Why did I agree to this?

The words echoed in Nick's mind, like the dropping of a pen in an empty classroom. Why did he think he wanted to go and visit Judy's parents? He had heard stories from Judy on multiple occasions, and none of them really got his hopes up for this trip. A fox tazer!? Who in their right mind would own a fox tazer!? Nick thought. It was a bizarre prospect, a weapon specifically designed for a certain species, could even be called specist, but somehow they found their way to the markets, even in Zootopia.

The train smoothly glided on the steel rails, traveling along the countryside, fields of wheat, carrots, and potatoes flying by in the windows that were near Nick and Judy's seats.

By train, the trip from Zootopia to Bunnyburrow was not all that bad of a ride. Only a few hours one way, and then the same back. It wasn't nearly as bland as Nick thought it would be, either. He imagined a completely flat and boring landscape to greet him, but instead it was quite hilly, and with a lot more trees than expected. Especially during the early spring months, when the green leaves were just beginning to bud, it was quite beautiful. But the flowering trees were what made it spectacular.

Among all the many groves of trees that graced Nick's eyes, there were always a few trees that had white or pink flower petals, some of which gently fell off and fluttered in the light spring breeze.

Nick could feel the train begin to slow down, which meant only one thing.

They had arrived…

Nick was gripped by the nervousness that welled deep inside him. He could feel his heart beginning to race, and he could feel his pulse in the tips of his fingers. Nick looked over to his right, where the sleeping bunny rested her head on Nick's side. Her ears were flattened behind her head and one of her paws rested on Nick's lap. He took that paw and gave it a gentle squeeze, feeling her grip his paw back. Nick rubbed the back of his other paw on Judy's cheek, causing her to squirm a little in her transition from peaceful slumber to groggy awakeness.

She blinked her eyes a few times, adjusting them to the light of sunny springtime Bunnyburrow. She stretched her arms out as far as they could go, and she grabbed Nick's muzzle in the process, pulling it down close to her own.

"You better be waking me up because we're here, Slick." She yawned, placing a quick peck on his muzzle.

"Yes we are, my beautiful bunny." Nick replied, returning a kiss in between her ears. Judy sat straight up in her seat as the train finally came to a complete stop. The doors to the train opened up and several mammals got up and exited the train. Nick and Judy both grabbed their luggage and followed them out into the warm spring air.

An earthy scent hit his nose, and he could detect hints of those flowering trees as well. He'd never been this far away from Zootopia in his entire life, so this was both an interesting and terrifying experience. Nick looked around the small depot, seeing mostly rabbits as well as a few other species of prey animals.

But no predators.

Nick never knew what it was like to be a major minority. Back in the city, there was no shortage of other predators, despite the massive population being only 10% predator. Here, he felt like he was one in a million, or rather one in 81,435,817.

The only one… that he could see.

Judy had told him that there were several foxes that lived in the Bunnyburrow area, specifically about Gideon Grey, her childhood bully turned friend and business partner of her parents. Gideon was a well-respected individual among the community, so Nick hoped that there wouldn't be too much of a stir because of his presence.

But then again, Nick could be seen as an outsider. Nobody from Bunnyburrow had ever seen Nick before, apart from Judy, and that might make him seem like a threat.

Nick continued looking at the sights before him. Each building was colored in bright and warm pastels, with lot's of pink, orange, and yellow. The pillars that supported the canopy over the depot were shaped like carrots, which Nick figured was appropriate, but a little over the top at the same time.

Nick's gaze fell upon the rabbit right next to him, or rather the space where Judy used to be. He looked around, but was unable to find her.

Uh oh.

This was not good. Getting separated from Judy, in Bunnyburrow, where 99.9% of the population were other rabbits.

Not. Good.

He frantically looked over the many ears and heads that walked in all sorts of directions. Soon enough, he caught a glance of one rabbit jumping high over all the others and waving for him to follow.

Thank goodness, that could have gone a lot worse.

Nick's heart rate slowed down after he finally caught sight of Judy again. He made his way over to the rabbit, who was now accompanied by two other rabbits.

"Mom, Dad. This is Nick. He's my partner." Judy said.

What!? He was being introduced right now, after he thought he'd just gotten lost. As if his heart couldn't handle anymore of this stress.

Ok, Nick, you got this. Just act normal. They're just rabbits. Just say that it's a pleasure to meet them. That's all it takes.

