A/N This is the first time that I have written in years so be easy on me! I fell in love with this story and these characters the moment I saw the movie. I had to add my two little grains of sand.

I do not own Zootopia or any of its characters.

July 8th

The Zootopia Foundation was having its annual 'Night in Blue Gala' on July 15th, in exactly one week. It was a chance for every officer from the surrounding 3 precincts to mingle with their fellow officers, important members of local charities, and heads of important businesses and organizations. It was as much a way to honor the officer's dedication to the city as it was a fundraiser for the Foundation. The event was free to the officers and their dates, but all other seats and table reservations cost a pretty penny, it was safe to assume that anyone who had a seat inside the hall was well off. Judy had had not been an officer long enough for her to actually attend one before but was told by everyone else that the event had always been one of the most elegant and regarded events of the city, and one of the most looked forward to affair for the precinct.

Rumor was that Chief Bogo had been caught "co-mingling" with a fellow officer in one of the restroom stalls fifteen or so years ago. No one around now had been on the force long enough to confirm or deny the rumors, so it remained just that...a rumor.

Judy had been looking forward to the occasion for several weeks, ever since the formal invitation had been delivered to her inbox at work. Due to hectic cases at work and recently moving into her new apartment (the new apartment which happened to be a few floors up from Nick's new digs), she had not had the time to actually think about finding a gown or a date for that matter. So, here it was, one short week until the gala and her wardrobe options were limited, at best. She could either wear a raggedy floral dress that she had last worn when she was 16 and forced to attend her high school spring formal, or she could wear her uniform. Neither would do. Without having any real friends in Zootopia or rather anyone whose opinion she trusted, she now found herself gown shopping the last few days with her faithful Cheetah, Clawhauser. She really did appreciate his eagerness to help but the enthusiastic 'oohs' and 'aaaah' and dramatic reactions to each and every dress that she tried on was not exactly helpful. She originally considered asking Nick to accompany her but a comment that he had made soon after receiving the 'Night in Blue' formal invitation made her decide against it. He had said something along the lines of "Why do women even care about their gowns, it's not like us males are noticing. We are too busy imagining what's underneath. I, for sure, wouldn't know one gown from the next." Definitely not Nick. It might have been awkward anyways.

Flash forward to today, she currently stood at the Cheetah's desk waiting for him to finish his shift. He was busy in the records room, doing some last minute case filings under Bogo's direct orders. The plan for this evening was to visit their 3rd shop this week. She waited at the desk flipping through photos on her phone of countless gowns, in a variety of colors and styles. Nothing to date had been to her liking or within her price budget.

Officer Wilks told her about a new shop that had just opened a few months ago not too far from the station, so she had done some research online and was excited to check it out. The gowns were really pretty and the prices were reasonable. She had even saved a few photos of dresses on her phone that she wanted to look into and that is precisely what she was doing while waiting for Ben. Judy admitted to herself that although she didn't like to regularly get too dressed up, it was nice to have an elegant evening to look forward to. She did not have a date but was slowly liking the idea. She wouldn't have to worry about finding someone on the fly or feeling nervous about the evening. Plus, she had recently learned that some of her fellow female officers were going solo.

She was so occupied with her phone that she had not noticed a mammal hunched over her, looking over her shoulder and down at her phone. There, on her screen, was the one dress that Judy desperately wanted to see in person and try on. It was a bold red sleeveless floor length silk gown, simple in comparison to the others that she had seen in magazines and at the other shops. There was no sequence or fancy detail work on it all. It cost a little more than she had thought about spending, but it was beautiful and totally worth it. She was not a fan of tight or fitted dress and although this was snug, it had a cross bodice around the waist and hips that made it look flattering. She could see herself in something like that. She worried about the bold color, she preferred it in a softer shade, a purple or periwinkle even, but the red would do just fine if they had nothing else.

A familiar voice brought her out of her reverie, a voice that was mere millimeters away from her ears, close enough where she could feel the breath on the tops of them. "Ooh la la, Carrots. Who is your friend and when can I meet her?"

