Well everyone, just as I promised, here is the first chapter of the second sequential story in my Zootopia series, entitled 'II: Leaving the Past.' I'm no longer working within the timeline boundaries of the movie, so it does feel good to have that little extra bit of freedom. I know some of you were probably expecting something exciting like putting Judy and Nick on their first real case together as official partners, and that will come, just not here. I still feel there's a little more personal background we can delve into here, and this concept to me just felt too good to put on the wayside.
And yes, you've no doubt read the brief synopsis for this story, so some people may be thinking "A visit to Judy's family so Nick can be introduced. Haven't seen THAT on this page before" in the most sarcastic way they can convey through a keyboard. And yes, I fully admit it's not an original starting concept, but it felt like the most natural place to start given the direction I have planned for this specific story. And I apologize if the previous assumption made me sound kinda like a jerk there. I wouldn't say these things if I didn't witness it myself with other stories in the past.
But anyway, enough of my pointless rambling. You all came because of your love for the previous story, and I can only hope this will touch your hearts and entertain you just as much. So please, feel free to review and let me know what you all think. Your opinions mean the world to me.
Zootopia and its characters do NOT belong to me, they belong to Disney.
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Carrots? I mean, if not, we can always just stay on the train and wait for it to head back to Zootopia. If you were to tell them so, I'm sure they'd understand," Nick asked with a clear air of legitimate nervousness in his voice as Judy barely shook her head with a clearly amused smile as she stared out the window at the beautiful rolling green hills of the countryside.
"Not a chance, Nick. They've been waiting way too long to meet you, and if I'm not able to this time, when will I ever?" Judy explained as Nick let out a shaky sigh as he too took to looking at the undeniably gorgeous scenery speeding right past them.
"Hang on, I thought you said we were going down to celebrate your mothers' birthday," Nick suddenly asked once he finally realized something wasn't adding up to his friends' little story as she smiled in slight embarrassment; not that she'd made any attempt to hide the truth to begin with.
"Well we are, but I figured this would be the best chance to introduce you to everybody as well," she admitted as Nick just looked at her like she was a naughty little kit who'd got caught with her paw in the cookie jar.
"I'm surprised at you, Carrots. To think you'd lie to your own partner," the fox said with mock indignation while Judy couldn't help but giggle, like she always did whenever he got so melodramatic.
"Don't blame me. I didn't even try to hide it. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner, dumb fox," she teased as Nick gave her a satisfied but clearly defeated grin as he slightly ruffled her little fuzzy head with his paw as he sat back.
"I guess you're finally starting to rub off on me, dumb bunny. Or who knows, maybe I just wanted to humor you the whole time," he shot right back as Judy smiled victoriously before settling back comfortably into her seat as well while trying to fix up the fur on top of her head.
"But in all seriousness though, do you really think they're gonna be…well, y'know, okay with having me around? I mean, the city's one thing, but these country bunnies?" Nick asked with an air of uncertainty as Judy couldn't deny that seeing him look so shy about meeting her family was undeniably…cute, in his own Nick Wilde-ish way. It was so different, in the best way possible, from the few times she'd seen her partner legitimately terrified. He looked less like a frightened animal backed into a corner and more like an awkward teenager in high school meeting his very first date's folks.
Of course, thinking along that line, Judy couldn't help but feel her cheeks and her ears slightly warm up. She couldn't deny that this was…KIND OF the same thing, only instead of a couple; it was simply introducing her parents to her best friend in the world. Of course, her dad always was overly protective when it came to his children, so how he was bound to react, she ultimately couldn't hope to guess. She would just have to hope her mom could still manage to be the voice of reason. If not, this was going to be a VERY long weekend.
"It's not like they're going to be chasing you with torches and pitchforks, Nick. My parents are perfectly reasonable, and if anything, my siblings are probably going to look at you like you're a superhero; especially if mom and dad told them about us working together. Besides, if it'll make you feel any better, I…actually told my mom about us living together back while you were still training at the academy. She was very understanding and even more supportive. If nothing else, I know she's been dying to finally meet you," Judy reassured him as the fox seemed to visibly calm down before putting on that same sly, disarming smile on his snout.
"I guess that's no surprise. I'm just naturally irresistible to you lady bunnies, huh?" he asked in a tone so exaggeratedly seductive it nearly made her want to pretend gag just to mess with him.
"Yeah, keep dreaming, Mr. Fox. You're fantastic, but not THAT fantastic," Judy pretended to shoot him down while he gave her an amusingly broken-hearted look of shock before laughing it off and settling back comfortably into his chair. They always did have such a unique kinetic energy to know exactly how to talk to each other at times like this. It was just one of the many things that had proven to make them such great partners over the two months since Nick had graduated from the ZPA.
"Yeah, say whatever you want, Fluff. You know you love me," Nick teased her once more. And just like all the other times, poor Judy felt her whole face turn red hot, though as always she knew how to hide it.
While she may have been able to keep her cool the first time he'd pulled this on her on their first official day of work together, it always did bring back a flare of the more personal feelings she'd started feeling towards Nick nine months ago while she'd been healing up in his apartment. She'd managed to really help those emotions die down the more she realized it had to be from her lack of interaction with males during her adolescent years and that it was simply overacting due to her realization of just what a wonderful friend and part of her life Nick had proven to be.
But darn him, every single time he pulled this, she'd always feel that pesky fluster returning for just a few seconds that would always make her heart briefly race before she'd be able to cool it back down.
"Do I know that? Yes. Yes I do," she expectedly shot back as Nick's smile simply grew in satisfaction. Yes, it had become her go-to answer, and it never seemed to disappoint either of them. Because in a way, for Judy it was very true.
