Disclaimer: Disney owns all the characters they invented and all rights to Zootopia and it's universe. I LOVE this movie and HAD to write this just to get it out of my head. I am only getting feedback and satisfaction no money so please Disney let it go okay? (Sorry movie reference LOL)

Due to some excellent constructive suggestions and feedback I have decided to edit this and repost it in smaller chapters and to fix some complex sentences if I can. I do not have a beta or anyone to bounce ideas off of so IF anyone wants to PM or review with help please do.

Please enjoy and let me know what you like, don't like or want to see more or less of. Also I have a habit of making my stories long and complex and I tend to expand from the source material which includes the book the art of Zootopia, the theatrical release of the movie and the junior novel so far and will delve into the backgrounds and futures of the characters.

Also in the movie Hopps and Wilde seemed to be just best friends and working partners and I am fine with that but I DO ship them as a romantic couple since reading all the awesome fics people have written before me and while I truly enjoyed the awesome humor and lighthearted parts of the movie; the more serious aspects are likely to emerge in this and become sort of an alternate universe as it continues. Now on with the story!

The bustling city of Zootopia was home to twelve unique boroughs that also included large areas of untamed land that surrounded its purposefully designed ecosystems, districts and infrastructure. These areas were meant to provide places for goods and services as well as mimic the natural habitats of nearly any known mammal species to make their lives here in one of the largest and most densely populated settlements on the continent more comfortable. For one of it's citizens though comfort was the last thing on his mind. Downtown City Center, The Savannah or heck even The Burrows where most smaller mammals lived and worked were more to his liking than Nocturna but where criminals ran the ZPD followed and there was no way he was letting his partner go into the night district without him to watch her back.

Newly minted ZPD Officer Nickolas P. Wilde; a slender, well muscled, red fox with muted brown and grey undertones in his pelt, that contrasted attractively with the darker accent markings on his limbs, paws and tail and the lighter areas that highlighted his face and chest narrowed his vivid green eyes and paused in his attempt to keep up with his partner. He glared unhappily to his left at a rather shapely bobbing white tuft of a tail that was in front of him as he adjusted the fit of his rather bulky armored vest under his police uniform and picked up his pace.

His fellow Officer Judy Hopps was far lighter on her feet than he was but he had longer legs and was faster over a longer haul, usually anyway. He hated how much the extra weight of the body armor seemed to drag him back and the vest was not really suited to his slender build but there was no help for it. This was the closest to his size the ZPD had so until and unless someone got around to requisitioning him something closer he was stuck with what he had.

Unfortunately for him Judy was technically his training officer and she had decided that if he didn't wear his then she wasn't going to wear hers and there was NO WAY that was going to happen. She was literally the smallest ZPD officer on active service being about 2/3 his size and injuries larger mammals like rhinos, elephants, zebras and even wolves or the big cats could shake off would be catastrophic for a rabbit and if he was honest for him too to a slightly lesser degree. She had in fact used that self same point all the while they were getting ready for patrol and had refused to relent even a little which was actually typical of his best friend Carrots but that didn't make the vest any easier to move in.

It was a little after four in the afternoon so Nocturna was almost as ordinary as any of the daylight districts. Soon though it's residents would be much more active and Nick very much wanted to be gone before that happened. Nick realized that he was grimacing and forced his lips back down over his teeth. He reflected unhappily, even without his becoming a cop this district was NOT healthy for one Nicholas Piberius Wilde and he knew it. Aside from his own past with this section of town it was a well documented fact that chasing anyone in the night district was always risky even if you lived here. Which logically meant that it was practically suicide for a couple of the cities newest police officers without backup and neither of them had called in when they entered this area... a fact he intended to point out to Judy as soon as he got them out of here.

The slender, grey furred and violet eyed figure of the ZPD's first bunny officer was focused almost entirely on catching up to the weasel they were trying to apprehend. Even so part of her was actually still listening to her partner's efforts so they could coordinate with each other and stick together. Her sturdy hind legs and well muscled arms were moving in a blur as she worked to make up the distance the suspect had opened between them when he had dodged into this borough but he was running full out and using the streets and alleys like he had a map memorized so catching up to him was no easy feat.

Despite her excitement and adrenaline rush she also was feeling a little apprehensive about being in this area. She had been on the force for nearly seven months now and she knew that this was a very bad area for any police officers to be in without direct orders and backup much less the two smallest rookies on the force.