Nick froze in place as he struggled to find the right words to say. The glare that he received from both of Judy's parents was killing him. They both looked so angry.

"It's… uh… nice to meet you?" Nick said in more of a question than a statement. He held out a paw for them to shake, but it was not met with one. They just kept staring at him with that glare, like they were already disappointed in him, for some odd reason.

"And to you as well." Judy's mother said sternly. "How long have you been an officer?" she commanded a response from the fox. This felt like he was taking a test, and every question was a trick question.

"I uh… about um… uh… about two years." he said shakily. Judy looked at Nick and how flustered he was. So far it was going better than she thought, but Nick looked like he was about to fall over, knocked out cold.

Has he even breathed since I first introduced him? She thought. It certainly didn't look like it.

"Mom, he's a little tired from the trip, why don't we go to the house so we can unpack and relax for a while?" Judy suggested. Both of Judy's parents nodded and turned around, walking to their old farm truck quietly. Nick looked down at Judy and she returned his gaze.

"Thank you so much for getting me off the hook…" Nick huffed. He hadn't taken so much as a single breath in nearly a minute!

"Listen to me, Nick. Just act normal. Let me do most of the talking until they get warmed up to you, and try to breathe a little more than you have been. Ok?"

"Gotcha." Nick replied. The two followed her parents to the truck.

Hopefully this would go a little bit smoother the rest of the weekend...

The Day Before…

"Carrots, do you know what should go right here?" Nick said, gesturing to the large empty space in the middle of the ZPD lobby. Judy rolled her eyes at the fox.

"Lemme guess, a fountain?" she said with a sarcastic tone.

"Exactly! I think it would look great." the reynard exclaimed. Judy giggled at his sudden excitement.

"Nick, you say that just about every time we walk through here."

"I know, but I wouldn't say it if it weren't true. I mean, imagine a fountain made out of white marble, and it had like three…" the fox rambled on. Judy ignored his spiel about what the fountain should look like as she walked up to Clawhauser's desk. The portly cheetah was sitting at the front desk, staring at his phone and munching on the 5th donut of the morning when he noticed the rabbit approach with Nick not far behind.

"Good morning, Ben!" Judy said. The cheetah swung his head up from his phone mid-bite, sending crumbs and sprinkles flying in all directions. Judy shielded her face with her paw as the small, colorful projectiles came her way.

"Good morning, Judy! How has your day been so far?" he replied.

"It's been better than usual. Tomorrow Nick and I are going to Bunnyburrow for the weekend. He finally get's to meet my parents!" Judy squealed. Clawhauser gasped and leaned in closer.

"He's not nervous about that, is he?" he whispered. Nick cleared his throat and looked at the cheetah.

"Uh, Ben. I'm literally right here. I can hear every word you're saying. And yes, I and incredibly nervous about the trip. I've never spoken to them in my life!" Nick complained.

"Oh, shush. You'll be fine." Judy said, elbowing him as she spoke.

"Carrots, are you forgetting that they still don't know that we're an item? Got any plans on how to drop that bombshell?" Clawhauser sat amused as he watched the couple discuss such matters.

"We'll let them warm up to you, then we tell them. Simple as that." Judy said confidently.

"We're only going to be there tomorrow and Sunday. What if they don't warm up to me?" Judy was about to rebuttal when she looked back up at Clawhauser.

"I'm so sorry about this, Ben." Judy looked at the clock behind Clawhauser's desk. "Oh, we should probably get to roll call."

"Oh, no worries. I love hearing stuff like this. I am the president of the Wilde-Hopps fanclub after all!" he giggled. The fox and the rabbit walked away, but Nick spoke up before they were out of earshot.

"I told you not to make that thing!" Nick shouted. The two walked into the bullpen and took their seats at the front of the room. Judy continued their conversation with a hushed voice.

"Nick, they are going to love you. Just try to keep a sunny disposition before sinking further into darkness, yeah? No one likes a cry baby."

That certainly didn't get his hopes up.

The ride to Judy's childhood home didn't sit very well with Nick, or maybe it was that gas-station omelette he had for breakfast, or maybe both. It didn't matter to him, though. Whatever it was, it made him feel nauseous, and his uneasiness was growing with each passing second.