She jumped, startled at the sound of him so near to her. First, because the red fox had said goodbye to her half an hour earlier so she assumed that he was long gone and second, because he had mastered the art of sneaking up on her. Sneaky fox, she thought. He now seemed amused, one arm resting on the side of the receptionist desk while the other motioned its way to her phone. She burrowed her brow and quickly moved her phone out of his arms reach. "Geez, Nick. You need to stop scaring me like that!"

"It is not my fault that you weren't paying attention to your surroundings. I've been standing next to you for over a minute, Fluff. As your partner and one whose life depends on your ability to have my back, it's a bit nerving." He said casually, now shifting his weight onto one leg while leaning on the other, still with one arm resting on the desk next to him.

She responded by completely turning to face him and giving him the evil eye.

"So, who is your fancy friend there?" He motioned to the phone in her hand with his eyes.

"She is not my friend, Nick. Just a picture I found online…" she said dryly as she clicked her phone off and placed it in her back pocket. He stared back at her quizzically. He made no comment but he was definitely intrigued.

She quickly caught his look. She let out a deliberate sigh. "No, I don't just have random pictures of strangers in my phone, Nick..." she pointedly looked at him. "It's just a dress that I want to try on, that's all."

Nick's eyes shot open and he smiled widely at her. "Va va voom, Fluff!" he teased. "What's the special occasion?"

"The gala, Nick. I have talked to you about finding a dress for the last week..." her voice trailed off and she sounded almost deflated when she immediately assumed that he had not been paying attention to her these last few days. "Never mind, forget it. It's nothing. Just a dumb dress that I want to look at." She glanced behind Nick and towards the hallway which led to the records room. Still no sign of the Cheetah.

Nick laughed out loud, "Seriously, Carrots? I was joking. I mean, how could I possibly forget when you have brought it up at least 30 times today? I think I have the itinerary memorized by heart now."

Judy quickly added without thinking, "Oh, and I added it to your phone's calendar"

"Exactly. How could I possibly forget?" He smiled down to her. His face which was normally plastered with a smirk, lopsided grin, or with the hint of mischief had disappeared. He smiled warmly at her. He continued, "But what I did not know was that you meant serious business with this dress stuff. You mentioned you wanted to buy a dress, but I had imagined some dress you could get off of a rack at the thrift store." As he spoke he had begun to fidget with the stapler which was atop of Clawhauser's desk.

Judy frowned. "The thrift store, Nick, really? Anyway, well, it's a formal gala so it goes without saying that everyone will wear formal wear, you know...gowns and tuxes..." She slowed and thought for a second before continuing, "You do have a tux, Nick?"

The red fox stopped fidgeting with the stapler and met her stare. "Why would I have a tux? Having a tux would imply that I intend on going. Which I don't plan to." He shifted his weight again, and placed the hand that had been so occupied with the stapler, into his pocket.

Judy's eyes grew so large that Nick almost had to contain an audible laugh. "Nicholas P. Wilde, what do you mean you don't plan on going?" Her eyes then narrowed in on her target as she inched closer to him, a move he quickly recognized as when she was set on getting a confession from their detained criminals.

Nick tried his best to look unphased, even though her stance and serious face definitely had him wishing that he had left the precinct instead of waiting around to see what she was up to. He looked around, as if looking for a way out. There was none, it was just he and the grey bunny whose face seemed to get closer the longer he waited to respond. He decided to bite the bullet, "Look, Carrots. As much fun as I am sure that I would have with a bunch of rich snobs and fellow underpaid officers, I think I will pass. You know that I would have a horrible time so why bother?"

Judy's serious face relaxed and then she took a few steps back. That earned her a look of disbelief from the fox, as he had been fully expecting to be punched in the arm, at the least. Judy nodded and smiled at him which had Nick even further confused. She finally added "Ok, Nick. Fine, don't go. I am sure you're better off staying home." She then turned from him and with her back turned, began walking away towards the hallway, speaking over her shoulder as she walked, "I have to go Nick, I have to look for Ben because it's getting late and I want to find that dress. See you tomorrow, partner!" She finished as cheerfully as she could. Nick only looked after her, confused as ever.