Nick's attempting to object had been something of a shock as well. She had learned her lesson the hard way from their earlier adventure and knew Nick was exceptionally observant, highly intelligent, loyal and far braver than he wanted people to notice so she was actually very glad for his presence. Judy was also honest enough with herself to know her partner was still far more knowledgeable in the cities ways and criminals than she was and the fact that he had tried to stop her from dashing into this area was something she fully intended to get to the bottom of sooner rather than later.

She figured that the suspect had counted on the reluctance of most mammals to intrude into this part of Zootopia so he could escape but there was no way she was letting anyone get away with those bulbs! The Night Howler crocuses were now considered a class 2 poison which meant that their uses and possession of them was highly regulated. Anyone trying to steal them was likely up to no good and it was their job to stop things like that from happening.

Nick knew that it was useless to try and change Judy's focus now that they were here. She was so stubborn that once she decided something it would take far more time than they had to even make a dent in her determination. Rather than waste his energy trying again he turned his attention to the alleyway they were being led down and snorted to himself. If this wasn't a set up for something nasty then he'd eat the foot paw protectors he was wearing and smile while he did it!

Releasing the call button on the radio affixed with a Velcro holder to the shoulder of his uniform Nick wished for a free breath to use the device but there was no time to do so now. He needed to get them out of here and fast. Judy was clearly caught up in the chase but his well honed instincts as a reformed con man and street hustler were gibbering at him that it was no coincidence that they had happened on this guy stealing those particular bulbs. A small persistent voice in his head also whispered that they were being lured into this particular area on purpose but for what purpose he didn't want to guess.

Bracing himself Nick gathered his strength before dodging up part of the brick wall of the alley and using his agility and speed to move past the now heavily panting weasel. He hadn't tried this sort of maneuver while wearing a full patrol uniform and body armor since the finals at the academy. Fortunately for him, the extra push from his fears and the adrenaline rush of the chase made up for the differences in weight and mass. It wasn't pretty and for a heart stopping second he thought he was going to fall short; but by using a sturdy window ledge as a hand hold he made the temporary transition from vertical to semi-horizontal.

Momentum helped him vault smoothly over the trash recycler next to the wall and using it's closed lid as a launching point he leaped down at their suspect from the front as Judy closed from behind.

The weasel growled and tossed his bag of swag at Nick's midsection which threw him off balance as he landed. The paw pad protectors he wore were just this much too wide a little too long to really fit which was why he usually avoided them. However it was really hot today and Judy had insisted he wear them to protect his sensitive foot pads from the hot concrete and asphalt as they patrolled since they had been assigned a combination vehicle patrol and walking beat today. This meant the shifting of his feet from his landing and the impact of the bag combined to rob him of his balance.

The gym style tote was awkward, heavy and had just enough give in it to be hard to grab unless you somehow caught it by the handles. The fox was taken out of the direct confrontation for a precious few seconds by this and the perpetrator reacted immediately.

The light brown weasel wearing a plaid shirt and dark brown pants currently cornered in the alley grinned and spun on his foot paws to face the rabbit. He narrowed his eyes to slits, barred his teeth in a grimace and turned to leap directly at Judy hoping to make a clean break and get away when she flinched. He wasn't getting paid enough to risk an actual fight with two cops, in fact he wished he had demanded more money up front. These two were much faster than he'd planned and they were nowhere near the right place for his back ups to show and unfortunately for him even though she was a prey animal this bunny wasn't the flinching type.

Judy on the other paw was just as nervous as Nick albeit for different reasons, so when her sensitive hearing told her that Nick had diverged from his place just behind and to her right as they went down the alley; she knew he'd seen or sensed something and had drawn her Taser as she ran after their suspect. Her paw hands were steady on the release as she aimed at her target and her white muzzle, bib and black tipped ears shown clearly in the afternoon's fading light as she reacted to the sudden changes in the situation.

Firing at the weasel as he jumped, she stated calmly, "ZPD you are under arrest."

The weasel jittered and drooled as she attached handcuffs to his wrists and dragged him upright with his hands secured behind his back. As she pulled the groggily protesting mammal towards the head of the alley she noticed that Nick was still struggling with the bag of stolen goods. Nick staggered a little and then seemed to get his balance before hurrying after them towards the sidewalk.

Glancing around with an uncharacteristically nervous look in his eye, Nick said, "come on Carrots. We got the bad guy but this neighborhood is nowhere we want to be especially not in uniform okay?"

