Author's Note: I do hope you enjoy this story, as this is the first real attempt at writing a fanfiction I've made. ANY kind of criticism is accepted, from constructive to plain detest. I will try to answer them as well as possible. Thank you for reading!

It wasn't unusual to see a certain hustle about the city of Zootopia in the midmorning. To most, it remained tranquil enough that the sun was just peaking over the shortest buildings, and the smell of fresh rain hung heavy on the rafters, as well as the leaves of the sparse trees.

There was just a trivial amount of sound reverberating through the streets, which produced a calming white noise for most, and the transformers whirred and clicked as streetlights changed their primary colors.

The cities' earliest had already been claimed by their various work positions. Some began their professions later in the day, others were graced with a day off, and others still, of the most pessimistic behavior, didn't have a steady job, or rather, couldn't carry the weight of one on their shoulders for more than a month.

Often times, that cluster would turn to the illegal, taking a much higher risk for a potentially great reward. The majority were slovenly in even that, and ended up failing, but the rare few slipped past the clutches of the law, and acquired their payment without as much as a thought of their heinous act.

Nicholas Piberous Wilde was one of those wretched, 'civilized pedestrians.' He had a sleazy persona about him, and his very viscus was tainted with the horrific imageries of his preceding. From a youth, he had been diverse minded, exploiting the public school system to get his straight A's, which even his own household (as broken as it was) couldn't admit he deserved.

In the present day, it would be a falsity to say anything about his labour has reformed, for positive change is what makes a gentleman. Needless to be said, Nick was far from an ample gentleman.

His reckless and self-destructive behavior had earned him a distinct spot in an apartment complex towards the outer ring of the metropolis, along the right side of Cypress Grove Lane (with respect to the city hall). It wasn't a pleasant neighborhood, as matter of fact, the just would call it a villainous cesspool. Nick on the contrary called it a household; Or if you will, a home away from home.

Most of his daylight was spent on the streets, which was his real residence. As a matter of fact, that's where he was currently, brainstorming in the morning light, and plotting a new and subpar scheme of which he could make a profit.

Nick saw the city in a different, cynical way. Rather than appreciating the beauty of the early sunlight, he became frustrated by its unrelenting glare. Instead of smelling the fresh rain, he found the humidity in the city to be so congesting that one might have to wear an oxygen mask just to preform one of life's basic functions.

The sound for him was by far the most detestable piece of the puzzle. Echoes of loud car horns, and the obnoxious buzz from the transformers on the telephone poles just completed the dismal scene. Yes, for him, the city was a dull and grey. Nothing changed, and that was for the better. It made people easier to manipulate, and as a result, his work was stable.

Of course, there were smiles to be had, but they were at best, quite rare. The fox often found joy in taking care of his adopted son, Finnick, who was the meager age of three. By this time, the child could adequately walk. However he was a mite lazy, and preferred to be rolled around in his stroller.

Nick didn't mind anyway, as having a pushchair made him less of an obvious target to the Zootopia Police Department. In addition, Finnick was very beneficial for some of the frauds he thought up.

Not that anything the fox was doing was directly illegal, but given enough time, a well-trained Police officer could unravel the loopholes Nick tied, and best him at his own game. He also had a difficult time keeping a clear cognisant as well, for some reason. So, if Officers were looking his direction, he would often arch his shoulders, hunch his back, and increase his pace. This wasn't premeditated of course.

At the moment, though, there wasn't a, 'cop,' in sight. So, the fox continued to walk in his usual swayed fashion, pushing Finnick's stroller alongside him. Today, he was sporting a well cut, blue button up shirt, which was tucked neatly into his crème coloured corduroy khakis, and bound by a belt of a slightly darker pigment. Perhaps, if he didn't devote so much of his unbalanced budget to making himself look nice, then he could afford to live in a more suitable area of town. In his own defense, though, he was an artist (of sorts). Looking flashy and fashionable was in his job description.

