-Chapter 17-

The raccoon let out a sigh, hoping that somehow the exhalation of air would relieve the weight he felt. He stared down at the vial which he had in his paws, clasping it tightly. This was it. They had one chance to make this right. He looked at Rory. She gave him a silent, yet confident, nod.

Reynard sprinted out of the bathroom, running down the hallway that Nick and Judy had been led down. His eyes widened as he turned the corner. Walking back down the hallway were four guards surrounding Fasco. They noticed him instantly, the raccoon bolting to run the other way.

"Get him!" Fasco ordered.

Reynard began to order his legs to move faster, sprinting as quickly as he could down the hallway in the direction he had come from. The four guards and Fasco were running after him in hot pursuit, eager to catch the masked intruder.

Taking a right, Reynard ran down the next hallway, looking back to make sure all the guards were still chasing him.

Please, he thought let it be enough time.

Rory watched as the koala and his guards flew by the bathroom, madly chasing after Reynard. She exhaled, nervous about the whole scenario. Her plan needed to work. It had to.

She silently slid out of the bathroom, creeping down the now empty hallway. She hoped Reynard could distract them for long enough to finish what she had to do. Cautiously, she crept around the corner, heart racing, a single thought running laps in her head.

She needed to find Nick and Judy.

Nick and Judy looked around the room, trying to find anything they could possibly use to their advantage. The doors were off limits, seeing as they were handcuffed and had only a few seconds to react. Together, the two officers slowly backed into the corner, the now savage animals slowly encroaching on them.

"Any ideas, Carrots?" Nick asked desperately, his usually collected expression for once actually displaying his terror. "I don't like the idea of becoming prey."

"Hold on," Judy replied, her eyes intensely focused on Clare's harsh, animal glare. They were locked in an intense stare, the cheetah licking her lips at the sight of her next meal. The rabbit noticed the slightest twitch of Clare's hind legs, and leaped straight up into the air, barely dodging as the big cat lunged. She landed on the creature's head, vaulting herself into the air again. her large rabbit legs contracting and uncoiling like springs, she delivered a kick to the koala, sending it flying across the room, effectively disabling it, as she landed once again.

Nick blinked in awe.

"Being prey isn't so bad," she proclaimed, smirking at him. She quickly regained her balance, ready to continue fighting. Clare turned around, noticeably more angry. She let out a nasty snarl, primal eyes locked on her target. Clare pounced, leaping through the air with her fangs bared as she approached Judy. Judy quickly hopped to the side, but the cheetah had just as quick of reflexes, her large paws grabbing the rabbits leg as she did so. Judy let out a whelp of horror. She frantically began trying to break free of the cheetah's grip. Nick screamed, running over in her direction. The cheetah pulled the rabbit's squirming leg closer to it's maw. It was time for the weak bunny to die.

"NO!" a piercing cry shattered the air. Nick stopped caring about thinking, letting his instincts entirely take over. It didn't matter what happened now, there was no way he could let her die. He lashed out, hurling himself onto the cheetah. He sunk his fox fangs into the cheetah's side, tearing through her clothing until he could taste blood. He shook his mouth trying to cause as much pain to the feline as he could.

Letting out a cry of pain, Clare whirled around, her claw scraping across the right half of Nick's face. She threw the fox off of her back, causing him to yip as his body made a thud against the wall. Clare turned her attention to the helpless fox, who was lying in pain on the ground, a low rumble coming from her throat. She was bloodied and furious, her savage instincts completely in control. There would be no way he escaped. She would tear him apart, putting him in his place once and for all.

Nick's eyelids fluttered open as he groaned in pain to see a spotted figure slowly approaching him. As his vision cleared, he came to fully realize the predicament he was in. Step after step, the cheetah came closer. He stared up at the cheetah which was looming over him, looking into its ruthless eyes. He went through all of his options. Judy was too far away. Scrambling away was out of the question. Fighting back was impossible. Slowly, he began to realize. He had no options. This was it.

He was going to die.

Everything seemed to slow down. His eyelids began to drop, sealing his mind off from the rest of the world. He inhaled deeply, preparing himself. His thoughts became muddled, and then suddenly everything was clear and in focus, a series of images and memories flashing before his eyes.

"Mom, why don't I have a daddy like the other mammals?" the young fox said innocently, looking up at the vixen's tired and overworked eyes.

She smiled, letting out a small sigh. "Because, honey," she said, "I've already got you, and that's the only thing I need."

The child smiled at his mother, nuzzling her as he extended his arms around her legs. "I love you mommy."

