AN:

Heya folks.
If by any chance you ended up here without reading Cimar's "What if...? Collaboration" (however you managed to do this XD) you should really stop right here and head over to read the collab first.
It's full to the brim with talented writers and the unique stories they have created in order to piece this awesome project together.

Now I want to thank Cimar who is not only going above and beyond for this project but who also let me - a quite inexperienced writer - be a part of this awesome collaboration. :-D
I also wanted to thank Anheledir and my good friend Quakky for proofreading, sniffing out some typos and giving me some good ideas how to (re)write some parts of this story as well as Soel for editing it.
One last thing (before this AN gets too long): since this was actually the first story I've written in English, the first about Zootopia and the first in over a decade (yes, you guys get some of my firsts here XD ) I still feel quite tense about it and would be grateful for every kind of feedback and constructive criticism, since I want to continue writing and improving myself as a writer.
Alright, thanks for reading my nervous rambling and enjoy "Help!" ^-^

Artwork by "TheBlueberryCarrots" on Tumblr

"Okay, Nick, what is troubling you?"

"What do you mean?" the fox looked at his wife, a confused expression on his face.

The couple had stopped on their way to Fitwick's Arcade for their weekly date-night at a nearby park to enjoy the atmosphere the late evening sun created.

Beams of light were falling through the canopy of the trees - with single specks bouncing off the surface of a nearby fountain - and created an evermoving pattern of light and shadow dancing over the scene and the park's visitors. Like the bunny and her slumped down fox.

Since the doe was sitting on top of the backrest of the bench they had chosen for their short break, Nick had to look upwards at her for once.

"I mean," she answered, her concern barely hidden, "That you seem to be very silent and deep in thought - both things that are rather uncharacteristic for you."

The tod placed a paw over his heart, looking offended and announced theatrically, "Ouch, Carrots, your words wound me!"

"So you have been listening to what I had talked about for the last fifteen minutes?" Judy asked, unimpressed by his acting.

"Uhm...", Nick's ears twitched oh so slightly while he tried to come up with something.

"I thought so," the bunny deadpanned.

"And when that kangaroo with the headphones passed by, singing along to 'Down Under,' you didn't even bat an eye!"

"Dang it!" the tod muttered, his ears now visibly drooping.

Judy scooted closer to her fox, nudging his shoulder gently with a hind paw. "What is it? What is keeping my husband from enjoying date-night with his beautiful wife?"

The reynard shot her a small, lopsided grin.

"It's nothing, really," he said after a moment.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

One of the doe's feet had started to thump slowly against the wood of the backrest.

Uhoh!

"I mean, it's nothing to worry about."

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

"Barely worth mentioning at all."

Taptaptaptap.

Realizing that Judy was reaching the red end of the scale, Nick sighed in defeat. Leaning back, with his head coming to rest beside the bunny, his muzzle pointing skywards, he took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"It's just...,"

Taptap...

"Since we became parents I have started to wonder."

A sudden nervousness made the bunny swallow. "What about?"

Nick heard the slight tremble in Judy's voice and glancing sideways, saw her nose had started to twitch. He turned his head, so his muzzle came to rest across her lap, a low rumble emanating from his chest. "Not whatever it is you are thinking about, you dumb bunny," he answered teasingly, "Just... we are both police officers at the ZPD - a job that is not exactly safe - what if something happens to us? Or even just one of us? I don't want to imagine our kits growing up without a mom, or a dad... or neither of us."

Scratching her mate slightly behind one ear, the doe steeled her resolve before asking. "Have you considered changing jobs? Is that what had you so deep in thoughts lately?"

Nick hummed in confirmation, "But it's difficult. I love our job. You are not the only one who wants to make the world a better place, after all, you know? Even if I had forgotten that for a while before I met you. And there aren't so many jobs out there where I could do that. Also," he raised his head and turned to look directly into Judy's amethyst eyes, "I don't want to work somewhere without you by my side."

The doe placed a quick kiss on her mate's lips before taking him by the paw, dragging him out of the park.

"What...?"