Surprised since Nick had a well earned reputation for being calm, cool and collected at least on the outside and seldom allowed anything to show past this façade while on duty Judy hurried her pace a little as Nick hustled them to the squad car.

He bundled the weasel inside the prisoner transport area behind their seats before locking the doors and almost begging, "I'll explain later I promise just get us out of here."

Catching a little of his urgency she nodded and offered, "Okay but after we file the paperwork on this bust I want some kind of explanation and I want it to include showing me how you did that in the alley Nick. I didn't know you could do those sorts of moves."

Hoping to lighten his mood she teased, "preferably one I don't have to decipher or translate from Dumb Fox to Clever Bunny okay?"

Relaxing into the muscular squad car's passenger seat Nick put on his aviator shades and nodded with the gentle smile he only showed to her before reaching into his other pocket for a handful of smoked fish chips to munch on. He knew eating animal protein around Judy made her a little nervous and he really tried not to do it very much; but after the extra effort they had put in chasing down this guy he knew he needed the nutrients or he'd pay for it later.

Glumly the streetwise and emotionally battered fox added in his head, 'If that really was some kind of trap then I'd better be prepared or there might not be a later for me or Judy.'

Ignoring the stab of panic that cheerful thought evoked Nick donned his comfortable and habitual smirk and breathed a sigh of relief as they left even the outskirts of Nocturna and approached City Center.

Judy focused on getting them back to the precinct and ignored the smell of the protein chips as best she could but a slight shiver she couldn't quite suppress went up her spine as Nick chewed his snack. The quiet sound of his teeth and jaws devouring the meat reminded her uncomfortably that he was a predator as well as an omnivore and even though he usually tried to be discrete about it he ate meat as well as plant protein. She knew he needed it to remain healthy since he was now so physically active and he really trusted her since he tended to be much more relaxed around her than anyone else but….

Police Chief Bogo glared at the innocent looking bag on his desk. The Night Howler bulbs in question sat innocuously rolling slightly as he zipped the tote's opening shut and turned his attention to the two officers standing before him. The large cape buffalo styled mammal ignored the urge to rub the throbbing between his horns and decided that the best way to do this was just to get it over with.

Glaring at what was rapidly becoming his best and most versatile team of rookies even though they had only been officially paired for a little over a month he sternly suppressed his feelings over having to manipulate them and said, "Before I begin, Shut it Wilde! And Hopps I Don't care so you shut it too. Now, I'll have Clawhauser finish securing these and file all the paperwork for the animal protection action committee and the reports for the poisonous substance control office."

Both smaller mammals grinned at the thought of getting out of some paperwork but seeing Bogo's expression they remained silent and their smiles quickly went away. Bogo shuffled a red folder to the bottom of the pile on his desk with regret and picked up a teal colored one. Turning his gaze on Officer Wilde in particular he pinned the fox in place with his stare and he had to reign in his feelings again as he saw Officer Hopps move just a little bit closer to her partner as her protective instincts kicked in.

Even though he had passed the background check and had no official blemishes on his records Officer Wilde had been basically a CI before joining the academy and that was likely to be a problem once it came out. His somewhat shady background had proven to be a huge asset already and despite what the operatives in Internal Affairs said Bogo knew that Wilde was completely sincere in his efforts to become a law abiding and respectable person.

Granted that was because Nick had agreed to being drugged and questioned at length by himself and two others before being admitted into the Academy's curriculum but after today no one would ever know about that.

He grimaced as he admitted to himself that this was the main reason he was agreeing to allow his two smallest and most vulnerable mammals to be used like this. He hadn't wanted to allow those interviews at all to be perfectly truthful but Wilde had a HUGE problem with his self esteem among other things and the physiologist who had overseen the procedure had insisted that Wilde needed to be medically and mentally cleared and that this was the only way to guarantee results that anti fox bigots would have a very hard time disputing and as much as Bogo had hated it he had had a point.

Bogo snorted, Wilde had signed off on the testing since he had been willing to do damn near anything to allow him the chance to be Judy's partner and the badger that had done the job was at least good at his profession and knew to keep his trap shut. For once patient/doctor confidentiality was working like it was supposed to which was the only reason Bogo didn't feel worse about that. The lawyer was also bound by the same sort of agreement so the only other possible leak was his new boss Mayor Kalak but she too had signed the legal gag order to protect Wilde once he graduated and Judge Paulus had sealed Wilde's records that day so that was seen to as well. Wilde had indeed passed all the requirements and the only copies of the interviews and the medical data were secured in a safety deposit box that Wilde was going to receive the key and pass code to anonymously once he reached command level.

