Author's Note:

I bet you guys thought this was gonna be a vacation of nothing but fluff and fun! Trouble seems to follow Judy around in Zootopia so there's no reason it won't find her mid-way to her holiday. I appreciate the encouraging words and the ample feedback I have received for my stories so far. I feel more invested in the fiction community and look forward to writing each day. For whatever you guys think I am giving to you, you are giving that plus more back to me.

Zootopia is not mine. The characters are not mine. I think I could sneak Finnick out if he had a whole pint of dark, heavy beer, but the snoring on my carry-on would probably give me away. X.x Anyway, enjoy!

Guardian Blue: Season One

Episode 3: Impressions

"Mom!" Judy ran up the hill toward her mother who was standing outside of a three story manor-house that rested at the top of the hill. Half the house seemed to be actively in flames.

"Judy! How did you get here?!" Bonnie cried as Nick came up behind her. Their bags were left in Gideon's vehicle. The heavier fox was a bit behind but Judy's mother saw him and realized he had brought them. "Oh, Gids! Thank goodness!" Judy looked at the large structure. The back half seemed completely in flames. The front had several tall narrow windows and there was a castle-like third floor tower with a single window open, curtains fluttering from the air current inside the house, and the second floor had two large windows in the front both blotted out with smoke. The front door burst open and two bunnies stumbled out.

"Dad!" Judy rushed to her father's side. He was with another male rabbit who was coughing so hard he vomited in the grass. Stuart Hopps helped him up a bit so he didn't just fall into it, looking at his daughter.

"There's kids in there, Jude! Five of em, still, we can't get to them, fire's on the stairs in the front, we can't get to the back!" Smokes choked it out, we can't see a thing it's too dark!" The thin older black and grey bunny put his head to the grass and screamed in frustrated sobbing. Judy's heart raced, her hands feeling that familiar pins and needles sensation of adrenalin.

"Where's BBFD?" Judy shouted, referring to the local fire department.

"Called, but they are about 40 minutes out, so it's gonna be at least another ten to fifteen before they get here!" Stu shouted. No one seemed to care that no introductions had been given. Two more vehicles pulled up and spectators were starting to gather, some walking up the road from some of the houses further down the lane. Judy looked frantically around.

"Rope! We need rope!" She looked to her father. He shook his head, but the slender wailing rabbit jumped up, tears still flowing but control being found with the prodding to do something.

"I got it! I got it, I got fiddy feet in d' shed!" He bolted, Stu moving with him. Judy paced a bit, looking up at the front of the house.

"This is risky, Judy, we've got no backup for another ten at least." Nick said from behind.

"They have less of a chance than we do, that's a sure bet." Judy said to her partner. Nick nodded, understanding. "Nick, I need your eyes. We have to try. I can't just not try." Her partner nodded to that too. Stu and the other rabbit came back panting, very much out of breath, already winded from the smoke inside from their first attempt. The home owner fell back to the grass, a bit dizzy still. Bonnie hugged her husband and Nick looked back to Judy.

"Okay partner, what's the plan, I see the wheels spinning." Judy looked to the stunned, somewhat frightened looking Gideon.

"Hey, Gids. Gideon!" Judy shook his attention away from the 30 foot flames at the back of the house. He looked at the grey-toned little doe.

"Wha? Yeah, Judy?" he asked with his thick accent.

"Gideon, how good's your aim with throwing?" the young female bunny asked. More folks were showing up, but unfortunately no one with a fire truck.

"Judy I know what you are thinking, we used Grizzoli for this, not another fox. He's not that much bigger than I am." Nick said skeptically, pointing at Gideon.

"We got Gideon, that's what we got." Judy said bluntly, and then nodded to the gathering rabbits, the dominant population of the burrow area. "Gid's stronger than he looks, trust me." Nick regarded the larger fox, thick built, a bit heavy-set, but his arms were certainly strong-looking.

"Ah kin throw jist fine, whatcha need me ta do?" the larger vulpine asked. Nick rubbed his face with concern. He didn't like this idea, but Judy did not have a better option yet and every single second counted. They did not have time for a round table discussion on it.

"I need you to pick me up and chuck me into that window." She pointed to the third floor.

"Yew gotta be kiddin' me!" Gideon stated loudly. Nick gestured to Judy plaintively. Judy picked up the end of the rope and tied it around her waist. "Judy I cain't do that." There was a small cry from inside the house. Children. Nick cringed. They could hear the children. Gideon looked pained. "Suddenly I think I kin try." He stated, nodding.