"We were already on our way to Fitwick's anyway, so why not make this our experience this time?" The tod gave her a quick nod, but Judy knew her mate well enough to see he was still uncertain about this.

A little more than ten minutes later they had arrived at the arcade, finding the P.I.X.A.R. machine was empty and only waiting for them. Settling into their usual seats, Judy started scrolling through the possible scenarios. Nick, who had remained silent for a while now, almost startled his bunny when he suddenly spoke up. "Are you sure about this, Carrots?"

The doe stopped in her browsing and looked at her mate who seemed oddly uncertain. Placing a paw on his forearm, she gave him a small, comforting smile. "It's important to you, so it's important to me. And whatever conclusion you... we come to after this, we can sort it out then, together."

The tod smiled in return and placed a kiss on his mate's lips before putting on his helmet, signaling her that she should choose whatever she thought would suit them.

Judy had already had an idea what to pick before arriving here, having scrolled through that list often enough by then. Confirming her choice, she gave her husband one more contemplative look before putting on her own helmet and sinking into the artificial sleep.

A gray doe was sitting on a somewhat uncomfortable, simple wooden stool while waiting for the cameramammal in front of her - a rather bored looking male antelope - to make last adjustments to the recording angle. She knew that in the final version of the documentary, she would be shown on the right side of the screen. The other half would be left open to insert her name, profession and the service she was working for, written against the black background of the room. She could already picture it before her inner eye:

Judy Hopps

Advanced Care Paramedic

ZEMC Ambulance Service

The prospect that all of Zootopia might see this documentary - and her - was more nerve-wracking to the lagomorph than her actual job. She smoothed down her uniform once more in an attempt to calm herself, letting her paws glide down the dark blue fabric, trying to get rid of every fold and crevice. She stopped when she felt the emblem on her upper arm that identified her as a paramedic, making her smile momentarily.

She had already messed up two takes, and they were just halfway through the interview. Before her nerves could get the better of her, though, a female badger who was part of the staff called out: "Ten seconds!"

Judy knew what she had to do. She was meant to not look directly into the camera, but focus on the sow sitting next to it, wearing a light yellow blazer with a small nameplate pinned to her left chest, reading, "S. Swinton". She had also been the one that had asked Judy the questions she had answered for the last forty-five minutes. That is until after her second bout of severe, nerve-induced stammering, they had granted her ten minutes to breathe and recollect her thoughts. Swinton had assured her it was alright and she needn't apologize for it. Many mammals experienced stage fright to some degree during their first time in front of a camera.

The bunny wasn't willing to screw up again.

"Five! Four!" the badger continued the countdown nonverbally by holding up three digits. Then two. One. The red lamp on the camera switched on, indicating that the recording had started. Without missing a beat, the swine began to ask the last question she had given the doe, acting as if there had never been an interruption.

"What had caused you to pursue the profession of a paramedic?"

The first time they had continued the recording after Judy's slip-up, the sudden continuation of their 'conversation' had surprised the doe. Enough so to miss her entry, what had caused the antelope to feel compelled to mumble a curse under his breath before they had started over. This time the bunny answered without delay.

"As a kit, I had always wanted to make the world a better place. Paramedic hadn't been my first choice, though. At first, I had wanted to be a firefighter. After that came doctor. Somewhere along the way I even dreamed of becoming a police officer. I participated in one of our school performances wearing a police uniform, including a badge, hat, and utility belt." She couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice entirely at the fond memories. "I must have been around eight, maybe nine years old then." The doe wore a small smile, looking back at her younger self from so many years ago.

"The year after that, Irene - one of my sisters - and I were playing outside, on the outskirts of the woods. She was climbing a tree, so proud that she was actually able to do it and laughing all the while. But when she was halfway up something went wrong. I don't know if she slipped off or missed a branch, but suddenly her laughter had turned into a scream, and she fell." The bunny cast down her eyes, ears hanging limb behind her.

After a moment it appeared she pulled herself back from her thoughts, glancing up at Swinton and offering her an apologetic look. But the sow just signaled her to continue, knowing that this kind of emotional backstory would be selling.

