Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Figured I'd start the new year of 2017 by retelling the story that started it all for me. Not all of it, mind you, not the whole saga, but just the general story of "True Partners", which was the first entry I wrote. I thought I'd go at it with multiple chapters this time and expand and "remix" some of the events therein. I also thought that I'd try to use the experience and "lore" I've built up over these eight or so months to try to tell a story more "Nick and Judy" than before. Either way, I hope you like it.

The ride on the Bunnyburrow country roads was quite bumpy, as usual. Nick was squeezed into the back seat of a Hopps family truck with Judy on his right and one of her sisters on his left. The bunny to his left had really similar colors to Judy, with light gray masking instead of white, almost the same eye color, glasses, a skirt, and a sweater. He was pretty sure her name was... Violet, maybe? It was hard to keep all of those bunnies organized in his mind.

The fox peeked behind him onto the small entourage of trucks following them. He huffed, shaking his head before he came back to rest in his chair.

"I feel like we're part of a funeral procession or something," Nick said wryly.

"Oh but we are," Stu said jovially from the driver's seat. "Yours! Bwahahahaha!" Judy's father had a mirth-filled tone that wasn't the least bit menacing or convincing. Nick managed a single "heh", while the bunny does of the car looked at him with annoyance.

"Stuart," Bonnie's single word carried the heavy weight of reproval. Judy's mother had her paws folded in her lap in the passenger's seat.

"Dad," Judy's brow fell in annoyance, "you've known Nick for close to three years now; isn't it a little late to be making 'kill the fox' jokes?"

"Sorry, he set me up for it!" Stu apologized; his voice continued to bounce in amusement along with the truck.

Nick looked back at the line of trucks again. "Look, I know I'm a charming, debonair, and handsome fox-"

"-Not to mention humble," Judy interrupted sardonically.

"-But I'm still kind of surprised this many bunnies want to see us off back to Zootopia," Nick finished with a smirk at Judy, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes and a challenging grin.

"Well, this is everyone that wanted to come," Judy's sister said, tapping her iPawpad's stylus against the side of the device. "We don't get to see Judy too often, and for reasons unknown you do have a few fans in the Hopps household..." Nick studied her face, which looked completely even.

"You know, I can never tell whether she's joking or not," Nick confided to Judy.

Judy shrugged her shoulders. "Just ask her. Violet, are you joking?"

"Mm," Violet hummed ambiguously.

"Got it," Nick chirped. He looked over at Violet's device. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Looking over optimal seating arrangements for tomorrow's picnic," Violet said, tapping her stylus to her device. "I'm organizing it, as usual."

"What, are you having a party now that I'm leaving?" Nick smirked.

"I can have the Nick fans here..." Violet ignored him, making a mark, "so they will have something to talk about. Likewise, the bunnies who loathe Nick can be placed here so they can wallow in their fox-hating solidarity."

"Ouch," Nick winced.

"Violet, I thought you said you were going to have a talk with those bunnies," Bonnie looked at Violet in the rear-view mirror.

"I have, mother," Violet snipped. "You can't just fix hatred. The best I can do is to try to keep them away from Nick on the occasions he comes over."

"Can't fix hatred, that's the truth," Judy mumbled.

"Well!" Nick clapped his paws. "This conversation is nice and pleasant. I know, let's talk about something else. How about..." Nick searched his memory. "Hey! How great was that reaction from all of those wide-eyed bunnies when we did our little presentation at Eastburrow High School?"

Judy laughed. "I think they were confused, more than anything. A fox police officer and a bunny police officer, both doing a presentation on how 'anyone can be anything' in Zootopia." Judy hummed happily. "A bit of a call back for me."

"You know, I wondered about that," Nick said thoughtfully. "You mean to tell me they don't even have any bunny law enforcement in Bunnyburrow?"

"It's rare, but it is starting to happen," Stu said. "Traditionally it's been mammals who are bigger or stronger than bunnies, since most of the criminals in Bunnyburrow are, well naturally... bunnies."

