Hello!

Sorry for the wait. Got caught up rewatching Stranger Things. Forgot how much I loved that show and now I get to wait a long time for season 3! YAY!

People have found the references!

Tweiler18 spotted that Nick's room number was A113, the famous easter egg in every Pixar movie (I believe) and a great deal of Disney movies as well.

And USA Patriot, you were half right. The excuses Nick gives Judy are from Deadpool 2, which in turn references Batman v. Superman. Also, thanks for the recommendations. And to answer your assumption, that wasn't my intention, but that explanation probably works better.

My thoughts on guns in Zootopia can best be summed up in Chapter 5 of Hammer to Fall, a fanfic by TheCatweazle (which I highly recommend you read, as well as his two previous stories, How to Treat A Festering Wound and Now YOur Nightmare. One of my favorite authors!)

Now, Chapter 4!

"ALL ABOOOARD!"

Before Judy could hop on to the train, Nick grabbed her shoulder. Confused Judy turned to him.

"Judy," Nick asked. "Are you sure about this?"

"Stop worrying Nick! My parents have been dying to meet you, they were really excited when I told them we were coming."

Nick signed as he hobbled on to the train, Judy carrying their suitcases next to him. "I imagine they weren't too excited when they heard you were shot at."

Judy laughed and shook her head as they sat down. "That is an understatement. They knew it could be dangerous, but this is the first time either of us have gotten seriously hurt. Speaking of which, how's your leg feeling?"

Nick shrugged. "It's just sore at this point. As long as I don't put too much pressure on it, I'll be fine. You know, I don't mean to sound too much like a cliche, but getting shot has kind of changed my perspective."

"What do you mean?"

Nick sighed. "Well, when you come half an inch from losing your leg, you start to think about your life, and.."

"WHAT?!"

Nick jumped a little and Judy's shocked exclamation and tried to shush her as she got some strange looks from the other passengers. "What? What is it?"

The look on Judy's face was a mixture of shock, fear, and anger. "What do you mean half an inch from losing your leg?"

Nick looked curiously at her. "Did I not tell you? The doctor said the bullet was about half an inch from my femoral artery."

Judy was in a state of shock. Half an inch?

He had been half an inch from losing his leg? And no one had thought to tell her?

Nick worriedly looked at Judy. "Hey, Carrots. I'm fine, see?" He said in a calming voice.

"Don't say you're fine! You almost lost your leg! I almost lost you! You…"

"Didn't lose my leg? Am on the road to recovery? Have the best partner and friend in the world to help me along? Yes, yes I do."

Judy couldn't decide if she wanted to punch him or kiss him. Maybe both. Instead, she leaned into him, taking care to avoid his injured leg, and sighed. "Just… shut up."

Nick was in no position to argue. Instead, he sat back and let Judy cuddle up to him, barely able to breath from being so close to her.

A couple of minutes later, Nick realized from Judy's breathing that she had fallen asleep, using him as a pillow. He could hardly believe his look.

They were getting some odd looks, but at this point, Nick couldn't care less. Instead, he closed his eyes and breathed in Judy's sweet scent. Before he knew it, he was asleep too.

Some Time Later

"Now arriving at Bunny Burrow Station!"

Judy awoke slowly, confused at first as to where she was and what the warmth she had been sleeping was. Then she realized.

Shocked, Judy jumped away from Nick. Looking around, she realized a couple mammals were giving her looks, most of confusion and some of outright hostility.

Judy blushed, and shook the fox awake. "Nick, wake up. We're here."

Nick groggily opened his eyes, letting out a little yawn, which may have been the most adorable thing Judy had ever seen.

"We are?" The fox asked, rubbing his eyes. "Wow, that was fast."

Judy nodded, still acutely aware of all the mammals looking at them. "Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be."

Nick wasn't sure what to expect. He knew Judy had a lot of family, but he had no idea how many would be at the station to meet them. What he definitely wasn't expecting, however, was the sheer amount of rabbits he saw as he stepped off of the train. Bunnies as far as the eye could see.

"Uhhh, Fluff? Are all these rabbits here for us?"

:Judy managed to keep a straight face. "Don't be silly, Nick. Only half are."

Nick stared at her.

At this, Judy couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a laugh. "OH, you should have seen the look on your face! But to answer your question, my parents are the only ones picking us up, and we'll meet them at the back. Everyone else will still be at the house."

Nick nodded as he looked around the station, still not able to understand how so many creatures could fit into this one space.

With a reserved sigh, he said "Well, let's go meet your parents.

Stu and Bonnie were standing at the back, right where Judy said they would be. When she saw them, Judy dropped their suitcases and ran over to hug them.

"Hey Jude the Dude!" Stu said. "We missed you."

"I missed you too." replied Judy.

Stepping back from her parents, she took a deep breath.

"Mom, Dad, this is Nick."

Nick hobbled forward on his crutches, a smile on his face, and he stuck his paw out to the pair of rabbits. "Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Hopps. Judy has told me a lot about you.

'Oh please, Stu and Bonnie." Said Judy's father, taking Nick's paw and giving it a good shake. "Anyone who has taken a bullet for our daughter is on a first name basis with us."

"How are you feeling, dear?" Bonnie asked, also shaking Nick's paw.

"Pretty good, all things considered. The leg's still a little sore, but it's not too bad."