In what felt like no time at all, Nick had quickly come to be one of if not THE most precious friend she had; someone she wouldn't trade for anyone or anything in the world. The very thought of having to look at a life without him around was nothing short of heartbreaking for her; and she'd even come to realize she couldn't be more open with anyone else like she was with him. He just naturally made her feel so at ease, and they seemed to have such a natural understanding of one another. So few mammals nowadays could claim to be so compatible with each other like she and Nick were.
So yes, in a way, she did know that she loved this witty, wonderful fox sitting next to her right now. Who WOULDN'T somehow love their best friend in the whole world?
An hour later…
Nick's foot was noticeably tapping anxiously on the floor as the train slowly came to a stop right before the automated voice announced the arrival at Bunnyburrow station. All the while Judy looked to be equally anxious, albeit on the complete opposite of the emotional spectrum. She hadn't seen her folks since their surprise run-in at that Gazelle concert two months ago. How Nick had somehow managed to avoid meeting them in that moment, she couldn't even figure out. But he wasn't getting away this time.
Once the doors slid open, she immediately grabbed Nick's paw and proceeded to guide him out after her, lest he try to just stay on the train and hope she not notice. Upon stepping out onto the platform, she looked all around for any sign of her parents past the throngs of other bunnies and mammals either departing or climbing on board. Once the crowds actually began to disperse, she was surprised to see she couldn't spot either of her parents.
They knew she was coming, and they definitely knew Nick was going to be with her this time, so there was no reason they shouldn't have been here. Even Nick noticed the clearly worried look on his partner's face as she instinctively went for her phone to try and reach them lest they'd somehow gotten sidetracked or had actually messaged her about their absence and she simply hadn't noticed.
"Hey, Judy Hopps! I was wonderin' when I'd find you," a distant male voice with a thick country drawl suddenly called out from the other side; immediately catching her and Nick's attention as they looked to see a single red fox in blue overalls and a noticeably wide girth rushing towards them with a big old grin on his face.
At first Nick was about to step forward in front of Judy, having no idea what to expect from their sudden visitor, only for Judy to suddenly spring forward into a sprint and suddenly meet this big lummox of a fox in an enthusiastic hug he quickly returned; all while Nick could only stare in dumbfounded shock.
"Gideon Grey, what are YOU doing here?" Judy asked once she and this hearty-looking fox who stood nearly a full head taller than Nick separated.
"Actually, your folks asked me if I'd meet y'all at the station and give ya a ride home. They're all real busy puttin' everything together, else they'd be here instead for you" Gideon explained before offering to take Judy's suitcase; all while she looked a tiny bit guilty she couldn't have been there to help earlier.
"*ahem* Hi, Carrots? Would you maybe feel like introducing us anytime soon?" Nick suddenly asked with a loud clearing of the throat, quickly catching her and Gideon's attention; his green eyes focused solely on this hulking red hayseed that was chatting up his partner like they were good ol' buddies.
"Oh, of course, sorry! Nick, this is Gideon Grey. Gideon, this is Nick Wilde, my partner," Judy immediately apologized before eagerly introducing the two foxes to each other; Gideon looking as happy as could be while Nick still looked to be sizing him up.
"Well, pleasure to finally meet ya, Nick. Judy here's told me a whole lot about you," Gideon greeted Nick enthusiastically before taking his paw in a tight pawshake; nearly taking poor Nick off the ground with how strong he was.
"Really? Well, I wish I could, er, say the same about you," Nick greeted in as friendly a tone as he could manage once Gideon finally let him go.
"Yeah, sorry, Gid. I would've told him about you a lot sooner, but we've been constantly busy with work since he joined up," Judy apologized while Gideon didn't look perturbed one bit as he took Nick's suitcase into his free paw before motioning the two to follow him.
"Aw, it ain't nothin' to be sorry for, Judy. I kinda figured big city life is all hustlin'and bustlin'; it keeps y'all movin' all the time. Right now I'm just glad to finally meet another fox out here that ain't me n' my mama," Gideon brushed her worries off with a jovial chuckle as Nick looked at Judy in a way as if to silently ask 'Is this guy for real?' to which she could only give him a greatly amused grin and a playful shrug of the shoulders.
Once they left the platform, Judy immediately spotted the single pink delivery van sitting out front with 'Grey Family Bakery' stenciled on the side as Gideon carefully set her and Nick's luggage in the back.
"I'm awful sorry, but I got a lot of stuff all stored up front for the party thanks to all the young'uns. I'm afraid the back's the only part that'll have enough room for the two of ya," Gideon apologized as Judy gave him an appreciative pat on his shoulder before climbing into the back of the van with Nick quickly following behind her. Needless to say, he was more than pleasantly surprised to see probably more pies and other baked goods than he'd ever seen before in one place waiting for him. The aroma alone nearly knocked him off his feet.
"I'll try to drive real careful, and I'll let y'all know when we're there," Gideon called back to them through a slot in the wall leading to the driver's seat once Judy pulled the rear doors closed.
"Thank you so much for this, Gideon," Judy thanked him as the large fox's ears folded back bashfully as he started the engine.
"Aw, nothin' to it, Judy. It's the least I can do," he replied as politely as possible before pulling the slider closed; and before long Judy and Nick could both feel the momentum shift as the van began to drive off for the Hopps Family Farm.
Once the two settled into the ride, Judy let out a blissful, perhaps even nostalgic sigh. Of course, this was nothing like the hay wagon rides from when she was a kid, but the sentiment and similarity wasn't lost on her. Nick on the other hand was practically staring at her with an unreadable smirk that left her feeling the tiniest bit nervous.
"What?" she finally asked once the silence and rumbling of the van engine became too much and Nick's gaze never averted before giving her a similar shrug of his shoulders like she'd done to him.
"I must say, I'm surprised at you, Carrots. I didn't think you kept so many secrets," he stated with mock ignorance.
"Nick, what are you talking about?" she asked once her ears picked up the slight trace of hurt hidden in the way he spoke.
"Were you ever planning on telling me about him?" Nick finally asked; his smirk never betraying his real purpose for asking.