The scenes flashed through everything he had ever done. He watched himself attend the ranger scout meeting again,running out crying as he tore the muzzle from his face. It flashed again, showing a fox sitting outside of an office in a chair. The door to the office opened, a rhino escorting a vixen out. The fox who had been sitting now arose, walking alongside the older vixen.

"Nick, honey..." the vixen said. "How many times do we have to have this conversation?"

"What I did wasn't wrong," he retorted.

"It was dishonest, which makes it wrong."

"Dishonest is a word mammals use to keep the resourceful down," he replied, entirely nonchalant.

The vixen shook her head, her fists clenched. She stopped walking and turned to her son."Why do you do this to me, Nick? I just want you to be a good mammal. Why is that so much to ask?"

Because, Nick thought to himself, his stoic expression unfaltering, being good means being vulnerable, which only ever means hurt.

Things whirled around again. Images kept flashing. He recognized the setting. He was in the passenger seat of the van with Finnic, seething with rage.

"How could she say that?" Nick yelled. "Gah!" he pounded his fist on the dashboard.

"Woah woah woah," the fennec fox interjected. "I know you're mad, but don't take it out on my ride."

Nick's face shifted into something grotesque as he stared out the window. "Stupid, ignorant bunny..." he muttered. "'Something in their DNA,' what a load of steaming hot garbage," he spat the words out hatefully. "And in front of all the press, no less."

"Hey, just forget about it, man," Finnic told him, "we're gonna go back to making cash and everything will be fine."

Nick kept staring out of the window. Being good means being vulnerable, he thought as the buildings passed them by, which only ever means hurt.

The slideshow continued. He saw himself hugging the rabbit under the bridge, and her leading him through the museum to arrest Bellwether. It then flashed into a train station.

"Well, I guess this is it, huh," the small bunny said, looking up at him. She tried to maintain a smile, but her ears gave away her true feelings. Droopy and gloomy.

"Aw, don't be sad, Carrots," the fox said cheerfully, picking up her ears and restoring them to their upright position. "It's just a few months, and then we'll be working together after that."

"I know...it's just...I'm going to miss you, is all," she tried to explain.

"Well, I can't say I blame you, me being as fiendishly attracti-"

"No, Nick, listen, I'm serious," she interrupted. "I love you, okay?"

Nick sighed softly, and smiled. "Love you too, fluff. Please...take care of yourself."

Judy snorted. "You're worried about me taking care of myself? What about you, how are you planning on making it through the police academy?"

"Well if a dumb bunny such as yourself can do it I'm sure I'll be just fine," he replied, smirking.

She laughed and shook her head. "Oh, get out of here already, you sly fox."

"Fine, fine," he conceded, still smirking as he turned and began to walk with his suitcase into the crowd. "So long, Officer Hopps."

"Wait, you're forgetting something," she exclaimed, running over to him.

"What are you talking abou- oof," he was cut off, the air sucked out of him by the bunny throwing her arms around his chest. He smiled. "Oh right, that."

Good is not bad, he thought to himself as he hugged her. Not bad at all.

The images kept scrolling, but now it was all recent enough that it was no longer a surprise to him, the last image flashing where he had been not five minutes prior.

He looked back into the cheetah's eyes, feeling a sense of inner peace.

I was good, the thoughts flooded him with zen. They were happy because of me.

The cheetah was now overshadowing his body. Nick had accepted his fate. He was ready to die, even if he didn't want to. He continued to look into Clare's eyes, wondering if she'd remember what she did to him. Clare bared her fangs, and Nick closed his eyes in bracing himself.

He heard Judy scream. The door flew open, making a loud noise. A small object whistled through the air. The cheetah yelped. Nick opened his eyes, gaping as the cat's eyes rolled into the back of its head. It seemed to defy gravity as slowly its head rolled onto his chest.

He swallowed heavily, his heart racing. A tranquilizer dart.

He was alive.

Nick didn't even notice Judy coming over to tend to him. All he could do was look ahead and breathe.

"Oh my gosh, Nick," she begged, a tear rolling down her cheek. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay," she repeated over and over, stuffing her face in his chest.

Nick looked down at his paws, wiggling each of his fingers and admiring the sensation. His ears and nose twitched, followed by his legs and toes, as if he needed to make sure all of the parts of his body still were alive. He looked down at the bunny which was crying into his chest, paws still handcuffed behind her back.

Suddenly, he became incredibly aware of the pain in his chest and the claw marks on his face.

"Ow ow ow," he exclaimed, causing Judy to quickly recoil from his chest. "I think I broke things."

The rabbit let out a sigh, having a hard time processing what had just happened.

"Oh Nick," Judy cried, "don't EVER do that to me again."

