The moonlight beams of the Zootopian night illuminated the freshly bought and polished wedding band on the Fox's finger, and the neon city lights bounced a purple accent off the diamond on the Bunny's ring, the hue's interplay on her soft fur enough to momentarily draw Nick out of the very serious conversation he was having with his newly wedded spouse who sat across the dining table from him.

"Nick. I know you love me. And I know the pressure on you must be hard to provide for me financially. But just because I don't get to patrol with you anymore doesn't mean I can't provide for myself." She moved a soft grey paw onto his arm. "I mean, it's not like I'm off the force or anything. We're just married now. You know, this offer to transfer nearby to Precinct 3 is always open, and I'm sure your new partner won't be too bad."

Nick picked up a paper, one of the many strewn across the table, and held it up to her. "Carrots, this offer guarantees almost double the paycheck I make now. Do you understand what we could do-"

"But, honey, you? A corrections officer? I've heard absolute horror stories from prison guards. You're not the type of person, Nick. You're too sweet to be a correctional officer."

"I'm sure I can stand it-"

"Why don't you just stay in the city with me? We can get by, Nick. It may not exactly be glamorous, but you'll be doing something you're good at. You're an amazing cop, Nick. The city needs you."

"But you need me more. When I married you, I wasn't doing it so we could just get by. Judy… I want to be the best husband I can. Imagine what the extra money could do for us. We could fix up this apartment, go on a vacation in another country once a year, maybe twice! Carrots… we could adopt with that kind of money."

The bunny knew he had a point. "I just wish they let married couples work in the same precinct here. I want you to be happy, Nick."

The fox in question put on a smile for his wife and walked over to her, placing a paw on her leg. "Judy. You know I'm happy as long as you are."

"Money isn't what makes me happy, Nick, you being happy is."

"Then think of this as me moving on up in the world. I'm willing to bet there hasn't been a Fox correctional officer. Nothing wrong with being a first, you should know that."

"I guess" she said, looking back up at Nick with a little less worry in her eyes. "Being the first bunny officer in the ZPD-"

"And the first one to be swayed into Marriage by a suave, charming fox such as myself."

"You're so dumb-" she said with a laugh before pressing her lips to his, silencing his self-praise as the two embraced each other for a long, drawn out moment.

The fox pulled away, looking down at his bunny. "I'll be fine, carrots. I can get by in any situation. And I'll be happy as long as I can come home to you. And if you really see some change in my mood once I go to corrections, I'll ask for a transfer to Precinct 3. That sound better?"

"Yes. It does." she said, putting a paw on his chest. "Now… what do you say we…get to bed for the night?"

"Directly after our honeymoon? You insatiable little cottontail~"

The next morning, Nick arrived to find the entirety of Precinct 1 greeting him at the door as mammal upon mammal patted both him and Judy on the back for their wedding, and offered Nick countless forms of baked goods and promises of free drinks. The three years he had with Precinct 1 had certainly left an impression on the office. It was a bit of a tradition amongst the officers to line up a path directly to Bogo's office whenever someone they liked had to go away for marital reasons.

Nick knew this was going to happen, and had his change of duty offer papers in his hand. Zootopia Corrections Department, Clawshank Supermax Prison. The other officers egged him on all the way to the door of Chief of Police's office, where he raised his hands up to silence the crowd and stood in silence for a moment, before opening his mouth to speak.

"So. Guess this is it, huh? Three years and one bunny was all it took to take me off of the precinct 1 force? I guess it makes sense. If I learned anything last week on honeymoon, it's that she's fiercer than she looks."

An uproar of laughter broke from the crowd on the bottom of the stairs, followed by one heckler shouting "You weren't able to figure that out before last week? Lame!"

"Judging by your attempts at the bar, Delgato, I don't think you got much room to talk." Another burst of mirth. This fox had the crowd mesmerized. "In all seriousness… marrying Judy has been the best decision of my life. I love you, honey~" he said, waving down to Judy, who offered an "I love you" back. "Now, I know that the ZPD hates me because I'm beautiful, but I have no choice but to leave precinct 1, as I'm sure you all know. I couldn't stand to be in your position right now, wondering what you shall ever do now that your perfect, suave, handsome fox cop is out of your precinct-"

"Listen to some peace and quiet for once?" Fengmeyer offered in jest.

"-but I promise I'll be coming back from time to time to visit you all. At least when Judy lets me out of the den. Now, I guess this is it. The big reveal. For my reassignment, if you ever want to find me and buy me a round on the house, look for me in the Zootopia Department of Corrections, Clawshank prison."

Something was wrong. Nick noticed it when the officers cheering him on fell silent, looking at each other. Murmurs amongst the crowd as "Clawshank" was muttered between fellow officers in a hushed tone drew Judy's attention and worry.

Nick considered the implications of this for a moment before shrugging it off and continuing. "Now, I expect all of you to treat the now Mrs. Judy Wilde over there well. You all know how she can be if you don't. As for me… I'm just gonna speak from the heart here. It's been the best three years of my life getting to know and serve with all of you. You've supported me almost like a family I never had. And I know all of you are going to go to great places. Wilde out!"

With that, a final cheer greeted him as he opened the door into Bogo's office. He strutted up to the desk and placed his transition papers on the desk of the big buffalo himself.

Bogo stood up. "Good speech, Wilde. Now, sit."

"Getting it in while you still can, eh, Chief?"