Bogo rubbed his head between his horns again and made another notation to call his lawyer and have an annotation made to his personal will today before he left for home. He wasn't going to leave anything like that open to mistakes. This public campaign should seal the deal permanently IF these two could pull it off, no politician would risk exposing anything about what had been done to the first fox to successfully join the ZPD and his newly expunged records meant he was stating with a clean slate legally so he could freely use his past to expedite cases and educate the ZPD which was a huge bonus on both sides.

The fox had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of people and places in every district in Zootopia that Bogo had been able to bring into a conversation or have others bring up since his graduation and even though Officer Hopps was his training officer she was learning far more from him than she realized and so were others in the precinct.

What surprised the Chief of Police most about Wilde so far wasn't his smart mouth or even his fairly irrelevant attitude. Those attributes actually fit in with what most people thought of when they thought about a fox's personality even though fox's personalities were as actually diverse as everyone else's.

It was the sheer guts and direct honesty Wilde had displayed when he confronted them in the rainforest district during the Night Howler case when he had defended Judy and openly called out the Chief of Police no less on his preconceived notions and mistakes in handling the Otterton case that stuck out in Bogo's memory.

Chief Bogo mentally sighed as he admitted to himself, he hadn't had much interaction with foxes unless he was interrogating them as suspects and he hadn't given their reputations as dishonest and dishonorable creatures any thought. Bogo had even bought into those ideas until meeting Nick, because even though he had been nothing more than a lowly hustler and a fox both of which traditionally tried to avoid cops as far as the Chief knew it was Nicholas P. Wilde who had stepped up to stand against a wrong unlike everyone in the ZPD and that had stung.

Watching Wilde closely he admitted to himself that the brazen mammal also had an apparently effortless ability to learn regulations, rules, and procedures, mainly so he could skirt the edges of them at every opportunity so as to cause his new boss headaches.

Bogo actually didn't mind Wilde showing his spunk as long as he kept it in the squad room but that was something he's going to be sure the fox understands explicitly so he added that to his mental list for after this meeting along with another debriefing for Wolfard and Delgado.

Fortunately, unless Bogo missed his guess entirely Nick Wilde's ability to keep copious notes on current cases in his head, notice at least as many details as Officer Hopps albeit different ones; and keep up with Officer Hopps mentally was evidence of what was likely Genius level intelligence. He also knew from various reports that it was the fox who tended to plan for contingencies while it was Hopps who was tenacious and focused in solving their cases which made them a very effective team.

The sheer guts and ability it took to pass the rigorous curriculum of the police academy in such a short time had honestly impressed more than just his instructors. Like his partner before him Wilde was a HUGE headache but the effort to develop their potential was paying off for his whole precinct.

Even those of his Senior Officers who harbored doubts about Nick and/or Judy were learning first hand that nothing was safe to assume about those two and that could only be a good thing. Unfortunately Nick and Judy also seemed to be greener than grass about politics at the governmental level and both of them needed seasoning when it came to the media. That was something Bogo needed to change and their education was due to start immediately.

The huge, well muscled, bovine styled mammal sighed as he admitted to himself yet again that Unfortunately he didn't have a choice about this anymore than he had had when Officer Hopps had been assigned to Precinct One. The new Mayor had been firm and very specific but Bogo held out hope that things would turn out well. After all, these two really did embody the spirit of cooperation and fellowship that Zootopia was supposed to be founded on; not just between different species but between predators and prey and that was why he had to do this despite how much he wanted to keep them busy doing useful police work and away from the kinds of ugly backbiting and media exposure this was likely to be.

His own world view and mindset had expanded a lot since the inclusion of the first Rabbit and Fox into the ZPD but he knew that altitudes about stereotypes weren't changed in a few months and if this went pear shaped it could change things drastically and not for the better. Regardless they were his officers and he'd do what he could to protect them.

Alrighty Sorry for another note but I wanted to say that I am editing this and adding a little content as well as splitting up the chapters so IF you have already read this then THANK YOU but you MIGHT want to reread the previous chapters again just to get the details, or not…. But in any case I hope this is a better read and that people enjoy it