Hey everyone. So here is the second chapter. Original release was in December of 2017. Don't worry though we have new material coming soon!

-Snowballs and fireplaces-

Another holiday was fast approaching and Nick found himself sitting on a familiar train which whisked him towards his home away from home. Once again the fox wouldn't be spending a holiday in Zootopia but with family in Manta Bay instead. This was starting to turn into a tradition but it was one he enjoyed so it wasn't really that bad.

The seeds of this tradition had been planted after Halloween when he returned to the city to his waiting mother. Nick spent hours upon hours talking about his adventure in the city by the bay. He showed his mother the king-sized candy bars he had won at old man Johnson's house. He told her about meeting this strange brown bunny named Trisha who had made him into her new best friend. He spoke about meeting this other pair of bunnies briefly but felt somewhat embarrassed when speaking about a certain gray bunny. He couldn't explain it but his stomach felt weird when thinking about the doe in the ZPD costume with the beautiful purple eyes.

Nick's mother loved hearing all the different stories however and would ask Nick question after question. She also called Nick's Aunt Jean and thanked her for watching after Nick and saving the day. It was at that point Jean asked what the plans were for the holiday season. Soon a plan was made for Nick to spend his winter break back in Manta Bay. It wasn't until the last day of school before the break began that Nick's mother revealed this plan. Nick was a little confused at first but soon the tod had his arms around his mother's waist as he thanked her for the surprise. He was worried about his mother though. He kept saying she shouldn't be alone during the holidays and that he wanted to be with her. Such words made his mother a little teary-eyed as she realized what a kind and caring son she had. She reassured him that she would head to Manta Bay a few days before Christmas so they could spend the holiday together as a family. Nick, however, would be leaving right away so he could have more time with his family and friends in the small coastal city.

When Nick's train arrived at the station the tod peaked out the window and his eyes brightened as he saw some familiar faces.

Standing on the platform were three mammals. His cousin Emily who was wearing a dark green snow jacket and black pants. His auntie Jean who was in a similar cold weather outfit. Finally, there was a surprise mammal waiting to greet Nick. Trisha was bundled up in a dark purple jacket and baggy blue snow pants. The bunny noticed Nick in the window and started to bounce in place as she tugged at Emily's arm. The young female fox looked over and a bright smile appeared on her face as she waved at her cousin from the platform.

Nick gathered his bags and hurried through the car. He had some trouble lugging his overnight bag but fortunately, a timber wolf took notice and helped the eager fox carry his bag off the train and onto the platform. Jean thanked the wolf for his help, the larger predator tipping his hat and saying it was no problem before strolling down the platform.

Emily and Trisha both hurried over to Nick and wrapped the fox up in a warm hug. Nick let out a laugh but held the girls close as they all greeted one another. He noticed how Trisha nuzzled into his cheek and smirked, he had heard that a bunny greeting could sometimes be more affectionate than some but he didn't mind at all. Trisha and he had become fast friends last time he was in Manta Bay and the two had kept in touch. Trisha and Nick sending one another postcards and silly letters over the past few weeks. He especially liked the one from the local aquarium that overlooked the large bay the city had been named for. Every time he had looked at the postcards memories of Halloween played out in his mind. Of course, one memory, in particular, stood out. It was that gray bunny clad in ZPD apparel. Nick had hoped to meet her on this trip as well but sadly Trisha had informed him that she didn't know a Judy Hopps that went to their school and how the bunny may have been an out of towner. This information, of course, was followed by a postcard filled with questions.

"Why? Did you like her? OMG do you? Do you like bunnies like that? There is nothing wrong with that though. She was super cute. Nick and Judy sitting in a tree!"

Even in postcard form, Trisha was still bouncy and bubbly.

"Welcome home cuz," Emily said as she parted from her cousin.

"Welcome to the land of the pumpkin Queen!" Trisha exclaimed as she leaped back to the ground and held her paws into the air.

"Thanks, guys," Nick said as he looked at the two. He then glanced over at his aunt who smiled at the tod.

"Welcome home kit-o," Jean said as she walked over. Nick met her halfway and wrapped his arms around his aunt. Making sure to thank her for inviting him here again and letting him stay with them.

"Oh of course," Jean said happily as she helped Nick load his bag on a cart nearby. "We have been so excited about this. Emily has been telling all her friends. In fact, I think you already have a rather busy schedule."

"Really?" Nick asked as he looked at his cousin and the brown bunny next to her.

"I may have told some of my classmates you were coming from Zootopia."

"That's right city fox, you are Mr. Popular. Lots of mammals wanna ask you about the city," Trisha said as her bright blue eyes shined.

"There isn't much to tell I guess," Nick said hesitantly.

"Oh and we also need your help with something," Emily said with a wicked smile as she looked at Trisha.

"Whats up?" Nick asked as he looked from his cousin to Trisha.

