AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is my first time writing in a long time. So, this is more of a work in progress than I'd like. But I do have most of the story written out. I say mostly because I'm debating on adding one more chapter or not. So if anyone wants to help proofread the entire thing, just let me know!

CHAPTER 1

It was a bright and sunny day in the Meadowlands. With a name like that you'd expect it to be a fairly flat section of the city, but being a sub-division of the Rainforest District it was still covered by many large trees. Most of which were used as homes or businesses. But there were fewer of them, allowing more natural light into this section.

Judy looked down at her phone, following the next instruction to her destination. A few turns later she looked up at the street sign that read " Ave". She looked down the long street, at all the nearly carbon copy house fronts. It wasn't the classiest looking neighborhood but it looked happy. Which for some reason made it more intimidating to Judy.

If the place was a dump or some den of scum and villainy, she could pass through with not issue. But thinking things like that made her feel guilty which then amplified the intimidation of this nice woodland neighborhood.

Worst of all, it was breaking her heart. Seeing such a nice place like this, it was hard for her to understand how he could have fallen so low from such a nice place growing up.

"Oh Nick" she whispered barely registering she even said anything before taking a deep breath and stepping down the street.

They had been partners for going on three years now, counting the nighthowler case. It wasn't long after they were partnered professionally that it became personal as well. Looking back on it, she's surprised that they only just moved in together not quite a year ago. Seems like something they should have done ages ago.

But in all that time, in all the talking over dinner, during a bad movie while cuddling at home, late at night in bed as they drift off to sleep, he has never talked about his family. The only story she ever got out of him was the one of him wanting to be a Junior Ranger Scout. Any time she tried bring anything about his family he slipped his way out of it, like he was a sly fox or something.

Two months ago Judy got the final straw that broke the proverbial bunny's back. She was in the hospital filling out a form of Nick's information. It was such a stupid accident. Judy had never gone sledding and at the end of their beat in Tundra Town that day he convinced to try it out.

It would have been fun, but too many kids built snow ramps randomly on the hill. Nick hit one and took to the air, and smacked his head on some ice when he landed. He ended up with a simple concussion but he was out long enough for Judy to fill out most of his personal information in the ER.

But she stared at the next few boxes asking for the names of his family members. When she was in the hospital after the nighthowler incident, her folks kept threatening to come up there. She was just in the hospital for two days, tending to the wound on her leg. Hearing from her folks and seeing them from the phone chat over those two days gave her a great comfort. Something she wished Nick had.

After that she vowed to find out about his family. While she could just punch up any information she wanted through her access at the ZPD, that'd be too quick and easy. She didn't just want to see a file sheet on Nick and his family. In the end she bribed Clawhauser to look up Nick's registration form. One is supposed to put all names of their immediate family members for background checks. Judy only put parents and her eight closest siblings. Doing a full background check on a rabbit family must be a logistical nightmare.

All he had down was one name and no address. She had to do her own digging to find anything else.

And so there she was, standing in front of 867 Ave, home of Mrs Marie-Ann Wilde.

Putting her phone back into her pocket, she adjusted her belt and badge. Even though she wasn't on duty, and it was technically against policy to be in uniform and not on the clock, she figured she'd get less looks walking through a neighborhood of foxes.

The screen door opened with a screech that reminded her of the barn door back on the farm. She knocked three times on the door. Not cop knocks, but softer more pleasant knocks.

Behind the door she could hear voices and movement. The lock clicked and the door opened a crack, the chain still lached.

"What do you want?" The vixen had the same red coat Nick had, but she definitely didn't look old enough to be his mother.

"Is Mrs Marie-Ann Wilde in?"

The door shut slightly as the fox turned around, "Ma', it's for you!"

"Who is it?"

"A cop."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

The door nearly shut but she heard the chain unlatch. When the door opened again a matronly old fox stood at the door. Her red coat going grey on the edges and more than a few wrinkles around her muzzle, which seemed to be permanently stuck in a casual smile .

