHING on this site! It's been a crazy several years, hasn't it Well, I swear this time, I am NOT going to let this new work fall by the wayside. Anyway, I absolutely fell in love with the movie Zootopia, like no other movie has done to me in years and years, so much so that it actually gave me inspiration to write on this site again! Anyway, this is the first story in what I'm hoping to make into a series of stories, ranging from multi-chapters to one shots here and there all in chronological order. I absolutely adore Judy x Nick (I know, what an absolute shock) and these ideas I had just felt so perfect for such a realistically portrayed relationship like what they had in the movie. i hope you'll all enjoy, and I can only promise I'll try to keep a consistent schedule, but pestering me for new chapters won't help, since I have school, work and real life issues to contend with as well. I only say this cause I've seen other writers in this fandom being bogged down with demands, and it just adds unnecessary stress.

I don't own Zootopia, all characters and the setting is property of Disney.

"And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way."

"It's YOUR word against yours." Never before had those words of razor sharp wit felt so good for her to say, and never had they felt so good for him to hear; particularly since this time he wasn't on the receiving end.

If only there had been a conveniently placed camera to capture that look of dumbfounded shock on Bellwether's face the instant that little recording came from that carrot pen; that would've been the one thing needed to make this moment absolutely perfect for Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Not only had their last split-second plan of swapping the Night Howler serum for blueberries actually worked, but they'd even managed to get the most incriminating piece of evidence they could've ever asked for straight from the metaphorical horses' mouth.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart. Boom." Oh, to hear the very same words he'd used on Judy when he first conned her being used on their enemy felt SO immensely satisfying, it took every bit of willpower Nick had not to let out a victorious laugh; especially when the devious little sheep was about to make a run for it, only for the good old officers of the ZPD to make their grand entrance, effectively stopping her and her ram cohorts dead in their tracks.

And the best part of it all: by the looks on all their faces, they'd witnessed and heard EVERYTHING.

"C-Chief Bogo, this is all a grave misunderstanding! I-I…" Bellwether was already desperately trying to fast talk her way out; but the hulking Cape buffalo wasn't having any of it, as before she even knew it, the miniscule sheep felt a fitting pair of handcuffs being fastened around her hooves alongside her hench-rams; rendering her utterly speechless and wide-eyed.

"Mayor…or perhaps I should say 'Ex-Mayor' Bellwether; you are hereby under arrest for conspiracy and the attempted murder of a police officer. We'll have plenty more questions for you later down at the station. Until then, take them away." Chief Bogo ordered as his officers quickly escorted Bellwether and her rams in a single file out the door to the Natural History Museum. Once he was certain there would be no further trouble, he quickly brought his attention to the bunny and fox still stuck down in the display pit.

"Well don't you all just stand there, help them out!" the chief ordered as the rest of his officers quickly reached down into the pit to help the two up.

"Be careful, she's hurt; okay boys?" Nick recommended as he helped hoist Judy up to grab the paw of a lion officer before the fox himself was hoisted up right after her; immediately returning to her side as the ZPD officers quickly looked over the gash on Judy's leg.

"Thanks to Bellwether's call, the paramedics should be here any second, and then they can get that properly fixed up and better assess how bad it is." Bogo observed as Nick immediately re-wrapped the bandanna around the wound once the officers gave Judy some space.

"Chief, before anything else, we've got the serum Bellwether was using to make the predators go savage. It's made from toxic flowers called Night Howlers." Judy immediately informed as Nick reached into his shirt pocket, once more revealing the tiny blue pellet while Bogo and the rest of the ZPD could only look in surprise. It was astounding to think something so small and outwardly harmless-looking could've been responsible for causing so much chaos and damage.

"Alright, we'll have this taken to the forensics lab right away. And if all turns out for the better, they may be able to reverse-engineer an antidote." Bogo replied with a heavy air of relief and even what could be construed as pride in the two small mammals as he took the Night Howler pellet and immediately sealed it into a tiny evidence bag; just as the museum doors burst open for two wildebeest paramedics to come rushing in with a stretcher, right on cue.

"Alright, just stay still and relaxed, Officer Hopps. We're taking you to Zootopia Central Hospital and we can get you all patched up." One of the paramedics wasted no time informing as they quickly got Judy into the stretcher; elevating her leg as they already began to wheel her out to the ambulance waiting outside.