There was still a long stretch of sidewalk to his destination, but he was getting there. Just past a long line of parking meters, a dessert shop resided under the alias,'Jumbeaux's Café.' He didn't have the greatest indication of what he was attempting to accomplish, other than to purchase a Popsicle of unusually large proportions. The idea sounded modest, but given his overall size, and the stereotypical wellbeing of foxes, it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

In practise, it was likely going to be much more difficult than in theory. He mulled over the possibilities of what could go wrong in his mind. Nonetheless, bills needed to be paid. His brainstorming session last evening came up vacant, and this scheme is what would reimburse his rent for another month, assuming it was successful.

Nick's feet began to move autonomously as he thought more and more about possible outcomes for the scam. Yet he was quickly stirred from his considerations by a loud horn blaring in his right ear. Apparently, he hadn't noticed the sidewalk melded into a road, which he was standing in the middle of.

The result was an outraged truck driver who nearly put his foot through the floor where the brake pedal used to be.

A gruff and angry voice echoed from one side of the vehicle, "Hey! Watch where you're going, fox!"

Nick sighed exasperatedly, and glanced down at the stroller with rounded eyes, making sure Finnick was sound, "Are you okay bud?"

Finnick did nothing but let his bottom lip tremble. The driver, though, was more than ready to get moving, and beeped his horn once more, sending the child into a fit. Nick briskly walked back onto the sidewalk, glaring angrily in the drivers' direction. At this point, though, it was too late to quiet the crying.

Even after a long steady walk towards their location, there were still tears in the little one's eyes. Once Nick reached the dessert shop, he paused, turned the stroller around, and lifted the front cover enough to see the clearly distraught infant.

"Shhh-shhh," he muttered, growing irritated from the noise the little fox was making, "Shh, okay! Okay! That's enough! That's enough!"

The crying continued persistently.

"Come on, I have work to do, and I can't do it with you acting like this. For daddy's sake dry the tears, please?"

Reason was out of the question. At Finnick's age, bargaining seemed to be the easiest and quickest way for a reprehensible parent to get their desired response.

"How about… We go into this little shop, and get you a big Popsicle? Huh? Would that stop your whining, little buddy?"

The crying stopped, almost magically.

Nick let out another exhale. For him, it was common to see days go this badly. It may possibly be worth it, however, if he could pull this next trick off. He wandered casually into the café, pulling the stroller along with him, and flashing the cheesiest of smiles for everyone to see.

The front stand was about a foot taller than he was which served as a warning to any of those lesser in height. Nick chose to ignore the obvious, and the rather odd looks some of the guests were giving him. He waited patiently for his turn to order, and then proceeded, with a trifling amount of caution, towards the counter.

"Hello there!" After considering his options, Wilde decided to use the, 'desperate father,' rouse. Perhaps this large elephant had a heart of gold, which could be melted.

"I was wondering," He continued, lifting the stroller hood up to reveal the little child, eyes not completely void of tears yet from the ordeal outside, "Could I get one... uh… Jumbo pop, for me and my… lovely little son here? I have the money to pay for it."

Unfortunately, no such luck. The large Mammal was apparently not in the mood to serve small predators, but his mannerism made it apparent he was ready at any time to argue.

He stooped over the counter, staring down at Nick with an expression as rigid as his sentiment, "Beat it, fox! Don't you know this café is for animals of a larger size than you? Hate to break it to you, but you're not one of 'em."

Nick narrowed his eyes very lightly. To most, they couldn't be considered tapered, but if a well-trained individual were to look hard enough, it was obvious he was attempting to conceal his resentment. He left the grin plastered to his face, as at this point removing it would cause quite the misfortune for his facet image.

Like a puppeteer, he pushed the corners of his mouth a little higher, and with a breathy voice, continued to speak meekly, "But, sir, you see… My son here loves elephants. He wants to be just like one when he gets older, right buddy?"

At this, Finnick looked quite confused. He didn't want to be an elephant; rather an, 'alternative businessman,' just like his dad.

He opened his mouth to speak his impotent mind, but was abruptly silenced with his father's hand; the mannerism, of such, appearing gentle, but startled Finnick enough to warrant small yelp.

Nick glanced back up, pulling his hand away quickly, and giving Finnick a fatherly pat on his head, "Heh-heh, see? He's trying to make a little elephant noises, aren't you, little guy?