"How good are you at snowball fights?" Trisha asked with a confident smirk.

Nick soon learned that he had been shanghaied into a snowball fight that would be occurring the next day. Apparently, many of the younger mammals in the city got together at one of the large parks and had a snowball fight of epic proportions. The winner of the fight would have bragging rights for weeks at school. Sadly for the past few years, a group of arctic mammals had won. No one really liked dealing with them though. They normally fought dirty and would be bullies on the battlefield.

The year prior they used their natural cold weather abilities to literally run over a few of the snow forts. One or two kits were even hurt in the process. The battle ended pretty quickly after that. No one wanted to deal with two large polar bears that made up the muscle of the arctic team.

Once Nick had dropped his things off at Emily's house he was escorted to the battlegrounds by Emily and Trisha. Both of them had eager looks on their faces as they strolled towards the park.

"This year we have some secret weapons," Emily explained.

"Oh yeah?" Nick asked, wondering what his cousin was up to.

"Oh yeah," Emily began as she looked across from Nick at the brown bunny skipping next to them. "Trisha recruited her Booooooyfriend."

Trisha froze and glared at Emily.

"He is not my boyfriend!" She shouted as she waved her paws about. "He is just…a..friend..like a close friend."

"A friend you kissed on the cheek at the school dance," Emily shot back.

"So?"

"No one else got a smooch," Emily pointed out. The fox, however, shut up as a snowball landed right on her head. "Hey friendly fire!"

"Is this that painted dog from Halloween?" Nick asked slyly as he looked down at Trisha who blushed as her ears fell down.

"Shut it, Nick," Trisha grumbled.

Nick and Emily exchanged knowing looks before continuing towards the park.

Once inside the park grounds, Nick noticed a series of snow piles. Several other mammals scurrying about as they tried to assemble different snow forts that would help them in the coming battle.

"Ours is over here," Emily said as she nodded towards a hill. The group slowly trudged up the snowy embankment and as they approached Nick heard a muffled voice.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek!" Delta shouted, Atom, however, didn't believe a word of it and began to make a series of signs with his paws.

"So what if she is cute?" Delta barked as he waved his paws about. "And sweet, and bubbly….and her ears do that thing sometimes when one is up and the other is tilted…"

Atom snorted as he began to push a large chunk of snow up towards the wall of their fort.

"Oi, last I checked I wasn't the only one who had fun at the dance," Delta shot back at his fellow painted dog. "Where did you and Emily sneak off to?"

Atom froze and turned to look at Delta. With one paw he kept the snow chunk in place, with the other he made a series of signs.

"Really? You two went outside to look at the stars and hug?"

Atom grinned and nodded quickly.

"If it was anyone else I would call them a liar…" Delta grumbled, knowing full well that Atom was way too innocent to sneak off and try anything else.

There was a coughing above the two canines who froze and looked up.

"How long were you all standing there?" Delta asked in mild panic.

"We did just sit outside and look at the stars!" Emily shouted at Delta.

"Yeah, but I picked you up on this part," Trisha said playfully as she let one of her ears droop while the other stood up. The doe smirked at Delta who stood there slack-jawed before returning to preparing the fort. Nick looked over at Trisha who giggled as a blush went up her ears.

Explains why she is so cool with a fox and a bunny.

"How is the fort coming along?" Emily asked as she hopped into the large makeshift trench. She walked over and helped Atom put the large snow chunk in place and patted it down to reinforce the walls.

"It's looking good," Delta began as he turned to look over at Emily. Nick noticed how the painted dog glanced at Trisha from time to time but the canine did his best to look elsewhere. "We have the best vantage point. Glad Trisha came here and claimed this spot. We will be able to cover most of the other forts. The only problem is we are also exposed to the most forts as well."

Delta looked up towards Nick and smiled at the fox.

"Your Emily's cousin from Zootopia right?"

Nick nodded as he looked down at the painted dog.

"Nick," The fox said in a friendly manner.

"Delta," Delta said as he pointed at himself. "And the silent but deadly one over there is Atom."

Atom waved happily at Nick as his tongue stuck out to one side.

"Nice to meet you too," Nick said as he sat down on the top of the fort. Trisha sat down next to him and leaned against the fox gently. The fox noticed something in Delta's eyes which caused him to scoot away from the brown bunny just an inch or two.

"Any good at snowball fights?" Delta asked as he busied himself with patting down some of the walls of the fort.

"I have been known to have a pretty good curveball," Nick joked.

"He is really good at skeeball too," Emily added as she looked up at her cousin. "I vote we have Nick, Trisha, and Atom on snowball attack while Delta and I keep making ammo. That way they always have snowballs to use."

"Bet I could beat ya at skeeball," Trisha teased as she stuck her tongue out at Nick.

"That a challenge?" Nick asked as he turned to face the brown doe.

"Maaaaaaaaybe," Trisha said as she gave the tod a wink.