"No! You can't do that!" Stu cried to his daughter. Bonnie pulled him back.

"She's a professional dear, she does this all the time, right dear?" Bonnie asked her daughter. Judy gritted her teeth. No, but it would not do her mother any good for her to say it, so she nodded. Gideon moved up behind her. She looked to Nick and said loudly, as the rabble around the house was growing louder, a good fifteen to twenty frightened bunnies by that time,

"I am gonna get up there and secure the line, you have to climb up it. We are gonna pull the rope up but keep it tied by the window in case we need it to find our way back. Ready?" she put her fist out. Nick tapped it to signify he was ready. They had done a few crazy, dangerous things before but this was a little more extreme than anything she could remember since the Bellwether incident. The lack of backup made a serious difference in the danger level.

"Ah'm ready when yew are!" Gideon barked. Nick moved closer to the house.

"If you miss, I'm gonna break Judy's fall." He called to the other fox.

"Gotcha, Nick. Let's do this!" Gideon put both hands under Judy's elbows and gave her a hard lurch with something that looked like a granny shot in bowling. It was easily 8 feet short, barely to the second floor window level, and he cringed as Judy hit the siding with a thump. The gathered bunnies gasped and a few cried out. Fortunately, the bunny had plenty of practice with this exercise with larger mammals, so she had her hands and feet out in front of her and sprang off and fell trustingly backwards into Nick's arms. Nick grunted with a strained tone as he softened her fall, and she got back up. Gideon looked mortified that he missed and she fell, but she darted back to him.

"Again! Harder! Forget that I'm a bunny, Gideon, I'm a pumpkin at the fair! Get me in that window!" She had no idea if the fox even did the Pumpkin Chuckin' event, but she figured it was a safe bet. Gideon nodded at Judy warily and then moved his hand behind her back, and then the other under her backside.

"Beggin' yore pardon Judy, gotta be this way though. Yew bein' a pumpkin' an all." Judy nodded forgivingly to the fox, not caring one bit. She braced herself. This throw was going to be hard. He gave a full turn of his body and really gave it all he had with a roar of force and maybe a bit of pain. The throw was still a little short of the mark but Judy compensated by snagging the window ledge with her hands. She hauled herself up with all the grace of her training with the academy. The roar from the bunnies below made it sound like she just got the winning goal in a county rivals game. She pulled herself into the window. There was not much smoke in this top area yet but the door was closed so she knew that was about to change. She moved into the room, finding the power already out from the fire so it was only lit by the early morning light coming through the window. She secured the rope to a radiator not far from the window itself. She leaned out and called down.

"Nick, we are good!" The more slender fox did not waste a second. Nick was no slouch at the academy himself and he went up the line faster than she had seen some of her fellow recruits from her academy days run a steep hill. There was applause from the crowd. Judy left the line around her waist and pulled the rope rapidly up so that she had slack inside the house, leaving almost none out the window. When it was time to get out, they would lower it again. She moved to the door and slapped the knob to make sure it was not scorching with a fire right on the other side. It appeared cool enough and she opened it. Thick black smoke billowed outward. She and Nick hit the floor to keep it out of their eyes. They were not fire fighters but they both took a supplementary class on fire rescue after the academy. Nick nodded to Judy.

"My eyes are good, but let's get your ears working so we have an idea what direction we want my eyes looking." Nick stated. Judy knew Nick was every bit as terrified as she was, but like her, he was trained and ready to do this. She perked her ears. There was no calling for help, but she could hear soft crying. She focused her ears this way and that, and then nodded to her partner.

"Downstairs, Nick. A room below and to the right." Her partner nodded to Judy and then moved in front of her, crouched to his tummy.

"Hold my tail, don't let go. If you start having too much trouble breathing or are getting light headed, yank it a few times so I know. Try not to talk much." He offered the thick plume of his tail. Judy wrapped both hands around it and had to stifle the surprised sound that almost came out. Why the hell did Nick give half a rotten pea about Bellwether's poof? She moved with him as he slunk down the spiral stairs from that 'tower' room to the floor below. He paused a moment, looking this way and that. Judy could not see a thing. They were mashed to the floor and the smoke was like a solid blanket everywhere. She had no idea how Nick could see at all.

"Forward and right, I hear more than one, they are scared, Nick!" Judy called out. It was already extremely hot in the area they were in and Judy could not even see the fire. She could hear it though, things breaking, the roar of flames, the cracking of wood. The house could actually collapse. They needed to hurry. Nick moved quickly, Judy unraveling rope behind her and holding her partner's soft tail. The fox reared up, opening a door from the sound of it. There were several loud cries. There was less smoke in that room, but Judy could still not see anything.

