I tend to have relationship progress driven by external forces, least things just kind of go along (in real life as well as in my fiction) and came up with with this as a way of forcing the issue of a Nick and Judy thing. That and the Violet Diaries here and the attendant comic strips based off got me all wiggly for little kit stuff.

It started with a 'phone call.

"Mom?"

"Jeremy?" Bonny answered, thank goodness for caller ID, with all the kin that might call, she never could keep clear who was who over the 'phone. But she could tell something was up with her son. "What is it, dear?"

"Mom, it's bad news. There's a new strain of Rabbit Fever, a mutation of SFN 3. It could mean an epidemic. There's going to be a public announcement within the hour, but I wanted to warn you now with some extra details."

"How bad are we talking about?" Bonny was not going to panic, but of the several maladies that fell under the broad title of 'Rabbit Fever', SFN3 was one of the more dreaded. Sometimes lethal, and occasionally crippling, it had heretofore been considered largely under control.

Jeremy groaned, "Good news, bad news. The more modern immunizations ought to be good, so the kids should be safe. And, so far, it looks like anyone who got exposed in the '80s outbreak ought to have some protection as well." He sighed. "But. It is looking like anyone who got the juvenile SFN3/96 series immunizations but didn't do the SFN3/03 or later boosters don't have any protection from this version."

"What does that mean?" Bonny had a terrible idea, but she didn't dare speak it.

"Well, since next to no one bothered to get those boosters back in the day, it means most of the young adults locally are now susceptible."

Bonny gasped, as that was exactly her fear. "Are you safe?"

"I've been exposed to and shot for so many things, I ought to be more than fine. And you and all your age cohort ought to be okay for the most part. But assume everyone from twenty to forty is at greatest risk."

00000

"Say, Judy, I just heard a thing on the news about a 'rabbit fever' outbreak out in your family's neck of the woods." Nick was waiting in the cruiser for Judy to climb back aboard after a bathroom break. She'd always get some kind of goodie for the two of them as it would more often than not be a fast food joint for the pit stop. She gasped then tossed a bag with something deep-fried in it at him and scrambled for her smart 'phone.

"No, no, no, no!" She whispered anxiously as she pounded through several screens of data. Finding a thing, she read through it, grief-struck.

Nick was shocked. The report sounded like little more than another nuisance flu outbreak, bothersome to some species but ultimately of no greater consequence. "What is it?"

"This is bad. Epidemic bad. Body count bad." Judy glanced around, seeing something other than the quiet street. She rubbed her face. "It's a disease, hits just about the whole of the order lagomorpha, but prefers rabbits. There are vaccines and most of the population is covered, but."

"The older treatment was assumed to be good for a lifetime, but a new type became available a while back to deal with the natural mutation potential of it. Ideally, anyone who had the old shot should have gotten the updated version as well as a booster."

"And let me guess, the new outbreak is going after those who didn't get the booster?"

"Yeah. And its my age cohort and older. I'm safe, but glob only knows how many of my kin might be at risk."

"What do you want to do?" Nick began to think of some kind of dramatic action save off in the 'Burrow.

"Do? Don't you remember the section on civil defense and pandemic strategies? We're going to have to deal with a lot of sick bunnies right here in no time."

"Can't it be contained? I mean, ya know?"

"I'd bet that there are already some carriers in town already, courtesy of our modern transportation network. The write up I saw didn't say, but if it is like the earlier versions, it will likely have a variable incubation period, vague early symptoms, and be very communicable."

00000

Then the storm broke. Even with the modern disease control measures available, a lot of rabbits got sick. And as feared, there were deaths. In some outlaying communities as many as ten percent of the vulnerable population either died or suffered serious complications. Internationally it was even worse.

In all too many cases, the at risk populations either had not gotten the word or had not taken it seriously enough. Individuals were willing to take the chance that they'd simply miss getting it, or had some immunity, real or imagined. Or simply didn't believe that the warnings were real.