"Well, we would just like to thank you so much for everything you have done for our daughter." Said Bonnie. "She has told us a lot about you also. We just want to let you know, you're always welcome at our house."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Ho… Bonnie."

10 Minutes Later

Nick looked in confusion at the house they had stopped at. Getting out of the truck, he turned to Judy.

"So… is this is? Casa de Carrots?"

"Don't let my parents hear you call me that. And you just wait."

Nick looked again at the building. He didn't understand how it could house 5 rabbits, let alone over three hundred. One door, one window, and a total interior that looked barely bigger than his apartment.

As Judy went to the trunk to get her and Nick's suitcases, Stu walked up next to Nick.

"I know it doesn't look like much from the outside, but I promise, you'll be surprised."

As it turns out, Stu was right.

Nick's confusion only grew when he walked into the building. The entire floor was metal, and other than some pawrails, there wasn't any furniture. The entire building had one room, and other than what looked like a control panel on the near wall, there didn't seem to be... anything here.

As Nick looked around, Judy came to stand beside him.

"I suggest holding on to one of the rails. It can be a little surprising the first time."

Nick was completely bewildered at this point. "What do you mean? What can be surprising?"

Judy just winked at him and laughed.

Nick just sighed and grabbed a pawrail, not taking any chances.

"Well, it's about lunch time. Who's hungry?" Asked Stu

"Just trust me Dad, when this fox is around, the answer to that question will always be yes."

Nick opened his mouth to argue, paused, then nodded. "Food does sound good."

"Told you."

Stu laughed, then began pressing some buttons on the wall.

Nothing happened for a second.

Just as Nick was about to make some quip, he felt the floor lurch underneath him.

Then he realized what was happening: They were moving down.

As the platform descended, Nick turned to Judy, impressed. "Your house is underground?"

Judy nodded, grinning. "A long time ago, bunnies realized that if we kept building above ground, we were going to run out of space really quickly. So now, most public buildings and shops are above ground, and residential areas are underground."

Nick nodded. "Ok, but I distinctly remember you saying you lived on a farm. I don't see any plants around here."

"The farm is close to another entrance. This one is just the closest to the train station."

Nick was surprised. "Another entrance? How many are there?"

Judy thought for a second. "Total, about 10. But only about 3 or 4 are often used."

Nick shook his head. "I take back anything I've ever said about dumb bunnies. This is genius."

Just then, the elevator ground to a stop in front of a large pair of doors. As they opened, Nick's jaw dropped. Again.

This room was gigantic. That was the only word for it. All around the room, rabbits ranging from kits to what looked like young adults sat at one of the numerous tables, eating, talking, laughing.

"How… how many bunnies are here?"

"Well, in total I have 378 siblings. But I'm one of the younger ones. There are about 50 kits still young enough to be in school and about 100 who live here and work on the farm."

The hits just kept coming. "You mean there are almost 200 bunnies in this house?" Nick asked incredulously.

"218, actually." Said Bonnie. "Both my and Stu's parents live here, as well as our kits mates and their kits."

"How do they all fit?"

Judy laughed at Nick's question. "Nick, the record for most bunnies in this house is 567. And even then, it was only a bit cramped. The house is more than half empty right now."

Nick just shook his head. "You know, I'd make a joke about bunnies and multiplying, but…"

"Instead of just me who can beat you up, now it's hundreds of them."

Nick nodded as they walked into the serving room, where there seemed to be an all you can eat buffet of every type of fruit and vegetable imaginable. "Exactly."

Just then, Bonnie gasped. "Oh no! Nick, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot, we don't have any meat! Do you want me to go buy a chicken or something, or..?"

Nick shook his head. "It's OK Bonnie. Foxes are actually omnivores. Fruit and vegetables work just fine for me."

Judy snorted. "Anyone who's ever seen you eat Blueberries can attest to that. You are addicted to those things."

"Just the ones that come from this farm - which happen to be the most delicious things on the planet, by the way- and you're one to talk, Miss '10 carrots in a minute.'"

"Hey, I won the bet, didn't I? Those 20 bucks were much appreciated!"

"You are impossible."

"Hey that's my line!"

As she watched the two arguing, Bonnie was thinking hard. Everything she had seen so far, from the nonstop flirting to the fact that they were now arguing like an old married couple, in addition to what she had picked up on from her phone calls with Judy, and the way she looked at the fox when she thought no one was looking, had confirmed one thing: her daughter was in love with this fox. And unless she was very much mistaken, Nick was in love with her as well.

Bonnie bit her lip, realizing she would have to have a private talk with her daughter, and soon.

And there is chapter 4!

Again, sorry about the wait, but you should get a couple of updates this week before I leave.

What did you think about my version of the Hopps's home? I've seen a lot of ideas on it, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen this one.

And before anyone says it: Yes, I know in the movie it says Judy has 275 siblings. But that number is assuming they stopped having kids with Judy, which doesn't seem right, as they don't seem too old at the beginning of the movie. A reddit post I saw estimated the number would be at about 500, but that seemed Like too much, so I split the difference.

Once again, hoping my very brief google searches provide accurate enough medical info.

Also, I am in awe. We are at 30 followers and 13 favorites! That is unbelievable to me. Thank you all so much for your support.

Until Next Time!