The second Judy had turned to walk away, she smiled to herself. She knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. Sure, she had expected him to make jokes about renting an outlandish tux and even expected a little bit of resistance, but for him to say that he wasn't going? That was not a thought that had crossed her mind. She hesitated for one brief moment but then remembered her strategy: reverse psychology. Worked every single time with Nick and he was oblivious to it. She had done it so many times to him, she was ashamed to admit but she felt that the means justify the results. When she wanted him to get his driver's license and he was adamant that he didn't need one, she agreed and even told him that he wouldn't pass the test anyway so it didn't matter. After that little conversation, it took all of one week before he had license in hand. How long had it been for him to agree that it was a good idea for them to live in the same apartment building? She thought about it. Two days and three conversations. "Oh, you're right, Nick. I would hate your apartment building anyways. I mean, could you imagine? Us...in the same building? I would end up moving out in a week, I think. We just aren't cut out to be neighbors and partners." A few more comments against the idea and that was it. She was signing her lease and he was helping move her in by the end of that week.

So, as she walked away from a flabbergasted Nick, she again smiled to herself. She mentally began counting the seconds before he would come after her. Seven, eight, nine, ten...

"Hey Carrots!" she heard called from behind. She smiled and mentally gave herself a high five. She quickly erased any giddiness from her face, and turned to face him, "Yeah, what's up Nick?" She surprised herself at how manipulative she could be. Well, she had learned from him after all, so she shouldn't be surprised.

Nick had picked up his pace into a light skip to catch up with her as she walked away. Once they were within feet of each other he began, "Hey Carrots. So, you're cool with me not going? It's not a big deal to you?" He asked without first mulling over his questions in his head, and very unlike him. He quickly reassessed and followed with, "I mean, you have been talking about this nonstop so I am just glad that we are finally in agreement that I shouldn't go." He flashed his characteristic lop sided grin.

Judy stared blankly back at him. What were we even talking about? His charming self had begun to have a way of making her flushed, even more so when that face of his was so close to her. Nick continued to grin at her while she fumbled for words. "Oh, well, I, um…sure…. I guess if you don't want to go, I can't make you, right? You're not easily persuaded so why waste my time?" Towards the latter part of her sentence, she found her brain again and was able to focus on their conversation.

She saw something flicker in his eyes for a fraction of a millisecond. It was fleeting but she definitely saw something there. "Yeah, you are right. When I make up my mind, there's no changing it. These fancy shmancy affairs, they're just not for me. They are meant for socializing and networking. I would rather not socialize if I can help it and I am sure that people would much rather not socialize with me." As he finished, Judy almost sensed that this was a question rather than a statement.

"Yeah, well, there's that. You wouldn't have fun. You're better off staying at home. I am glad that we finally agree on something," she chuckled. "And hey, I am sure that I can find someone else to hang out with, I hear that all of Precinct 2 will be there!" She quipped cheerfully. Too cheerfully she thought.

The fox stood in place, his mind clearly contemplating something. He was about to open his mouth when Ben sheepishly walked out to the lobby where the partners were and shrugged his shoulders. He waited until he was in hearing distance then immediately began to apologize to Judy, "O.M. Goodness, Judy, I am so sorry but I can't come with you tonight to try out even more beautiful dresses. Bogo just told me that I filed this weeks' and last weeks' reports wrong. It's either stay tonight or stay during my lunch break for the rest of the week. I am sorry but I just can't. Not lunch." He shook his head emphatically to stress his point.

He turned to Nick, as if realizing for the first time that he was there. His face lit up and he brought his hands to his chin, exclaiming "Oh, Nick! You are here! You have to help Judy find her gown! You know her more than I do so you know what flatters her perfect little body." He smiled back and forth between the two partners, not noticing that both flinched at his choice of words. They stared back at him for a second, then both began at the same time, "NO!" Their words startled one another and they stared a brief second.