"I don't see anyone." Nick said, coughing a few times.

"At the back, is there a closet?" They sounded as if they were still behind a door.

"No, but there's a huge toy chest, looks like the toys are out everywhere. We might have to check a few of em, Carrots, could actually be the kids and not toys." Nick stated. He pulled Judy with him and Judy heard screams as the chest was opened.

"It's okay, were police!" Nick said warmly but loudly between coughs. "We're gonna get you out, but all of you have to hold tight and don't let go. You and you, hold back there, that's Judy!" Nick had two smaller bunnies, they had to only be three and four, cling to his partner. Judy held them as best she could with the rope under her arm. Nick got the other three who were a bit older since they were talking.

"We're all here, there's no one else but Daddy, we can't find him!" came a voce of one bunny girl, breaking into a coughing fit herself. She sounded about ten to twelve.

"He's outside, he was trying to get to you but the stairs were done in." Judy called encouragingly.

"How are we getting out then?" came a frightened boy kit's cry, somewhere in between the other two age groups. He was clinging to Nick's left.

"Window and rope, same as we got in, don't worry, everyone's gonna be fine!" called Judy. Nick coughed a bit harder. The fox got a lung full when he was opening the door she feared. He pulled her and the others back toward the door, not wasting any time, just the way she liked it. Fortunately, Nick had a good sense of direction and as Judy gathered rope slack back up there was no delay getting back to the spiral staircase. There was a huge crash from somewhere inside the house not far from the group, making it obvious things were not holding together well and the heat was getting unbearable. The crash made the kits all scream and suck in more smoke, causing them to cough and retch, making them harder to hold onto. The smallest ones were sobbing which only made their smoke situation worse. Judy saw an orange glow behind them as they made it to the small door that lead to the spiral staircase. She did not have to tell Nick to hurry and did not want to alarm the kits anyway.

There was more obvious light and less smoke in the top room and that was a comforting sight to Judy. She pushed the coils of rope out the window, and there was a cheer from the more than twenty bunnies below just at seeing her. Nick coughed heavily and helped his tightly clinging brood to the window. They seemed stunned to see he was a fox, but knew he wasn't a bunny because of his size. They did not let go, all the same. The littlest kits were still whimpering and coughing but they were not squalling as badly now that they could actually see where they were. Judy double coiled the rope around her and the two of them and looked to her partner.

"How're you doing? Still good? Can you lower me down, and then haul me back up for two more okay? His eyes were heavily watering and he was panting but he nodded. Judy hefted herself to the window sill and rappelled slowly down the siding as Nick helped her down at a safe and careful but still urgent pace. There was cheering from the crowd at the act of trained strength and bravery, but the doe officer paid little mind to it as she was scared for her partner and the others still in the house. Judy saw deadly tongues of flames licking up the side of the sandy-toned walls of the front of the house on either side of her. The second floor was being consumed. They did not have enough time.

"Nick! Fire's hot below you, can you bring three down on a naked line?!" Judy called up as she got her feet on solid ground again.

"My arms aren't gonna like it, but this hotel ain't offering late checkout!" Nick was already climbing out the window with three bunnies clinging to him, two boys that looked to be twins at about age eight, and the oldest girl. They all held around his neck and Nick grunted as he rappelled down, hand over hand, feet walking down. Suddenly a huge crash inside startled the three so bad that the girl accidentally let go of her vulpine rescuer. Nick cried out, and Judy saw him close his eyes tight, unable to see what happened, but Judy at least was able to see as Gideon scooped her out of the air before she hit the ground.

"Gotcha! I got her Nick!" The crowd cheered wildly. It was a welcome sound to them both, and her partner slid faster down the rope, surely feeling it bite into his hands a bit. His muscles had to be screaming, she observed, with the load that together was still about half his own weight dragging him down. Finally, his feet reached the ground and he got both kits away from the house as more banging and crashing signaled that the two now arriving fire trucks would not have much at all to save. Nick went to his knees, panting, coughing, and Judy threw her arms around him, giving him a quick squeeze. The din of cheering rabbits and the sound of an ecstatic father with his five kits laying on the grass sobbing were a bit overwhelming but Nick stood back up, looking to Judy with a nod.

