Author's Note: This thing probably has type-os. If someone were to find beta-ing an enjoyable past time, I wouldn't be opposed. O_O :)

.

.

Visiting the Parents

(Part Two)

.

.

Despite the fact that nothing truly dire warranted a press conference, a sizeable crowd had gathered for the ZPD's public announcement. As Nick scanned the crowd behind his aviators, he could see the extra padding came from members of the press who covered anything but real news. That wasn't to say there weren't a few more legitimate members of the press there as well; even a few television crews were set up and rolling.

Everybody loved a scandal, after all.

Chief Bogo walked up to the podium, having just been introduced by a representative of City Hall, and tapped the microphone twice to make sure it was still live. The purpose for the conference had already been summarized for the press.

As Bogo cleared his throat, the murmur of the crowd quieted down.

"I'll keep this short, and to the point. We believe that the photo anonymously provided to the press was, in fact, pulled from a security recording taken in the Museum of Natural History.

"As you are already aware, Officers Hopps and Wilde drew an unwitting confession from Dawn Bellweather in the Museum of Natural History last year. This was done through subterfuge. Officer Wilde was shot by Bellweather with what she assumed was a powerful drug known as the Night Howler serum. Wilde proceeded to mimic the symptoms brought on by the drug, pretending to lose all control of his higher faculties and violently turning on Hopps.

"Officer Hopps, feigning panic, cleverly drew an explanation from Bellweather, who presumed that Hopps would soon be dead, while Wilde, of course, would be the murderer, and impossible to question due to the effects of the drug. During this pretense, Wilde pretended to pounce on Hopps, and placed his mouth, very briefly, around her neck."

Nick took a cynical joy in seeing several members of the press cringe. It was comforting to know Bellweather would be rotting behind bars for the rest of her life.

"There has been no occasion, before or since, in which those teeth have come anywhere near Officer Hopps' neck. Additionally, the ZPD has consulted three independent specialists who have all drawn the same conclusion: the so-called photo provided to the press was in fact pulled from a video recording, specifically the type used in video surveillance by various government facilities in Zootopia."

Cheif Bogo cleared his throat again, frowning down at the crowd of reporters in a way that said do not interrupt, then continued. "Last year, when evidence was being gathered for the case against Dawn Bellweather, the ZPD did check for security recordings, but found no footage. The museum was closed for renovations the day the confrontation between Bellweather and Officers Hopps and Wilde took place, and with clear and convincing evidence against Bellweather in hand, the ZPD didn't follow up regarding the lack of security footage. However, as of this week, we have ascertained that it is, and has been, normal procedure for Natural History Museum's security staff to keep security cameras rolling during planned maintenance, to monitor against theft.

"Given this new information, it is clear that someone switched out the security footage from the day of Bellweather's confession, and that this animal kept the original tape. With this new information, the ZPD has officially re-opened the Bellweather investigation, and will track down the persons responsible for both removing evidence against Bellweather, and for providing doctored footage to the press."

Chief Bogo paused, his impressive form dominating the podium, and scanned the audience with a relatively mild scowl, as far as his daily facial expressions went. "I will now open the floor to questions."

Hands shot up. Bogo pointed to a badger with a press badge shoved into the rim of his hat, and Nick suppressed a roll of his eyes. Bad choice.

The badger raised his microphone. "Chief Bogo, we all know that Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are partners on the force, but are they or are they not romantically involved?"

Bogo's scowl deepened. "Officers Hopps and Wilde are private citizens whose personal lives have no place in the press. For those who aren't aware, however, the ZPD has a strict code prohibiting work place relationships, and the fact that they are partners on the force should speak for itself."

"Chief Bogo, that sounds like you're dodge..."

Bogo interrupted, coming down like an avalanche, drowning out the badger's words. "Now that I've very clearly answered that question, given that both Officers Wilde and Hopps strictly adhere to the rules laid out by the ZPD, does anyone have questions that are not focused on the non-existent romance between two of my best officers?"

Bogo pointed to a pig a few feet over from the now scowling badger. "Go."