His paws were shaky and he felt hot and cold at the same time. Who would have thought meeting your girlfriend's somewhat specist parents would make a mammal so nervous?

Oh wait, just about everyone…

The entire drive was completely silent, But Bonnie kept staring daggers at Nick, which did wonders to appease his nervousness. Nick would every once in awhile make eyes contact with her, then quickly look off into some random direction like nothing happened.

Mindlessly, Nick found Judy's paw and she held on tight, sensing his discomfort. Unbeknownst to them, Bonnie took mental notes on their behavior towards each other. They were up to something, and she was going to find out.

The truck pulled into a long driveway, and the sight that met Nick's eyes blew him away. There was the main part of the house, which looked like any other country cottage. But then there was a massive structure that jutted off from one side of the house. Every so often, another section branched off from the main, a lot like army barracks. From above, it probably looked something like a pine tree.

The truck came to a stop gently and Stu cut the engine. Without any words, the two older rabbits exited the truck and slammed their doors behind them. Nick gave Judy a nervous stare and she shrugged her shoulders. They gathered their luggage and also exited the vehicle, then followed Judy's parents up to the front porch.

Both Bonnie and Stu were giving Nick looks almost of disgust, and Judy could tell that Nick was getting a bit creeped out by the stares he was receiving.

"Mom, Dad, can we have a little chat. Alone…" she said, emphasizing the last word. Her parents death-stare was broken and they walked inside the house, Judy following them in. Before she left Nick out on the porch by himself, she gave him a slightly reassuring smile.

Nick let out a long sigh after she closed the door and put his paws over his face. He sat himself in one of the wooden chairs on the porch and tried to think positively about his current situation.

"What in God's name was that!?" Judy scolded. Her parents stood facing the young and flustered rabbit, mouths slightly agape.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie replied. Judy sent a bewildered stare back at them.

"What do you mean!? How could you even ask that!?" Judy said, raising her voice even louder than it already was. She pointed over to the front door to the house. "Did you even see how nervous he was!? You made him feel completely worthless!"

"We don't know him, Jude. We're just trying to make sure he's a good mammal." Stu said. Judy couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I've known him for over two years, Dad! I think I know him a little better than you do, or ever will for that matter!" Judy would have thought her parents would have been more accepting of Nick, considering all that she had told them about him. She took in a deep breath to try and calm herself down.

"Alright, please just try to be a little more welcoming. Engage him in conversation. Ask him about work, ask him about me! Anything! Just don't act all protective of me just because you don't know him very well. He's a great guy, but you just don't know what he's been through. All I ask is that you treat him like you would treat a bunny, like he's no different than you or I, ok?" Both of Judy's parents looked apologetically at their daughter.

"Ok, we're sorry that we made him feel uncomfortable." Stu said. Judy held up a finger to protest.

"No, don't apologize to me." She pointed back to the front door. "Apologize to him." she commanded. The three rabbits walked over to the door and opened it. They walked out to see Nick sitting patiently in a chair, apparently deep in thought. Upon seeing and hearing them approach him, he stood up.

"Nick," Bonnie began, a little bit of hesitation evident in her tone. "We're sorry we made you a bit uncomfortable. It was rude, and we don't want you to think that we don't like you. We know that you've been a big help to our Judy, and that she trusts you with her life, but we just want the best for her." Nick held up a paw to stop her.

"You've said enough. I don't mind it all that much, so consider it apology accepted. I've dealt with much worse than just being made a bit uncomfortable." Nick said. He definitely wasn't lying about that, but he was about as nervous as he'd been in years. Bonnie and Stu both let out a quick sigh of relief.

"Thank you for understanding, Nick. We want to make you feel plenty at home, so you'll have your own room to yourself. Judy can give you a tour of the whole house and the dormitories. Feel free to rest a bit if you feel the need to, we don't have anything special planned tonight, just be here for lunch and 1:30 and for dinner at 6:30 sharp." Stu said. Before Nick was able to reply, there was a scream from somewhere in the house.

Judy's home!

Nick didn't know if he was hearing voices, because they seemed to be coming from all around him. Pretty soon, there were rabbits surrounding Nick and Judy. Her parents had disappeared into the horde after wishing them good luck with getting through.

This was going to be a long introduction.