Inhaling, Judy forced her ears to stand up once more, before she continued.

"It had been somewhat of a traumatic event for me, and I can only recall bits and pieces, and what my parents told me afterward. I do remember her screams. Her leg...," there was a catch in her voice. "She had an open fracture, and I had been frozen to the spot, unable to do anything. At some point, Irene had lost consciousness, and the silence that had followed had been worse than her cries. I don't remember returning to our families warren, but my mom told me she had never seen a rabbit run as fast as I did that day. Apparently, I had been screaming at the top of my lungs, and my dad had called for an ambulance immediately. When the paramedics arrived, we had to show them where my sister was. That meant, I had to lead them back, since I was the only one who knew the exact spot."

"My dad said he was so proud of me. I was shaking and wouldn't let go of his and mom's paws, but I didn't hesitate. And as soon as we reached her, the EMTs sprung into action. I had been on the edge of crying but watching them work gave me pause. We had kept our distance as to not interfere with them treating my sister, but I could still see that they didn't waste any time. They knew what they did... what they had to do to help her. It had calmed me down, and I got the feeling that she would be alright. My parents left me at home with my older siblings watching over us younger ones, while they were taken along to the hospital. When I was allowed to visit Irene a couple of days later, she was wearing a cast, but was awake and complaining about being stuck in bed. That was the moment I settled on my dream of becoming a paramedic myself, to be able to save mammals from dire situations, so they would get a chance to laugh again with their families like we did that day."

Again, the doe's paw reached for her upper arm, touching the emblem. The invaluable sign of her compassion. The proof she had realized her dream.

Judy's eyes turned back to the sow, and Swinton gave her a quick thumbs up and smile, before continuing with the next question.

Leaving the room, Judy closed the door behind her and allowed herself a moment to lean against it, taking a deep breath. Finally, finally, after another half hour they were done.

I would rather head out for an MCI than going back in there for even one more minute.

"Now, now, don't you think you are overly dramatic here, Cotton Swab?" a mocking voice came from a few feet down the hall. Looking up, amethyst eyes found emerald ones. The fox belonging to them was casually leaning against a wall, arms crossed in front of his chest, the black tip of his tail twitching in amusement while he was showing off his usual, lopsided grin.

Mimicking his pose, the doe put on a smirk of her own.

"You looked worse for the wear as well when you left this room earlier."

"That might be true," Nick replied, "but I didn't pray for a mass casualty incident instead of having to step in front of a camera once more."

The reynard's grin grew a little wider when Judy's nose started twitching.

"Did I..."

"... say that out loud?" the fox finished the question for her. "Yes! Yes, you did!"

He got a glimpse of the bright red insides of the bunny's ears before she grabbed them with her paws, pulling them forward to cover her face. "Oh, sweet cheese...," the muttered curse drew a chuckle from the vulpine.

"I think you just need some caffeine to get your system running again."

He beckoned Judy over before turning around and entering the station's break room.

The doe peaked out between her ears, her gaze glued to the fox's fluffy tail as it vanished through the door, before she followed suit.

Upon entering the white tiled room, she spotted Nick standing in front of the simple, bright wooden kitchen unit, fishing two cups - one a tad smaller than the other - from a wall cupboard.

The moment he sat them down in front of him and reached for the coffee pot, a small body pressed against his back, two paws wrapping around his stomach from behind.

"Hey now, weren't you the one who instigated the 'no getting pawsy at work'-rule?" Nick asked over his shoulder, a light tease to his voice.

Judy tightened the hug while nuzzling against the tod's back.

"First of all," came the muffled reply, "I said we shouldn't get pawsy while being on duty and we still have around ten minutes off-time because of those interviews. Secondly, I'm not pawsy. I just want to draw some comfort from my mate."

She felt the content rumbling coming from her fox more than she heard it and when his tail snaked around her waist and legs, she welcomed his little sign of affection with a pleased chirr.

They remained like this for a moment, before Judy drew back, stepped up to the kitchen counter beside Nick and grabbed her mug, now filled with the steaming hot liquid that would hopefully restart her brain.