"Thank you, Chief Bogo! How do Officers Hopps and Wilde feel about inter-species, predator-prey relatio..."

"Next!" Bogo pointed to someone else.

Nick spared a glance for his partner, and was silently impressed with how primly Judy sat, ears kept erect, with a surprisingly good poker face. For his part, with days to prepare, Nick had already thought through all the ways in which this might go, and had time to prepare his own poker face.

Besides, that was all they had to do. They were there to look professional, keep their heads up, and show that they had nothing to hide. Bogo had made clear that neither of them were to directly speak with the press at any time, for any reason. Especially Judy.

To be honest, Nick was still grateful it had been Bogo, and not him, who had explained to Judy that now was not the time to openly proclaim her undying love for her partner.

Even if Nick was getting on a train later that day to walk through exactly that with her parents.

"Police brutality! Put me down this instant, you...you...h-hey, what're you d-doing...?!"

Nick didn't put the hamster down. Instead, he lifted him closer, and took a good long sniff, catching a few scents off the mammal he honestly would have preferred to avoid. Nick let the little fuzz-ball stew for a moment, keeping his expression neutral and eyes hooded, finally relenting when his little captive was about ready to gnaw his way out of his grip, his beady little eyes flicking this way and that.

"I'm just...getting your scent. If you recall, we foxes have a knack for that kind of thing. So let me give you a tip." Nick narrowed his eyes, scowling, and brought the hamster close again. "Don't let me catch your scent again."

With that, Nick rummaged one-handed through the same backpack his little hitch-hiker had been hiding in, and pulled out two items: his badge, and his smallest set of handcuffs.

Nick had packed for trouble.

After realizing his fuzzy little hide wasn't in mortal danger after all, the hamster recovered himself like the pro he was. "I see you've got a ticket to Bunny Burrow, Mr. Wilde! Planning a rendezvous? Is it true that you and Judy Hopps are..."

"Hold out your paws." The hamster's eyes jumped to the miniature handcuffs, and he started squirming in Nick's grip.

"Put me down! Police brutali...!"

"Let's see...stowing away inside another animal's luggage? Either you didn't pay for a ticket, or you just couldn't resist pawing through somebody else's things." Nick had to talk over the hamster at first, but the little mammal went quiet again as his words sank in. "So here are some great questions I have for you. What kind of thief are you, and are you going to be cited for resisting arrest and using derogatory terms with a police officer, too? Not to mention invasion of privacy, since this is a single occupancy restroom we're sharing..." Nick threw in a wink, unable to resist pushing the diminutive muck raker's blood pressure up a little higher. "You sly little hamster."

Nick carefully set his infuriated captive down on a counter-top clearly meant for much larger animals, the distance to the ground serving as a prison for the tiny mammal.

Nick held the miniature handcuffs out, balanced on a single claw, eyes half lidded. "Your choice."

Judy pulled out her phone at the soft chirp announcing a text. It was from Nick, who had taken the same train, but was sitting several cars away.

~Had a stowaway. Check your luggage. Plus...~

Judy waited, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

~Change of plans. I have to catch the next train. I had to hand him over at the last stop, you know the drill.~

Judy's face soured for a moment, before she schooled it, in case she really did have an unwanted observer. She switched to the Metro app she still had open from earlier, tapped in a quick search, and...

The next train wouldn't come for two hours. Arg!

Well...it could be worse. Routes didn't go all the way out to Bunny Burrow more than a couple of times a day, on average. Judy switched back to her texting app, and saw that Nick had already texted her his new route and time, going for the same one she had pulled up – the only option left for the day. She tapped a reply.

I'll catch dinner with my parents in town, don't worry. We'll swing back and get you after. Get something now, since you're stuck!

~On it. Sorry about this, Carrots.~

Not your fault. Enjoy the cheesie burger!

~You know me too well.~

Judy chuckled, then stowed her phone and started a clandestine search for unwanted company, but after a few minutes, she sat back again, satisfied that she was in the clear. Luckily, her species was a more common sight in Zootopia. Stalking her made for a tougher job than stalking Nick.