"Oh a rabbit. Don't see to many of your kind around here," Judy was about to respond to that but was interrupted, "But never mind me. What is it that you want?"

"Are you the mother of Nicholas Wilde?"

Her smile disappeared, "Whatever he's done and gotten himself into this time, it's his business."

"No, ma'am. It's not that. It's…"

The old fox gasped, her blue eyes sunk down, "I feared this day would come. I… I don't want to know what happened."

It took Judy a moment to connect the dots, "Oh sweet cheese and cracker! No, nothing like that either."

"Well, if my brother ain't dead, or in jail, why are you here?" The younger vixen said from in the house bouncing a little fox in her arms.

"Well," she took a deep breath and thought to herself Just make it short and quick, like taking off a band-aid, "I work with Nick at the ZPD, he never talks about his family, and I finally had enough of his silence and had to find you myself."

"So you're saying Nick works for the cops?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What, like a snitch?" The younger one asked.

"No. He's an officer like myself. Like I said, my partner."

The two foxes stared at her for several blinks and then bust into laughter.

"Look, little bunny, I don't know who set up this little prank but I think it's run its course. Just hop along home now."

"No, I have proof!" she pulled out her phone and flipped through her photos.

"Here he is graduating from Police Academy. And.." swipe, swipe, "Here he is on our first day together pulling over a speeder."

"Is that a sloth in the car?" The younger fox leaned in.

"And here, I even have this…" she hit the screen to play a video she saved.

The screen showed Nick writing out a report after a long day of walking their beat. He looked at the page like it was written in alien language that kept changing shapes..

"Hey, Nick!" Judy's sing song voice came from off screen, "Look what I got!"

A jelly filled doughnut waved briefly across the screen. Nick looked up and sniffed.

"Blueberry?" His eyes lit up.

"Yup!"

He went to reach for it but Judy jumped back, "Buuut!"

"Carrots, you know I hate buts…." and he muttered something the camera didn't pick up.

She giggled, "And don't I know it. But you have to finish that report within the hour or I'm giving it to Clawhauser."

"What?! That's only…" he looked at the clock on the wall, "Fifteen minutes."

"Tick, tock Office Wilde."

He began to scribble furiously over the page, "Mark my words, Carrots. If I don't get the doughnut, I WILL get my revenge."

Judy laughed and the video cut off. In the end, he was five minutes late but she still let him have the doughnut.

"I… I just…", Marie-Ann looked like she saw a fish jump out of the ocean and knit a sweater, she slowly made her way to an old, worn, but very comfortable looking chair and sat down.

"Come, come. Sit." she waved Judy into the house.

It didn't look like a house anyone would run away from. Even though it was the first time she had ever been in the house, she felt very much at home. Maybe it was that she's gotten used to the scent of a fox at home.

"What was your name dear?"

"Hopps. Judy Hopps," she held out her paw, "I have to say, I'm happy to finally meet you, ma'am."

The old fox shook the rabbit's paw, "Marie-Ann. And that's Natalie, with little Marian."

She hopped over to Natalie, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, sure." She turned to her mother, "I'm going to put the baby down upstairs. If she starts asking for money, just bite her."

Judy stood flabbergasted at the fox's rudeness, her mouth open trying to say something back but a red fluffy tail thwacked her in the face. She heard Natalie mutter, "Dumb bunny" as the vixen headed upstairs.

"Don't mind her, she doesn't really like anyone. Well Miss Hopps, I must say it's quite shock."

"What is?"

"All of it my dear. But are you just some nosey little nelly? Why look up his past if he doesn't want you to."

Rubbing the back of her paw, she blushed a little, "Because as partners we work the best when we know everything we can. Especially about each other."

"Alright Miss Hopps, I'll let you know about my boy but you got to tell me how he changed. Some one thwack in the head too hard and get his wires fried?"