There was some grumbling coming from the side of the fort Delta was in but most of the mammals were too busy with their work to notice. Nick, however, looked at the painted dog and then to Trisha. He made a nodding motion over towards the canine which Trisha picked up on. She blushed slightly and nodded as she hopped from the top of the fort and skipped over to help Delta with his work.

Nick took a moment to survey the park that would be their battleground the next day. His emerald eyes scanned the snow-covered field and he smirked. They did have a good position on the hill and with a bit of luck could hold their own. As the tod looked across the sea of white he thought he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. Maybe his eyes had been playing tricks on him. He could have sworn though he had seen a pair of black-tipped gray bunny ears skip along the outside of the park before vanishing behind a tree.

The next day Nick and Emily were woken up by Nick's aunt who had prepared a large hot breakfast for the pair. Nick was in heaven with all the different baked goods and constantly thanked his aunt as he bit into the different assortment of food.

The doorbell signaled the arrival of their friends and both Emily and Nick stuffed some last minute food into their mouths before hurrying to the front door. If ever there was such a ragtag team of mammals this was it. All of the gang was dressed up in winter apparel but also had on headgear of sorts to protect them in battle. Delta had an old and dented army helmet on. Trisha wore a worn pilot helmet with goggles. Atom had put a large cooking pot on his own head for protection. They had even brought Emily and Nick some headgear. Emily went with a bucket that had been cut so it would fit her head. Nick was handed another old army helmet that was a size too big but would do the trick.

Delta and Atom had also brought along some large circular sleds. The plan was to use them as shields during the snowball fight. Nick had to admit it was a genius plan. It wasn't until they arrived at the field that he realized nearly all the other groups had done the same.

As they trudged up the hill Trisha bounced through the snow so she could be the first to the top.

"Alright my canine minions," The bunny began as she got to the top. "Welcome to fort Pumpkin!"

Trisha struck a heroic pose but faltered when she heard Delta and Atom snickering.

"What?"

Delta pointed at the fort where a flag blew in the light breeze. It was a light blue piece of fabric with the words "Fort Ice Cream" written on it.

"Atom!" Trisha shouted at the painted dog who simply smirked.

Meanwhile down the hill at the edge of the park, a large group of mammals gathered to watch the coming battle. Most of them were local kits who just didn't want to get involved but wanted to watch anyways. Some of them were too young to participate while others were there to keep an eye on the younger ones. Some of them though were simply out of towners who had stumbled on the park and wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

"Snow city!" Sarah Hopps exclaimed as she waddled through the snow towards the forts.

"Oh no ya don't," Judy said firmly as she scooped her younger sister up by the waist and dragged her back towards the edge of the park.

"Aww come on Judy," Sarah whined as she squirmed in her sister's arms.

"Those big kits are about to have a battle and I am not explaining to mom how you got covered in snow and slush," Judy said in her best big sister tone.

"No fair…" Sarah grumbled but listened to her older sister none the less.

Sarah and Judy were in town with the rest of the Hopps clan for a big holiday celebration being thrown by one of their uncles. The two does had wandered off into the neighborhood, however, to enjoy the snow and see all the different festive decorations. When they had heard about the epic snowball battle that was about to take place in the park Judy couldn't help but investigate.

Normally the cold didn't really affect Judy but her mother had insisted they bundle up anyways. Judy wore a dark blue snow jacket she had seen in some magazines. It was the same kind the ZPD used for their officers. She had saved up several weeks allowances to afford the jacket and had it custom made. She felt like a member of the Tundra Town Tactical unit when she wore it which made her somewhat giddy.

Sarah meanwhile was wrapped up in a bright pink jacket. Bonnie having bought it for the doe, saying it went so well with her rare pink eyes. Sarah loved how warm it kept her and insisted on wearing it sometimes even when it wasn't snowing.

As Judy watched the different mammals prepare for the snowball fight she had an urge to run in and see if any teams needed a last minute addition. She had to restrain herself though, knowing it would be stupid to bring Sarah into the fray but equally dumb to leave the smaller doe on her own at the edge of the park. So Judy simply plopped down on a large chunk of snow and wrapped her sister up in her arms as they watched. Sarah leaned back against her older sister and cooed as she nuzzled against the gray bunny.

Up on the top of the hill, Emily and Delta busied themselves with making snowball after snowball and setting them down in a pile in the center of the fort. Atom would scoop up a few and place them near his position while Trisha and Nick surveyed the battlefield.

"See them," Trisha said as she pointed down towards the center of the park. A pair of large polar bears, an arctic fox, a white wolf, and a snowshoe hare all busied themselves with preparing their own snowballs.

"Yeah," Nick responded as he eyed the mix of arctic mammals.

"they are the troublemakers. Watch out for them. They sometimes play dirty which is how they won last year."

"Just keep those ears down this time," Emily said from the snowball pile.