Nick smirked. "Me? You were almost as close as I was, fluff."

She smiled and let out a relieved sob. "Thank cheese and crackers Rory showed up."

"I got lucky," Rory said.

"No," Nick interjected. "I think we all did," he paused. "I guess I owe my life to you, kid."

There was a moment of silence. Rory swallowed. A few days ago she had been living on the streets pick pocketing people. Now she had just saved Nick Wilde's life.

"I...I..." she tried to find something to say, but couldn't. "You're welcome."

He smiled, staring gratefully at her with the eye that wasn't bloodied. "How did you get in here anyways? Aren't the doors locked?"

Rory held up the key card between her two fingers. "We found the ambassador in the bathroom."

"The ambassador?"

"Yep. Got the serum too."

Nick and Judy gaped at each other.

"You mean..."

"Yes, we have a plan. But right now we need to save Reynard, he's the one who was distracting them so I could come save you guys."

"Okay, okay, let me think," Judy said, beginning to calculate what the best course of action would be. "First things first, I need to get us out of these handcuffs," she explained. "Rory, reach into my front pocket and grab the handcuff key for me."

"Aren't these Fasco's handcuffs?" Rory asked, confusedly as she pulled the handcuff key out.

"Doesn't matter, they all use the same keys," Judy clarified.

"Ah," Rory said, understanding. She fiddled the key inside the lock mechanism, popping the handcuffs off and giving the key to Judy.

"Thanks," Judy said, moving towards Nick to remove his handcuffs. "Now, you need to find Delgato and Fangmire, and get them to help you find Reynard. Bogo and the rest will be here in under seven minutes. We just have to delay until then."

"Wait, you're not coming?" Rory's ear's suddenly dropped.

"Sweetie, Nick's likely got a few fractured ribs,"

"Wha? I do?" Nick interrupted.

"Shush!" Judy ordered, rolling her eyes. "The koala's probably got some head injuries, and Clare is suffering some major blood loss. I'm not going anywhere."

Rory felt a pit form in her stomach. She had come here to get help from Nick and Judy. That was part of the plan. Now...she didn't know if she could do this alone.

Judy noticed her expression, and put a paw on her shoulder. "Listen...no matter what happens, you've already done something great here today. I know that you'll do the right thing, even if things don't work out in the end," she told the deer truthfully. The bunny reached for her belt, unclipping the orange, carrot shaped pen and handing it to Rory. "Take this. It can record audio. Useful for evidence."

"Officer, I-"

"You've got this. Now go save Reynard."

Rory looked at Judy, her eyes conveying a mixture of pride, confidence and worry. She nodded, took the pen, and ran out back into the hallway.

Reynard kept running down the hallway, having lost a small amount of ground in the few seconds they'd been chasing him. He turned the corner once again, continuing to sprint as quickly as his burning legs would carry him.

Crap, he thought, noticing the end of the hallway. Stairs.

He darted up flight after flight on all fours, trying to continue to evade capture. He was actually gaining ground, the larger sized animals struggling moreso with the stairs than he was.

Having reached the top of the staircase, he flung open the door and walked in through the frame, expecting there to be more hallways. Instead, he'd found the roof. Having no other option, he ran out, running towards the edge of the roof with the serum. The guards and Fasco emerged from the door not seconds later.

"Come any closer and I drop zhe serum," Reynard threatened, holding the vial over the edge of the building. The guards all stopped in their tracks.

"That's not the serum, coon," Fasco said with hostility. "The ambassador has it."

"Really? And where iz zhe ambassador, eh?" he retorted. Fasco's eyes widened. "Zhat's right. I stole it from him."

Fasco's nose twitched with anger as he clenched his fists. "You fool! Give me the serum now!"

"Never! You will never do what you intend to zhe mammals of Alimand!"

"I'm fixing Alimand! It will be greater than any city the world has ever known! Predators are nothing more than overly aggressive beasts. The are best used as pawns, mere instruments for those who have greater mental capabilities!"

Reynard shook his head. "You disgust me. How can you say somezhing like zhat? We are just as animal as you are!"

"Tell that to my dead fazher!" Fasco screamed, his accent coming out with his rage.

Reynard swallowed. There was utter silence.

"So zhat's all this is for? Revenge? One predator killed your fazher and now Alimand will pay for it!"

"Shut up!" Fasco yelled. He was tired of all the talk. "I've had enough of you! Give me the night howler gun."

The raccoon's eyes widened at the mention of the term.

"If I can't take the serum...the least I can do is take you."

A guard brought him the same briefcase he had used not minutes earlier on his wife and Clare. Calmly, he unbuckled the clips, pulling out the gun. He took one of the blue pellets, and loaded it in.