"Him? Who, you mean Gideon? Well of course I was going to tell you about him while we were here. I just didn't think he'd actually be here to meet us. I thought it would make you feel a little more comfortable knowing you wouldn't be the only fox around for the weekend," Judy explained as Nick simply rolled his eyes; making the little bunny frown at how immature he was acting.
"Why are you making such a big deal about this, Nick? I thought it would help put you at ease," Judy asked in no mood for his typical sarcasm while Nick finally let his grin slightly falter.
"I know and appreciate that, Carrots, really. I just…well, I'd just been convinced for a while that I was the only fox friend you had," Nick admitted with some clear hesitation as Judy's eyes widened to finally see where this was coming from.
"Nick…are…are you JEALOUS? Of Gideon?" she asked, trying hard not to let out a laugh of amusement to see even the oh-so collected Nick Wilde could actually be jealous.
"Can you really think of any small mammal that wouldn't be jealous of a taller stronger one of their species? Seriously, guy's got a paw grip like he's an undersized bear," Nick attempted to deflect while also giving her an honest answer. By this point, poor Judy had to put her paws over her muzzle to keep from cracking up at her partner's expense.
"Nick, you don't have to be jealous. I've known Gideon since we were little kids, it's only natural we'd be this close by now," Judy tried to reassure him, only to realize what a poor choice of words that was as Nick just looked at her with a blank expression on his face.
"Y'know, Carrots, I hope that was some kind of new psychology theory you overheard on the TV or something, cause that's not typically what I'd call reassuring," Nick said, clearly unamused while still trying not to accidentally sound too angry or disappointed.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm just trying to say you don't have to worry about Gideon. You're still and always will be my favorite fox in the whole world," Judy finally stated as she instinctively cuddled into his side; and as much as he wanted to stay straight-faced, he couldn't deny this was her most effective way of always putting any of their tension at ease.
"Besides, if it'll help clear any of your stubborn little doubts, well…me and Gideon weren't always friends per se," Judy continued reluctantly as Nick's ears instantly perked up with morbid curiosity.
"See, he was a pretty big reason why I was so scared of foxes for such a long time. Back when we were kids, he was like the town bully, always picking on me, my siblings and all the other prey kids in town. And…well, one day when I was 9 and the local fair was going on, I tried to stop him from stealing some of my friends' tickets and…well, he was way bigger than me even back then, and…well, he clawed my face to try and scare me."
When Judy looked up at Nick the instant those words left her mouth, she instantly saw how much Nick instinctively wanted to wring Gideon's neck through that slot in the wall; and that kind of silent anger was something she never wanted to see from her partner.
"Nick, it was 16 years ago. We were just kids, and he was going through a lot of personal problems of his own. Since then, he's proven to be a much better mammal than I thought was possible for him. If anything, just like you, he helped me realize just how much we all can change for the better, even when we don't think we can," Judy once more tried to explain as Nick thankfully looked to calm down as he let out a heavy sigh in an attempt to calm himself.
"I get it, Carrots. I understand. I mean, if you were able to believe in me as much as you did, how bad could this lummox possibly be now?" Nick asked sarcastically while Judy smiled in satisfaction at his mood upswing.
"Thank you, Nick. And besides, knowing what I just told you about him, if my parents could end up liking him enough to make him their business partner and a friend of the family, how could they possibly dislike you?" she asked confidently as Nick let out a quiet little chuckle.
"Don't jinx it, Cottontail. We've got a whole weekend here ahead of us still," Nick reminded her as the two fell into a more comfortable silence.
It wasn't too long after that when they felt the momentum of the van suddenly shift before coming to a stop.
"Alright, y'all, we're here," Gideon announced through the wall slot as Judy took a deep breath to quell her excitement while Nick was taking some deep breaths of his own, though his fur nearly looked like it was about to stand on end from how nervous he looked right now.
"It'll be okay, Nick. I'll be with you the whole time, promise," Judy whispered softly as she took Nick's paw into her own; once again like magic calming him down completely as they finally took the step forward and threw open the rear doors.
Nick was nearly blinded by the brilliant afternoon sunlight. Without all of Zootopia's skyscrapers to help block it out; the countryside seemed to burn brighter than even he thought was possible. But thankfully he was soon able to bear with it as Judy helpfully guided him down the single dirt road leading up to what had to be the single biggest farmhouse the fox had ever seen.
As far as he could see, both sides of the road were surrounded by vast stretches of all kinds of vegetable and fruit crops that extended to the tree lines of the surroundings woods; and the huge farmhouse was settled on top of a little hill that stood dead center of it all. As accustomed as he'd been to the nearly limitless number of bizarre sights and wonders of the city; Nick couldn't help but actually be legitimately impressed.
"Wow, and to think I was impressed you actually grew more than just carrots," he muttered absentmindedly as Judy giggled at his wonder.
"This isn't really much. A lot of the families around here have farms this big. I guess it just comes with having multiple generations build it up," she explained as the serene sounds of the countryside and the warmth of the dirt beneath her feet had her feeling even more nostalgic as with each step she kept expecting her whole family to come rushing out the door to her.
"And I guess your brothers and sisters are probably gonna keep that going while we're off chasing pickpockets and jaywalkers, huh? Speaking of which, since Gideon said they were getting everything ready, do you think we'll actually get the drop on them?" Nick asked curiously; and the instant the words left his snout; they were interrupted by the creak of the front door, and before his wide green eyes, almost in slow motion, a virtual tidal wave of tiny fuzzballs of differing shades of grey, white, brown and maple came rushing out the door to them with a collective call of "JUDY!"
Before he could even let out a frightened little squeak, he nearly felt himself and Judy being bowled over onto the ground beneath this laughing mass of fuzz. It was like Nick's most ridiculous fears of meeting Judy's family come to life; nearly finding it hard to breathe while also feeling like he was being both crushed and tickled to death underneath these 275 tinier bunnies, all while the air was abuzz with theirs and Judy's laughter.