At the same time, routine colds and simple sniffles were at their peak, compounding fears and adding confusion and distraction to legitimate cases. It also led to several panics about species crossover, causing additional problems all around. Tragically there were a few real crossover cases, often not properly diagnosed, leading to a bad end.

Zootopia proper had an unfortunate mix of rabbit populations that included many who had never received any vaccines or had come from other regions with highly variable levels of previous treatments. Census and residency records helped medical teams find and treat folks in their homes as needed and social workers made follow up checks to insure their continued health.

The days turned to weeks and beyond, and with that, crisis fatigue. For some it became the awful new normal, for others, burnout or other failures to cope or endure began to reduce the ranks of caregivers. To help support the effort, police and fire personnel assisted as they could.

00000

Yet another round of welfare checks. Nick was teamed up with Eileen again. There were a couple of older Lagos in this apartment that needed to be checked on and the building manager simply handed Nick a passkey to gain access if needed.

Nick had to call that in, as that kind of entry could get legally touchy if anyone wanted to object to violations of their privacy. Once he got the okay, the ongoing medical emergency allowed for cause if anyone wanted to challenge. The lengths beasts would go to, even in the face of a sensible concern for health and safety, was so frustrating.

The first couple of rabbits were okay, not at all concerned with the scary fox in ZPD uniform escorting the sweet beaver girl nurse.

"Thank the Fates you're so loveable." Nick observed, not for the first time.

Eileen made a little face. "I'm beginning to appreciate rabbit's dislike of the term 'cute'." She huffed. "Right, my shifty, devil-red partner?"

Nick theatrically recoiled in shock, then recovered with a smile. "You're right, Ma'am." And bowed in apology. "But it is galling that half the time they're still all about what you are instead of why you're here." Nick grumped, more to himself, "If it hadn't been for all the publicity when she started, no one would have acknowledged Hopps as a real cop at all."

"Thinking of which, how's she holding up to all this?"

"She's being brave, but she's dreading any calls from home. Most of the victims back in the 'Burrow are all around her age, so its exactly who she grew up with who are getting it worst."

"That must be awful. My folks are unhappy I'm still doing this, with all the hysteria over cross-over."

They had been walking down the hallway to their next subject when Nick's nose suddenly reacts. "uhoh."

"Eileen, can you smell anything?" He pointed to a unit door not on the list.

"Not sure, maybe a poo smell?"

"I get something worse." He activates his comm. "Officer Wilde. I have a smell probable cause entry, possible medical emergency. Unit 3-F at this location. Stand by for responder request."

Eileen blanched, "You really think someone - ?"

"Only one way to find out." He pounded on the door. "ZPD! Is anyone in here? Do you need assistance? I have medical help with me if you need it! Is anyone in here?"

Getting no response, he used the passkey to open the door. Inside the scent was terrible. Vomit, diarrhea, urine, a general stink of illness, and the first harsh tangs of a death. The unit was a moderate sized two bedroom, and there in the first bedroom, there she was.

Nick has seen death all too many times, and commonly, their dignity as well as their lives were compromised. The victim, a rabbit Doe, had been sick, with the oversize mattress stained with a sad collection of bodily excretions. She was nude and had crawled or fallen off the bed and was now sprawled on the floor, naked and dead. At first glance, too much like Judy, and he had to stop and collect himself.

Then his mission brain took over. He called in for a coroner to deal with the body and the scene analysis. From the trail of stains, she looked like she had crawled to the edge of the bed to a nightstand, then fell off to the floor and had a paw under the bed. He looked, and there was a 'phone, just out of reach. Could she have been trying to call for help in her last minutes?

Eileen looked in horror from the bedroom door. Nick came back over to her and gave her a little hug. "Can you go down to the manager's office and find out why she's not listed?" It would give her something to do and, more importantly, get her out of the awful. As much as he was assailed by all the reek, he was grateful she didn't have a sensitive nose, as it would have wreaked her.

He looked around; saw a purse and a couple small travel bags. The apartment looked like a gamer bachelor pad, for someone other than rabbits. Ungulates maybe? Was she a guest, or crasher? Without touching anything, he looked around, yes, class D size ungulate of some kind. Male, but not in recently.