"Wait! I'm going with her." Nick called out as he tried to follow after them only for Chief Bogo to stop him with a steady hoof on his shoulder.

"I understand your sentiments, but I'm afraid we'll need to get all the details we can surrounding what just happened here first for procedure's sake, and without Hopps or Bellwether, you're the only witness we have." Bogo tried to explain while Nick watched Judy being wheeled further away; an instinctive sensation of cold beginning to stir in his stomach. Of course, hearing the chief's words also couldn't help but miff him the slightest bit. He still remembered their first encounter in the Rainforest District; how when Judy had called him as a witness, Bogo made absolutely no effort to disguise that he would never trust any word to come out of a fox's mouth.

But for Nick, what mattered right now wasn't the hypocrisy, but rather making sure Judy was really going to be okay. When he'd seen her wound after she cut herself on that mammoth tusk, it didn't SEEM to be serious; but he wasn't a doctor, so for all he knew there might have been some detail he missed that could've been gravely serious.

"Wait, Chief Bogo, please! Let Nick go. We solved this case together. Let him come with me, please." Judy suddenly interjected just as she was about to be wheeled through the door, stopping the paramedics in their tracks as they looked back to see what the ZPD chief would do.

With his signature heavy sigh of irritation or exasperation, the Cape buffalo released Nick as he immediately rushed to the stretcher-ridden bunny with a barely-hidden look of great relief.

"As soon as I hear you're up and able to talk, Hopps, I'll be expecting to get full details from both of you." Bogo informed them just as they stepped out into the bright afternoon sun of Zootopia's Central Square. The typical hustle and bustle of the literal heart of the city was thankfully relegated behind police tape as the paramedics hoisted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance; Nick quickly climbing in after them as the doors shut and they were soon wheeling out of the square with the sirens blaring.

The paramedics wasted no time removing the bandanna and cutting away the patch of Judy's jeans to get a better look at the gash running down her leg while Nick felt himself instantly tense up at the sight. While it might not have been bleeding too badly from the start, it was still an unpleasant sight, and he naturally disliked seeing his only real friend in pain like this.

For a few minutes, the paramedics didn't say anything as they closely examined the wound before silently working to get it properly wrapped up as if they could communicate exactly what they needed each other to do without a single word.

"H-how bad is it? I did the best I could when it happened, but…" Nick began to explain before one of the paramedics motioned for him to stop once they'd fully wrapped the wound in gauze.

"Well, I can give both of you good news and bad news. The good news is whatever did this didn't get too deep, otherwise you'd be bleeding much more profusely, Officer Hopps. And it's a good thing you wrapped it up when you did, sir. The sooner effort is taken to avoid infection, the better. However, the bad news is it was still considerably deep, so we'll need to get you into surgery as soon as we get to the hospital. The head doctors will be able to make a more detailed diagnosis there." the paramedics explained as Nick and Judy exchanged worried gazes with each other. While they were both relieved her wound wasn't as bad as it very easily could've been; the idea of going into surgery still left them both with a cold pit in their stomachs.

As if on a dreaded cue, they felt the ambulance come to a stop and the paramedics immediately got the doors open and wheeled the stretcher back outside; making a beeline for the entrance to the largest hospital in all of Zootopia; Nick nearly having to run to keep up with them as any other staff and patients instinctively stepped aside to clear the way for them.

The instant they were inside, the nurse at the front desk immediately made the call on the intercom for the surgery team as the four weaved their way through the bustling halls towards the surgery wing. All the while, Nick kept in pace with Judy's stretcher as he laid a supportive paw over her own, which she instantly returned with placing her free paw over his, a grateful smile on her face as she could see just how worried the fox was, even though knowing him he'd never verbally admit it.

Once they rounded what had to be the seventh corner, they were immediately greeted by a small assortment of doctors in surgical gloves and masks. Like a well-oiled machine, they immediately gathered around Judy's stretcher, making their way for a large set of double doors labeled 'OPERATING ROOM 3'. As Nick watched them make their way, he and Judy locked gazes for a few seconds as he could see how nervous the poor bunny was. No mammal liked going to the hospital period, especially for something as serious as surgery. And as much as he wanted to be at her side to let her know it would be okay, he knew he'd only get in the way of the professionals, and the last thing he wanted was to risk Judy getting hurt even worse than she already was.