"Okay, kids, that's enough now, give your sister some space," the voice of Stu Hopps suddenly called from the house, and with a bunch of disappointed groans, the countless little bunnies reluctantly got off of Judy and Nick; their sister nearly springing to her feet from their colossal welcome like it was second nature, while Nick still remained flat on his back; his eyes wide and staring off into space like he had PTSD.
"Does that answer your question? Come on, you big softie," Judy teased as she helped Nick back onto his feet before turning to see her parents both happily coming down the road toward them, only for her to rush into a sprint to meet them both with her own embrace they readily met.
"Oh, I missed you guys so much," Judy greeted them as her parents held onto her like they hadn't seen her in years; while Nick respectfully remained behind. It was her idea to bring him here, so he was willing to let her know when to finally get the introductions done.
"Happy birthday, Mom. I'm sorry we couldn't have gotten here sooner, or else I would've helped you guys put everything together," Judy apologized after pecking Bonnie on the cheek as her mother softly laughed it off.
"Oh, it's not the end of the world if you miss one day of work, Judy. I'm just glad you were able to make it. At first I wasn't sure if work would make you too busy to come down," Bonnie said as Judy began to excitedly lead her and Stu by the paws down the road to the rest of the kids.
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world, let alone work. Chief Bogo was even nice enough to give us the whole weekend off," Judy stated firmly; with both her parents ears noticeably perking once she mentioned she wasn't alone.
"Oh my goodness, Judy, does that mean you actually brought—" Bonnie began to ask, only for her to go silent with a paw over her mouth the instant she spotted the unfamiliar fox standing perfectly still among the throngs of tiny bunnies surrounding his legs; all of them looking up at him with sheer wonder while he tried to ignore the literal thousands of eyes staring at him.
"Mom, Dad, this is my partner, Nick Wilde. Nick, these are my parents, Stuart and Bonnie Hopps," Judy wasted no time introducing the three; silence their only response for a few incredibly awkward seconds as Nick looked very uncomfortably towards his partner.
However, Bonnie then stepped forward, never taking her eyes off the fox as he swallowed a dry lump in his throat, having no idea what to expect.
"So…YOU'RE the fox that helped our daughter with her very first case; the one who took care of her all this time?" Bonnie asked as Stu quickly joined her side while Nick tugged at the collar of his shirt in an attempt to calm his nerves.
"Um, yeah? I-I mean, yes, ma'am, that's me," Nick stuttered nervously; only for her to suddenly pull him into a surprisingly strong hug; and when he looked at Judy for some kind of confirmation, she looked just as amazed as he did.
"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you after all this time, Mr. Wilde. Judy has told me so much about you," Bonnie greeted him finally with a bright smile as Nick could only grin in semi-embarrassment. Was there anybody out in this neck of the woods she DIDN'T tell all about him and chose not to tell HIM about?
"Not me. What, you mean you knew about them being partners all this time and just didn't tell me?" Stu suddenly asked in surprise to his wife while Nick couldn't help but let out a mental sigh of relief. Apparently yes, there was one.
"Actually, Dad, we've only been official partners for two months now. That was when he graduated from the academy," Judy attempted to explain, also looking at her mother with slight accusation while Bonnie didn't even pretend to look embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, honey, but you said to tell you when I felt he was ready before asking permission, and…well…" Bonnie explained while Stu could only look to both his wife and daughter with disbelief that they kept him out of the loop for God-only-knew how long.
"Bonnie, why would you keep Judy and this fox working together a secret from me? How long did you know about this?" Stu asked while Bonnie could only sigh that he was already getting so worked up.
"I'm sorry, Stu, okay? I didn't tell you because…well, you haven't exactly had the best track record of reacting reasonably to news like this. I admit, I was nervous too when the truth eventually got out, but Judy assured me about everything, and the more I kept thinking about when would be the right time…well, I guess you could say it got away from me," Bonnie said as Stu looked considerably embarrassed. As much as he felt justified to be upset his own wife was keeping a secret from him, she wasn't wrong that he had the bigger tendency to let his emotions get the better of him. And he would've been lying if he said he didn't feel a twinge of that natural fear well up in him the instant Judy introduced this fox as her work partner.
"Okay, I'll admit I have been one to overreact more than once before, but I wish you could at least have trusted me to take the news as well as could be expected. You know we've never kept secrets from each other before," Stu said regrettably while Bonnie and Judy both looked considerably guilty at this point, to which Nick couldn't help but feel partially responsible as well.
"Excuse me, Mr. Hopps, sir?" Nick spoke up; catching the Hopps patriarch's attention as the fox nervously straightened his neck tie while trying to gather his words.
"I understand why you'd be nervous. Honestly, I doubt I'd be any different if I was a bunny and my kid was hanging around a fox. But I just want you to know something first: I owe a lot of positive changes I've made over the last year of my life to your daughter. She was the very first mammal to ever treat me and make me feel like I was more than what everyone else told me I was: a shifty, untrustworthy good-for-nothing fox. For that alone, I owe her more than I can ever hope to repay; but even beyond that, she's the best friend I could've ever asked for, and I would do anything to protect her both on and off the job. So I just want you to know before anything else is said, that I would NEVER do anything to hurt her," Nick proceeded to explain with such conviction and devotion; everyone was at a loss for words; even down to the youngest kids who probably wouldn't have understood half of what he was saying.
Nevertheless, his words really seemed to strike a chord with Judy's parents; Stu especially as he could only bow his head deep in thought. Nick certainly hoped he didn't accidentally make his partner's father feel shame for unknowingly jumping to conclusions.
"Well, I'm sorry if I made you feel…uncomfortable or unwelcome, among other things. You seem like a nice enough fella, and I know Judy's a good judge of character. Heck, she'd have to be, right? We've just always been a very close family, and to think they've been keeping you and her working together a secret from me for so long…well, I'm just not sure how to feel about that," Stu admitted while Nick nodded in understanding. His little reaction to suddenly meeting Gideon with no notice from his bunny certainly attested to that.