He went to check the second bedroom and found them. The room looked like it was a catch-all for miscellaneous stuff. Boxes for electronics and games, stacks of books, a never used exercise machine, and a small mattress on the floor. There were several blankets strewn about, and inside a bundle in a far corner, three little bunnies.

Maybe a year old? No sign of illness, but they seemed lethargic. When was the last time they'd been fed? If the Doe had been their mother, it could have been days, as she was likely incapacitated well before she finally passed.

He went into the kitchen. There were a few bunny food items, suggesting they'd been weaned and were doing proper solids. He got a big glass of water and a bundle of young, tender shoots for them. They hadn't moved since he found them, not a good sign. Propping one up, he offered it, her, a sip of water. She perked up with that a bit, still muzzy, but more or less awake. Instead of the shoot, Nick offered a crumb of one of his crunchy bars. The all-purpose carbs and protein mix ought to give her a little jump-start. Her nose got very interested and she eagerly nibbled the bit. An extra bit of water, then she was ready to work on the shoots.

He then repeated the process for the other two, a boy and another girl. As they were preoccupied with their munchies, Nick took the chance to bundle them up and carry them out of the bedroom and then out of the apartment. Fortunately, they didn't seem to react to all the scents. He sat down cross-legged to cradle the threesome in his lap, down the hall and up-wind of anything.

"Oh, my! They were in there too?" Eileen fretted. "They're so small."

"Yeah, Id' guess a year or so." Nick pointed each out, "These two are girls and this one's a boy." He stroked and rubbed them to keep them comforted. Sure, just to keep them comforted. He was loath to admit it, but seeing the poor dead Doe had hit him hard. Was it that she reminded him of his sweet Carrots, or just the notion of a young mother dying alone with kits in the next room? There was a memory he fought away.

He examined them a bit more as he touched them, taking in their scent as he did so. Their presumed mother had been all grey, disconcertedly similar to Judy's color, but lacked her countershade or black ear tips. The first girl was similarly grey, but with darker, smoky points, her muzzle, ears tips, and paws all accented. The second girl was more a uniform smoky grey, and the boy had a similar dark base, but with nearly black points.

"Have you called them in?"

"oh." He'd been too preoccupied with caring for them to alert Social Services. And that proved to be exasperation. With all the sick parents, even more than actual deaths in the city, Social Services were buried in young bunnies to be taken care of. So much so that the beast he was on the line to, half-hoped he would keep them, at least for a few days.

"You've got to be kidding?" He looked at the closed connection on his 'phone.

"So, what's the story on the apartment?"

"The manager said it's rented to a Howard Flagstaff, a small Caribou. Doesn't know why he's not here and she is."

"Damn, damn, damn." Nick considered. "Can you check on the remaining folks here? I've got to stand by until the 'death squad' shows up." He nuzzled the kits again. "And it looks like I'm stuck with these guys for a while."

Eileen watched his interaction with the trio and saw how 'stuck' he really was.

Processing the apartment and the body therein took most of the rest of the day and Nick was nearly desperate to get out of there by the time they were done. The only new fact they could find for now was that the mother had been a Dawn Scampert, her only record was that of an indigent, no formal employment or residence, and no record of the triplet's birth.

Nick got back to the Precinct just before shift change, so had a double helping of attention from all the other officers on hand. That was to be expected, as ZPD's finest had a particular soft spot for kits in general and orphans and foundlings in particular. That it was Wilde and a batch of bunnies was not lost on the crowd, and they were keen to see Hopps' reaction to the sight. She was also out on a welfare check and was running even later.

It was not what they expected.

"What the Halls IS this, Wilde?" Snarled the Rabbit Officer in a very unrabbity fashion. She pointed an angry paw at the triplets that lay snoozing in the offending fox's lap.

"Uhm, three young rabbits, approximately a year old?"