"I will I will," Trisha grumbled.

"Bet Delta could help keep them warm," Nick whispered which earned him a jab from Trisha. "Especially if you do the thing with them."

"Emily I am about to throw your cousin down the hill," Trisha shouted.

"Nick whatever it is your doing..," Emily began. "Keep it up."

After a few more jokes from Nick followed by some jabs from Trisha, the team was ready for the battle to begin.

There was no formal way for the snowball fight to start so it just simply began. A group huddled in a snow fort on the edge of the hill started it. A skunk all bundled up in red lobbed the first snowball at another fort. Which caused a chain reaction as other groups joined in until the air was filled with bits of snowballs.

Nick couldn't help but get excited as they joined in the battle. He scooped up some snowballs into his arms and began to toss them here and there. He aimed at one of the forts nearby and managed to get a zebra on the side and then a panda on one of the legs. There weren't any real rules to the battle which meant the mammals Nick hit were still in the fight, they just simply had snow on them now.

After running out of ammo Nick chanced a glance over at his fellow teammates. Trisha took aim and managed to peg the skunk that started this all and giggled evilly as the mammal glared up at her.

"Thanks, Trisha!" the skunk shouted.

"No problem Matt!"

Atom meanwhile was a snowball tossing machine. The painted dog had a big smile on his face as he tossed snowball after snowball at certain mammals. Each one hitting their mark. Atom was apparently some kind of lethal snowball sniper which soon brought attention to their fort. The gang all huddled down as a volley of snowballs flew their way. Nick crawled over to help Delta and Emily make more ammo while they waited for the onslaught to stop.

Down at the edge of the park, Judy was mesmerized by the battle wand her eyes widened as she took in the scene. She watched as mammals of all shapes and sizes darted around the park, tossing snowballs and playful insults to one another. At one point a snowball went wide and nearly hit her. This just made the doe excited as she hopped from her snowy seat and began to make a snowball of her own. The doe took aim and managed to peg a tiger who looked around in confusion, unsure where the ball that hit her in the back of the head had come from.

Sarah giggled as she hopped into the snow too and began to make a small snowmammal. Judy looked down at her sweet little sister and couldn't help but smirk as the multi-colored doe busied herself with her creation. It was good to see Sarah so happy, she had such a pretty smile. Sadly back home the doe was considered to be a bit of a bad luck omen. Bunnies with so many colors on their fur were considered taboo so sadly Sarah was shunned by many of her siblings. The poor doe didn't get a chance to act like a kit that much but when she did Judy happily joined in to make sure her little sister had fun in life.

Of course, the fun only lasted so long as Judy felt a snowball wiz past her ears. She looked up and noticed how some of the mammals in one of the forts were taking shots at the spectators who were now being dragged into the conflict. Judy of course more than game to join in and quickly rolled some snow up as she searched for a target. She found a gazelle which was lobbing snowballs their way and decided it was time to put an end to it. Judy tossed her snowball into the air and let out a whoop when it landed right on the gazelles head.

"Sarah, did you see that?" Judy asked as she looked down at her sister.

Judy's eyes widened in terror as she noticed her sister had vanished.

"Sarah?!" Judy shouted as she looked around. Her purple eyes darted here and there as she tried to find her little sister.

"Oh no oh no," Judy spat out as she weaved through the spectators. "Have you seen a bunny? Bright pink coat? Pink eyes?" Judy began to grow desperate as she asked several of the other mammals nearby. All of them shook their heads, some of them looked around in an attempt to help Judy but came up empty.

"Over there," a weasel shouted as she pointed towards the field.

Judy turned and felt her heart stop as she saw Sarah waddling through the snow, right into the center of the battleground.

"Sarah!" Judy shouted as she tried to dart towards her sister. A snowball flew through the air and pegged Judy on the cheek with such force she fell to the ground. She wiped the slush from her fur and quickly got up, refusing to let Sarah get hit.

Meanwhile, up on the hill, Trisha popped her head over the side of the fort as she searched for a target. Her jaw fell open as she spotted a small bunny in a bright pink coat waddling across the field.

"Oh, my gosh that doe is right in the kill zone!" Trisha shouted, her words filled with a panic that caused the rest of her team to pop their heads up.

"What she doing? That's right by the artic bullies?!" Emily shouted.

"She doesn't know, she must be just a kit!" Delta barked.

Nick didn't say a word but instead leaped into action. He hopped out of the safety of their fort and hurried down the hill. Snowballs flew past his head and he felt one hit his side but he ignored the numbing pain as he got on all fours and picked up speed. He watched as the small bunny happily waded through the snow, oblivious to the battle raging around her.

"Sarah!" Nick heard someone shouting and he looked over to see a gray bunny in a blue coat trying to get to the doe. She wouldn't reach her in time though.

"Oh, easy target at the front!" Came a voice from the artic fort. "The one in pink! Peg her!"