She took a sip from the aromatic brew, her eyes falling shut as she savored its warmth.

When the doe opened her eyes again, she caught Nick watching her.

"What's the matter, Slick?"

The fox lifted his own mug to his muzzle, taking a deep sip. "I was just wondering how your interview went."

Leaning against the counter, the bunny thought back at the ninety minutes of her life she wouldn't get back.

"Probably similar to yours. They'd asked me since when I've been working here. What it's like for a small mammal like me. What I could and couldn't do when treating patients. Why I wanted to become a paramedic. And so on."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty much like what they'd asked me, too."

Judy gave the reynard a sideways glance, having caught the strange inflection in his voice.

Nick's ears were halfway down, and he was staring into his coffee, apparently deep in thought.

It took the doe a moment, but when she made the connection, she put one of her small paws on his forearm, giving him a comforting squeeze.

"You told them about your dad?"

Focusing on his mate, the tod gave a small nod and an affirming hum, before placing his paw on hers, running his padded thumb gently over her soft knuckles.

After a moment, he drew back, not seeming to feel as glum anymore. Judy lifted her paw from his forearm and took another sip from her mug.

"So," the fox continued their conversation, "they have asked you about our sleeping arrangements as well?"

The doe almost did a spit-take at the question, barely keeping the coffee in her mouth. A small trickle had escaped her nevertheless and made its way down her chin. She forced the mouthful down and took the paper towel Nick handed her to wipe at her muzzle before asking: "What do you mean?"

The dread in her voice was almost palpable.

Trying his hardest to keep a neutral expression Nick replied: "It seemed like someone had been looking through the material they had recorded overnight, and they saw us sharing a bed in the dorm."

The slack-jawed look on the doe's face nearly did him in, but he kept his composure, only the slight upturn of the corner of his lips giving his amusement away. "What? You didn't know? There are two night vision cameras in there."

Judy swept his question aside.

"What did you tell them?!"

"I made something up about you having felt uncomfortable at first, being away from your large family and home and that you felt better with someone to cuddle up to. Otherwise, you would barely get any sleep."

The doe relaxed, the tension leaving her body with a relieved sigh.

"Why, Carrots, did you think I would tell them about us being mates, living together and sharing a bed? To tattle about how after our first couple of night shifts - where you couldn't get any sleep because you couldn't snuggle into your most handsome, foxy partner - you looked entirely exhausted? And how our colleagues accepted our request to stay close and share a bed, even here?"

The bunny had started to blush furiously upon being reminded of the state she had been in back then and pulled her ears over her face once more. Nick gave her an amused chuckle, bevor pulling the doe against his chest, giving her an affectionate hug.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," came the muted voice from the doe.

"Also, you looked just as overtired as I did during these first days we had slept separately."

Several seconds passed silently between the couple while the fox waited for his bunny to realize the contradiction of her own words. And sure enough: "Carrot sticks! I really need more coffee."

Judy was leaning away just enough to look up at Nick, giving him a small smile. "But thank you for covering for me. I wouldn't want my parents to find out about us because they saw this documentary."

The fox nuzzled her briefly between the ears. "You're welcome, Sweetheart. But now they might find out, I'm afraid."

Judy - who had almost felt relaxed again - clutched at the front of Nick's overall once the words had left his muzzle.

"What do you mean by that?!"

Silently, the reynard pointed at his chest where a minuscule camera was pinned, then at the inside of his collar, sporting the corresponding microphone.

Reaching for her chest, she felt her own camera and knew that both sets of items had recorded their whole conversation.

They had become part of their equipment and would stay there for as long as the documentary was going.

Groaning, Judy hid her face against her fox's chest again.

The chance that her parents would miss this was almost none existent. With nearly three hundred siblings, one of them was bound to find out about her being on TV, and the whole warren would watch the spectacle in one of their huge living rooms on one of the oversized TV-screens.

"Oh Nick, what should I do now? They will see it for sure."

The tod patted her back and let a paw run down her droopy ears in a soothing manner.

