I can't wait to get started on this fic! I absolutely loved Zootopia, and there are just so many potential directions that a story could go using its ingenious plot. In this story, I'm going to explore the relationship of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps as new and respected members of the Z.P.D. If you're into that kinda thing, Please let me know what you think in the reviews, leave suggestions, and enjoy the chapter.

P.S.- Just to avoid any confusion, this chapter focuses on the press conference seen in the movie as well as Nick and Judy's reaction to the events that happen there.

Once again, Thanks and enjoy the chapter.

Inside the Z.P.D. Headquarters Briefing Room

Judy was awfully jumpy prior to the press conference. Her eyes darted franticly from here to there, and her composition was of an unusual nature. Simply watching just how anxious she was made the fox uncomfortable. "Ugh, I am so nervous," She exclaimed to no one in particular.

Nick smiled, cooly turning to face her. "Okay. Press conference 101." he said with a reassuring grin. "You wanna look smart? answer their question with your own question, and then answer that question."

"like this." He said while reciting his best reporter voice. "Excuse me officer Hopps? what can you tell us about the case? Well, was this a tough case? Yes, yes it was."

"you see?"

Judy smiled."you should be up there with me. We did this together."

the vulpine shrugged. "Well am I a cop? No. No I am not."

She glanced at him with a nervous laugh. "Hmm, funny you should say that, because, Well I've been thinking..." She said while retrieving a yellow slip from her pant pocket, "It would be nice, to have a partner..."

Nick stood slightly dumbfounded before accepting the paper with a certain hesitancy. As his green eyes moved along the first line of print, He realized just what had been asked of him.

Judy grinned. It was obvious that he had never dreamed of receiving something like this. "Here."

The startled vulpine looked up. "In case you need something to write with." In her hand, she offered the special recording carrot pen.

Nick was deeply moved by how compassionate the bunny was being to him. In fact, it now made him feel guilty recognizing how he'd treated her just a few days prior. He gently reached out his paw and took the pen from her. Judy understood how deeply sentimental this was for the fox, and smiled affectionately knowing that he could finally move on from his rather dark past.

"Officer Hopps," Bellwether whispered. "it's time."

The bunny quickly flashed a nervous grin to Nick while crossing both fingers, before running to the podium where Chief Bogo was just finishing up. "So now, I'll turn over things to the officer who cracked the case. Officer Judy Hopps." He stepped down, allowing her to take the podium.

Immediately, she was met with a flurry of questions from each anxious reporter.

Judy nervously surveyed the room before calling on a short short brown beaver near the center of the crowd. "Umm... Yes?"

"What can you tell us about the animals that went savage?"

Judy quickly tried to remember what Nick had told her about asking a question for a question... then answering it? She didn't know.

"Well, th- the a-animals in question... um." Her eyes searched rigorously for the fox, hoping that he could help answer in some way. When she found the vulpine, he gave an encouraging hand wave, signaling for her to keep on talking.

Judy nodded gently and looked back to the crowd.

"Are they all different species? Yes, yes they are."

The journalists proceeded to write down every word after finally getting a quality answer, prompting Nick to smile and give an optimistic thumbs up.

"Okay," another journalist inquired, "so what is the connection?"

"Well, all we know is that they are all members of the predator family." Judy replied plainly.

"So, predators are the only ones going savage?"

She nodded. "That is ac-Yes that is accurate, yes."

"Wow." A pig reporter insisted, "Why is this happening?"

"We still don't know." Judy responded wistfully; leading to some noticeable confusion within the crowd. Looks like She'd have to come up with another answer.

"Uh... It may have something to do with biology."

Nick looked up from his paper when he heard that word. "Biology?" the fox thought with a perplexed expression. "Did she really just say Biology?"

"What do you mean by that?" Another journalist asked.

"A biological component," Judy explained. "You know. Something in their... DNA."

"In their DNA? A gazelle inquired anxiously, "can you elaborate on that please?"

"Yes." She responded hastily. "What I mean is, thousands of years ago, uh... predators survived through their a-aggressive hunting instincts."

Nick folded the slip up with bitterness and shoved it into his pocket before strutting to the podium. He was clearly distressed about some of the things that Judy was saying about predators, and began to feel something inside of him that he hadn't felt for a very, very long time.

"For whatever reason..." the rabbit continued. "they seem to be reverting back to their primitive, savage ways."

