HEY GUYS NEW CHAPTER FOR YOU MORE DRAMA AND ALL THAT! DON'T WORRY THE ACTION IS COMING TRUST ME BUT IN THE MEAN TIME ENJOY!
p.s. most likely wont be a new chapter for next week sorry :(
Credit given where it is due:
Editor - OnceNeverTwiceAlways
Nick and Judy were making their escape in the back of Finnick's van. They were headed out to Bunnyburrow; it would be a safe place for them to hide out while the media found a new story.
Safe for Judy maybe, Nick thought. If Bonnie doesn't kill me, Judy's 270 odd siblings will.
Nick let out a low sigh. "Judy, I just want to say, it was nice knowing you. And, when the time comes, I want you to invite my mother to my funeral."
"Nick, stop that! It won't be that bad! I'm sure most if not all of my family will love you!"
"I hope you're right, Carrots. Because, if it you're not, this might be my last day here with you," Nick stated dramatically.
"Whatever, Slick. It's been a long morning and it's going to take a while to get to Bunnyburrow driving. So I'm going to get some sleep and I think you should too." She said flatly. "Hey, Finnick, could you wake us when we get there?"
"Sure thing, Toot-Toot" was his gruff reply.
"Thanks." Judy rolled her eyes. "Come here, Slick. Let me use you as a pillow." She crawled towards Nick.
Nick and Judy lied down in back of Finnick's van, next to each each other. He curled around Judy covering her with his tail. She snuggled up against Nick, burying her face in his chest. He let out a sigh of contentment as he drifted off to sleep.
Hours later
Nick was woken from his slumber by a small paw shaking his shoulder. He was reluctant to rise from his peaceful sleep until Judy spoke.
"Come on, Slick. You need to get up. We're in Bunnyburrow."
"Fine, fine, I'm getting up." Nick propped himself against the vans wall, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "So where are we?"
"Bunnyburrow, Nick. That's what I just said."
"I know that, Carrots. But where in Bunnyburrow?" he rolled his eyes.
"We're headed for the produce stand my family runs. I called my parents, and they'll be waiting there to pick us up and take us to the warren," Judy said, grabbing Nick's paw and shaking with excitement.
"Alright. Well, how long till we reach the stand you guys run?"
She looked out the window at their surroundings. "We'll be there in a minute or two."
"Any chance your dad will have his anti-fox gear?" Nick asked nervously.
"What are you so scared of Nick? They're just bunnies and you're a big bad fox," Judy teased.
"Carrots, this is your family. I know that you can make your own decisions, but I don't want to pull you from them. And besides, you have 273 siblings. There's no way I won't drown in bunnies," Nick said with complete honesty.
"Nick, you have to trust me on this. You will be fine," Judy stated confidently. "You'll see how right I am. I'll even defend you if I have to." Judy kissed Nick on the cheek.
The van pulled to a stop in front of, what Nick could only assume to be the Hopps family's produce stand. Judy opened the back door and hopped out with Nick close behind. Nick closed the doors slowly, taking a moment to steel himself for meeting Judy's family before turning towards the produce stand.
Standing there in front of them were Judy's parents. They were shorter than he'd imagined them to be from their Muzzletime chat. Which he guessed made sense considering they were rabbits.
"Hi Mom and Dad!" Judy ran up to her parents and hugging them both.
"Hey Bun," Stu replied, returning the hug.
Nick stood back and watched while Finnick drove off, wishing he was in the van with him.
"So, here he is," Bonnie said clinically, examining Nick.
"Hello, Miss. Hopps," Nick waved shyly trying to make himself smaller in front of her.
"You're Judy's boyfriend?" Bonnie questioned.
"Yes, I am."
"Good! We were wondering when Judy would find someone. Come and put your things in the truck. We'll talk more at the warren," she turned and walked towards the Hopps' truck.
Nick knew that he must have looked completely dumbfounded. He actually had to stop his mouth from hanging open. Bonnie Hopps was actually happy that Nick, a fox, was dating her daughter, a rabbit. He looked over to Judy who hadn't been able to keep her mouth closed. Well, seems like neither of us saw that little one coming.
As Bonnie and Stu were walking back to their truck, Bonnie looked back, "Well come on. Everyone's waiting to meet Judy's boyfriend."