Plus...well, she might have taken a few dozen detours on the way to Grand Central Station. And wore a disguise for part of the way. What could she say? It wasn't every day she got to pretend she was in a spy movie!

Stu and Bonnie were waiting as the train came to a stop, and Judy swore she saw her dad's face brighten when he realized she didn't have company. They walked over to meet her halfway, Stu reaching for Judy's suitcase-on-wheels, while Judy kept her overstuffed back-pack purse.

"Hey, you guys..." Judy smiled happily, as they all paused for hugs, her arms briefly circling around each beloved parent. Their familiar, safe scents were already diffusing tension she hadn't realized she'd been carrying along, thanks to the incredible stress of the past week.

Her mom sighed into Judy's fur, eyes closed as she held Judy a little longer than Stu. As Bonnie pulled away, Judy's heart tightened. Her mom's white fur had inched a little further in, around her loving face. "Sweetheart, it's so good to see you."

"I missed you too..." Her eyes jumped to her dad, and for a moment she was almost in tears again, because their last conversation had been a fight, and she hated fighting with her parents...

Stu stepped in again, a slightly wobbly smile on his face, and caught her up in another, tighter hug. He spoke softly into her ear, in a slightly gravely voice. "I love you, Judy."

She smiled into his fur, which was also whiter than she remembered, tightening the hug. "I love you too, Dad."

They continued on their walk, Judy with an involuntary smile of relief on her face. It felt so good to make up, and she found she was content to fall back into the role of child, being led by her parents to wherever they had parked the car. In a little bit, she would have to give the disappointing news to her dad, but putting it off for just a few minutes ought to be okay...

But then Stu voiced the obvious question. "Soooo...I thought we were going to have company?" Her dad kept his voice light, his tone only slightly awkward.

Judy's ears drooped a little, and she took a deep breath. Well, I guess sooner is better than later, anyway.

"About that...Nick got delayed and had to catch another train, so I was kind of thinking we could get dinner out, then swing back around to pick him up in about two hours?" Judy avoided her parents' eyes as she spoke, but couldn't miss the tell-tale twitch of her father's ears, as the relief he must have been feeling vanished.

Maybe she should have called ahead, and let them know about the change in timing? Even a few hours could make a big difference when you ran a farm. Judy's siblings were older now, and things were extremely organized back at the house, but even a few years back, changing the schedule up like this would have been a pretty big imposition, and this was for Nick, her dad's new least-favorite person.

Bonnie answered, stepping into the space left by Stu's disappointed silence. "Actually, that sounds like fun, honey! We haven't been out to eat in ages, and there's a new restaurant that opened just last month called Nature's Fork. We could go there! Mark can take care of things at home tonight." Mark was a few litters behind Judy, and young enough to be at home while being old enough to step up and take charge when needed.

Judy replied, grateful but hesitant, since her dad had yet to voice his approval, too. "That sounds nice, Mom."

"Well, that's decided then!" Bonnie unzipped her purse, going for her phone. "I'll let Mark know."

There was a bigger downside to depositing Mr. Stewie Shortwhiskers with the local police, and giving his statement on the rodent paparazzi's snooping. He was late now, sure, but Mr. Shortwhiskers would undoubtedly alert even more paparazzi that Officer Nick Wilde was taking a spontaneous trip to Bunny Burrow.

Infatuated Fox Flees would probably make a great headline.

Nick pursed his lips, eyes narrowing into an expression of tired resignation. Even so, the irony of handing Stewie a sizeable fine for invading his privacy felt good, and you could only pick one battle at a time. Besides, Nick hadn't had a choice – Stewie needed to go.

Nick knew he couldn't handle the rejection of Judy's family and having it all plastered across Zootopia's tabloids at the same time. If the two calamities could be offset by a few weeks, that was all he asked. He was prepared as he could be to handle the reactions he'd get from Judy's family, when she explained their real relationship. Nick had packed snacks, money, some first aid basics...pain killers, bandaids. If he had to hoof it out of the house and trek cross country to get back to the train station or, say, borrow an unguarded vehicle (temporarily, of course), then he was prepared.