"Anyway," he gave a small warning glance at Finnick to keep quiet, "Could you please find it in your heart to let me purchase just one Jumbo pop? As I said, I can pay for it."

Once again, Nick was turned down. This time, the elephant didn't even say as much as a word. He just waved a large, 'hand,' in the general direction of the fox, and turned to walk away. At this point, Nick's ostentatious appearance began to falter.

Perhaps this scheme was a bit over his head. After all, it was risky in the first place even entering, but to get the largest item on the menu? Trivial, almost silly now that he thought about it. At that moment, though, a bell rang, not within Nick's conscious, rather on the entrance door leading into the café.

It seemed within the bleakest hour of Nick's social engineering came a fool with a bleeding heart, ready to save him from the predicament he had placed himself in. In this case, he turned his head to watch none other than the Chief of Police, Judy Hopps, walking through the door.

She was apparently off duty, clad in a long mustard trench coat. However, her peppy spirit remained about her as she paced into the room, passing the various visitors to get to the front counter. There was a certain aura of anger around her as well, almost as if she understood the commotion Nick had created, and was very much ready to solve it.

She cleared her throat, before starting into the conversation, "Excuse me? What is the problem here?"

Nick stepped back, and decided to watch the quarrel happen. And indeed, a quarrel did happen. It was apparent the elephant had confrontations with Police before, as he seemed to brush a majority of Judy's arguments off. Fortunately, the adept detective was observant enough to notice several health code violations around the building, which brought the dispute to a close, in high favor of Judy.

There was a certain satisfaction Nick felt in knowing he had caused a problem, and yet somehow receiving a reward for doing so. In this case, the large Popsicle was his ill-gotten prize.

"So, to finalize," Judy glanced up, speaking in an assertive, but gentle tone, "You have no religious or cultural constraints to keep from serving him, and he most certainly has the money to pay for it. I think you should go ahead and give this kind person what he asked for, or… I might have to go down to the station, and file a health code report."

It was over. The large elephant had lost his case against a small rabbit. Judy glanced over at Nick, expecting him now to pay for the item in question. He reached into his back pocket, making for his wallet, but paused, sighing loudly, "Oh dear… no wallet… I must've left it at home. I'm so sorry, son, I thought I brought it with me. Oh, and you, miss!"

He turned to face Judy, his tone of voice adapting a most dreadfully gloomy sound, "My sincerest apologies… After all you've done for me, and I can't even afford it. Well, thank you so much for trying, anyway."

Nick was taking a large risk. After all, he did have the money to pay. Judy could easily walk away, and at that point, it wasn't likely he was going to receive anything from the bistro. He had a nagging suspicion though, that the Officer aiding him, after going so far, wouldn't turn back now.

As he turned to leave, Judy watched, compassion overwhelming all sense of logical thought. Even the child seemed to have tears in his eyes from not being able to enjoy such a delicious treat, "But, sir, you can't-" She stopped herself, turning back to the counter and placing the proper amount of money upon it.

Speaking a bit louder, Judy glanced over her shoulder, So Nick was sure to hear it, "Sir, come back! I'll pay for it; you don't need to go all the way home, alright?"

Nick rotated again, percolating so deeply into his self-perceived brilliance that his smile grew larger, adapting more sly edge, "You would do that for me? Oh, thank you so much. You have no idea how much you are helping right now. I don't know if I could get this little guy home without the tears starting to fall!"

"Mmhm," She mumbled, setting the large Jumbo pop underneath the stroller, "I'll set this here so that you can move it easily. Do you need anything else?"

"No, honestly, you've done more than enough." He masked a smirk as a giddy laugh, before glancing down at the stroller, "can you say thank you to the nice lady? Say, 'thank you, Police-woman!'"

Finnick gave no reply. He simply stared, waiting patiently for the Popsicle he wouldn't actually end up receiving.

"He's not much of a talker, Officer," Nick chuckled, almost genuinely.

Judy gave a warm smile at Finnick, before glancing back, "Call me Judy, Sir, and if you ever need anything else, I'll do my best to help. It's my job, after all."