"Either way, I'm sure you convinced a few impressionable teenagers to chase some sort of new, unorthodox dream job," Violet said evenly.

"Okay, pretty sure that was sarcasm," Nick smirked.

One by one, the trucks pulled into the parking garage near the Bunnyburrow train station, and the small army of Hopps bunnies followed Nick and Judy to the train platform. Violet lagged behind, seeming like she was silently taking attendance of the present bunnies.

"Well, as always, it was a delight to have you over, Nick," Bonnie smiled warmly at the two. "Even if it was just for a few days. Story time with 'mister fox' is a big favorite with the little kits."

"Ah. Well," Nick waved his paw dismissively. "How hard is it to read to the little guys? C'mon."

"When they crawl all over you like they do?" Stu chuckled, running his hands over his suspenders. He clicked his teeth then pointed at Nick, winking. "You've got a lot of patience, son. You'll probably make a great father someday."

Nick burst out a huff of a breath. "Oh, do you think so?" Judy seemed to think this was amusing as well.

"Anyway, it wouldn't be a goodbye to 'mister fox' without one of these, now would it?" Bonnie brought a little, neatly wrapped box out of a bag.

"Oh my God, yes," Nick's eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. "Blueberry pie!" He took the pie, accepting a little hug from Bonnie.

"Try not to drool, Nick," Judy smirked, folding her arms.

"Who is that God that you keep referencing, Nick?" Stu chuckled. "Surely it's not the Lamb."

"It's just a habit, really, that expression," Nick admitted. "Recently though, I've been a bit of a believer in Karma. Not like formally, but..."

"Karma?" Bonnie blinked.

"'Karma will repay all of your actions threefold, both beneficial and vile'," Judy quoted, holding a finger up. "I've heard Nick say that a few times."

"Does that mean I should be expecting three blueberry pies in the mail?" Bonnie leaned over a little, raising her eyebrows.

"Heck, with ol' Gideon Grey as our partner, it's not out of the question!" Stu laughed heartily.

"I'm sure all of that religious nonsense isn't supposed to be taken literally," Violet said, walking by, "though I have to admit, the universe descending into chaos because the law of conservation of matter was broken by self-replicating pies would be amusing, if nothing else. Caught in an endless loop of gifted and re-gifted pies, tripling every time..."

"Pies all the way down," Nick said grimly. "What a way to go. Delicious, but deadly."

"The apiecalypse," Judy added. Stu laughed at this.

"Anyway, I'll treasure every bite of this confection," Nick smiled happily, his tail swishing a little bit as he carefully held the pie aloft. He gripped onto the box tighter as he saw a light gray flash zoom by him.

"Oof!" Judy expelled a burst of air as her younger sister Jenny ran bodily into her for a hug.

"Bye Judy, love you!" Jenny said exuberantly.

"Love you too, Jenny," Judy hugged her, then let her go. "You be good, okay?"

"Pff, yeah right," Jenny's warmth suddenly melted into mischief. She walked over to Nick like she was going to hug him, then dropped her arms. "Bye Nick. You're okay."

"What, no hug for me?" Nick asked incredulously, carefully handing the pie off to Judy and rummaging into his things. "Not even if I gave you... this?" Nick pulled out a small bright red firefighter's helmet.

Jenny gasped shrilly, rushing over to grab it from him. She looked over it with huge eyes, giving a terse shriek. "What!? Ohmygosh really? Is this an actual Junior Zootopia Firefighter helmet!?"

"Sure is," Nick snapped it back from her. "Costs one hug, tho-urgh!" Jenny glomped onto the fox very tightly.

"Thanks, Nick! You're so cool and awesome and I'm gonna be a firefighter in Zootopia one day you'll see-!" Jenny started to gush. Nick carefully set her down, then placed the hat on her head. It was just a little bit too big for the young teenage rabbit.

"Hm, I think this one was made for a fox or something, oh well," Nick considered playfully, tapping his cheek twice. Jenny didn't seem the least bit put off, and Judy giggled into a paw.