Who could say, maybe the Hopps would just drop him off back at the train stop? He could deal with that. That would be...nice, even. All things considered.

Nick's ears drooped, and he consciously forced them up again, fixing a relaxed expression back in place; the smiling facade that had gotten him through so many situations in the past.

Yes, he had agreed to this. Yes, he loved Judy. Yes, he wanted her to be happy, and he wanted to be happy with her. But he couldn't help setting his expectations low, where it came to her family. It was a defense mechanism. Pre-coping. He knew better than to build up dreams of kumbaya again.

And he had to be strong for Judy, because she was building up those dreams, miles high, right now. And if they came crashing down...? Well, he'd be whatever she needed him to be.

With that thought fixed firmly in place, Nick stood up as the announcement came that Bunny Burrow station was one minute away. He turned to face the window, and silently took one deep breath after another, forcing the butterflies back down, stretching slightly to loosen up as if preparing for a hustle, and...

There's the happy family.

Judy and her parents stood about twenty feet back from the train. Hardly anyone else was around; he was truly out in the boondocks now. The view, as he gazed past the central hug of the small town, was composed mainly of grass, and a smattering of trees and building not more than three stories high.

It was twilight; where the lengthening lines of shadow created by the sun's last moments on the edge of the horizon had melted into a single, darkening ambiance. This time of day was ideal for Nick's eyesight, and as he focused back on the most stress inducing part of the scenery – namely, Judy's family - he could clearly discern their expressions. He knew they likely saw the form of a fox and not much else, at this distance.

Because of that, Nick was almost certain they hadn't schooled their expressions yet. Judy's father was openly frowning, ears pulled down, although his wife, at least, held onto an awkward smile. Judy was smiling, albeit nervously, and her parents stood close by on either side. Her mother's paw was loosely wrapped around one of her arms. It gave the illusion that they were physically holding her back from walking out to greet him.

As the double doors of the train hissed open, Nick's smile hardened, the mask falling even more firmly into place. He picked up the backpack his hamster buddy had hitchhiked in earlier, and made his way to the door, raising a paw in greeting as he stepped out. Judy raised a paw in response, and Nick's heart warmed as her smile became eager. He hefted his overstuffed backpack a little higher over one shoulder, and skipped through a mental checklist of good behavior as he began to stroll over.

Don't make any quick movements, stay professional and polite...don't smile with the teeth...

As he drew up to the family, meeting them halfway, Nick risked another glance at Mr. Hopps. Oh look, he's not frowning now! Progress. True, it wasn't a smile, either, but Nick would take what he could get.

Judy's mother extended a paw. "Mr. Wilde, welcome to Bunny Burrow!" Nick reached out to gently shake it, and offered a polite smile.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you both." Nick focused mainly on Mrs. Hopps, as he warmly greeted them. "Judy has told me and, of course, the other members of the ZPD so much about you two!" It couldn't hurt to remind them that he was an upstanding member of law enforcement. "It's really an honor to get to meet the folks who produced such an exemplary animal."

Judy, thankfully, held her tongue, but her lips were pursed slightly as she recognized that he was playing a role, even if it wasn't a hustle, per se.

Bonnie Hopps' smile widened, showing genuine pride for her daughter as they began to walk as a group, with a still silent Mr. Hopps leading the way. "Oh, we can still hardly believe what Judy has accomplished, ourselves! But no one can take credit for our daughter's success except Judy herself. Let me tell you, she got where she was determined to be." Nick's smile softened, as he noticed Bonnie give Judy's arm an affectionate squeeze, and couldn't help think that having a loving family had played a role, too.

Bonnie continued, nodding up to Nick. "And of course, I know that you've accomplished quite a lot as well, being the first fox on the force. I'm sure your family must be so proud!"

Nick skipped past her last comment. "Oh, call me Nick, please. Last names are so formal. By the way, I owe you a very appreciative thank-you for the wonderful pastries you've sent your daughter over the last year. She shares them with the ZPD, and I must say, your blueberry pie is a thing of beauty, Mrs. Hopps."