"Back to work." He said as curious bunnies started drawing closer. The firetruck needed to get through. Both Nick and Judy moved in opposite directions to control the perimeter and get the firefighters into place to do their job while keeping the crowd back and safe. Paramedics showed up two minutes after to tend to the kids and their father. A photographer for a local news agency showed up only a minute after that. He was fortunately kept busy as literally everyone seemed eager to tell him what happened and Gideon was unfortunate enough to get swept into it and have to give his accounting to what might have been a live camera. Judy wanted no part of that! The fire brigade got their yellow tape out to keep the lookers back and Judy got Nick over to the second arriving ambulance.

"Come on, just let them check, you have to give me that at least, Nick." Judy complained. Nick sighed, and then gave a sputtering cough again.

"Yes mom!" He smiled and sat down while the emergency worker checked his vitals and offered him an oxygen mask. Nick took it and oohed curiously. "Why does this smell like chlorofor-" and he went limp in the back of the ambulance, garnering a very concerned look from the three bunnies there, one even desperately checking the tank.

"Nick, stop it!" Judy snapped at him. He laughed and then coughed some more, getting a nervous laugh from the bunnies as well. Judy walked away from him, feeling he would show his tail less if she wasn't there and checked on the father and his kits. They all seemed okay, and she decided not to interrupt the thin bunny comforting his children as a few of them got to play with some of the offered safety gear to distract them from their home burning down rapidly about a hundred yards away. Judy sighed at the sadness of the disaster, but it was nearly so much worse. She then cupped her muzzle, a chill running through her. Her parents! She had acted so quickly and decisively that she hardly considered that they just watched her risk her life right in front of them. She looked around and found that they were actually both directing the flow of traffic. Good, good, they could keep busy, her dad could not freak out if he was busy. Maybe it would not be so bad.

"Judy!" She heard Gideon's voice. She looked toward him, finding that he was out of breath, having escaped the reporter. "Ah'm gonna run back to the shop an' git water and th' like for th' fire brigade, help em how I can." He leaned forward, hands on his knees, panting. "Ah cain't believe we did that. Oh mahgawd, I'm shakin' so bad." He held a hand up, illustrating as it quivered.

"You sure you are okay to drive?" Judy asked.

"Ah'll be fine. Yew and yore partner okay?" he asked with obvious genuine concern.

"Nick sucked in some ugly in there, but he'll be okay." Judy explained. The larger vulpine nodded and rubbed his shoulder, perhaps having wrenched it a bit throwing his former classmate. He was going to have one hell of a story to tell when he got back to the shop. Judy gave a squeak as Gideon hugged her and she smiled at his departing form. She then looked back to see Nick walking over to her. He seemed in good spirits.

"Well, I won't be playing the piano any time soon." Nick grumbled. Judy gritted her teeth, looking at her partner with distress.

"Oh no! Why not, did you tear up your hands?" she asked fearfully. He was not likely to enjoy his holiday if he could not even pick up a drink.

"Nope, I just never learned to play the piano." Nick stated frankly. Judy punched him in the arm. He winced, given that they were sore from climbing down the rope with three, then two young bunnies. The pair then turned and watched as the house crumbled inward. Judy's heart lurched in her chest. The kits would have died if they waited for the fire department. Nick sighed softly and shook his head. "A shame… But at least they got what matters out of there." He smiled wistfully as some of the hose spray wafted over them. Judy folded her ears back and looked happily to the fox. No medal, diploma or commendation ever came close to saving a life, much less five. She let him take it in as the fire brigade did all they could, and for the moment, in the busy morning din, the officers stood as but a part of the background of a surreal scene outside of an unassuming rural town.

Judy was jarred from her quiet contemplation about if she'd have to write an official report or just give a statement by the loud cry of her father. She cringed and actually barely braced for impact in time, his meaty arms thrown around her hard, the big buck sobbing hysterically as he embraced her. Judy looked helplessly at her partner who held his hands up and backed away slowly while her dad tried hard to get himself under control.

"That was so scary, are you both okay?" Judy's mother asked. Nick looked over to her and smiled before giving an encouragement gesture. He hadn't even said hi to them. Judy nodded and forced her dad off of her with some effort. He wiped his face a bit.

"Mom, dad, it's been a while, but you remember Nick, my partner?" she indicated the fox. He gave his standard smug grin. Bonnie reached out and shook the offered vulpine hand and Stu threw his arms around Nick. He then leaned back and held the straps to his best overalls.