The wheels began turning in Nick's head, as his mind raced to the most irrational conclusions."Does she really think of me as primitive and savage?" Nick could feel himself breathing more heavily now. "But Judy is my friend... Why is she saying these things about my kind?" He couldn't even tell if he was on the verge of tears, or rage. Horrifying images of these 'predators gone savage' moved across the numerous monitor screens in the room. They lacked conscience, intellect, and control. Their eyes were black. The fox felt both hurt and contempt towards the rabbit, and it seemed as though the world was falling away. He could see himself again as the sad, broken little child on that dread night that he was muzzled and beaten, simply because he was a predator. Just a shifty, no good fox.

"Can it happen again?" Another reporter asked with concern.

"It is possible." Judy replied solemnly. "So we must be vigilant. And we at the ZPD are prepared and are here to protect you."

Once again, confusion gripped the crowd as a flood of questions and statements erupted from nearly everyone in the room. "Will more mammals go savage?!" "Have you considered a mandatory quarantine on predators?!"

seeing how uptight the atmosphere had become, Assistant Mayor Bellwether rushed to the podium and dismissed Judy, immediately ending the tension in the room before it could increase. "Okay, thank you officer Hopps. Uh, that's all the time that we have. No more questions."

The fox watched with with furious eyes as the rabbit stepped off the stage. He was absolutely hurting inside, almost as if his heart had been ripped in half. But by god, there was no way in hell he would let Judy see it had gotten to him.

on the other hand, the rabbit was elated to be done, and completely unknowing of the anguish she had just inflicted on her friend. She grinned and let out a exasperated sigh of relief. "Oh that went so fast, I didn't get a chance to mention you, or say anything about how we-"

"Oh I think you said plenty." Nick interrupted with bitter contempt.

Judy was immediately taken aback by his hostile tone of voice, and asked with concern, "What do you mean?"

Nick narrowed his eyes and glared downward at the bunny while reciting her words. "Clearly there's a biological component? These... predators may be reverting back to their primitive, savage ways? are you serious?"

"I just stated the facts of the case," Judy replied with innocence. "I mean, it's not like a bunny could go savage."

"Right. But a fox could huh?" Nick spoke harshly, his ears lowering defensively.

"Nick stop it." She exclaimed in alarm. "you're not like them!"

The fox leaned forward, speaking in a low growl. "Oh there's a them now?!"

"Ugh, you know what I mean!" Judy cried. "You're not that kind of predator!"

"The kind that needs to be muzzled?! The kind that makes you think you need to carry around fox repellent?" He said gesturing to the pink can clipped to her belt. "Yeah, don't think I didn't notice that little item the first time we met."

Judy looked down, ashamed of her bigoted side-arm, her long ears drooping down in sorrow.

"So, let me ask you a question." Nick muttered heatedly. "Are you afraid of me?"

Judy froze. There was no way she could answer that.

"Do you think I might go nuts?" The vulpine glared at her with nothing but fire in his eyes. "Think I might go savage?" He growled, gradually raising both paws as if it were a threat.

"You think I might try to... EAT YOU?!" He shouted while showing his claws and bared teeth.

Judy gasped and leapt back, and out of complete instinct, had unknowingly reached for the can of Fox repellent.

Nick slowly lowered both hands and looked painfully at the bunny's hand position. "I knew it..."

"Just when I thought someone actually believed in me, huh?" the vulpine sighed, disappointed with himself for even thinking that he could befriend prey.

He reached into his pocket, forcefully handing Judy back the job application she had given him earlier. "Probably best, If you don't have a predator as a partner."

She stared downward, anxiously unfolding the paper before reading the fox's handwriting. Tears filled her eyes when she realized that he had not only filled the form out, but would have gladly joined the Z.P.D. with her as his partner.

However, by the time she lifted her gaze, Nick had already turned and left; storming out of the complex without so much as acknowledging a single person in the room. As he approached the exit, he could hear Judy calling out his name, begging for him to stop and come back. It wrenched at his heart to hear her that way, but his heart had already been broken. The fox departed from the conference without a single word.

Let me know what you think in the reviews! I Promise the story will get more interesting as we go on, so be sure to keep up with it. Also, go ahead and leave suggestions for future chapters, or PM me what you think! anyway- Thanks, Happy Easter (If you celebrate it), and I'll see you on the next one!