"It's gonna be okay, Carrots. I'll be right there with you when it's all over, promise!" Nick called out to her, which visibly seemed to reassure her as she gave him another grateful smile before disappearing behind those double doors. Once she was out of sight, Nick instinctively let out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding in, soon surrendering himself to collapse into a nearby chair. Now all he could do was wait and hope for the best.

As the minutes seemed to drag on and on, the fox couldn't help but start dwelling deep into his own thoughts. It surprised him that he was this uncharacteristically worried. Everything had been going so well. He and Judy had reconciled, they'd finally managed to solve the case of the Night Howlers and essentially saved Zootopia from itself, considering things went well with the forensics like Chief Bogo had been hoping. So then if everything had turned out so well with the exception of Judy getting hurt, why was this cold twisting sensation in his gut so prominent?

'C'mon, Wilde, get it together. You know Carrots isn't like any other bunny. She's tough, and they even said the wound didn't look too bad. She could pull through this no problem.' That little voice of optimism kept bouncing about in Nick's head as he kept looking back at the double doors, as if expecting the doctors to come out any second to give him the verdict since he'd been the only other mammal with her.

'But still, those weren't actual surgeons. Who knows what they might find? What if there's nerve damage? What if Carrots won't be able to run or hop anymore? She could end up having a handicap for the rest of her life because of this. I knew I shouldn't have gotten so far ahead of her, maybe I could've stopped it.' That pesky lingering doubt made itself known as the fox instinctively started clenching his paws into fists over and over in an attempt to calm himself down. There was a whole number of ways this could end up affecting Judy long-term, and if that were to happen, Nick knew he'd never be able to forgive himself for allowing his best friend to get hurt.

'This isn't helping, Nick, you know that. No matter what happened, SHE never gave up…but God knows she probably wanted to after what happened with that conference last week, and you certainly didn't help that. But she got back up to make things right; for all of us, and I'm not about to let that be for nothing. I can't let this get me down. I'm sure she wouldn't if I were in there. You gotta keep it together…you gotta do it for Judy's sake.' He finally accepted silently as he could feel a swelling of determination building up inside him. Judy was without a doubt the strongest mammal he'd ever met, let alone the strongest bunny, and he wasn't about to let himself sink into despair without even knowing for certain how she was doing. He'd only have to wait and see how she was the next time he'd see her, and then he could finally decide which emotions to let take him over.

"Hey, did you hear? That bunny officer Judy Hopps just got moved in here." Nick could hear a passing fawn nurse saying to a beaver nurse as they were making their way down the hall towards him, completely paying him no mind as if he weren't even there.

"Oh my goodness, she isn't hurt is she?" the smaller nurse asked worriedly just as they were about to round a corner.

"What do YOU think? Why else would she have been brought here? And there was a fox with her too." The fawn answered, saying the word 'fox' with an especially notable bit of venom just as they disappeared from sight.

"Oh, I'll bet he's the cause of it. Hopefully the ZPD will come to check on her soon and they can get him out of here. Oh, that poor bunny, finally warns us about all those savage predators only to get mauled by one herself. What a world." The beaver replied with equal parts sympathy and spite before Nick could no longer hear them and was once again left to his own thoughts.

'Some things never change. Even if I did tell them the truth, they'd never believe a fox. Even if this Night Howler business does finally get revealed to the public, how much of a difference is it gonna make? Nobody liked our kind before; why should that be any different afterward?' Nick thought bitterly to himself. His paws once again clenched into fists as his thoughts once more delved into a worrisome frenzy.

He'd been dished out all kinds of insults for being a fox since he was a kid, it was nothing new. Shifty. Sly. Dishonest. Untrustworthy. Those were a few titles that prominently came to mind. Of course, nothing was ever going to top that horrible night where he finally learned just what a cruel and judgmental place the world was; although that horrible press conference had come pretty darn close. Who knows, right now Nick's emotions were in such a maelstrom, for all he could be able to figure out, maybe that day did manage to top it all. After all, the judgment of a bunch of rotten kids is nothing compared to being betrayed by the only mammal you felt you could honestly call your friend, regardless of if that was their intention or not.