The fox had no intentions of ever needing her again. Or any other member of the Police Department, for that matter, "You can call me Nick, then, and I will ask if I need you.

"I should be going now, though, as I kind of need to catch up on some… errands. Once again, thank you for all your help, Officer Judy."

"Just call me Judy," she nodded, "And you are more than welcome. Enjoy those errands, Mr. Nick."

The two parted ways with a wave of the hand, before returning to their previous affairs. Judy was happy to have helped someone (In a way), while Nick, the immoral type, was just happy to be out of that predicament. At last, he could begin networking his plan together into a web of success. The most demanding part was finished, and from here it seemed like calm waters.

And so it was. Other than Nick having to share a small portion of the Popsicle with his toddler to discontinue the whining, things went by quite smoothly. He began his moneymaking excursion by melting the large Popsicle atop a roof, before collecting the melted solution in equally sized jars.

From there, He traveled with them on the rack below the stroller, to the frozen side of the city, which hadn't quite felt the sun's warm embrace yet. He started into making imprints in the snow with his paws, (a health code violation of its own) and filing each one to the brim with the liquid he had collected a quarter of an hour before.

It took quite a bit of time for that liquid to fully re-solidify. Time spent by Nick patiently waiting, and entertaining his life's guest, who so eloquently fit into a stroller. Although Nick was the observant type, he would often lose himself to his thoughts, his work, and his play without as much as a glance at reality until he was finished with them. In this case, he was spending time with his adoption, chatting the minutes away to a figure who understood very little of his troubles, yet still felt inclined to listen.

Perhaps this was why Wilde cared so much for the child. Simply because he would pay attention to him drawling on and on about his undertakings, and provided there was the occasional joke or exciting story, Finnick was happy, almost elated, to partake in the one sided conversation.

Both of them, though, were so preoccupied by the banter, they weren't aware of their surroundings (Finnick never was anyway). Had they been looking, they could've seen a small, yet critically important, rabbit poised around the corner of a dry-cleaning building, watching their every move.

Now Law Enforcement Officers didn't get many days off in the city of Zootopia, especially the Chief of Police. It wasn't uncommon for Judy to work fourteen hour days, which wore both her physical and mental processing raw.

However, even on those few days where rest was graciously given, her keen observational training prohibited her from truly enjoying her time. Being part of the department changed her from a relaxed and excited woman of opportunity, to a hardened, intellectual woman of heroism. She couldn't turn the skills she had learned off, and that served as both a blessing and a curse.

In this case, it was a mix of both. Her curiosity, and Nick's sordid luck, had led her to pursue him from afar, whether intentionally or not she couldn't say. It was more of a casual meander on her part, which, after catching sight of the fox's behavior, changed into a saunter of purpose. She didn't quite have a clue what Nick was doing, but an instinct within told her it wasn't kosher, and it wasn't virtuous.

At this pace, Nick would soon find himself in terribly serious trouble, not just from an Officer, but from an Officer who had seen it all, and despised those who attempted to bend the law to their will. To Judy, loopholes were just as disgusting as homicides, and she was ready at a moment's notice to close them, and rightly punish the individual who employed them.

It didn't help Nick either, that Judy was having quite the poor day off. Despite her life's outlook being mostly optimistic, there were days in which, 'down in the dumps,' was an apropos expression of her mood. Within those times, she could put on a smile to those pleasant in attitude, but any who openly broke the law deserved every portion of her wrath.

The unwise criminals found difficulty in taking her seriously. Anyone who met the short end of her firearm, Taser, or temperament did quickly change their expectations, in spite of it being a bit too late.

Nick, of course, wasn't aware of any of this. He was just going about his crooked day, making money off of others' stupidity, and entertaining a child who hadn't the slightest clue what soiled acts his father preformed daily. By this time, the Popsicles were done solidifying into their new forms. Nick gathered them up by the sticks he inserted into them prior to setting, and placed them underneath the carriage.

As he started on his way back towards the heart of the city, Judy continued her pursuit at a distance. She was a tad curious as to what the fox was doing, and how he was going to go about doing it. The concept was easy enough for her to grasp, he was going to sell them. But just how, and why, would anyone purchase a thing as pointless as this if they could get it much cheaper most other shops or stands?