Judy's laugh was a tad bit more forced than she intended, "Ah no, not exactly. Do you remember the nighthowler incident a few years back? Predators getting drugged into a state of pure animal rage?"

"Darling, I haven't watched the news in fifteen years. I was always afraid I'd see his face pop up one night."

"Well" she chuckled, "It did, but because helped catch the person behind all the attacks."

"Why don't you start out at the beginning, darling. How'd you meet Nick?"

"It was my first day on the job, and they had me writing parking tickets in Savannah Square….."

The afternoon quickly faded to faded to evening as Judy told the adventure of her and Nick's first case together, even if he wasn't a cop. She tried to gloss over the part with Mr. Big but she apparently knew Nick had some dealings with him, and it was obvious that was something she didn't like.

The phone in her pocket vibrated, she looked down at it. There were a series of texts from Nick, the first was a carrot emoji with a question mark.

"It's getting kind of late."

"Oh goodness! So it is." They both got up, Judy was fast enough to attempt to help Marie-Ann who just shooed her attempt away.

"It was nice of you to come by. And honestly, it was good to hear about my son in positive light again. I never thought that'd happen."

"Well I got more where that came from, ma'am."

With a soft laugh she waved at Judy again, "Enough with the ma'am. By all accounts you're the reason my boy isn't grifting. Just call me Marie-Ann."

She blushed in embarrassment, "Okay"

"And give a call before you come over next time."

Judy's head snapped back up at Marie-Ann, "Next time?"

"Of course, dearie. You got to tell me how you met my boy. I never got to tell you about him. So just give me a ring before you come over, I'll make you something to eat. Or at least get you something you can eat. Don't think you rabbit folk are big on bug burgers."

"No Ma'... Marie-Ann. Thank you."

The urge to jump up and wrap her arms around the old fox was almost unbearable. They said their goodbyes and Marie-Ann shut the door. With her back to the door Judy let out a very contented sigh. It was such a relief to her that not only did she find his mother but also seemed to really connect with her.

Her smiling stupor was broken by the sound of a loud crunching. She turned and sat Natalie also standing on the porch, her hand in a bag of crispy crickets.

"A cop huh?" she tossed a few more of the barbecue flavored bugs into her mouth and munched them, "Think you could make a couple tickets of mine go away?"

"Judy!" Marie-Ann called from behind the door, "If she's bothering you, just go ahead and bite her. At the very least she'd be deserving of it."

Natalie just rolled her eyes.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Natalie."

Nick's little sister leaned towards her and sniffed, "You smell like him."

Her blood went cold. This was not the way she wanted them to find out. She wanted Nick at her side and preferably him doing the telling.

"Well… uh… we are partners. So we spend a lot of time with each other. I'm sure he probably smells like me too."

"Yeah, sure." Natalie just stared her down. Where Nick's half lidded stare could be described as aloof, sarcastic, or even charmingly handsome, Natalie's was sardonic bordering on cold calculated murder. Like she was looking past Judy to where she was going bury what was left of the body.

"It's getting late and I got to get to train station."

"You walked here?"

"Yeah, is something the matter?"

Natalie just rolled her eyes again and shook her head, "Come with me, I'll give you a ride."

She turned to the house and yelled "Ma' I'll be right back!"

"Keep your voice down! You'll wake…"

There was the cry of a young fox from further inside the house.

"...Dagnabit. Just you hurry up!"

Natalie walked to the far side of the porch and lept over the railing. Judy heard keys jingling and door slam. It took a couple of tries but eventually the engine turned over with a sputtering cough. A small, beat up, two-seater back out of the side drive. Natalie had the windows rolled down.

"Door's busted, hop through the window Fluff."

She walked in front of the car, noticing the only two lights not broken were the drive side headlight and the passenger fog light. She hopped in and looked for the seat belt.

"Where's…"

"Broken. Just hold on."