But what those nurses had said really managed to get under the fox's skin. Being spoken down to for being a predator was one thing, but to immediately be pinned as the one responsible for Judy being hurt was what brought his blood to a boil. As much as he couldn't have cared less about her when they'd first started working together, he would never intentionally have hurt her, and that was especially true now.

Judy was the first mammal to ever actually place any trust in him, and when he had given her no reason to do so. The only reason he'd worked with her was because she was blackmailing him; and he'd naturally assumed she would leave him on his own once again once she had enough clues or evidence to carry on herself. And yet not only did she actively choose to save both their hides more than once, but when she was put on the spot, she actually looked to him for help. That moment still resonated crystal clear in his head whenever he thought back on it.

No mammal had ever looked at him the way Judy did that night in the Rainforest District. He'd only ever been met with glares of suspicion, distaste and contempt; but she looked at him in that moment like he was legitimately her only friend, like he was someone she could actually count on. Perhaps that was why he actually went out of his way to stand up for her. But then again, he of course couldn't deny that seeing her so helpless and alone brought back too many painful memories when he was in her exact same place as a kid.

Respect? Kindred spirits? Pity? Whatever others wanted to call it, Nick knew something big had silently changed in him that night, and it was all because Judy trusted him of her own volition. He felt there'd been a considerable mutual understanding between the two of them, so much so that she was the very first mammal he'd ever trusted enough to open up to about wanting to be in the Junior Ranger Scouts and what had resulted from it.

Yes, they'd hit a major hurdle in their friendship since then, but that was all in the past now. She'd achieved her dream of becoming a recognized police officer; any other mammal would've no doubt just accepted that and ignored the losses that resulted from it; but not her. When they'd first reunited under that bridge this morning, all he could feel was that disgusting sense of betrayal towards her for what she'd unintentionally said, and ESPECIALLY for letting that instinctive fear all prey had, take over when she reached for that fox repellent despite everything they'd been through.

But when he heard her express her regrets for everything she'd caused, something in him knew she meant every single word from the bottom of her heart. She never hated predators like most prey in Zootopia instinctively did, and it killed her to see how much damage she'd caused; but in the end, what she lamented most of all was the pain she'd caused HIM personally. If she only wanted to fix the unrest in the city, she could've easily just gone to her former peers in the ZPD with her clue. But no, she went to HIM before anything else.

Just taking all those facts in had helped him realize that restoring the friendship they had was just as important to her as saving the city, if not even more so. No other mammal he ever knew would've ever gone so far to fix what they did wrong…but Judy wasn't like any other mammal he knew. She was special, in so many ways he knew he'd never be able to count.

When all is said and done, when he heard her pour her heart out to him in that moment, he realized there was no way he could've ever stayed angry with her. And after all this emotional upheaval and all the effort they put in together to make everything right, to hear others automatically assign him the blame for that special bunny getting hurt got to him in a way he swore he would never let anyone or anything get to him.

The fox was suddenly snapped free from his mental reverie with the sound of the double doors to the operating room being opened up. As one of the badger doctors approached, Nick looked to the small clock hanging on the wall to see nearly three hours had already passed. It hadn't even felt like half an hour to him.

"Excuse me, sir, but I understand you were the one with Officer Hopps when she came here?" the doctor greeted Nick as he immediately got up from his seat; already feeling especially anxious to hear how Judy was doing.

"That's right, doctor. I-is she gonna be alright?" Nick asked worriedly. Remembering how the nurses already were blaming him for Judy's condition, he couldn't help but feel nervous the doctor was going to have him taken away under the same suspicion.

Instead the doctor let out a heavy sigh of what had to be relief as he looked back to the double doors.

"She is one very lucky bunny, Mr.…" the doctor finally replied before giving an inquisitive glance to Nick, clearly emphasizing the need for a name."

"Oh, yes, Wilde, Nicholas Wilde." Nick quickly answered as he instinctively extended a paw for the doctor, which he politely took as the fox let out his own breath of relief to at least know nothing serious had happened.

"Whatever cut her leg got her at just the right angle and depth. If it had been a couple centimeters deeper, she would've been looking at some considerable nerve damage. And if it had gone in at any other angle, she would've either received some severe muscle tearing or a severed artery." The doctor went on to explain as Nick felt a chill go up his spine as he continued.