With that, Nick grabbed the luggage they had brought with them off the road and started to follow. Reaching the beat-up truck, Nick put their bags in the back. Nick walked around to the passenger side of the truck and got in.
Judy hopped into Nick's lap, once her parents had gotten in from the drivers side door.
"So you two, how long have you been together?" Bonnie asked while Stu started the truck.
Judy looked over to Nick,"About three days now. But I think we both liked each other long before we realized it."
"Quick question, Miss. Hopps," Nick interrupted.
"Just call me Bonnie, dear."
"Ok then. So, Bonnie, exactly how many of the Hopps family know that Judy's boyfriend is a fox?" Nick asked fearing the answer.
"I don't think any of them know you're a fox, dear."
The rest of the car ride was quiet. As they pulled up to the warren, Nicks jaw actually did drop in awe this time.
The place was at least three stories tall, but the amount of area it covered had to be three times the size of his apartment building. Its was brightly painted and had a wrap around porch and with a gazebo at one end. At the front were two doors big enough for a wolf.
"Wow, this place is huge!" Nick exclaimed.
"Yup. Passed down generation to generation. The Hopps family has been living here for close to 10 generations now," Stu stated proudly.
"This place is that old?" Nick was astonished.
"Well, not necessarily. This building is only a century and a half old, but there have been a few renovations to modernize it."
Nick kept staring at the enormous building. "So I it's not really little house on the prairie then, huh?"
"If you think the outside is big, just wait till you see the inside, Slick." Judy was clearly enjoying the look of amazement on Nick's face.
When Stu and Bonnie got out of the truck, someone started yelling something about their return. An instant later, Nick could feel the truck start to shake.
"What's that, Carrots?" Nick asked fearing for his life.
"You'll see," Judy said smugly, watching the front doors.
A few seconds later, the front door burst open and an ocean of bunnies came pouring out. They all ran towards their parents, surrounding Stu and Bonnie as well as the truck.
"Where are they?" all the bunnies asked at once.
"They're sitting in the truck." Bonnie pointed to it, smiling.
All eyes turned to the truck. Nick froze. Never in his life had he been this scared. Hundreds of eyes looked straight at them. Nick whimpered.
Did I just whimper in fear of these bunnies? Ok Wilde, what happened to you? he thought.
Judy opened the car door with a rusty creak. All the bunnies watched as she stepped out. There was complete silence. Judy waved for Nick to get out of the car.
He slowly turned in his seat. Nick got out of the truck and stood behind Judy. He smiled at them, being sure to hide his sharp teeth.
"Everybody, this is Nick. He's my partner at the ZPD, my best friend, and he's also my boyfriend," Judy announced.
Every bunny present mumbled to each other. One bunny gasped—a female rabbit that looked like Judy.
They all rushed forward, asking questions and trying to grab and feel different parts of Nick.
"Ow! Hey don't touch that! OW! That's sensitive. No don't grab the tail!"
Judy laughed at the chaos surrounding Nick.
"Carrots help!" he yelled.
Judy stopped laughing. " Alright, everyone off, we'll be here for around a week and a half anyway. You'll all get to talk to Nick eventually."
With that, some of the bunnies dispersed heading back inside. Most however, sticking around to see what was going to happen next.
"Go on, everybody. Head inside. Let Nick and Judy get settled before you bother them anymore." Bonnies waved off her kits. "Judy you show Nick to your room. Then head to the kitchen in about half an hour for some food."
"Alright come on, Nick. If you don't keep up, you'll be lost," Judy ran forward, looking back at the disheveled looking fox.
Nick shook himself out of his stupor. He picked up their luggage and followed Judy into the giant house in front of him.
As Nick entered, he turned to close the door behind him. He saw a lone doe standing on the porch staring at him with a strange look in her eyes. He just smiled and waved at her before shutting the door. Nick continued to follow Judy down the twisting hall that lead them further down into the warren.
Finally they arrived at a door that read 'Judy'. The owner of the room opened the door and Nick joined her was a small room with nothing but a desk on one side and a bed on the other. A few ZPD posters were hung up on the wall.
"Well, here it is, Nick. This is where I spent my time studying, while my siblings were out partying." Judy gestured around her.