The fox, though, had a memorizing appeal about him that most couldn't understand. It wasn't that of handsomeness per say, although most would agree he was quite charming. Rather, it was his constant, yet dishonest, boldness that created the illusion he was comfortable to be around.

Since childhood, it had been this way for him. Even if one disliked his attitude or craftiness, there was no denying he could look designer in anything, anywhere, at any time. His naturally snappy hand gestures and witty humour made him the perfect salesman, and he could quickly learn about a person just by engaging them in conversation.

Such abilities allowed him to change his selling strategy for each individual he met, and as a result, he made the textbook candidate for retailing to the masses.

It wasn't long before Judy discovered those facts anyway. Nick disappeared from her view and slipped into a small alleyway for a short time, before returning with a cardboard box placed over Finnick's carriage, and a peppy grin. The box was covered with holes clearly poked through by Wilde's claws, and had a, 'Paw-psicle,' protruding from each.

At least, that was the assumed name of the product, which Nick had written sloppily on the side of the cardboard box. Underneath it was the closed lid of the stroller, where Finnick sat inside, a bit confused as to why it had gotten so dark. The box wasn't particularly harmful to the child, but it was terribly irresponsible, and in a way symbolic of Nick's parenting, 'style.'

Of course, most of his customers hadn't the slightest clue that his push-vehicle was even a buggy. It simply appeared to be a stylistically junky approach to serving modern convenience treats, and in a way, it was.

Judy watched, in a hint of dismay, as the popsicles flew off the cart and into the hands of stupidly greedy customers, gleefully ready to pay the amount it normally would cost to buy a whole carton of sweets from a shop. He had picked a good warm day to sell them, and a mass of hungry animals quickly surrounded the cart. At this point, regardless of being off duty, Hopps was more than ready to jump in and foil the already successful business.

Stepping around from the block corner, she made her way towards Nick's makeshift cart, and placed herself in line as everyone else did. That angry aura returned to her once more, only this time it was directed at the slovenly fox instead.

Wilde was counting money underneath the cart, so once she finally arrived at the front of the line, he wasn't paying a great deal of attention. That is, he wasn't until she spoke up, sounding exceedingly disappointed, and above all else, livid.

"Mr. Nick… What is your problem?"

Nick's joyful smile quickly faltered. He recognized the Chief of Police's tone, not just because of earlier. Judy was on the news quite often, and her distinctly soft yet emphatic voice was quite well known, especially to Nick's specific breed of entrepreneurs. Still though, he kept his composure, as he had learned to do in tight situations such as this.

The best part about abusing the legal system is that Judy really couldn't pin him for marketing food to the public if he had a sales certificate, which he did. On top of that, there wasn't the slightest bit of evidence, save for unreliable eye witness accounts, that could get him arrested for the methods used to make such Popsicles.

With those thoughts, he felt a bit more at ease to toy with such an important figure of authority, and to begin he glanced up, beaming ironically.

"Oh, I'm sorry Officer Hopps, we don't serve rabbits here."

The Officer in question was the type to very quickly anger, and by now the crowd had thinned out a considerable amount. One by one, people realized the rabbit was the Chief of Police, and recognized the large dispute that was about to happen. Nobody had the desire to get involved, except for the fox that, once again, caused the problem and Hopps that, once again, was ready to solve it.

It was more personal this time, though. She felt betrayed, which even being in law enforcement for a long time, was a rare feeling.

After fuming for a moment over Nick's reply, she formulated the publicly proper words to say, "Mr. Nick, you are illegally selling consumer items to the public. I regret to inform you that you're under arrest."

The venom in her voice dripped off the end of each of her words; capitalizing on those she meant the most. Her ears flattened, in accompaniment of her narrowed eyebrows. Still though, Nick kept his serenity, and calmly lifted a small piece of paper out of his pocket. He proceeded to unfold it a few times, revealing the Certificate of Sales, "Please, just call me Nick, and look, Officer, a sales certificate!"