"Can it, Wilde." The young fox sat down in his chair obediently as the buffalo went on. "First off, I want to say that the ZPD deeply values your years of service with precinct 1. Second, and this never leaves the room, understand?"

"Understood"

"You, in my own opinion, were one of the best officers this precinct had. It really does make me sad to see you go. Even if your morning quips during bullpen got on my nerves. I want to personally thank you for your time."

"No thanks needed, Chief. I wouldn't change a thing if I could do it all over again. Hey, since I'm your favorite officer now, mind if I get your parking spo-"

"Don't push it, Wilde. Now, there's one third point I want to address. Now, I understand you've asked for reassignment to ADX Zootopia, or as most refer to it, Clawshank. Wilde… I don't think I can sign this transfer form in good faith without telling you exactly what you're getting into."

Wilde tilted his head a bit, looking up at the chief with confused eyes. "What do you mean? It's just guard duty."

At this, the large buffalo took on a more fatherly voice and took off his reading glasses to look at the fox directly. "I know the pay is double there. I know you're trying to be a good husband to Judy." He looked at a picture on his desk, one that he always kept, of his wife when she was young. A beautiful young water buffalo, holding a baby girl- their baby girl. "That's what I was thinking when I signed up to do a year at ADX Zootopia. I was only 25 years old, Wilde. The family was struggling to stay afloat, and all I saw was the pay."

Nick sat still, hanging onto every word, before opening his mouth to speak. "You were at Clawshank?"

"Yes… I worked there for one year. That was all even I could take."

"What happened in there?" he asked.

"Clawshank... It's a Supermax prison. The criminals who go there are all serving sentences greater than 25 years. It's going to be very dangerous. It will change you. The point is, Wilde, I advise you to think very carefully. Are you absolutely sure about this?"

The fox thought for a hot second, before finally answering. "Yes. I'm sure it's not far beyond my capabilities, sir."

Bogo sighed a bit, knowing he wouldn't change the Fox's mind. "In that case, hand me your papers."

Nick complied, handing his transfer papers over to Bogo, who pored over them one more time to ensure everything was filled out before grabbing his pen and signing his name on the form and standing up. "Attention to orders, Officer Wilde." The young fox snapped up, doing as he was told. "You are to report to the motor pool. A squad car will be waiting down there to take you to ADX Zootopia. You'll inprocess today, change out your blue uniform for the grey correctional uniform, and be taken on a tour of the facility with Warden Leon Alexander. Officer Wilde, you have been relieved." Chief Bogo finally let go of his stiff position, and offered one hoof to Nick. "Thank you for your years of service with this precinct."

Wilde shook the hoof. "No need to thank me. I'd do it all over again if I could."

Nick didn't manage to see Judy on the way out, and the ride over to ADX Zootopia was quiet, leaving the fox time to think. Mostly about the route he was going to take to actually get to work. Looks like it was along the way of a bus route, so that'd help. Briefly, however, the thought of Bogo's work at Clawshank crossed his mind. What was enough to make that tough bastard quit guard duty after only a year? What exactly happened there? Whatever it was, he thought, it had to be worth the double pay. Judy and himself had been wanting to adopt for a while, and getting the money to do so comfortably would be an important part of moving to that step of their lives. Whatever took place in there, he rationalized, was worth it.

Once the squad car had arrived to the Clawshank Main Gate, it was all on foot. Nick showed an entry guard his transfer papers, and they recognized him immediately, letting him into the tall, wrought iron gates that lead to the massive cobblestone cathedral-like building with flying buttresses, large wings, and windows made of bulletproof glass dotting the walls of both wings. Walking towards the large front door of the administrative building, which was at the center of two large, castle-esque wings, he noted two thirty foot deep pits between the third and fourth rows of barbed wire fence, each pit covered by pig iron and sporting a basketball hoop and weight lifting set. Guard towers littered the outer stone wall, each one staffed with at least two correctional officers, each carrying what Nick noted not to be Tranq guns like he was issued in precinct 1, but full on rifles, even one machine gun. Clearly this was a place for the most hardened criminals in Zootopia. Nick briefly wondered if Bellweather was housed here, but pushed the thought out of his mind when he walked into the long late-gothic style 'Cathedral'.

When he stepped in, he was greeted to the sight of an almost ethereal, gigantic stained glass window portrait of a saint offering a bible to a slave on the far side of the aisle. The colored light bathed the room in a rainbow that seemed almost unfit for a prison, highlighting each of the cordoned off cubicles below where administrators and prison guards sat at old computers, writing reports of who knows what where the pews would usually be in a cathedral. But at the epicenter of that light, cloaked in a heavenly glow created by the only uncolored portion of glass in the large back window, sat a lion, clean cut and dressed to the nines in one of the finest black suits with a red silk tie. A placard sat on his grand mahogany desk which betrayed his name as Nick, stunned by the image of this administrative building, slowly strutted up to this lion's desk.

The lion, noticing the stunned newcomer in his shining blue police uniform, stood up and left from behind his desk, offering a paw. "Ah, good to see you've arrived. Hi, I'm Leon Alexandah, Warden a' this here prison" he said in a voice Nick pinned as oddly southern. "You are?"

"Wilde… Nick Wilde" he replied, honestly stunned by how surreal the experience was.

"Ah, yes. Shoulda' recognized yah when yah came in. Heard a whole lot'a somethin' about you, young man. How's'a sweet tea sound for yah right now?"