"And look where that got you, Carrots. Stuck in a relationship with a fox," he teased. "Hope you don't regret it," he added insecurely.
"Never in a million years, Slick." Judy smiled.
"Good. Cause you're stuck with me anyway," he joked. "Well now that we're all alone in your room, how about you tell me a little about your siblings?"
"You got it, Slick. We'll start with my litter for now. There's me, Jessica, James, Jasmine, Josh, and Jade. Kits born in a litter usually look alike too. I don't doubt you'll see them around sooner or later," Judy explained.
"Actually, I think I already saw one of them. When I was walking in, I saw a doe that looked kind of like you. But she didn't have black tips and she had dark blue eyes," Nick described the doe he had seen.
"Yup that's one of 'em. Her name is Jessica. Well let's unpack and I'll take you on a tour before we go to the kitchen."
"Sounds good to me, Fluff." Nick gave her a thumbs up.
After unpacking their things, Nick was lead by Judy on a tour of the Hopps warren. First, Judy explained how the warren was built with the three main living spaces stacked on top of the other with the hallway slowly spiraling down and branching off into different levels hallways with multiple bedrooms.
"This place is huge, Carrots." Nick said, waving to a few of Judy's siblings as the passed. "It's kind of weird how your siblings adapted so quickly to me being here."
"I have to admit, it is a little odd. But I've been away for months. Even with all the calls I have with my parents, they don't exactly tell me everything that happens around here. So for all I know, one of my siblings could've married a fox." She shrugged
"Well I'm not complaining. How about we head to the kitchen now? We haven't really eaten breakfast. And it's what, four in the afternoon? I'm starving." Nick rubbed his stomach.
"Alright, to the kitchen then."
Going back up the hallway that they had originally gone down to reach Judy's room, they passed more of her siblings in different shapes, sizes, and colors. He waved at them trying to be friendly towards Judy's family. Once back at the main floor and central hub of activity, they made a right turn into to the large staircase to go up to the kitchen.
From at the top, Nick was able to get his first look at the vast kitchen in front of him. He could see stoves and ovens lining an entire wall, and there were more pots and pans than he could even count. Against the left wall was the largest refrigerator he had ever seen. There is no way they can afford all this just being farmers! he thought, mouth hanging open in awe for the second time that day.
"See something you like, Slick?" Judy watched Nick with amusement.
"Carrots, there's probably enough food in this place to feed me for a few years," he stated, looking around the kitchen, "How do you even transport breakfast and dinner with a family as big as yours anyway?"
"Well isn't obvious, Nick? We use those. Just like everyone else." Judy pointed to her right, where there was in fact a large conveyor belt.
Judy then led Nick into dining hall that was through a set of double doors. It was set up just like a school cafeteria with close to sixty tables and nearly five times that many chairs.
"Carrots, why do you have a school cafeteria in your house?" he asked flatly.
"So we can choose who we want to sit with and not have conversations interrupted by other groups of bunnies." She waved around the room.
"Whatever, Fluff. Let's just try and get something from the kitchen." He laughed, turning around.
Upon entering the kitchen, Bonnie came in from the stairwell they had come up a minute prior.
"Oh, good. You're already here. So, Nick, what is it that you eat exactly?" Bonnie asked.
"Well my father always wanted us to be vegetarians to makes us seem less scary to prey mammals. But I still gotta get good protein somewhere, so I eat the ocasional fish. Nuts and beans don't really do it for me," he stated.
"Ok , I'll be sure to grab some fish at the store tomorrow," Bonnie said while making sandwiches for them.
"You- you'd, really do that?" Nick stuttered in surprise.
"Well you're Judy's boyfriends right? So that makes you family. Well, I hope you like PB and J's because that's all you get until dinner."
"Speaking of dinner, how do you make so much food in such a short time?" he asked.
"We usually have about ten or fifteen of my sibling help her. And they start cooking about three hours before dinner," Judy supplied.
"Yup, it's how most of them learn to cook. Judy, how about you go introduce Nick to some of your brothers and sisters when you two are done eating your sandwiches?"
Once they had finished eating, Judy did just that She brought him to one of the three stacked living areas.