"Aw, Nick, you're just..." Stu's breath caught a bit. "You're just so thoughtful. You come back soon now, you hear me?" He blinked repeatedly to try to clear his eyes.

"Seriously, Stu?" Bonnie rolled her eyes. Both Nick and Judy traded hugs with the latter's parents as the train arrived, and waved to them from inside the train as it got ready to leave.

"Bye everyone! See you soon, hopefully!" Judy waved.

"See you guys!" Nick added, waving.

"Bye!" Bonnie waved. "You two behave yourselves!"

"And make sure everyone else in Zootopia behaves, too!" Stu pumped his arm. "Else, tase 'em!" Judy's brow fell and she grinned with a nod.

"And don't think just because you two have made it two years as partners in Zootopia unharmed that nothing bad can happen to you two-" Violet started with a worried face, then the doors closed and the train started to make its way off. Violet's ears drooped as her warning got cut off. Nick smirked from within the train.

"I notice neither of us got a hug from Violet," Nick pretended to pout.

"Well, she's not a very huggy bunny," Judy explained.

"Huggy bunny," Nick repeated. "I like the sound of that. Huggy bunny, huggy bunny-"

"Nick, stop...!" Judy chuckled as the two made their way up to the observation deck.

The train ride from Bunnyburrow to Zootopia was a long one. Judy gazed serenely out at the lush scenery on the way. It would be sunset before they got around to Zootopia and she couldn't wait to see the skyline of her city bathed in the orange light of the approaching evening.

Three hours was quite a long time to wait for that, though. The gray bunny glanced at the absent-looking fox to her right. She knew if she started talking, those hours would seem like mere minutes. So what was there to do but to start talking?

"So, did you have fun at my parents' place?" Judy piped up perkily, her ears straightening up.

"Always an adventure," Nick nodded, smirking. He nodded down to their things. "Always a pastry, too. Like they're bribing me to come back."

"You almost sound surprised," Judy chuckled, then moved into humming in amusement. "You remember the first time I brought you to the farm?"

"I try not to," Nick said, looking out the window, his stare suddenly becoming vacant.

"Oh come on," Judy said with encouraging humor, "it wasn't that bad."

"So, let's see," Nick looked up at the ceiling of the train, recalling the incident. "It was the middle of summer a month or two after everything went back to normal in Zootopia. You decide to take me along when you're returning your dad's beat-up truck to Bunnyburrow."

"Predictably, we break down," Judy nodded her head this way and that.

"Right in the middle of summer," Nick continued. "So! By the time we're finally rescued, towed, and we get to your place, I smell like death."

"It was pretty funny, though," Judy grinned, her teeth showing. "So many kits were excited to finally meet you, and they ended up parting from you as you rushed past them."

Nick spread his arms wide. "Part, sea of bunnies. For I am Nick Wilde, and I smell ripe."

"So, okay, it was a rough start," Judy tilted her head back and forth, rolling her eyes. "But the kits liked you. My parents liked you."

"I got ushered into a buck's shower, Carrots," Nick shook his head, fixing into a thousand-yard stare. "A buck's shower. I thought you were kidding when you said bunnies do communal bathing."

"Why would I have been kidding?" Judy shrugged.

"I saw more bunny buck than I ever want to see again," Nick groaned.

"Oh come on," Judy held her hands palm up. "You were having a good time at the Mystic Springs three years ago."

"Yeah, because I knew it was eating at you," Nick looked down at the half-smile of the bunny. "So, how did you survive your kit years if nudity frightens you so much?"

"It's no big deal with the family, Nick," Judy shook her head. "Seeing random animals nude? Kind of weird."

"Uh huh, yeah, that makes perfect sense," Nick nodded sarcastically.

"I guess different mammals just have different traditions," Judy shrugged. "Communal bunny showers save time, water, space, everything really. I guess we just got used to seeing each other naked."

There was a lull in the conversation. Judy seemed a little restless.

"Doesn't really- really feel like we've been partners for two years, does it?" Judy asked in a low, almost mysterious voice.