By this time, all of the people around the cart had left, leaving just the two bickering adults, neither of them behaving in a completely mature manner. He spoke up again, "In case you didn't know, this allows me to sell any food items I want. You can't pin me, meter maid, I've done this a thousand times before."

Judy quickly spat her retaliation with equal toxicity, the insults apparently not phasing her, "Well, How about your repulsive methods of acquiring those so called, 'food items?' I saw you melt the thing in a grimy storm pipe!" Several people who had purchased a Popsicle wretched on their way out of the area.

"I'm going to have that license taken away from you." She stated simply, and produced a smug look.

"You are going to take my license away on the grounds of one eyewitness account? I don't think that's something you can get away with, cop, now don't you agree?" Nick raised the box up off the carriage and set it back in the alleyway casually, before grabbing the handlebars, flipping the top up to give Finnick some fresh air, and walking away.

Judy tailed him quickly, ears pressing against her forehead in a bitter manner. As aggravating as it was to admit it, Nick was right. Being off duty, she hadn't been carrying a camera, or any other way of producing viable evidence.

"Now just wait a minute, slick Nick, you used me!"

"Oh I did, yes. Like a garbage bag." Was his ill-considered response.

"I was trying to be generous and you took that for granted!"

"Mmhm, people do that in this city. You should know, being a super important Police Officer and all." Once again, he showed little attention in his answer.

"You have a son, and you're letting him see all this? He only has one chance to live life, and you're screwing him up already." She tried, growing further upset by his attitude.

"Your right, I shouldn't be letting him see all this," Nick sighed mechanically, before closing the lid on the stroller and grinning, "There. Now he can't see a thing."

"Oh, you know what I mean," She hissed through gritted teeth, "It's no wonder with that attitude you haven't gotten anywhere in life, but why bother having a kid if you're just going to mess him up?"

"I've gotten far in life, and I'm not going to mess him up." He waved an arm methodically.

"Yes you are!" Judy let out an irritated giggle, "If you have no trouble lying outright to an Officer of the law then you-"

"Shh," Nick placed his pointer finger over her mouth to silence her, "There's nothing left to say. I know you're the Chief of Police. I know you have to try and look impressive and important. I even know you have to maintain a certain public image, but you need to stop talking and keep your ideas to yourself. I'm a great father, and a great businessman. I do what I can to survive with the natural talents I have. Besides, it looks like I'm pretty good at fooling fools, right Chief?"

Glancing back forward in a nonchalant manner, Nick continued his swayed walk, "I haven't done anything wrong, remember? If you leave, then we can both dawdle about our days pretending this never happened. Won't that be great?"

"Yeah, you would like that. That's not going happen though, Nick." Judy replied.

Nick continued staring forward, avoiding eye contact, "Well then at least let it rest a day. I've got to get this little guy home safe and sound. If you need to kill some time, there's a good bush over there you can hide an egg in."

With a sigh, Judy slowed down a bit, and watched the fox turn the block corner. There was no use arguing with a brick wall, especially a clever one. Not many people could outsmart a member of law enforcement, especially with the long training process of handling criminals. It seemed, in a way, Wilde hadn't done anything wrong, and legally, he hadn't.

At least, nothing she could directly charge him for. In a rare change of circumstance, a suspect had completely evaded any and all custodies. There was a reason that wasn't common. Her branch was good at what they did, and she was the best.

She turned the corner quickly, and watched the fox leave, "You've bothered with the wrong department, Nick! You will get charged for all of your scams, you hear me!"

Nick replied, not with words, but with a light chuckle and an extended middle finger, kept just out of sight of his infant.

Judy rolled her eyes, and huffed angrily, before disregarding the scene. At that moment though, a thought came to her mind. It was a just thought, with a slightly sinister purpose. It could both save a child's future, as well as ruin many of Nick's schemes. She mulled it over in her mind for a moment, the positive smile returning to her face, before racing down the street to the nearest payphone, and inserting a quarter.

"Y-Yes, hello?" She had never been much of a phone conversationalist, "This is Judy Hopps, Chief of Police. I am currently off duty, but can you transfer my call to child services please? I'd like to file a report."