I assume you just want to read the story, so I'll leave the A/N for the end.

Enjoy!

Try as he might, Nick simply couldn't stop smiling as he got ready for bed. The tour around the house had been very interesting, and on another day, he could have spent hours exploring the maze of stairs, elevators, and rooms. But all of that kind of took a backseat to all the Judy stories he got from Stu and Skye.

Nick could hardly believe his luck. From the time Judy had tried to eat a stapler when she was two to her emo phase in her teens (complete with photos!), he had everything he needed for months. And if he could ever get his hands on the video of her Carrot Days play, he would be basically set for life.

He had also learned a lot about Judy's sister. Skye had been born 20 seconds after Judy, a fact Judy clearly liked to bring up often, and they had been nearly inseparable as kits. In fact, when Judy had left for the police academy and Skye for law school in a nearby city, it had been the first time they had ever been apart for more than two weeks.

While at law school, Skye had met Jacqueline Savage, better known as Jackie. Skye had said that she had been questioning her sexuality for a couple of years, but when she first met Jackie, she had, in her words, "gone full gay."

Nick's smile faltered as he recalled the next part of the story. Skye had tried to convince herself for a while that she was ok with just being friends with Jackie, but had known she was lying to herself, and it was driving her crazy.

"Sounds familiar" thought Nick, sighing as he stepped into the shower, the bag around his cast rustling as he did.

It gave him hope, however, that this story had a happy ending. Eventually Skye couldn't take it anymore and had to confess, whether it destroyed their friendship or not. To her utter shock (and overwhelming joy), Jackie had stared at her for a second, then threw her arms around Skye and kissed her. She explained she had been trying to find a way to say the same thing for a long time.

Throw in the simultaneous proposal story, and it was just about the most romantic thing he had ever heard. Skye had said that her and Jackie were having lunch tomorrow and that Nick and Judy were welcome to join them, which they gladly accepted.

Now, however, Nick was beginning to have second thoughts. It would be awkward enough having lunch with your secret crush and another couple, but it sounded like the two rabbits were absolutely, overwhelmingly in love. Heck, it had been hard enough having a conversation with Judy's father when Judy wasn't even there.

Nick's smile disappeared completely as he recalled the talk he had had with Stu earlier in the day. While it hadn't been bad, exactly, it had been tough. Judy had told her parents about how her and Nick had met, and while she had stressed that Nick had never done anything illegal, that he really was a great mammal, and that they laughed at the situation now, it was understandable that Bonnie and Stu would still be a bit concerned.

Nick knew that Judy's parents had long since abandoned any heavy set prejudice they had against foxes, and that they trusted their daughter when she told them what a great cop and friend Nick was. Any semblance of animosity they might have had towards the fox had been destroyed completely when he had taken a bullet for her. They seemed to legitimately like Nick, and the feeling was mutual.

That being said, that didn't mean there wasn't still some hesitation from Bonnie and Stu to 100% trust the fox. Stu had asked, in the nicest terms possible, how he felt about his previous business practices. Nick had given him the same answer he gave whenever he got that or a similar question: While he had never done anything explicitly illegal, he wasn't proud of what he had done. Now, he was focussed on being a good cop and redeeming himself.

That seemed to satisfy the buck. Just before they had walked out of the room and met Judy and Skye, however, Stu had said something Nick had been dreading hearing since he came here.

"Well Nick, I just wanted to thank you again for being such a good friend and partner to Judy. From everything she has told us, she couldn't do it without you. Just do me one favor."

"What's that, Stu?"

"Do your best to keep the shady bucks away from her!"

At that, Stu had let out a hearty laugh, not seeming to notice the painful look on Nick's face that disappeared before the fox chuckled nervously. Luckily, they had run into Judy and Skye right at that moment, saving the fox from any further embarrassment.

Nick had been expecting it, but that didn't make it hurt any less. How Stu just assumed that Nick wasn't even a possibility for a romantic partner for Judy. This was exactly why he had been hesitant about coming here.

Sighing, Nick stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, stepping out into the guest room as he did so. Just as he was about to get dressed for bed, he heard the door behind him open. He jumped in surprise and turned around to see Judy frozen in the door, her ears as red as his fur.

Neither of them moved for half a second, before Judy shook her head and turned away, still blushing furiously at the sight of Nick in nothing but a towel.

"Sorry! I should have told you, and it's just a force of habit, and I just…"

"Judy! Calm down. What is it?"

Judy swallowed nervously before answering. "I just wanted to show you something before bed. Something you didn't see on the tour. If you want to, that is. If you're too tired then it's fine."

"No, it's fine." Nick responded. "Just let me…"

"YEAH!" Judy said. "I'll just… um… yeah."

Judy shut the door.

Nick shook his head. "That rabbit is going to be the death of me" he thought.

Judy led Nick to an elevator, her ears still a little red.

"Sorry, I should have warned you. Knocking isn't really a thing here. If you want privacy, you lock the door. I'm used to just opening doors whenever while I'm here and I didn't expect you to be… you know."

"What? Practically naked?"