Bonnie blinked in surprise. "Oh, I – I can't take credit for that, I'm afraid! If you've tried the carrot cake, that's my specialty, but our partner Gideon has the real skill with pastries, and the pies are always his." She smiled, glancing briefly to Judy as she continued. "He's really very sweet! He tries to include something or other with every gift bag we've put together for Judy."

Judy's ears perked up. "Really? I didn't know that!"

The only real surprise Nick had was to learn that Judy was genuinely surprised the pies came from Gideon. Nick had been betting on it.

Mrs. Hopps frowned, looking a little consternated at herself. "Oh, I thought I included a note with that first pie...things are always so busy, maybe I forgot." Her smile re-established itself, and Nick found he was beginning to like Judy's mom. He reigned in the emotion, knowing it would be like poison later, if things went badly. "Gideon wanted to sort of stay under the radar, anyway...he's very humble."

"You might get to meet him tonight." Nick's focus jumped forward, as Stu spoke for the first time, in a quiet, neutral voice. "He's taken to delivering the bulk of his pastries to us on Friday evenings. We've found that most folk go for a pie more often on the weekends. In fact, we have a few regulars that show up just for the pastries, these days. A few of them are...foxes, in fact." His voice was hesitant, but Nick recognized the clumsy attempt at extending an olive branch. Judy's dad had to know he'd come off as unwelcoming.

Nick grinned, not about to miss the opportunity. "Well Mr. Hopps, as an animal who might know a little bit about foxes, I can see why they might show up for blueberry pie. In fact, I might just have to buy a few pies myself, if the opportunity presents itself."

"Well...blueberries aren't in season." Stu's words were just a little too cropped, making the response come off as rude, and for the first time in a very long time, Nick found himself hesitating. Sure, he could say lots of things, but this wasn't really a hustle, this was Judy's father...

"...but we have plenty of preserves. Bonnie makes amazing preserves. Gideon might have even've thrown in a few blueberry danishes tonight. Those things'll hook you for life, though, let me just say." Stu paused, pulling keys out from a pocket of his overalls, and turned to finally look Nick in the eyes, presenting a genuine, if reserved, smile. "Well, here we are. We brought the SUV. Should be, you know, plenty of room."

Nick smiled back, a little of the tension in his heart melting away.

As Stu turned back toward the car, Nick flashed a quick smile at Judy over Mrs. Hopps' head. It wasn't time to hope yet, but this might be a small step forwar...

Judy's ears twitched. "Oh, Nick, you've got something..." She pointed to his face, weaving around her mom to get closer to him. "Here, smile for me again..."

Nick awkwardly bared his teeth, but as Judy squinted up at him, his hesitance fell away, as he focused on her beautiful eyes. "Uh-huh, upper-right bicuspid..."

Nick put a claw to where he thought she meant. "One more over..." He jumped a tooth. "Yep!" He dug in, getting rid of the offensive remnant of cheesie burger, sucking it off the tip of his claw after locating it. Then he gave Judy a wide grin, holding it so she could have another look.

Judy leaned back, satisfied, albeit with a furry eyebrow raised at his method of disposal. She gave him a lopsided smile. "Better."

Then their little bubble opened up again, and they simultaneously became aware of the wide eyes of both Bonnie and Stu, who had paused on his way around the car.

Nick's ears dropped back, just the tiniest fraction, but it was stupid to pretend. He smiled again, albeit with closed lips, and spoke gently, but from the heart.

"Judy and I trust each other completely. It's one reason we make such an excellent team."

Judy grinned up at him, grateful for the save. "Truer words were never said, Officer Wilde."

The awkward moment passed. Judy's mother found a smile again, and her dad continued on around the car. And although Nick felt that glimmer of affection for them surface again, he let it stay this time, against his better judgment.

.

.

AN: I noticed that comments are pretty rare for Zootopia stories, so if you can take the time to share your thoughts, I'll appreciate it all the more. As with any author, your comments are like food and water. And if anybody really does want to beta, I'm open!