Nick was the first to recover. He looked at Judy then to Ben then back to Judy again. "As much as I would love to see our dear Officer Hopps try on several gowns on that perfect little body of hers" he paused for dramatic effect and even had the audacity to wink at Judy. She blushed then looked away, not able to look him in the eye. Something about his teasing was getting to her lately and she did not like it at all. Nick continued, "Believe me, I would love to help but I am just not the right person for the job. I don't know anything about fancy gowns. Perfect little bodies? Yes, that but that's about it." He again looked at Judy, who refused to look him in the eye. Her focus remained steadfast on Ben, trying to telepathically will him into changing his mind and accompanying her after all. She could deal with his obnoxious reactions and could even sit through the mini photo sessions that seemed to occur when she tried on every dress, anything to avoid having Nick's company thrown at her.

Ben didn't notice her staring at him. He was focused in all of his joyful glory on the fox standing next to him. "Nick, you are perfect. You guys are basically a couple with as much time that you guys spend together. You even live together now, right?" He slowed but didn't wait for a response before he continued, "So, Nick just help her pick out something that will make her as beautiful as we both know that she is. Honestly, we both know that she will look stunning in whatever she puts on but we need her to look absolutely breathtaking. She is the only chance of Precinct 1 making an appearance on the jumbotron." He mumbled that last part.

Judy nervously raised her head to see what Nick's reaction had been. He was busy looking around the room, with the gears in his head clearly turning full speed. She smiled knowing that it was killing him to be forced to go with her. Then she stopped smiling, realizing that she did not want him to come either. It hadn't been awkward with Ben but trying on gowns with Nick? That just seemed a bit too personal for them. Sure, they were good friends, and she could even venture to say that he had become her best friend but there was still that invisible line in the sand that Nick had drawn. She always tried to convince herself that she was avoiding that line for his sake and his sake alone. The truth was so much complicated than that. She had only recently began to understand that the line was as much a barrier for Nick as protection for herself. Protection from "feeling things" for him, boy was that not working. They spent an extraordinary amount of time together but somehow it was easy to blame Nick for them not making that final move towards the official best friend status, or something more. This, trying on dresses with him, just seemed like they were moving closer towards that imaginary line.

She looked again to Nick, he looked cool and calm. She had seen that face dozens of times before. It was the mask he put on for the outside world when he was trying like hell to hide his emotions.

She saw him relax and then his face dropped into that silly smirk of his. He then looked to Judy and said to Ben, "Might as well help this bunny out. If I don't, who will? She might just end up embarrassing the precinct. Like you said, she might be our only chance at getting up on the jumbotron."

Judy immediately reacted, "Oh no, Nick. You don't have to. Really. It's not important and I can go by myself. Thanks, Nick really but I can go alone." She had begun to speak rapidly, hoping that somehow he would get the drift. Of course Nick would do just the opposite.

"Why, Carrots, it would be an honor to help you find a dress to put on that perfect little body of yours. You wouldn't feel uncomfortable spending time with your handsome bud, your partner would you?" He hunched down so that his face was level with hers. He was having way too much fun with this. "Come on, Fluff. It's getting late and we have a dress to find!"

Ben giggled as he hugged Judy goodbye without even waiting for her to respond to Nick. He waved at the pair as he retreated to the filing room.

Judy weighed her options. She could just go ahead and get this over with or postpone this for another day. She was leaning towards the latter until she remembered that the event was only one week away. If she did end up finding a dress, she might need to get it altered and that could take a few days. She was cutting it close as it was. She looked up, defeated, at Nick who remained close to her with that smile plastered on his face.

"Okay, Nick. Let's go. I really need to get this done today..." she marched ahead of him as they left the precinct and towards the car.

They made it to the car in silence and Judy had expected the silence to continue a little bit longer when he spoke up, "So, are all of the guys of Precinct 2 supposed to be at this event?" He looked to the sky as he said it and if she had not been keenly aware of the silence between the two, she might have just missed it. "...and anyway, I hear that they are having an open bar. I might as well just check it out and enjoy the free drinks. That and I need to keep an eye on you, Hopps. Wouldn't want you making a scene and giving Precinct 1 a bad name..." She grinned widely at him as she mentally gave herself another high five, the second of the night. That almost seemed too easy, even for her.

It made her happier than she would like to admit that the reason behind his swift and sudden change of heart had something to do with her being admired by the officers of Precinct 2. He very well had heard of their reputation of being the most attractive officers of all of the precincts, and for the most part they were all single and readily available to charm any and every female that came their way.