Even before entering the room Nick could hear dozens of different voices. Well let's hope they don't run in fear, he thought, taking a deep breath. When Judy opened the door for him, he was able to see at least fifty different bunnies of all ages in front of them. Upon entry, Nick could see all eyes and ears turn to them. He just put on one of his famous smirks and waved at all rabbits present.
"Hey, everyone, most if not all of you already know who this is." Judy gestured to the fox to her side. "For those of you who weren't paying attention before, this fox is Nick and he is my boyfriend," Judy finished, looping her arm in his.
Most of the bunnies turned and whispered to each other while some just stared or watched him. Among all the bunnies in front of him, only one stepped forward, a buck that looked like Judy but had all black ears and brown eyes with small white spots on his face.
"Hey Nick, I'm Josh. Good to have you visit. We were starting to think something was wrong with Judy here," Josh chuckled, reaching out to shake Nick's paw.
"Hey!"
Nick laughed, shaking his paw. "Good to meet you to Josh. You must be the Josh from Judy's litter."
"Yup, thats me. Only a litter mate knows how to get under a sibling's skin in such a way right, Judy?"
"Yeah, yeah," she huffed.
"Well Nick, since you're here, let me help introduce you to the rest of our litter," he said, waving a group of rabbits towards him.
Nick could see a group of bunnies slowly making their way through the crowd. In the group Nick could see Jessica and three other rabbits behind her. Jessica had another strange look on her face like she was mesmerized by Nick. The others looked like Judy with a few changes, they had a look of nervousness plastered on their faces.
Jessica was first to offer her paw with a flirtatious smile. "Hi, i'm Jessica."
"I saw you before, on the porch. You looked pretty shocked and surprised to see me," Nick said shaking her paw.
"W- well, I mean it's not everyday my sister brings someone home. Let alone a fox," she hesitated just long enough that he knew her excuse wasn't true.
"Well, it's nice to meet you." Nick turned to the other bunnies. "You three must be Jasmine, James, and Jade right?"
"Yeah, that's us. How do you know our names?" he asked suspiciously.
"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret," Nick whispered with a devilish grin. " I've been spying on the Hopps family ever since I meet your sister."
At hearing Nicks admission, the three's ears dropped with noses twitching. Judy let out a giggle and punched Nick on the arm.
"Alright, Carrots, jeez. Judy told me." Nick rubbed his arm.
"Why do you call Judy 'Carrots'?" Jasmine asked.
"I guess it's was a derogatory term that turned into an endearment," he explained.
After introducing Nick to her litter mates, Judy began introducing him to other siblings. There were more names than Nick could hope to remember there was a Natasha, Nathan, Derek, Clide, Vince, and many more names than Nick even thought existed.
Nick's meet-n'-greet session was interrupted when a disembodied voice came from over head. "Head to the kitchen everyone. Dinner will be ready in about five minutes."
"Carrots, your house has its own PA system and a cafeteria. What's next? Art class or gym?" Nick asked sarcastically.
"Well Slick, when you have a family as big as mine the house kind of needs to be like a school," Judy shrugged.
As they were walking Judy pulled her phone out. "Just got a text from mom. She wants to us to eat with her and dad in their dining area."
"Well, that's good I guess. I haven't been to school in over a decade and I don't think I'm really ready to jump right back into the cafeteria just yet," he joked.
He was lead once again by Judy. They went back up to the first floor where Judy's parents' private living area was. Once they walked in Nick saw everything was normal rabbit size. No huge fridge, no conveyor belt and only one stove and oven. On the other side of the kitchen was a small dining area with a normal four mammal limit. Sitting at the table were Bonnie and Stu.
"Heya, Nick! Glad you two could join us!" Stu exclaimed.
"No problem," he replied, knowing he didn't really have a choice.
Bonnie waved them over to the table. "Well come and sit. We'd like to talk a bit."
On the table in front of them was tomato fettuccine with salad and warm buttered bread.
Nick and Judy sat down at the table.
"So how did you two meet in the big city?" Bonnie asked, grabbing a piece of bread to start eating.
"I was in a ice cream parlor having trouble getting service, when Officer Fluff here walked in and was able to convince the management to sell to me." Nick knew it wasn't the full truth, but it was still the truth nonetheless.
"Oh that's nice. But how did you get sucked into helping Judy with the big case?" Stu questioned.