Reynard swallowed, getting ready to release the vial as soon as Fasco shot. He wondered what it would be like to go savage. Fasco pointed the gun at him, finger on the trigger.

"STOP!" a shrill voice yelled out from behind the guards, near the door. Everyone turned to face the young doe and two officers that had just stepped onto the roof. "Leave him alone!"

"Rory no!" Reynard cried out, instantly recognizing her voice.

Fasco lowered the gun, looking back and forth between the raccoon and doe. He let out a sly chuckle. "Well, this just got interesting." He placed the gun back in the briefcase. "Get her," he ordered calmly. The guards did as he ordered, running over towards Fangmire and Delgato. The officers backed up, trying to prevent the oncoming horde from getting to the young doe. Delgato took out his tranquilizer, firing a dart at a rhino, who swiftly dodged to the side. A smile crept across the rhino's face, who swung at the officer who ducked to avoid the throw. Delgato threw all of his weight into a punch that landed squarely on the rhino's face. The guard hardly flinched, grabbing Delgato and pinning him into the ground with his larger body. Fangmire wasn't faring much better. He had been trying to combat two guards at once to no avail, having followed the same fate as Delgato. With both officers' faces in the cement, Rory had no defense left. The guards picked her up and brought her towards Fasco.

"Mmm...and what marvelous timing, as well. Here comes the helicopter for the extraction," the koala grinned.

"Fasco please!" Reynard begged, on the verge of tears. He could take whatever punishment Fasco had lined up for him. But he couldn't stand to see him so much as lay a finger on Rory.

"Oh, the sweet sound of enemies begging for mercy," Fasco replied chillingly. "What was that you said again? 'You will never do what you intend.'"

"Put me down, you scrubs!" Rory yelled, squirming and kicking as the guards lifted her into the air.

"Please, just let her go!" he pleaded. The helicopter was coming closer and closer to the building, ready to pick up whoever was ready to leave.

"Oh, if only there were something I really wanted from you," Fasco said facetiously. "So, Reynard, what will it be?"

"I...I..." he looked back and forth between the vial and Rory.

"Mmm...such a tough choice, isn't it? The poor little doe, or the thousands back home who you want to save."

Reynard felt a tear roll down his cheek. The helicopter was now landing mere feet away from them.

"Speechless, go figure," Fasco again chastized the raccoon. "Let me make this real simple for you. Give me the serum, or you never see Rory again."

Reynard looked at the serum for a few hard seconds. He turned to Fasco, who was only a few steps away. Slowly, he began to walk away from the edge.

"You'll let us bozh go free?"

"Yes. Completely unharmed."

Reynard looked deep into Fasco's eyes. He had no idea whether or not he would keep his word. But as soon as Rory was in the equation, he knew he never really had a choice.

He took another step forward, and extended the vial forwards. Fasco calmly took it into his paw.

"Zetera, dziepow," Fasco said in Alimandish. The doe, drop her.

A wave of relief fell over Reynard as he watched the guards release Rory.

Fasco let out a maniacal laugh as he boarded the helicopter with the serum. "Palarek! Sop delarouz!" Guards, come with me!

The guards immediately got off of Delgato and Fangmire, all of them fleeing to the helicopter.

Reynard and Rory ran across the roof to each other. The raccoon dropped to his knees, both mammals shedding tears as they embraced in warmth.

"You're safe now," Reynard promised, voice muted somewhat by the loudness of the helicopter. "It's okay."

"So long, fools!" Fasco yelled as the helicopter door closed. The propellers began to spin faster and faster, causing the vehicle to rise steadily into the air. Rory and Reynard continued to embrace, so desperately indulging in the security they had been longing for. The helicopter flew away, heading off into the distance, leaving only the four mammals left on the roof.

The door suddenly flew open, revealing Chief Bogo and a squad of five or so officers.

"Where's Fasco?" Bogo demanded, eyes searching the roof. His expression sunk, noticing that there was no trace of the koala. "ARGH! We were too late!" Bogo cursed.

"It's okay, sir," one of the officers behind him encouraged. "We've alerted INTERPAW and the local police force and they have ready to catch him as soon as he lands in Alimand."

"I don't care if they catch him!" Bogo yelled. "He has a serum that has the potential to sedate millions of mammals! You don't think he's going to try to drop it or pass it off somehow?"

Rory and Reynard were trying to contain their snickers, looking at each other as they listened to the chief. Bogo suddenly whirled around, staring at the two mammals.

"What is so funny?" he questioned furiously. "Do you think this is some kind of joke? Is that what this is to you?"