"No!" Nick shouted as he picked up some speed.

Sarah meanwhile stopped to sit down in the snow as she put her paws into the cool white powder. She began to roll some of the snow up to make another snowmammal, humming a tune as she did.

Nick watched as a large snowball the size of Sarah suddenly flew into the air. It then began to slowly fall to the ground, its target clear.

The fox let out a growl and pushed off the ground with his hind paws and flew towards Sarah. The doe looked up in time to see Nick flying towards her. She didn't seem scared though but a look of confusion crossed her face. As Nick made contact with the small doe he wrapped his arms around her and curled his body as to shield her. He felt something heavy and cold hit his back seconds later. The large snowball exploding and covering the fox. He shivered as he felt an icy cold liquid flow down his neck and into his jacket against his fur.

Sarah let out a frightened squeal and began to struggle against the fox, worried she was being attacked.

"Sarah!" Judy shouted as she hurried towards the pair of mammals.

"Defend our fox!" Trisha shouted as the rest of the team came sliding down the hill on a set of sleds. Once at the bottom Delta and Atom picked up the circular objects and used them like shields as they hurried over to protect Nick from more snowballs.

"Nick, you ok?" Emily asked as she reached her cousin.

Judy arrived just seconds later as Nick uncurled and helped Sarah to her feet.

"Judy help!" Sarah squeaked as she ran over to Judy. "He is trying to get me!"

"No Sarah," Judy corrected as she looked at Nick. "He just saved you."

Nick gave Judy a weak smile as he began to shiver from the cold in his jacket. Emily gave Nick a concerned look and grabbed the back of his collar.

"Nick you are soaked," Emily exclaimed in a mild panic. "We gotta get you warm. If you catch a cold…"

Nick and Emily both knew that it was incredibly dangerous for foxes to get sick. They had a higher risk of succumbing to colds than most mammals so something like this was very serious.

"My house is the next block over," Trisha shouted as she lobbed a snowball over their temporary shields.

"Let's move out," Delta barked as he used one of the sleds to deflect an incoming snowball.

"I'm sorry guys," Nick managed to say between shivers.

"Don't be, we are a team," Trisha said as she grabbed Nick's paw and began to lead him off the field.

Sarah pulled at Judy's paw as she tried to lead her sister after the retreating group. "Come on! We gotta help him!" Sarah shouted at her sister. Judy was slightly hesitant but agreed that they should at least make sure Nick was ok. Though she hadn't recognized the group at first Judy soon remembered their Halloween in Manta Bay and the memory of the sweet Ranger scout giving Sarah a candy bar came into her mind. This was the same fox. The same one she couldn't stop thinking about in class. The same one she wrote about in her diary, a heart always around his name.

It didn't take long for the group to reach Trisha's house. Nick constantly apologizing for ruining the day. The apologies fell on deaf ears though as the group would just shake their heads and reassure the fox he didn't do anything wrong.

"You're a hero Nick," Delta cheered.

"And looks like you have a fan," Trisha whispered as she nodded over her shoulder.

Nick looked behind him and noticed the gray bunny and the smaller multi-colored one following close behind them. Though he felt frozen he still couldn't help but get a warm feeling at the sight of those purple eyes.

Once at Trisha's house the gang hurried inside. Trisha's mother was slightly surprised at the sudden appearance of so many youngsters but apparently, this wasn't the first time Trisha brought home random mammals. To Nick's surprise, the older doe not only welcomed everyone into their home but began to fuss over Nick when she found out what happened.

"Oh my goodness," The bunny exclaimed as she looked at the fox. "We need to get you out of those wet clothes, come with me, sweetie."

The bunny led Nick into the living room where a roaring fire blazed from the fireplace. The whole room was decorated with a festive look. Lights went around the room, stockings hung at the fireplace. The scene was topped off with a large decorated tree in the corner of the room. Nick felt a great deal better already but it wasn't enough for Peggy.

"Come on now let's get that jacket off," The doe helped Nick out of the jacket only to see that Nick's undershirt was soaked as well. "How about you take that off and set it by the fire to help it dry. I'll go find you a blanket."

Nick followed the doe's orders and was grateful the snow hadn't reached his pants or else the situation would have been more awkward.

While Nick warmed by the fire Trisha went to the kitchen and started to make some hot chocolate for the group. Trisha's mother returned moments later with a large blanket she wrapped around Nick. She apologized for not having any shirts for him to wear. Even though Nick was only a tod he was still larger than the bunnies who lived in the house so there wasn't anything near his size. Fortunately for Nick, Delta was a little larger and had worn extra layers. The painted dog stripped a long sleeve shirt off and passed it to Nick.

"Sorry for the smell," The painted dog said with a weak smile. Nick, however, thanked Delta for the kindness and put the shirt on, feeling slightly less awkward now that he was clothed once more.