"Well, when I took the case there wasn't anything but a picture of where a missing otter was last seen. And I saw Nick in the picture with him, so I went to find Nick. Once I found him, I was able to convince him to help me with the case." Judy smiled.
Bonnie nodded and asked, "Nick, what was it that you were doing before you became a police officer with Judy?"
Nick winced. "Well it was something I'm not proud of at all. Unfortunately, I was a hustler. You know, someone who does something to get someone else's money. Legally of course."
"Oh, what got you into that 'profession'?"
Nick didn't say anything for for a moment. He went into defensive mode putting up his barriers.
Judy reached across to Nick and placed her paw on his. "It's ok, Nick. They won't tell anyone. This is between me, you, and my parents."
Nick looked up into Judy's amethyst eyes and squeezed her paw. "Alright, Carrots. Well when I was maybe eight or nine, I tried to join the Junior Ranger Scouts. There were no predators in the pack, but I was determined to be the first. So I showed up to join in a new uniform, and when I got there they put a muzzle on me and said that no-one could trust a fox. So from that point on, I was exactly what they expected: A no good lying untrustworthy fox. But, thanks to your daughter, I was able to make myself a new life."
"Oh my goodness, Nick. I'm so sorry," Bonnie said covering her mouth with her hands. Stu was sitting there with a look of shock on his face.
"Don't be. Without that horrible moment, I wouldn't have met Judy," Nick finished, kissing Judy's paw. "But what I want to know is why you were so accepting of the relationship I have with Carrots."
"Well, first of all Judy was never one to try and find someone and settle down. She was always focused on her dream, so we're just glad she found someone. And second, even though Judy's a police officer, we still fear for her safety. If she was with any buck, she'd be the one protecting them while they ran away. But with you, Nick, your also a police officer and a bigger mammal than her," Bonnie replied.
"I guess I can understand that," Nick knowing full well Judy could protect herself from any mammal that came after her. Nick looked over to Judy and saw a sour expression on her face, but saying nothing.
They all sat while finishing what they had on their plates while talking about smaller subjects like how that farm was going and how city life was.
"We'll finish up here. You two should get some sleep. I can imagine it's been a long day." Bonnie excused them.
"Yeah, no kidding. Thanks for the dinner here. I can't imagine what it's like in the big dining hall."
"You'll find out soon enough, Slick. Let's head back to my room and get some rest." Judy got up from her seat and headed for the door
"Right behind ya'." Nick followed.
After arriving, Judy left Nick in her room while she went to the little doe's room. He was about to undress when he heard a knock on the bedroom door. Nick walked over to the door and opened it revealing Jessica standing there with a smile.
"Hey there, Mr. Fox," Jessica said happily.
Nick winced at the nickname remembering the horribly embarrassing music video he stared in. "Hey, Jessica, what can I do ya' for?" He asked leaning on the door frame.
"Oh, Mr. Fox, at least take me out to dinner first." She giggled.
"What can I do for you?" He corrected, rolling his eyes.
"Nothing. Just wanted to see how you're settling in."
"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking. But it's been a long day, so I think I'm going to go to bed." Nick said not in the mood for chit chat.
"Well if you don't like it in this room, mine is right next door. So why don't you stop by later tonight?" she flirted.
"Don't count on it," Nick said flatly as he closed the door in her face. Nick turned around to go get in Judy's bed.
"I'll take that as a maybe!" Jessica shouted through the door.
Nick just shook his head and got into bed waiting for Judy's return.
A few minutes later the door opened showing Judy entering the room.
"Ya know, Carrots, some of your siblings are a little weird."
"Tell me about it. In the bathroom my sisters were all over me, asking me stupid questions. It was like they were trying to distract me," she complained.
"Well, while you were away, Jessica showed up and knocked on the door. To make this story short, I'm just gonna say I think she has a crush on me or likes to flirt."
"She better not because I'm the only doe for you right?" she asked.
"Yes, sweetheart. The one and only rabbit for my heart." Nick chuckled. "Now get in bed. I want to get some sleep."
"Don't have to tell me twice." She jumped into bed and buried her face in his chest.
"Good night, Carrots. I love you."
"I love you too, Nick. Good night."