"Well, nobody's perfect, believe me. I mean, sure, some secrets are more important to keep than others; there's no getting around that. But I really do mean what I said about her. We're partners, and I would do anything to protect her; and…well, I'm hoping I can make a good first impression with more than just one bunny. At least that way I'll know it wasn't just a fluke," Nick reassured before cracking into that sarcastic grin again; forcing Judy to stifle a giggle before Bonnie suddenly approached him with an understanding motherly smile.
"Judy really was right about you, Mr. Wilde. I believed her when she said you made her feel safe and happy; but meeting and listening to you now, how could I ever doubt that?" Bonnie spoke up as she laid an appreciative paw on his shoulder while Nick looked up in surprise to his partner that she would actually say something so heartfelt about their friendship. And the embarrassed but sincere smile on her face as she joined her mothers' side seemed to confirm it all; leaving the poor fox feeling more than a little flustered.
"Well…aw heck, Gideon was proof enough to me not all predators are bad. And if you really do care about our daughter half as much as you say you do, how bad could you honestly be? I'm sorry again, I just let my mouth go running before I think sometimes," Stu relented before that big-hearted grin returned to his face before offering his paw to Nick, which he gladly accepted with a hearty shake of his own.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Hopps. I've met more than a few mammals that did that too, but I never held it against them," Nick reassured as he shot a mischievous knowing glance at Judy as she looked down in embarrassment. How could that sly fox have managed to turn what was once the one breaking point in their friendship and turn it into an inside joke of theirs?
"Aw, don't bother with all that 'Mr. Hopps' nonsense, son. You can just call me Stu if you like," the hearty buck offered as Judy quickly rejoined her partner, smiling gratefully to her parents and the heavens above that this had managed to reconcile itself so quickly. The last thing she ever would've wanted was to cause her parents to argue, especially on her mothers' birthday.
"And you can just call me Bonnie, too. Now I'm sure you both have had a real tiring trip. Why don't you come up and make yourselves at home? I'm sure Judy would love to show you around," Bonnie offered as she and her husband led the two partners up the rest of the road to the house while the majority of the younger kids chased after them while the slightly older ones helped Gideon get his assortment of pies from the van to the house.
The next hour consisted almost entirely of Judy and Bonnie showing Nick all around the Hopps family household while Stu had to assist Gideon and the older kids. It looked immense enough on the outside for a simple-looking farmhouse, but inside somehow managed to be even bigger. If he didn't know better, he probably would've assumed that they had to cram five kids into each room at night at the very LEAST. But to his surprise, they actually managed to make it so that each child really did have their own room with actual space for themselves. It was certainly a lot more than he could've ever been able to say about his house when he was growing up. And that was even with the fact he was an only kit and it was just him and his mother.
All the while, everywhere they went, there were always at least a handful of the kids either following the three while staring at Nick, or there would always be the kids in their rooms watching from the doorframes as they passed by. Of course, Nick and Judy both felt the intense and curious stares, but they never brought it up. Honestly, who could blame a whole bunch of tiny bunnies for being curious? For all Nick knew, he was probably the ONLY fox they'd ever seen outside of any outdated story books, assuming they somehow didn't know Gideon.
Midway through the tour, of course there was some mild resistance on Judy's part when it eventually came to seeing her old bedroom, but of course there was no way Nick would ever be able to resist the chance to drag some embarrassing skeletons out of her closet. Of course, he would've been lying if he were to say he WASN'T disappointed there were no embarrassing childhood photos of his Carrots with anything like glasses or braces or whatever else came to mind that would've made her so resistant. Ultimately he just had to assume it was her female instincts in full force again. Of course, she was always adorable to look at whenever she was nervous or embarrassed or shy, so he could at least say that made the disappointment all worth it.
And the whole time, bonnie just watched the two playfully bicker with each other the whole time with a strange sense of amusement. Truth be told, seeing the two be so informal and casual in the way they spoke and acted with each other made it feel like she was seeing Judy like a little kit again, this time finally actually interacting with a real friend. Of course she knew that was just wistful daydreaming, but it still did her heart good to see her daughter acting so…natural, for lack of a better word, with another mammal; instead of always being so single-mindedly focused and serious all the time.
Finally, almost as soon as they'd finally shown nick all throughout the house, Stu had made the announcement that dinner had finally been prepared and for everyone to gather up. Almost as quickly as when he and Judy had arrived, Nick was nearly bowled over by the tidal wave of his partner's younger siblings as they all neatly packed into their seats while Stu and bonnie set themselves at the head of the table, with Judy, Nick and Gideon having special spots of their own right next to them.
The entire dining hall was a cacophony of friendly and childish chatter and joyous laughter of all sorts while Nick tried to remain as polite and well-behaved and non-sarcastic as possible. As welcoming as Bonnie and Stu had already tried to make him feel, he still couldn't help but feel sorely out of his element out here in the boonies; and that never-ending feeling of so many of the little ones staring at him without saying anything, whether out of shyness or fear, didn't help.
Thankfully, once it came time for everyone to pipe in to wish Bonnie a happy birthday and Gideon's personal contributions of nearly countless pies were brought out; one could always count on nature's little blue blessings to help loosen Nick's nerves right up.
"Wow, just when I thought your blueberries couldn't get any better! Whoever found out how to make these even tastier has to be some kind of genius," Nick exclaimed with nothing short of amazement as he dug right into his piece of blueberry pie while Judy stifled a giggle at how enthusiastic he became like the flip of a switch; and while Stu and Bonnie were momentarily speechless and Gideon couldn't help but smile proudly at the offhanded compliment.