"We better contact your parents and tell them where you all are," Peggy said to the group. Everyone agreed that it would be better and one by one they called their parents to tell them where they were.

Nick's aunt was somewhat worried but Emily convinced her that they were at a friend's house warming up and as soon as they could they would head home. Delta called his and Atom's parents to tell them they were safe at Trisha's house.

"Yes, dad the brown bunny from school," Delta mumbled into the phone. A few muffled words could be heard on the phone and Delta's ears raised up. "Yes, the one from the dance…..shut up dad! No, I won't be spending the night…..because that's gross! Dad! Oh my gosh, I am hanging up now!"

Nick glanced over at Trisha who was blushing as she smiled at the cup of hot chocolate in her paws.

When it came to Judy and Sarah they didn't know their Uncles number. Fortunately for them, Peggy was familiar with their family in Manta Bay and had their number written down in a phone book. She called up their uncle and was put on with Bonnie.

"Oh no it's no trouble at all Mrs. Hopps," Peggy said as she spoke to Judy and Sarah's mother. "I insist, they are all curled up by the fire right now warming up. What's that? Oh no my husband can drop them off when he gets back. Are you sure? Well ok, …our address is.." Peggy then spent a good ten minutes speaking to Bonnie as mothers do, gossiping about their children and the likes.

Trisha looked over at Judy and winked, "Guess we have to be friends now."

"Guess so," Judy said with a smirk as she sipped some of the hot chocolate Trisha had made everyone.

As the group warmed up by the fire they all started to get to know one another a little better. Judy and Sarah being the newest additions to the group were welcomed with open arms.

As time went on they all started their own little conversations.

Judy scooted over to Nick and looked nervously at the floor before gazing at the fox. Nick gave the bunny a nervous smile, trying to think of something to say.

"I wanted to thank you for rescuing my sister," Judy began as she gazed into Nick's emerald eyes.

"Of course Officer Hopps," Nick said slyly.

Judy blushed at Nick's words and looked away. Nick did the same, worried he had just made a fool of himself.

A burst of laughter from across the room caught both their attention and the looked over.

Sarah was sitting with her legs crossed as she looked straight ahead at Delta who had his back to the bottom of the couch. Sarah pointed at one of her legs which had brown fur going up the side. Delta quickly pointed to his arm which had the same color but in splotches.

Sarah giggled as she pointed to her cheek where a white patch of fur sat. Delta responded by pointing to his face, his fur matching Sarah's. The two apparently playing some kind of game where they matched one another's fur. Painted dogs were naturally covered in different fur colors. Sarah, however, was an oddity for a bunny. For her to meet mammals Atom and Delta was actually a good thing. It was especially good to see her laughing about her fur instead of hiding it.

Of course, Sarah was also enjoying herself thanks to the attention she was receiving from Trisha. The bunny sat with her legs on either side of Sarah as she ran a brush down the doe's ears.

"Sarah I love your ears, they are so neat," Trisha cooed. Each of Sarah's ears was a different color. Trisha would brush one and the switch to the other, studying the doe's different fur colors.

Judy realized that both Trisha and Peggy had said nothing negative about Sarah since their arrival. Apparently, the taboo of multi-colored bunnies didn't exist in this part of the world. Something Judy was grateful for.

"I like yours too," Sarah said as she turned to smile at Trisha. The bunny reached over and ran a paw down Trisha's ear and gave it a squeeze.

Trisha giggled and she leaned close to Sarah and nuzzled her cheek to the smaller does which earned a happy squeak from Sarah.

"I like her brown fur," Delta chimed in.

Both the bunnies looked at Delta. Sarah's eyes shimmering as she looked at the canine. She then looked down at her legs and wiggled her large feet.

"Whys that?" Trisha asked playfully as she resumed brushing the doe's ears.

"Because I like brown fur," Delta said with a mischievous smile which caused Trisha to look away as her cheeks warmed.

"I like brown fur too!" Sarah exclaimed as she reached forward and put her paws on Delta's head and rubbed the brown fur.

Delta snorted at Sarah who began to giggle once more.

Judy watched the scene play out and she felt a happiness swell inside her. Sarah had never laughed this much before and it made Judy's heartache knowing the bunny had never experienced these kinds of moments.

As Judy let out a sigh she gently rubbed her paw against Nicks…that's when she realized she had set her paw down on Nick's and had been holding his for a while now. She looked down at her gray paw which covered Nick's black one. Her eyes widened with panic as she tried to think of a way to make this less awkward. Nick, however, moved his paw just slightly enough so he could wrap Judy's up in his own. The two sat their holding paws for some time, not saying anything.

Judy looked up at Nick who smiled down at her.

"Are you still cold?" Judy asked as she eyed the blanket wrapped around the fox.