Rory and Reynard started laughing harder, Reynard shedding a tear from laughing so hard.

"Should we tell them?" Rory asked, looking at the raccoon.

"Tell us what?" Fangmire asked.

"Fasco doesn't have zhe serum," Reynard blurted out, wiping the tear from his eye.

The officers all exchanged confused glances.

"But we saw you hand him the vial!" Delgato said.

"Oh, that?" Rory replied, grinning uncontrollably. "That was some soap we found in the bathroom. We dumped out the real serum once we realized we could use the soap instead."

"So...all of that...that was all acting?" Delgato asked as a follow up.

"Well...not all of it," Reynard admitted. He had legitimately been scared for Rory, as that hadn't been part of their original plan.

"Hope you enjoyed the show," Rory exclaimed. "I also got this," she held up the carrot pen, earning confused looks all around. "It records audio," she explained. The doe pressed the playback button, Fasco's voice coming through the pen loudly. "Predators are nothing more than overly aggressive beasts. The are best used as pawns, mere instruments for those who have greater mental capabilities!"

The officers all laughed, the Chief even showing a slight smile.

"And I thought Delgato was crazy," Fangmire joked, earning a punch in the arm from his partner.

"Well done, you two," Bogo congratulated them. "You can consider me impressed."

"It was all Rory's idea," Reynard admitted. "She was zhe real hero today."

"She's the one who saved Hopps and Wilde," Fangmire added. "Without her..." there was a pause as the implication set in, "...things would be very different."

"Nick and Judy!" Rory suddenly blurted out, remembering her two friends. "They're hurt! I need to-"

"Hopps and Wilde are just fine," Bogo assured her. "They're on their way to the hospital as we speak."

"I need to see them," Rory pressed.

"Of course," the chief agreed. "Fangmire, Delgato! Take these two to the hospital. We'll finish up here soon."

The officers nodded. Reynard and Rory made their way towards the door. They began to walk down the stairs together, the raccoon and doe smiling at each other as relief overcame them. They had done it. Not Nick, not Judy, but they had done it. They climbed into the police cruiser and began on their way to the hospital.

The bunny sat down on the wooden bench, her ears drooping as she stared downward at the square tiles of the hospital floor. She was consumed with worry, her small frame collapsed in on itself in despair.

"Judy!" a voice caught her attention, ears shooting up in the direction of the noise. She looked to see Rory and Reynard walking (or, in Rory's case, running) down the hallway towards her. She stood up from the bench, smiling as the doe ran into her and embraced her.

"Rory, Reynard!" Judy remarked. "It's so nice to see you two."

"We were really worried about you two," Reynard admitted. "We came as quickly as we could."

"I heard what you guys did," the bunny replied. "I'm so proud of both of you."

"Where's Nick?" Rory asked, her favorite fox nowhere in sight. Her face sunk. "He's...he's not..."

"No," Judy replied, swallowing heavily as her ears drooped again. "He's going to be fine...it's just..."

"What happened?" Reynard interrupted, his face now showing great concern.

"Fasco made Clare go savage on us and...and... she almost..." Judy stumbled on the words, "killed him."

There was a pause.

"She...hurt him a lot," Judy admitted, looking downward at her shuffling feet as a coping mechanism. "He has a couple of bruised ribs...and a huge gash across his face...and eye," the bunny began to cry, the tears wetting and warming her face. Reynard moved his paw onto her shoulder, trying his best to comfort her. She sniffled. "The damage she did to his right eye is too severe for them to fix," she forced the words out, trying not to show how shattered she was. "They're going to remove it."

Rory and Reynard frowned at each other. Judy's face sunk into her paws, the crying increasing in intensity.

"Judy...I..." Reynard tried to find the words to comfort her. "I'm so sorry."

"It's just..." she said as she wiped her face, "What if he can't be my partner anymore? What am I going to do?"

"Don't worry about zhat," Reynard told her. "You two are going to be friends no matter what happens, even if you aren't working togezher."

"Everything will be okay," Rory offered, hugging the bunny again. They released after a moment, and the three mammals sat back down on the bench. They sat there for a solid hour, all three worried but trying to cheer each other up with jokes and happy stories.

After another ten to twenty minutes, the door suddenly opened, an otter nurse walking out. "Miss Hopps?" she said. Judy stood up eagerly.

"That's me. Can I...?"

"Yes, you can go in and see him now," the nurse replied.

The three mammals rushed into the room, eager to check up on their fox. Nick was lying there on the hospital bed, his lone eye closed and the other socket covered by an eyepatch. He had an IV in his arm, with his vitals being closely monitored. A partially sealed gash seemed to run underneath his eyepatch, bearing the mark of the claws that had dug into him.