"Honestly, Nick, are you just trying to pretend we didn't come here on a bakery van?" Judy playfully asked as she nudged Nick to at least acknowledge who he was referring to. And once he saw the proud look on Gideon's face, the city fox nearly felt his jaw drop as the seemingly obvious clues finally clicked together. Either that, or he at least realized there was no point in feigning ignorance any longer.
"Wow, YOU actually made these? Okay, I take back any doubts I had. Anyone who can make blueberry pie THIS good is a-ok in my book," Nick further complimented while Judy smiled in semi-embarrassment to her parents at how childlike he'd become.
"Well, it's always nice to get folks' first impressions of my work. Hopefully you'll be able to visit more often, there's tons more I'd be right eager for you to try," Gideon offered as Nick's ears perked up at the very thought. Blueberries or not, he could never say no to the offer of free food.
"Well, try not to get too eager, Gideon. If I know Nick, blueberries are what he's REALLY a fan of, otherwise he might need a little more convincing," Judy said jokingly as she and Nick shared a mutual laugh.
"Oh, well it looks like Gideon's not the ONLY one here with a new fan," Bonnie suddenly piped in with clear amusement in her words as Nick and Judy both looked to see just one of her little siblings standing right at Nick's side with the biggest wondrous eyes the fox could recall seeing any of them have. It was almost like the tiny bunny was looking up at a real life Santa Claws the way he was so speechless and yet clearly unafraid. Admittedly, Nick actually felt much less uncomfortable this time around because of that.
"Are you really Judy's cop buddy?" the little bunny asked as Nick couldn't help but feel a little relieved one of the kids FINALLY decided to actually talk to him; the grin on his muzzle seeming to really keep the little one at ease since he didn't back down at all.
"Well, the grown-up word is 'partner', but yeah, me and your big sis are real good buddies too," Nick answered as the kid looked to be thinking of what else to ask while Judy and her parents were both watching with silent happiness to see him actually getting along with one of the little ones.
"Do you fight a lot of bigger animals?" the kid continued on. The childlike wonder with which he asked such things was so naturally adorable; but Nick knew if there was any time NOT to call a bunny cute, it was right now.
"Well, we don't go LOOKING to fight any. Sometimes we have to, and sometimes we have to chase them, and other times nothing really happens. But yeah, we have had to fight some real big scary animals before," Nick answered while the kid looked between both the fox and Judy with absolute amazement, like they were a couple of real life superheroes.
"How do you fight the big ones? You're a lot smaller than Gideon," the kid finally asked, and if it hadn't been for the collective chatter of all the other kids, Nick probably would've heard the surprised and even shocked gasps from Judy and her parents while Gideon had to stifle a chuckle.
"Peter, don't be so rude. You should know better than to talk to Judy's partner like that," Bonnie started to scold the little 7 year-old before Nick surprisingly gave her a reassuring wave of his paw.
"Oh, it's no trouble, Bonnie. Believe me; I've learned to know when others are being rude. The little guys just curious, that's all. And if you wanna know, Peter, I'll give you a little secret," Nick offered as he reached and lifted the small bunny into his lap; which by now had caught a good number of the other kids' attention.
"You don't have to be big to go up against other big animals. Just take me and your sister for example. We can take down polar bears and lions if we just use our heads and the other gifts we were born with to our advantage. If you just think ahead, there's nobody that can beat you," Nick explained; and the way Peter's eyes lit up with inspiration was nothing short of storybook worthy.
"Wow! You and Judy can do all that? When I grow up, I wanna be a police officer too," Peter announced with excitement while Judy immediately motioned for her parents not to react. If she knew half her siblings as well as she thought she did, it was just another of their own childish daydreams that would probably pass within a week or a month at the most. They had almost all proven to be far less single-minded in their goals than she was.
"Well, if that's the case, little guy, then I've got another secret for you, just between us, okay? Now I want you to lean in real close, alright?" Nick instructed as Peter eagerly leaned his upright ear closer for whatever this fox had to share.
"You gotta make sure nobody knows how you can do THIS," Nick said right before he suddenly reached his paw behind Peter's ear and suddenly pulled out a quarter. Almost instantly, half the children all gasped in amazement before nearly tackling an unsuspecting Nick to get a better look.
"How did you do that? Do it again, Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick is magic! Teach me, teach me," were only some of the exclamations of the astounded children Nick could pick up as Judy and the slightly older kids had to usher the little ones away so Nick could have some more breathing room; his satisfied grin brighter than he could ever recall it being as he playfully flipped the quarter between his claws before making it disappear with a flick of his wrist to their further amazement.
"Sorry kids, but a magician never reveals his secrets. But maybe I can show you some more while we're here if you behave yourselves," Nick offered; and the kids all collectively were about to squeal with excitement before Bonnie and Stu motioned for them to settle down, which thankfully they did.
"Well, don't YOU just continue to impress? Any other hidden talents you've been keeping from me, sly fox?" Judy asked teasingly as Nick waved a reprimanding finger in her smirking face.
"Now, Carrots, where would the fun be in me showing you EVERYTHING I can do all at once? Besides, it's nothing all that special. Just another one of those things you pick up when you've been moving around as much as I have," Nick said teasingly; loving the childish pouty look on her fuzzy face, while still taking care to choose his words carefully. He'd only now finally been able to get comfortable with her parents and the last thing he wanted was to let it slip he was a former criminal.
"You know, now that you mention it, I've been very curious, Nick. How exactly DID you and Judy first meet? I mean, if you weren't a cop until just a couple months ago, what exactly were you doing before?" Stu suddenly asked; momentarily catching them both off guard as they shared a split-second glance as if to ask how they answer before Nick managed to clear his throat.
"Oh, it wasn't really anything special, all things considered. I was just trying to buy a little fennec toddler some ice cream, but the elephant running the parlor refused to sell me any. Carrots here stepped in and convinced him to sell it to us or else she'd report them for not wearing gloves on their trunks to the health and sanitation folks," Nick quickly explained as Judy smiled and nodded in full agreement. Sometimes it was amazing how fast he could spin words to sound exactly the way he wanted.