Nick woke up in his bed, which was barely big enough for him, and looked around the strange setting he was in. It was a simple guest bedroom. Neutral colored walls, simple hardwood floors, and a few pieces of artwork hanging from the walls to make it seem less bare. It was in the middle of the night, and he felt exhausted from meeting all of Judy's siblings and other relatives, especially PopPop. He was an old rabbit who'd seen more things than any other mammal he'd met, and could still remember all of them like they happened yesterday, despite his old age. His unjustified hatred towards foxes was actually pretty humorous, because it was all incredibly ridiculous, like how fox's fur was red because they were made by the devil. It was probably strange to Judy, but he liked to laugh at that comment.

Nick got out of bed, slipping on his clothes from the previous day and walked out of the room, venturing to the kitchen for a quick glass of water. His guest room was located in a pretty central location to everything. The kitchen was close by, as well as a nice bathroom and the main living and social area of the house.

Nick found his way to the kitchen and began looking through the cabinets for a glass. After he found them, he filled it with water and quickly gulped it down, feeling relief flood through his throat. Nick turned around to go back to his room, but two rabbits had snuck up behind him. He nearly jumped into the ceiling as he saw Bonnie and Stu standing in front of him, and he let out a suppressed scream, thankfully not too loud. They quickly reassured Nick that everything was alright.

"You scared me!" he whispered.

"I know, we're sorry about that. We heard you walk into the kitchen and we wanted to see if you needed anything." Bonnie said.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just needed a glass of water, that's all."

"Alright, that's good. Do you mind if we sit down and talk a little bit?" she asked. Nick thought about declining, but he knew that wouldn't go over very well with them.

"I guess that's fine. What was it you want to talk about?" Nick asked. He didn't get a response until they had turned on a lamp and sat down on the couch. Nick took a seat in a recliner close to them and he waited for a reply.

"Now, we've both been watching you all throughout the day…" Stu began. Nick already didn't like where this was going. "And I've got to say, you seem to really care for Judy."

"Well, what can I say? She's changed my life completely. I can't thank her enough for that. Just a few years ago, I was living in a raggedy old apartment, barely making it by and risking my life every single day working on the streets. Now I'm a big city cop and loving every minute of it." Nick replied. Hopefully that would get rid of the suspicion that he knew they had about the two of them.

"Yeah, I can tell. But you seem to really care for her." Bonnie said.

That'd be a no.

"Is there anything you're not telling us, Nick? Specifically regarding your relationship with our daughter?"

Wow, they're good.

Nick sighed and brought his paws together. He looked up at Judy parents. He didn't think he'd be the one to deliver this news to her parents.

"Ok, you got us. I'm in love with your daughter, and she's in love with me." Nick said, internally cringing at what might happen next. The two rabbits didn't flinch, they didn't gasp, nor did they try and shoo Nick away from their home. They just stared at him with blank expressions.

"Alright, now how long have you two been… official." Bonnie asked. Nick felt like he dodged a bullet there, but there were probably more to come.

"For about four months." he said. Nick watched as the two rabbits looked at each other and Bonnie smiled.

"I was right!" Bonnie nearly screamed. Instead she whispered it loudly as she shook her husband, who sat on the couch looking defeated. Nick stared at Judy's parents with a confused look on his muzzle. Bonnie looked at Nick with a smile on her's.

"I guessed you two had been together for four months!" Nick shook his head as he put his thoughts together.

"So, wait, did you two bet on how long Judy and I have been dating?" Nick asked. They both shook their heads up and down.

"So how long have you known?" Nick asked.

"Since Judy called us to say that she was coming out here and bringing you. We put on the act that we were skeptical of you, but apparently we did too good a job."

"So does Judy know about this whole thing?"

"Nope."

"And I'm guessing you don't want me to tell her." Nick said deviously.

All he got was a nod from them.

"Well, that's all we really needed to hear tonight, you'd better get to sleep. You've got to get up in a few hours." Stu said.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Because you're learning how to drive a tractor tomorrow morning, and only early morning will do." The two rabbits got up from the couch and began walking away from Nick. "Sleep tight."

After Judy's parents were gone, Nick sat on the couch, completely awestruck from what had just happened. Had he actually been hustled by Judy's parents? All this time, he thought that he was the one rubbing off on her, but it seemed to Nick that she had it in her blood. Nick made his way back to his room with a sly grin on his muzzle.

He was going to have some fun with this.