"Nick, yeah, sure, I remember him." The paternal rabbit looked more composed a moment."We met briefly when we came down for that Gazelle concert. And I have to say, Nick…" Stu regarded the fox warmly, "Anyone who is willing to follow my daughter without hesitation into a deadly blazing inferno is completely out of his mind!" he fairly yelled, coming unglued again, making Nick cringe. 'How can you two just be standing there grinning like nothing happened?!" Bonnie yanked one of Stu's ears, pulling him away again.

"Honey, you know that's their job, they train for this stuff." the voice of reason was weighted in her tone to her husband. Judy looked over to her stunned partner.

"Dad's emotional." she offered with a shrug. Nick slowly turned his head to look back at her. Judy chuckled a bit. Nick rubbed the back of his head a bit, and then the smug came back, as he seemed to figure out what to do next. He spoke with an excited tone,

"Hey, Mr. Hopps, we weren't the only ones to rush into the blaze to save little bunnies! You were in there with no training already when we got here! You're no less a hero even if you couldn't get to them!" Judy perked her ears. Deflecting to her father's ego might normally have been a great idea, she had to give a point to her partner for that, but she knew her father a bit better. It wasn't going to work. Stu slapped his hands over his muzzle.

"Oh heavenly hailstones, I almost died!" he hugged his wife, sobbing. Nick cringed harder, his attempted deflection to pride blowing up in his face. Now Stu was publicly confronting his own fragile mortality.

"He'll calm down, let's go grab our bags before someone else mistakes them for stuff pulled out of the house." She nodded to where Gideon left them beside her parents' car helpfully. At least, in his flustered desperation he had not forgotten to unload them. Nick followed his partner, and they got their bags in the car.

"Reporters, ten o'clock." Nick barked. Judy ear-perked and then opened the back door.

"Private domain, get in. Maybe they won't notice us." Nick hopped in the back, and Judy scooted in beside him. The fox then rested his head back against the vinyl seat, seeming to enjoy that it had real leg room for a bunny vehicle. He and Judy were both jarred by a loud tapping at the opposite window from where they climbed in. Fortunately it was not a reporter there to interrupt their needed break. Unfortunately, it was the local sheriff. The hare was a good head taller than the bunnies gathered with shorter ears and a dull dusty brown tone to his fur. He was an older hare. Judy recognized him immediately.

"Nick, can you lean up and unlock the passenger front door?" The fox did as asked as the lagomorph slipped in and sat down, leaving the door open as he wanted to be able to jump back out and deal with a problem if he needed to, obviously.

"My oh my, do my eyes deceive me? Is that really Jude the Dude, back from the city?" Judy winced at the nickname. She didn't mind when her dad used it, but the connotation was a bit different when others did. She saw the expression on Nick. It was curious, but not teasing.

"Hey, Bo!" Judy forced pleasantry in her voice. This hare was not entirely supportive of her dream of being an officer. She had wanted to go on a ride-along to prepare her for the academy and this older hare had informed her he would consider it only if she were intent on staying in Bunnyburrow as his preparing her for police work in Zootopia felt like assisted suicide at best, accessory to murder at worst. Judy had not appreciated his apparent roadblock of her experience. He leaned back to Nick, smiling.

"Robert Lagossi." He shook the fox's hand. "I'm the Sheriff here in Bunnyburrow."

"I'm Nick Wilde. I tore my hands up sliding down a rope while saving bunny kits." Her partner introduced. Bo jerked his hand back suddenly and Judy could guess why. She bet that he had been squeezing Nick's hand as hard as he could as a show of dominance. The doe figured her partner's hands were not really damaged, but Bo didn't.

"Right. Aheh…, anyway, I am sure you know why I am here, Judy." He stated.

"For the report." She stated matter-of-factly as he took out his notebook.

"Spoken like a true cop." He inhaled deeply and then sighed. "I gotta say, I didn't expect you would climb as high as you did, Hell, none of us did, I don't think, except your mom and dad I bet. But the light you shine now sure does cast a humble shadow. Sorry for not taking you seriously. I cheated the tri-burrows out of one hell of a cop." He remarked. Judy furrowed her brow. She didn't remember it quite like that, she never offered once to be a police officer here, she was specifically avoiding that. She didn't feel like she would make a difference in the world by spending all her days helping stranded motorists and breaking up the occasional drunk family squabble. "I guess I couldn't convince you to leave all the glamour and lights, huh?" he laughed.

"No stealing my bunny." Nick stated flatly. Judy felt a flash of embarrassed heat torch her ears, laying them back. What the heck? Was Nick actually being territorial? She clarified immediately.