"Nick," Judy timidly said, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping.

His eye slowly fluttered open. A smile crept across his face as he saw his partner. "Carrots!" he exclaimed, chuckling.

"Oh, Nick," Judy leaned over the bed and hugged him as the tears began to flow again, the fox accepting the embrace. "How are you feeling?"

"Well," he sighed, "if there ever was an I in team, it's not there anymore."

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers you're okay," Judy said in a breath of relief. She hugged the fox tighter.

"Ribs, RIBS," Nick reminded her as he grimaced in pain, causing her to slightly release.

"Sorry," she apologized. "How...how does it feel?"

"What, the whole one eye thing?" Nick asked. Judy nodded. "Well, it still hurts and feels a little weird. But I think I'll get used to it."

"Your eyepatch looks cool," Rory commented.

"It does, doesn't it?" Nick replied. "It'll look even cooler once this claw mark thing scars. I'll look like some crazy super villain."

Reynard smiled. "I still can't believe you're so...okay..." he tried to find a way to put it without risking offense, "wizh all of zhis."

Nick sighed. "Really...things should have been a lot worse," he swallowed, repeating what he had said again. "A...a lot worse."

He hadn't stopped thinking over what had happened for an instant in the time since he and Judy had escaped. Over and over again he played through what he had Judy had done in the moment. Over and over again, he tweaked small things they had done, running through the scenario to see if there would be a different outcome. But realistically, losing an eye, he found, was one of the better case scenarios.

"I'm just happy...that...that we're both alive," Nick admitted as he stared at his partner. The bunny looked back at him, tears welling up in her eyes. The room seemed to suddenly have a chill fall over it, only the beeping of the medical equipment serving to deter the oncoming silence. Nick swallowed heavily again. "Could...could I have some time alone with Judy please?"

Reynard nodded, leading Rory out of the room with him. "Hang in zhere," he encouraged.

Nick waved as much as he could with his broken body, smiling as they left the room. The door shut, leaving only the fox, the rabbit and the medical equipment.

Judy looked down at the ground, her ears drooping. "Nick...are you..." she paused. "Are you really okay?"

The fox looked ahead of him with his one eye, not replying for a moment. After a few seconds, he finally replied.

"What other choice do I have?"

The words were soft and came out calmly. Yet they somehow managed to be simultaneously heavy, the shoulders of both mammals sinking.

"Nick..." Judy muttered. She had no response. He was right. This was all the fault of circumstance, and it wasn't like he could change those previous circumstances now. Judy let out something halfway between a sigh and a whimper, knowing that he was right. They both had been trying their best to perform their jobs and do what was best for the world. And if something like this happened, then that was that. Being angry accomplished nothing, which meant that their only option was to grin and bear what hand life had dealt them.

"Do you think that..."

"I don't know," Nick interjected. He was just as worried as she was that he might no longer be able to participate as part of the police force. "I haven't really gotten the chance to see how much this," he gestured to his eye patch, "is going to affect how I go about things," he explained. "Either way...I know I'll be taken care of...and somehow I think that'll make things okay."

Judy exhaled slightly in relief. It was only minutes after the surgery, but already she already admired the fox's new perspective. "You dumb fox," she said, shaking her head. "You're going to make me go gray way too quickly."

"Silly Carrots," Nick replied, "don't you see that you're already gray?"

She smirked. "I guess I walked into that one, didn't I?"

"Yes," he told her, his muzzle shaping into a grin. "Yes you did."

"You know one of these days I'll stop giving you easy setups," Judy responded.

"No you won't," Nick retorted. "I know you love my jokes. If you didn't, you would have stopped giving me material, because, in spite of the stereotypes surrounding your species, you are smart enough to keep me from ever making fun of you if you really wanted."

Judy sighed. "Fine, you got me, you got me," she smiled, putting her hands up in jest. "Even with all of your jokes, you manage to be somewhat enjoyable to spend time around."

"I'll take it," Nick smiled, staring at his partner.

There's nothing like almost losing someone to make you realize how much you need them, Nick thought. At the end of the day, he was still lucky. And he vowed to never forget that.

Reynard closed the door to the room as Rory walked out with him, giving the two partners their privacy. The two mammals returned to the bench where they had been waiting previously, sitting next to one another.

The raccoon looked down at the doe, smiling slightly as she kicked her legs that didn't quite touch the ground. He had grown quite fond of her over the past few days, the whole ordeal involving Fasco serving as the crowning moment. It had been easy to forget reality over these past few days, the investigation giving them reason to completely disregard what had been going on in their lives before. It had undoubtedly changed them both for the better. It was impossible for them to list or even quantify and vivify everything they had learned.