"That's right. Very first day on the job, and I was already helping folks in small yet big ways," Judy agreed as Stu and bonnie both looked at each other in amazement at their story.
"The next day, I was given that missing mammal case, I found out Nick here was the last one to see the mammal I was looking for, and one thing led to another, and we were working together; and now here we are," Judy piped in as Nick grinned satisfactorily as the two looked as innocent and confident in their story as could be.
"Wow, it really IS amazing how some folks end up meeting each other. I'd almost think one of you lifted that from a movie if I didn't know any better," Stu admitted as the fox and bunny both exchanged barely noticeable worried glances with each other while still trying to remain as straight-faced as possible.
"But Zootopia's such a large city with so many mammals living in it. I mean, as much as I hate to admit it, I can understand if it were in a small town like ours. Why wouldn't that elephant sell you any if it was for a small child?" Bonnie asked as Nick's ears slightly folded back in reminiscence.
"Simple. It was because we were both foxes. As much as they like to preach that whole thing about 'In Zootopia, anyone can be anything', the sad truth is some mammals like myself are pretty much treated the same way there as they would anywhere else. Nobody trusted me, or even wanted to give me that kind of chance. At least not until Carrots here showed up," Nick explained before rubbing his paw on the top of Judy's head playfully; all while Bonnie and Stu both looked noticeably upset with his story.
"To think, even in the big city, animals would still judge each other like that. I mean, yes, we used to be like that too; but we have Judy to thank for helping us realize there's more to all of us than just what species we're born into," Bonnie lamented as even Gideon by this point looked a bit forlorn.
"That's right. I used to be a real jerk as a kid because I had no confidence in myself, and nobody wanted to even give me the benefit of the doubt. I really owe a lot to ya both, Mr. and Mrs. H. And you too, Judy. Not only are you somehow helping us learn to be better as mammals, but it looks like you're really helping other animals learn to get along a lot better, huh?" Gideon piped in as he, Bonnie and Stu all looked gratefully to her as her ears folded in bashfulness that all this praise was suddenly being showered on her out of nowhere.
"You hear that, Carrots? Looks like you're everybody's hero everywhere you go," Nick teased as Judy fixated her eyes on the floor to ignore the fact she was unwittingly the center of attention, before a pleased smile crept back across her lips.
"Well, even everybody's hero needs one of their own. That's why I have you, dumb fox," Judy answered as it was Nick's turn now to start blushing as his ears too folded back and he was left chuckling nervously to himself while his partner, her parents and Gideon couldn't all help but laugh.
Shortly after that, all the pies had somehow been picked clean, and soon Bonnie and Judy were helping usher all the little ones to their rooms for bed while Stu, Gideon and Nick volunteered to clean up. Nick felt so much more at ease around these new mammals by this point, not even being bothered by the fact that Gideon was proving to be much stronger than him in how much of a load he could carry into the kitchen at once.
"We're really glad you could stick around for the party, Gid. I don't know about you, but after all this time, Bonnie, the kids and I pretty much consider you part of the family," Stu commented as Gideon carried in the last of the dishes.
"Well shucks, that's awful nice of ya to say, Mr. H. Y'all have been real kind to me this last year, it only feels right," Gideon admitted as he quickly joined Stu and Nick in washing everything up.
"It's too bad Betty couldn't make it though. It still amazes me how well she and Bonnie have been getting along since we partnered up," Stu went on as Gideon gave a wistful sigh.
"Yeah, I'm sure mama feels the same way. But she's out visitin' Aunt Marge out east, else I'm sure she'd be here with Mrs. H. laughing the night away," Gideon humored Stu as the two couldn't help but chuckle in amusement to themselves while Nick decided to just bask in the good mood.
"Any idea when she'll be back? I can't imagine running the bakery's easy by yourself. Some of the kids have been talking about it; and if you're interested, we could try sending some of them to help you around," Stu offered while Gideon looked particularly taken aback at something so selfless.
"Nah, I couldn't ask y'all to shorthand yourselves on my account; considerin' all the crops ya gotta harvest before too long. This ain't the first time I been watchin' the place by myself, I can manage," Gideon tried to rebuke before Nick once again let himself be noticed with a clearing of the throat.
"Well, since Carrots and I are here for the weekend, why don't WE help you out? I'm sure we can make up for a handful of bunnies while they're helping make sure this big guy doesn't accidentally burn his place down," Nick offered as Stu seemed to be deeply considering it.
"Are you sure you're okay with that, Nick? I'm sure you realize no farm work is easy. Do you have much experience working in the outdoors?" Stu asked as Nick didn't back down even a step. As much as he loved to make fun of Judy for being a carrot-farming country bunny at heart, his time physically pushing himself at the academy had really engraved into him an appreciation for physical work and personally reaping its benefits.
"Well, I used to make a living selling Pawpsicles in Sahara Square for a while. And even if I didn't, Carrots had been sending me parcels of your blueberries every week while I was at the ZPA. I'd think helping you harvest the little things is the least I can do," Nick explained while Stu slowly grew a smile in satisfaction at his answer.
"Well, who am I to deny a helping paw? Just so long as you promise not to eat them as you pick them," he stated firmly while Nick gave him a sarcastic shrug of the shoulders, as if to silently say 'I make no promises.'
The three let out a mutual laugh before getting back to work; Gideon looking visibly relieved he'd actually have some help for the next few days.
"So I'm curious, Gideon; have you been in the baking business long? I'd think I would've heard about a fox making pies as good as yours a long time ago," Nick asked out of curiosity once it got around to them setting everything aside for the night.