She couldn't explain why but being around Nick wasn't like being around the other fox's she knew in Bunny Burrow. She sadly had problems in the past with some bullies and since then had been somewhat apprehensive when dealing with foxes. Being around Nick though was different. The way he treated Sarah meant the world to Judy. The way he treated her…well, it meant something different but it was all oh so sweet.

Nick tried to think of what to say next but decided to remain silent and instead scooted a little closer to Judy. The bunny smiled and took the hint as she too scooted closer to the fox. They rested against one another for some time. Enjoying the feeling of each other's company.

Across the room, Atom and Emily weren't hiding anything from anyone as they snuggled up with one another and soon passed out thanks to the intoxicating warmth of the fireplace. Emily nuzzled into Atom who let out a snort as he rested his head on top of the fox's, both of them drifting into a sleep.

Judy watched the two canines snuggle up and felt her heart race. The sudden urge to follow suit with a certain fox was starting to get to her. Being the type of bunny who preferred to jump right in it was odd to Judy that she just couldn't take this final step.

What if he shrugs me off? What if I am reading this wrong? What if someone sees?

In the end, Judy opted to try to test the waters. She scooted closer to Nick and rested her head against the young tod's arm. To her joy, Nick didn't move away. Instead, she felt a slight pressure as he started to lean against her in return. The doe closed her eyes with happiness as she settled for the light nuzzle session.

Sadly all good things must come to an end. After spending some time warming by the fire the group straightened up at the sound of the doorbell. Peggy strolled out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards the front door which was out of sight for the group in the living room. Everyone waited and listened, hoping that this doorbell was not for one of them. They all knew though that someone was about to be taken from the little get together and a tension began to build up into the room.

"Peggy?" Came Bonnie's voice from down the hall.

Judy winced as she recognized her mother's voice and let out a sigh. Sarah meanwhile hopped up and began to shake with excitement. The smaller doe wanting to see her mother and tell her of all the fun they had had that day.

"You must be Judy and Sarah's mother," Peggy said from down the hall. "It's so nice to meet you, please come in out of the cold. Can I get you something warm to drink?"

"That is so very kind of you but my brother is waiting in his truck. I better collect my little ones and get them out of your fur. Thank you so much again for looking after them."

As the two mothers exchanged pleasantries their voices grew louder as they came down the hall. Judy's eyes widened and she looked at Nick whose arm she was still leaning against. She quickly got up and gave him a nervous smile. Nick was slightly surprised but nodded, knowing that if it was his mother coming down the hall he wouldn't want to give her ammo for teasing later on.

Bonnie and Peggy appeared just as Judy was reaching for Sarah and her jackets which had been set down on a chair nearby. Judy looked at her mother nervously and wondered what she may say about all this. Finding her daughter in a stranger's home surrounded by strange mammals, some of them foxes.

To Judy's surprise though Bonnie simply smiled as she looked around the room.

"Oh my goodness Peggy your home looks wonderful," Bonnie exclaimed as she looked around at the decorations that covered the walls.

"Well I had some help," Peggy began. Trisha beamed at her mother. "Oh, what are you smiling about you little troublemaker. You kept eating the popcorn strings."

Trisha giggled as she looked at her mother and tried to put on her best innocent smile, it didn't exactly work.

"That is my daughter Trisha," Peggy began as she nodded at the brown doe who stood up and helped Judy put Sarah's jacket on. The multi-colored doe giggling with delight as she turned and hugged Trisha around the waist. "The handsome painted dog she is always talking about is Delta."

Trisha's eyes widened and she glared at her mother as a warm blush crossed her face. Judy snorted at Trisha's reaction and received a hip bump to try and stifle the laughter.

"Ma'am," Delta said as he stood up and bowed towards Bonnie who smiled and nodded at the canine.

"The two passed out canines are Atom and Emily," Peggy continued as she pointed at the fox and painted dog who was snuggled up by the fire, fast asleep. "And then there is the hero of the day. Emily's cousin from Zootopia Nick. He apparently saved your little Sarah from getting hit by a snowball roughly her size."

"Really now?" Bonnie asked in mild surprise. Nick stood up and kept the blanket wrapped around him as he gave Bonnie a nervous smile. "Well thank you so much, Nick, for looking after my Sarah."

"Of course ma'am."

"Wait…are, you the ranger scout Nick?" Bonnie asked as she tilted her head and gave Judy and Sarah a knowing look.

Sarah nodded happily as she turned and rushed over to the fox. The small bunny wrapped her arms around Nick and nuzzled into him. "Thank you for the candy."

"Yes thank you, Nick," Bonnie said, a slight playfulness in her voice. "Sarah ate it before bedtime and had a sugar rush for days."

"Sorry," Nick said nervously.

"I am just teasing you, dear," Bonnie said as she waved her paw about. "It was so very sweet of you to do that by the way. The girls have talked about you non stop. Especially Judy."