But now, sitting in the hospital, reality was slowly beginning to wane its way back into existence. Reynard's smile slowly began to fade. His cafe was still in shambles. And though the memories he had lost didn't quite hurt as much they had before, he still felt a sense of impending dread overcoming him at the thought of going back. At least he had the prize money, which would help in allowing him to properly rebuild.

He pulled the picture of his parents on their wedding day from the pocket of his jacket, along with the red bowtie Nick had given him. It was a perfect match for the one he wore in the slightly charred picture. Reynard sighed, letting out a slight sigh. The pain was still there, but it was muted now. He could deal with it.

"Who's that?" Rory asked, looking over the raccoon's shoulder.

Caught off guard, Reynard stumbled to answer. "Zhese two?" he said, "Zhey...zhey're my parents."

"That's a big dress," Rory commented, pointing at Reynard's mother. "It looks uncomfortable."

Reynard raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say zhat?"

"All dresses are uncomfortable," Rory replied, shaking her head. "But that one looks really big and annoying."

"Well, it's her wedding dress," he explained. He swallowed. "Zhis...zhis is zhe only picture I have left of zhem."

Rory was quiet for a moment. Reynard felt bad now. He knew her parental situation was arguably worse than his was, as she had never even known her parents. He had probably just reminded her of them, which made him feel somewhat guilty. He was about to say something when, to his surprise, Rory piped up.

"Were...were they good parents?" she asked.

Reynard was taken aback for a moment, unsure how to answer such an imposing question. "Yes," he started, "zhey were zhe best I've seen."

Rory looked down at the hospital tile, continuing to kick absentmindedly. "What were they like?"

Reynard sighed. "Well," he said, "dad was a huge goofball who really cared about both my mom and I. He was always trying to make us both laugh. And mom...mom was the smartest raccoon you've ever met. She was always reading and learning and teaching me things, even though she herself was incredibly busy."

Rory looked back up at the raccoon, the kicking stopping.

"I want something like that."

The world seemed to fall silent, in spite of the nurses going by and loud noises coming from the patient rooms. Reynard's heart seemed to stop. Was...was she asking what he thought she was? The thought had fleetingly entered Reynard's mind at one point, but he had never seriously considered it.

Well, maybe now was a good time to think about it. The prize money was more than enough to not only get back on his feet but to also find a way to financially support her. She would need a tutor to catch up on the missed schooling she had been deprived of. But those things were all things that could be taken care of. Which meant there was only one question left to ask.

Did Reynard want a child?

The more he thought about it...the more he found himself answering yes. He had always envisioned himself raising a family. Passing on the best parts of him had always seemed appealing. Empowering someone else to do as much good as they could for the world was something he valued greatly and made him happy, and in the capacity of a parent he had the most influential way of doing so.

He looked down at the doe again. To say he didn't care for her would be a lie. To say he didn't want the best for her would be equally untrue.

Yes, he thought. I can't think of something that would make me happier.

"Rory," Reynard started, smiling. "What would you zhink of...becoming family?"

The doe's ears suddenly perked up, her once disheartened eyes now suddenly entirely alive. "You...you mean..."

"Yes," he replied, unable to contain his smile. "Rory, I want to adopt you."

The doe squealed with excitement. She stood up and jumped onto the raccoon, hugging him. Liquid began to pool in her eyes, her boundless exuberance bubbling over into tears.

"Yes," she cried happily, arms wrapped around Reynard's neck. "yes."

They sat there on the bench, the doe and raccoon hugging each other in a state of pure elation.

"I love you," Reynard told her, stroking the fur on top of her head.

"I love you too," she said. She paused. "Dad."

Reynard smiled. He looked one more time at the picture of his parents. He only hoped he could be half as good of a parent to Rory as they had been to him. Somewhere, somehow, he knew that they were watching him, proud of what they had given to the world. Reynard sighed. At the end of the day, he was pretty lucky. And he vowed that he would never forget that.

The camera flashed, taking a picture that was going to end up on the nightly news site later that night.