Judy's blush returned as he gave the fox a light slug in the arm.

"Seriously Judy, it's fine. Where are we going?" Asked Nick.

"My favorite place in the house. As far as I know, Skye and I are the only people who know about it, which is why Dad didn't show you on the tour."

Nick was surprised at this. "With this many bunnies here, how could you two be the only ones? What about your parents?"

Judy shook her head as she led him through a floor just below the surface. "This house isn't only big, Nick. It's old. The oldest parts were built about 300 years ago. I think this is one of those areas that just got forgotten a long time ago. Skye and I discovered it when we were eight while we were exploring and we decided it would be our secret."

"Wow. So I guess I should feel pretty honored right now? The first fox to ever see this place. Wonder what I should say when I first get there. 'One small step for fox, one giant leap for mammalkind?'"

Judy rolled her eyes.

"Oh no, I know! How abou…"

Nick trailed off as Judy led him into a room almost as big as the dining hall. Books lined shelves as far as the eye could see. Even more were stacked on the floor or on top of tables or chairs. It was a bookworm's paradise.

"How on earth could no one else know about this place? Seems pretty hard to miss!"

Judy laughed. "This isn't it, this is just the bookroom. My great great great grandfather, who was one of the rabbits that built this place, was a bit of a hoarder when it came to books. He insisted the house have one of these. Since then, rabbits have just kept adding to the collection. We've got everything from Moby Duck to The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Luckily for me, my ancestor was also an astronomy nut and kind of paranoid, because he had this built."

Judy had led them to one of the very back shelves, which was positioned against a wall. All the books were obviously very old. They were also all very dusty, clearly not having been read in some time.

"Okay Carrots, I'm lost. What are we looking at?"

Judy just smiled and reached for a book, which she pulled from the shelf. For a second Nick half expected the book to be a secret lever, leading to a secret room, like in the old movies.

"No, that's ridiculous," he thought. Until her saw a glimmer of metal behind the book.

Peering closer he saw it was a doorknob with a fancy H on it. Nick looked at Judy curiously.

"Go ahead, open it." She said.

"Carrots?"

"What?"

"Why did you lead me to a secret murder room?"

This time Judy was unable to stop herself from snorting in laughter.

"What? You lead to me to the back of a huge room, to a secret door built by some paranoid rabbit hundreds of years ago, that you claim you are one of only two mammals on the planet that know about, and you expect me to come to a different conclusion?"

Judy was openly laughing at this point. "Just open the door, you idiot."

Nick shrugged and turned the knob, stepping into the room and stopping in his tracks from the sight.

"Wow." He breathed, almost speechless.

The room wasn't very big, but it was pretty empty. The only thing Nick saw was an old, expensive looking telescope. That's not what caught his attention though.

Above him was a clear glass ceiling leading to the outside. Being from the city, Nick had never seen the night sky without a bunch of light pollution and, if he was being honest with himself, it had never really occurred to him that that was a problem. Now, he was beginning to change his mind.

He had never seen so many stars. They were absolutely everywhere, peppering the sky like fireflies. The moon seemed twice as big here as in the city, like it was far closer. In the silence, the room felt almost mystical.

Juy smiled as she watched the dumbstruck fox. This was exactly the reaction she had been hoping for. "You like it?" She asked.

For once, Nick had no words. "This… this is… wow."

Judy laughed. "I know, right? I always used to come here whenever I needed some peace and quiet. If I needed to study for a big test, cry over something stupid, or just relax, this is where I came." As she talked, her smile grew even wider. She had forgotten how beautiful this place could be.

Nick turned to ask Judy a question, the froze. She was looking up at the sky, a look of utter and complete contentedness on her face. Her amethyst eyes, usually beautiful, were now absolutely breathtaking now. At that moment, she was the most stunning thing he had ever seen.

Before he could stop himself, he let out a breath. "Beautiful." He said.

Judy, not paying attention to him, just nodded. "I know, right?"

Nick felt a mixture of relief and disappointment at her missing his slip up. He decided to shut up and enjoy the view.

And he didn't mean the stars.

Wow! Did not expect this chapter to be that long. Just got away from me. Next time, we meet Jackie Savage for the first time, with an appearance from a certain portly baker fox as well.

Sorry about the wait. Things have just been kind of hectic lately, and now I leave for camp on Sunday, so this will be the last chapter for a couple of weeks. After that, though, expect lots of chapters!

Also, we are now at 36 reviews (all positive), 33 favorites, and 68 followers. I am amazed. This is so much more than I expected, and I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has followed this story and made it possible; you guys are the greatest.

Side note: I am currently listening to Jumpsuit and Nico and the Niners on repeat because after a whole year, Twenty One Pilots hiatus is finally over! They are my favorite band in the world, and I have been waiting for this for so long. I saw them live a couple years ago, and it was the greatest concert I've ever been to. Even if you don't know their music, I recommend going to a live show if you have the opportunity. That atmosphere is like nothing else. I know it's cliche, but whatever: |-/.

Let me know what you think!

Until next time!