"Officer Wilde is my partner in Zootopia." She explained. The hare looked at the fox, who smiled at that moment something on the scale Judy would have labelled 'smuggest'.

"Huh? I reckon so. Good to know you got someone you can depend on there. Such a big place." Nick's presence seemed to make the buck suddenly more awkward, and he shuffled his notebook. "So yeah, let's uh… Let's get to the busy work of the job, yeah?" he asked. They got started recounting how everything happened for the sheriff's report as the fire was eventually finally extinguished.

It was somewhat surreal how normal the car ride away from the burned house felt. It would have been like it never happened if it were not for the smoky odor from the two officers. The conversation was pretty casual, and Judy was relieved that her dad tried to stay away from additional talk about how he almost lost her. They talked instead about Judy's commute to work, if she ever had to walk through rough neighborhoods late at night, if Nick was walking her home (which he often did if it were late) and what kind of places Judy was getting her food from because she seemed perpetually underweight. Judy needed to stay trim because her speed and agility were her only major advantages in the field. Nick did not converse much because her parents seemed to largely ignore him.

This fact made the bunny cop a little uncomfortable because it felt like they were just not interested that she had brought a friend with her at all. The conversation was not terse or starched, it was normal for them it just seemed to largely not include Nick. After a bit of talking, Judy tried to pull Nick into the conversation directly, and he didn't respond. Her heart skipped a beat, the bunny thinking that maybe he was upset about how little he was being spoken to as they rode along, especially after learning about 'Munch' not but a few hours before. However, when she looked beside her he was slumped to the side, his head against the window. He had fallen asleep. The bunny folded her ears back. How could he actually doze off after what they had just experienced? Was he really that tired?

Nick held his hand on his seatbelt up by his shoulder, his expression was almost lifeless with exhaustion. His fur was blackened here and there with smoke along the back of his neck, his ears, his cheeks and especially visible in the normally clean light cream along his neck, the mist from the hoses having spoked his fur mixed with the soot a bit to make him look pretty filthy. They would need to take a shower when they got back. The younger doe sighed and took her phone out again. She leaned up closer to Nick and tried to emulate the same position from her selfie with him earlier. Fox and bunny vacation photo number two. One smoked and exhausted fox, what a restful holiday this was turning out to be. She looked back at Nick, then widened her eyes, noticing, given how close she had moved, some red on the seatbelt where Nick was holding it. She reached up and took his hand in hers. It had been cut by the rope. Why hadn't he taped it up? She held his hand, inspecting it. It wasn't deep, just a tiny bit at the top near the knuckles. Maybe it hadn't been the rope? He could have gotten cut on something else in the house. It had been dark. Bonnie spoke up, getting Judy's attention.

"While you two get cleaned up at the house, I am gonna make some lunch, I imagine all of that life-saving works up an appetite!" She laughed a bit at that warily, perhaps suddenly afraid she'd set off her husband who was driving, but he just smiled anxiously and nodded. Half the crying had been fear for his daughter's safety, the other half an overturned ocean of pride for seeing her in action. He had gotten it under control though. As her mother spoke, the younger doe watched her partner sleep. He looked so content, his ear occasionally flicking to the sound of Bonnie's voice but not seeming to consciously register it. It was strangely interesting to watch, almost amusing. "The downstairs shower is broken, one of Angela's kits decided to swing on the shower head, so you and Nick will have to take turns on the upstairs one. I'll get one of the bigger towels from… the… from the guest…" Judy looked up at her mother whose speech had faltered. Bonnie had turned in her seat and was looking back at Judy with a pretty focused stare. Judy stared back a moment. She then looked down. She was still holding the sleeping fox's hand, and, at the point that her mother had turned around, had been silently watching him slumber. Her ears flushed and she gingerly placed his hand on his leg, scooting way over back closer to her own door. She spoke up.

"I need to get the first aid kit when we get home, Nick cut his hand on something, it looks like." She said this in a tiny voice, so embarrassed she could barely speak at all.

"How bad is he hurt, do we need to turn back? Hospitals down the last turn off." Stu said in his usual manner of assuming the worst case scenario.

"Just a nick, I can treat nick myself just fine." She put a hand on her face. "I can perform first aid for a nick, a small cut, I can treat a small cut just fine!" she said hastily.

"What? Yeah, sure, they probably taught you all that in the academy!" her father said obliviously with additional pride for his daughter. Her mother sat, eyes forward, not moving in the front seat at all.

Well… crap.