"Welcome everyone," a raccoon said as he got up in front of the crowd of forty or so mammals with a microphone, wearing a nice vest and a sparkling red bowtie. A deer stood beside him on one side, wearing matching attire and on the other side were two of his closest friends, a small bunny and a fox, who happened to be wearing an eyepatch. "I'm happy zhat you've all gathered here today, exactly zhree monzhs after Frederick Fasco's capture, to celebrate wizh me and all of zhose who have helped to make zhis night a possibility. Tonight, we are here to celebrate new beginnings. But first, I would like to say a couple of words," Reynard cleared his throat, taking a brief pause. "Over zhe past few months, I have learned a lot of zhings. I have learned all about zhe citizenship process and how to catch wanted criminals. I have learned what is needed to adopt a child, and how to properly shoot a tranquilizer gun. (One of zhose zhings is really easy, but I'll let you guess which.) I have done zhings I would never expect to have done, and seen things I never dreamed of seeing. But in all of zhis noise, all of zhis chaos zhat my life has been ever since Fasco entered it, zhere as been one zhing zhat I hold above all else as zhe most important thing I've learned," he paused, letting the audience entertain their thoughts. "Zhere is only one zhing zhat we all have in common: we are all mammals. And yes, while zhis is not new information, I've found it to be zhe most important piece of information zhat we can hope to entirely understand. Regardless of zhe details surrounding zhose around us - whezher we have known zhem for years or minutes, whezher zhey are interested in zhe same zhings as us or not, whezher zhey are predator or prey, whezher zhey are Zootopian or Alimandish- I know we can find true unity. A unity, where, instead of seeing only what is different in zhose around us, we see what is zhe same. A unity, where, in a world dominated by labels, we can see zhe one true label we all have in common. Zhe label of mammal," the raccoon paused again, a smile creeping across his face. "It is now, wizhout furzher adieu, zhat I would like to address zhe reason you have all come here tonight."

A sheep passed a pair of scissors to Rory, who happily accepted them.

"Rory will be doing zhe honors," he explained. The doe moved towards the door, holding the scissors open over the ribbon that hung across the entrance way. She clamped down on on the scissors, cutting the ribbon and causing everyone to clap.

"Welcome, everyone, to zhe Red Bowtie Bistro!" Reynard announced. Cheering ensued, as the mammals began to file into the restaurant. Rory and Reynard smiled at each other, shaking hands of everyone as they entered. Once the crowd had all entered, two familiar faces walked up to the doe and raccoon.

"That was a great speech, Reynard," Judy congratulated him. "I'm so happy for the both of you."

"Quite the crowd, eh?" Nick commented, smirking. "Being famous will do that, you know."

"It's going to be a lot of work to feed zhem all," Reynard admitted. "Fortunately, I have Rory, and I was able to get some additional help. We should be fine."

"I'm sure it will be great," Judy replied. They had largely gone their separate ways after Fasco had been apprehended, the opening of the restaurant really being their first chance to see each other again. Nick was still healing from his rib injury, meaning he hadn't been allowed to work with Judy on the most intense cases. The biggest worry they had - that Nick's eye might prevent him permanently from partnering with Judy - was still there, as his ribs had prevented him from actually being reexamined for the position. Still, the fox and bunny remained optimistic. So far, Nick had adapted rather well to his impairment, which would seem to bode well for him in the future.

"Well, I hope you guys enjoy it," Reynard said, ushering them inside. He was just about ready to close the doors finally, all the guests having arrived.

"Wait," Rory interrupted, "who's that?"

She pointed, the other three mammals all turning their heads. Walking towards the door was a gray bunny, distinguished by the black stripes which ran horizontally across the outermost portions of his face and at the tips of his ears. He was incredibly well dressed, wearing a clearly expensive tuxedo with a white button up and skinny black tie.

"Malshe, shay da la ron," he introduced himself, extending his paw to Reynard. Evening, nice to meet you.

Reynard smiled, accepting the rabbit's invitation. "And who might you be?" he replied in Alimandish.

"The name's Jack Savage," he said, this time in Zootopian. "But call me Jack please."

He shook paws with the rest of the mammals.

"Well then, let me get straight to the point," he said, clapping his paws together. "I'm an agent for INTERPAW," he promptly explained, pulling a badge out of his tux. Nick and Judy looked at each other in bewilderment, but Rory and Reynard looked confused. "We're the top international police and spy force in the world," Jack told them.

"How didn't I know this?" Reynard asked.

"Most people never hear about us even when we do solve cases," he shrugged, presumably having heard the question before. "If people knew what we stopped...well, let's just say there would be a bit of a mass panic."

"So...what are you doing here?" Judy asked. "There's gotta be something important."

Jack smiled. "You could say that."

The four mammals all looked at one another in anticipation.

"You see...INTERPAW is doing some recruiting," Jack told them. "Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, how would you like to become part of the most elite police force in the world?"

It's a wrap! The story is now finished, aside from an epilogue that I'm going to write. I hope you all enjoyed, and as always, please send feedback letting me know what you think of my writing and ways I can improve and critiques you may have. Thanks for reading, really. I appreciate all of the people who have cared enough to make it this far, you guys rock. 3