"Well, not too long; definitely not as long as my mama. She and my daddy opened shop about 13 years back, but once he passed on, she took me in and taught me everything I know. Been runnin' the shop with her for the last eight years now, but we mainly like to cater locally," Gideon explained, and while Nick instinctively felt guilty once the mention of his deceased father came up; the country fox didn't look bothered one bit, as if he'd just accepted it and moved on that easily.
"So I guess you must be pretty close to your mother, huh?" Nick hesitantly asked as it seemed like the only topic of conversation that WOULDN'T make it sound like he'd just ignored everything Gid had just said.
"Sure am. She's been gettin' a bit old for the work lately, but she's still the strongest woman I ever known," Gideon said proudly while Nick felt his spirits slowly sink now that his thoughts were starting to look back.
"How's about you, Nick? I know ya said you used to sell Pawpsicles, but what do your folks do?" Gideon asked curiously, and it took several seconds for Nick to actually will himself to answer.
"Oh, well…uh, I-I'm not…I'm not really that close with my parents these days. Or at least, not with my mom. See, she raised me all by herself, I never even knew my dad. That never really bothered me, but…well, things got pretty complicated a while back, and we don't really talk that much," Nick struggled to say while Gideon and Stu both glanced worriedly to each other to see how much and how quickly this had come to bother him.
"Well, do ya…do ya ever think of maybe tryin' to reconcile? I mean, I know I couldn't handle my mama stayin' mad at me for anything," Gideon asked cautiously as Nick let out a heavy sigh; hating that this particular memory had been brought up so suddenly.
"Yeah, yeah I have every once in a while. Not that that ever got me motivated enough to try," Nick muttered mostly to himself while Stu motioned for Gideon to talk about anything else.
Meanwhile…
Elsewhere, once the last of the kids had finally been tucked into bed, Judy and Bonnie couldn't help but relish in the peace and quiet as they began to make their way downstairs to get Stu and Nick as well.
"Oh Judy, today has been wonderful. I know I already said so, but I feel it still warrants repeating: I'm really happy you could come down for the weekend; and Nick has to be one of the sweetest mammals I've ever met, never mind the sweetest fox," Bonnie said with no limit of sincerity or sarcasm as Judy smiled gratefully at her mother for saying so.
"Of course I'd make it, Mom. And I know Nick was just as anxious to meet you and Dad as you both were to meet him. I'm glad you both like him, he was really nervous what you'd think on our way here," Judy admitted as they stopped in the middle of the hall so they wouldn't have to rush the conversation.
"Oh, but he's such a dear, honey. He's so polite and good humored; and I can just tell from the way he talks about you that he REALLY does care for you. Now I really do know what you meant when you said he makes you feel safe and happy," Bonnie reiterated as Judy couldn't help but blush just thinking back to that unexpected opening up her partner gave them earlier this afternoon. She honestly hadn't expected him to willingly open up like that so soon after meeting them. That had to have been a real strong sign of just how much he really wanted their approval if he was able to lower his constant sarcastic shield so quickly. Honestly, it touched her quite a bit to think he treasured their friendship THAT much.
"Yeah, he really is great, isn't he? I couldn't have asked for a better partner, even BEFORE he decided to be a cop with me," Judy admitted as Bonnie smiled warmly to see just how deeply emotional her daughter was when talking about that permanently grinning fox just downstairs.
"I'm so glad you've been able to make such a great friend out in the city, Judy. I know me and your father can both really sleep easy now knowing you have someone like Nick watching out for you," Bonnie admitted while Judy smiled in childish embarrassment. It really was true; no matter how old she'd get, her parents were never going to be able to stop thinking of her as their baby. Not that she could feel the need to complain to be honest.
Later That Night…
Judy and Nick both lay side-by-side in her old bed, staring up at the ceiling, both of them trying to get a grasp on the lingering emotions the first day of their visit had left them with. Judy was feeling nothing short of ecstatic to the point of wanting to squeal with joy that things had worked out so perfectly. She'd been so nervous for so long that her parents ultimately wouldn't have wanted her working with a fox, regardless of what an immense help and positive presence he was for her. And for just a short time, she'd legitimately felt like those fears were coming true. But by God, Nick was trying so hard to make this work, and she couldn't have been more grateful for him than she was in that moment. And it was a good thing he'd gotten more comfortable with at least getting closer to her by now, because even now she felt so happy, she didn't want to let go of him as they remained cuddled up together.
Nick on the other hand was more…divided. He legitimately already found himself loving it out here. Sure, it was a jarring change of setting and pace for a city fox like him, but once he'd actually gotten accustomed to the wide open spaces and the peace and quiet of nature instead of the bustling of traffic and numerous voices and other city noises, he found himself really settling nicely into this little carrot-choke podunk called Bunnyburrow.
But at the same time, the whole conversation he'd unwittingly engaged in with Gideon still remained fresh in his head. Everything he'd said was true: he had always been raised solely by his mother, things fell through, and he hadn't spoken or heard from her in he didn't even remember how long. And there had been times he wanted to try and reach out to her to try and fix things, but he was always too scared to each time.
And worst of all, even if it hadn't been for Gideon; Judy, bless her little heart, bringing him out here to meet her family, to personally see just how CLOSE she was to her parents couldn't help but bring out a biting sense of comparison inside him, as if he couldn't help but compare what a wonderful family life she still had to what a terrible one he'd created for himself. And with it, the regret of whether he'd ever be able to work up the courage to TRY and fix that at last.
For that entire night, his thoughts were continuously mixed between a true sense of happiness and peacefulness being here with no one but his Carrots for company, and those stubborn remorseful memories of the past he'd foolishly thrown away.
Alright everyone, that is the first chapter of the second installment of my Zootopia series: 'Leaving the Past'. This one was a real challenge to put together in this short amount of time; there were moments I felt like I'd written myself into a corner, and times where I wondered what to trim down or what to expand upon. But this is the end result, and I hope you all like it to any kind of extent.
I can't wait to hear what you all think. You all make every step of bringing these stories to life more than worth it.