'Carrots was THAT close to either never being able to walk right again or even bleeding out? Oh wow…you lucky, LUCKY bunny!' Nick thought in immense relief as he quickly brought himself back to attention.

"It's a good thing that injury got wrapped up as soon as it did too. Sooner an effort is taken to avoid infection, the better." The doctor finished as he seemed to be examining every physical sign of reaction Nick had to his summary.

"That's exactly what your paramedics said too. Thank you so much, doctor. I was really starting to get worried." Nick admitted as he finally noticed the peculiar look in the doctor's gaze.

"Forgive me for prying, Mr. Wilde, but you seem unusually concerned for the welfare of Officer Hopps." The doctor finally said; sending an instant sensation of offense into Nick's whole body. So he's automatically placed under suspicion just because he's a predator expressing concern for a friend who just happens to be prey. Well, that was definitely a new one.

"She's my friend, of course I would be. We were working together, and I should've done more to keep her from getting hurt, but I couldn't. I did the best I could to take care of her, and I just want to know that she's going to be okay." Nick expressed sternly as he locked eyes with the doctor, as if to communicate he knew exactly what the doctor was insinuating, and he wasn't going to stand by and take it. For several tense seconds, neither of them exchanged anymore words, until the doctor finally let out a weary sigh and stepped back; his expression softening considerably as he seemed satisfied by the conviction in Nick's tone and stance.

"I understand, Mr. Wilde. As I said before, Officer Hopps is very fortunate. Once it's all healed, the worst she'll have is a considerable scar, but her fur should be able to cover that up in due time. I'm guessing you're the one who wrapped her leg up beforehand? Well, that thankfully helped her in the long run, so you can take some comfort in that." The doctor explained in a much less accusatory tone as Nick seemed to ease up to at least now know for certain that Judy wouldn't be at risk of suffering anything long term.

"We already have her recuperating in one of the rooms. She's still under the anesthesia, but she should be waking up in an hour or two. I can take you to see her if you'd like. Of course, we already informed the ZPD as well, so once they arrive, you may have to leave her for the time being. Is that alright?" the doctor offered as Nick felt a smile of gratitude spread across his muzzle as he gave an enthusiastic nod.

"I understand. I'd just like to see her, please." Nick expressed with a barely restrained joy as he quickly followed after the doctor; every single step feeling heavier as he couldn't describe how grateful he was that Judy would be okay.

All at once, he could feel the exciting revelation filling him that all of their efforts, emotions and work had FINALLY amounted to what they'd hoped to achieve. It had to be one of the greatest feelings in the world. For the first time in years, he almost felt as happy as he had been the day his mother presented his brand new scout uniform. Yet at the same time, this felt even better.

Before he even knew it, Nick found himself standing in the doorway to Judy's hospital room. The blinds had been pulled over the window to keep the brilliant afternoon sun from shining in her tranquil sleeping face.

As Nick stepped inside, he couldn't help but look over Judy as she slept perfectly still in her bed. Her ears were folded down in that way that really accentuated the shape of her face; and she looked so unbelievably peaceful right now, in a way he realized he'd never seen her look before. As he silently sat himself at her bedside, he couldn't help but mentally admit to himself that she looked so undeniably cute looking this peaceful, or at least more so than she usually did; which he of course would never have admitted to her face since she would've given him an earful about how not to call bunnies cute afterward.

"I'm sure she'll be very pleased to see you when she wakes up, Mr. Wilde. I'll leave you to your thoughts." The doctor remarked as he stepped away, finally giving the fox the time alone he was looking for. His emerald eyes soon fell upon Judy's little paw laying on the sheets, and as if by natural instinct, he placed his paw over hers in a show of silent support; which to his semi-surprise, her expression seemed to become that much more contented, as if she could somehow tell he was here with her right now, and it gave her all the reassurance she wanted.

"It's finally over, Judy. We actually did it. Just like you believed we could…just like you believed in me. I'm never going to forget that. And I'm not going to let that faith go to waste, either. You wanted to help make the world a better place, and no matter how I have to do it…I'll be there to help you do it." Nick softly whispered to her as he kept running his thumb over her paw; a swelling of pride and conviction practically expanding his chest from within with every word, as if he was swearing this to himself just as much as to her.

Man, does it feel good to be writing again. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this, and I'll try to get the next chapter to you relatively soon.