It was Trisha's turn to laugh at the gray bunny who began to blush. Her bright purple eyes went to her mother and she tried to shake her head in an attempt to stop Bonnie from saying anything else.

Nick couldn't help but smile at this new information as he looked at the gray bunny in front of him. Judy, however, couldn't bring herself to look back at the fox, not just yet.

"Alright girls, say goodbye to your friends and thank Mrs. Rose for looking after you," Bonnie instructed her daughters.

Sarah looked a little down to be leaving but she followed her mother's orders and skipped around the room. Giving Nick another hug and then hurrying over to Emily and Atom. Both canines were still asleep so she patted them on the head and then hurried over to Delta. To Bonnie and Judy's surprise Sarah hugged Delta but then climbed up so the canine had to hold the bunny up. Sarah nuzzled into the painted dog's fur and purred slightly.

"Ok quit hogging her!" Trisha shouted as she hurried over and scooped Sarah up into her arms. The multi-colored bunny squeaked with happiness as she was held by the bubbly brown doe.

Judy said her goodbyes as well. Giving Delta a hug and telling him to say goodbye to Atom and Emily for her. She then received a squeeze from Trisha followed by a sweet kiss on the cheek. When it came time for Nick she felt incredibly awkward, knowing everyone would be looking at them.

"Mrs. Hopps!" Trisha began excitedly as she hurried over to Bonnie. "Can I have your address please?"

"Oh of course," Bonnie said hesitantly.

"She likes to write postcards to her friends," Peggy began to explain. "Let me get a pen and paper if that's alright?"

Judy and Nick both made mental notes to thank Trisha for the last minute distraction. Both of them knowing full well that Trisha had already written down Judy's address earlier, explaining how she wanted to keep in touch.

"So…thank you for everything Nick," Judy said as she looked at the ground and then at the fox before her.

"It was just a snowball," Nick said with a smirk, "Oh and a candy bar."

"No, it's not just that.." Judy began. "You made my sisters day…everytime you have met us you did something awesome."

"Well I am awesome," Nick chuckled. Judy gave him a knowing look as she rolled her eyes. She didn't know it yet but she would give that fox that same look many more times in the future.

"It just means a lot to me," Judy continued as she stepped forward and scooped up Nick's paws in her own. She then looked right into the fox's emerald eyes. "I hope we get to meet again soon."

"Me too Officer Hopps," Nick said, remembering how much Judy smiled when she heard those words.

Judy then took a chance and pulled Nick's paws downward which caused the tod to lean forward. She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to Nick's cheek as she gave him a gentle kiss. Little did anyone know this was her first time ever kissing someone on the cheek that wasn't family and it was a fox to boot! To Judy though it just felt so wonderful. Maybe a little too wonderful since her lips lingered a little longer than they should have.

What finally caused the kiss to end was a coughing noise behind Judy. Her purple eyes popped open and she turned to see a horrifying sight.

Standing back in the entranceway of the living room was her Trisha, Peggy, Bonnie, and Sarah.

I am so dead…

Trisha had her paws over her mouth as she shook with excitement. Peggy had a smirk on her own face. Sarah, of course, didn't understand what all this was about so she simply smiled at her sister. It was Bonnie that made Judy nervous. Her mother had a surprised look on her face but it soon went back to her normal warmness.

"Ready dear?" Bonnie asked.

Nick gave Judy's paws one last squeeze and with that the bunny hurried from the room. Of course, she did take one last glance at the fox who gave her a handsome smile that made her stomach knot.

"So is that Nick THE Nick?" Bonnie asked in a whisper.

"What? I don't-"

"I am your mother, you cant hide these things from me," Bonnie said as they left the Rose's home. Judy prepared for a talk or maybe some kind of punishment but was surprised when her mother simply opened the door to their uncles truck and smiled at the gray bunny. "Maybe you can get his address from that sweet Trisha girl. Bet he would love a thank you card from you and Sarah."

Even for a young doe Judy could read between the lines and knew her mother wasn't just suggesting the idea for a simple thank you card. Judy felt her cheeks warm as she looked back at Trisha's home. The brown bunny was standing in the doorway and bounced as she waved eagerly to her new friend.

"Maybe.." Judy mumbled to herself.

In Zootopia you can be anything. Maybe he and I can be something.

Hey everyone.

So I hope ya enjoyed some time in the snow. Like I said before this chapter had originally been released in my other works. I'm not trying to be lazy I swear! Just trying to bring this story up to speed and get all the chapters together.

Next one will be brand new and full of some silly fluff. Atom really steals the show, you will see what I mean soon enough.

Fox thanks again for the continued use of Sarah! I love that little bun of yours and she is just so adorable and fun to write!

If you all enjoy Sarah Hopps as much as I do please go check out some of Fox's stories! Sweet Treatment is especially adorable as it introduces a rather fun ship between Sarah and Trisha.

Come on back to Manta Bay soon!

-Blue