"We should tell them. From the way you described them to me, I'm sure they will understand, even if it would take them some time. Also, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to finally come clean and the more it will hurt them that you hid it in the first place."

After a moment, the doe nodded against his chest, a motion he felt rather than saw. "You're right. I'll call them later today and we... can... waitamomentmister! This was your doing!" Stepping out of the embrace, Judy glared at her mate.

"Moi?" Nick put one paw over his heart and the other on his forehead in an overly dramatic fashion "Your words truly hurt me, Fluff. And I have to inform you that I have not the faintest idea what you are talking about."

Giving off an annoyed huff, the bunny pointed one of her tiny, blunt claws at him, only inches away from his nose, and growled. "You knew about the cameras in the dorm! You were aware of the recording equipment they have put on us! Yet, you were the one who talked about how we became mates and moved in together, knowing fully well that there is a good chance it might be shown on TV! All that because you couldn't wait any longer! You tricked me!"

Nick waited for his gray bunny to run out of steam before answering.

With a kind smile, he started talking. "To quote one of my old pals 'It's called a hustle, sweetheart.' But yeah, you are right, I tricked you. I wanted to give you a reason to finally talk to your parents about the fox you are dating. And I wanted to be able to tell my mom about us as well. I might have promised not to tell her anything before you are ready to come clean to your parents, but I think what you are doing is unfair to them, and I don't want to lie to my mom any longer. What you are doing right now is cowardly, and you, Judy, are no coward as far as I know." The doe's ears twitched at the use of her real name, knowing that he only called her that when he was unusually serious or upset.

"If it puts you at ease, I have talked the guys from ZBS into an agreement. If you are against any of that being broadcast, it won't. Otherwise, they would like to include the fact that we found love here as a sweet side note. So you are in no danger that our secret will spill if you don't want it to. But I think it's about time, don't you agree?"

While he was talking, Judy's mood had changed. As angry as she had felt at first, as guilty she felt now. Even his last revelation that he had told somebody from the film crew about them couldn't aggravate her at this point.

Her agitatedly upstanding ears dropped back down behind her, and she looked a little forlorn.

"Yeah, you are right." She stepped back into the hug the tod was offering and gave off a happy sigh when he continued caressing her ears.

After a couple of minutes, the bunny steeled her resolve. "Tomorrow. When my parents come to Zootopia to celebrate my mom's birthday with their 'wayward daughter,' I'll introduce you to them. Not just as my partner or a friend, but as my mate."

Nick could hear it in her voice and felt it in the way she tensed up in his arms that his bunny was distressed by the outlook of talking to her folks about them and placed a sweet kiss between her ears, telling her in a hushed but confident voice it would be okay.

Judy relaxed a little and allowed herself to remain like this for another minute before drawing back from the fox with a sigh. She offered the tod a small, grateful smile before focusing back on her by now lukewarm coffee.

"Say, Slick, do you know who is leading the ZBS team around?"

Of course he realized that the doe was just trying to change the subject, and he played along, seeing no need to make her more nervous than necessary.

Taking a sip from his own cup, he grimaced at the coffee's temperature before answering. "Boaris gave them a quick rundown of the general layout yesterday, so they had an idea where to place their cameras. But Connor should be the one giving them the Grand Tour today."

Connor Taurins was a brindled wildebeest and chief of the ambulance station. With more than thirty years of experience under his belt, he knew the station and his crew inside out and had seen his fair share of emergencies over time.

"I thought he had planned to go on vacation for the next two weeks?" A slightly surprised look crossed the rabbit's face.

"And leaving his Dojo in somebody else's paws while everything is getting recorded? Unlikely! Also, considering the state Zootopia is in right now, it's probably for the best to have as many able-bodied mammals here as possible." He took another sip before he added with a smirk: "Besides that, Connor is just as much of a workaholic as you are."

Before Judy could come up with a retort, their conversation was interrupted by an incoming emergency call.

"Come in, Seven, Zero, Five!"

Judy groaned - realizing that their off-time was apparently over - before answering.

"Here Seven, Zero, Five. Over!"