"And why - " She stopped, her face twisted in unreadable emotion, "NO! I don't want to hear it!" And she stomped out of the break room.

Most of day shift had gone by then, but Francine was still on hand, and after signing Nick to stay, she followed Judy off to the female locker room to see what was up. She found Judy sitting on a bench, her face in one paw, pounding her other paw into the hardwood.

"Hopps?"

"Not now." Judy hissed/whispered/whined as she seemed determined to punch her way through the bench plank. Unfortunately, her paw was on the losing side of that and Francine wrapped her trunk around the distraught rabbit before she could do herself any more damage.

"Good glob, girl! What's wrong?"

Judy took a couple breaths to collect herself. "They're dying all around me, Frannie. My family back in the 'Burrow, all these folk here in the city. Now Nick has those - . And I know they're here with him because someone is dead!" Said not in grief, but furious rage, and with that, she struggled in the elephant's embrace.

"Promise you're not going to break anything?" Francine soothed.

Judy had gotten a paw free and was in mid-swing to give her such a punch when she seemed to fully realize what she was doing.

"Ohhh. I'm so sorry." Judy was coming back to something like normal. "I was so hoping to get off shift and avoid all that for at least a little while with Nick, and there he was..."

"Yeah. And I suspect you're not done with all that yet."

Judy caught something in her comment. "Oh?"

"Nick's been glued to those three since he found them about midday."

"Oh?" More a sigh than a question. "Okay, let's see how bad it is." She grumbled.

And there was Nick again, looking awfully anxious for his Best Bunny, yet loath to disturb the three in his lap.

"Too much after a bad day?"

She sat down next to him. "One more gone back home and we found three in crisis here with poor prospects." Judy sighed, but with an angry edge. "And I suppose - ." She glanced down at the three then clashed her teeth and regarded her smashed paw.

Nick saw the damage and stifled a cry, holding out his paws to her. "You Bunnies, so emotional."

She let him cradle her injury and he atavistically began to ever so gently lick at the torn knuckles. She resisted the urge to pull away, as the action was so soothing, but.

She whispered, "Nick, there are folks watching." It wasn't exactly embarrassing or untoward, but it was a bit more of an intimate gesture than she would rather not have her fellow officers witness.

"What? Seeing me look after my mate." Though little more than a whisper, there was something in how he said that. And he used the 'M' word, which he Never Uttered, even in jest.

"Nick, are you alright?" Obviously the poor fox must have had a stroke or psychotic break or something.

"Never better, all thing considered." He attempted a wane smile. "Just seeing these guys kind of gave me a push. You know I love you, don't you?"

Judy squirmed a bit. While she was calming down, she wasn't really up for that kind of talk. "What are you saying?"

"I want to get serious with you, Judy."

Judy gave Nick a bit of a sidelong look. "What brought that on?" She glanced at the triplets again. "What? You got to play daddy for a day and suddenly it's all domestic fantasies?" Her anger flared up again.

Nick looked truly hurt by that. Then regrouped. "Judith Laverne Hopps. Calm down and THINK for a minute." He dramatically drew a breath. "I know how all of this has been a terrible time for you. And these guys are the last thing you need to have to deal with. I know that. And I know that because I love you. And when I say I love you, it is because I DO know you so well."

Judy looked at her fox. She truly didn't know what to say. They had skirted around this kind of talk for the longest time, letting things left unsaid, even as they both suspected they shared those thoughts.

Nick continued, "Right now, today and for likely the next few, these three have nowhere to go. Social Services is packed, they actually asked me, Me, to keep them for the duration. Bogo has given me a few days unofficially, and is prepared to grant parental leave if need be. If you don't want to get involved, that's fine. Seriously." He reached over to touch her face. "I really know how much this hurts, and know you need some respite from the awful. But once things get settled, I want you as my one and only, formally, if you'll have me."

Judy could hardly believe what she was hearing. The thing she'd been hoping and dreading for a good while now. Finally, she had something of an answer. "We'll have to work out some details," She glanced around to imply their status as partners on duty, "Then I'd say yes."