"Not really, no," Nick shook his head. "And we've known of each other for a year more than that, even. So uh, is it everything you thought it'd be? Being a bunny beat cop?"

"More, really," Judy smirked dreamily, placing her paws on the guard rail near Nick, who had his arms folded on them.

"Really?" Nick huffed, folding his arms. "We're still some of the smallest cops in Zootopia, not counting Little Rodentia. Still just kind of just a novelty, right?"

"A novelty... that saved Zootopia," Judy smiled brightly. "I got to make the world a better place. I'm living the dream right now. Got a halfway decent partner, too." Judy half-lidded her eyes at the fox. He twisted his muzzle into a sly half-smile. "I'd say I'm doing well, and doing good. Good for the world."

"Jeez, three years on the force hasn't worked on that enthusiasm at all, has it?" Nick tried to sound dry, but it came out with a bit of fondness.

"How could it, when it still looks like that?" Judy smiled as Zootopia came into view. "The Gleaming City."

Nick was quiet for several moments as he marveled at the approaching "beacon" to pred-prey peace and acceptance. He pushed away from the guard rail and straightened up to take it all in. "...Don't get this view too often. I was mostly just living inside of the place."

"But you must love it, Nick," Judy smiled at it. "You have to, right? Else you wouldn't have busted your lazy tail for almost a year to become a cop. My partner."

"Yeah," Nick breathed out distantly. "I guess I must, huh?" Nick cautiously looked at Judy, who gave him a perky smile with her eyes closed. He rubbed at his chest while her eyes were closed and swallowed, turning to look at the various districts as they whizzed by.

"This train ride never gets old," Judy sighed pleasantly. "The first time... it was just so enchanting. The city is so beautiful and spectacular, a marvel of both nature and mammal construction."

"Zootopia does like to show off," Nick grinned, shaking his head. "Kinda makes you forget about all the trouble that goes on inside such a 'pretty' place, hm?"

"Not completely," Judy lowered her brow and balled a fist, shaking it with an adventurous smile. "That's why I wanted to become a cop, after all! There's always bad guys to go after!"

The train finally pulled into the station. Judy clapped her paws once and rubbed them, picking up her luggage.

"Well, Nick?" Judy nodded her head down to the exit of the train. "Ready to go continue making the world a better place?"

"Nope," Nick said, carefully lifting up the box containing Bonnie's pie. "Pie first."

"Tsk," Judy rolled her eyes, leaving the train with Nick. "I'm not going to listen to you whining about a stomachache if you eat that whole thing in one night."

"It's gonna be so worth it," Nick grinned toothily, licking his muzzle at the confection.

Judy let out an amused huff, then looked down at the ground as the two made their way through the train station. "Hey, isn't that what I said to you right before you left for the academy?"

Nick blinked. He was mentally thrown back in time to that moment and the look on her face then. She'd given him a hug. It was uncomfortable, sort of, and yet, when he looked at her in her big purple eyes? There was something like pride, maybe even admiration in them. He saw the echo of that memory in her charming bunny face right at that moment. "Yeah, something like that, wasn't it?"

"And... has it been?" Judy pursued with a tiny wince. Her smile threatened to wane.

"Worth it?" Nick grinned confidently, shaking his head. "Oh yeah. A hundred percent."

Judy smiled warmly as the two began to need to split off for different subway stations to get to their separate apartment complexes.

"So! See you tomorrow, huh?" Judy chirped at him right before they parted ways.

"Stomachache and all," Nick agreed.

"Hm!" Judy grinned after Nick. She lingered, watching his tail swaying as he walked away. She idly wondered if the fox would look back at her.

He did. Nick turned his head halfway. For a split second, Judy thought she saw surprise in his face, but it turned into his easy, usual smirk, and he even winked at her. It sent a charge of delight through the bunny's body, and she spun around happily, renewing her grip on her luggage before heading down into the subway.

It's nice to have such a great partner, Judy thought as she headed home.