Bonnie listened silently as Nick and Judy explained what had happened from the begining. when they had finished the room was silent for a moment before Bonnie began to speak.
"So, you're saying that if anyone knows about this, this scheme" bonnie couldn't find any other word for it "if they find out you two are alive, you could both be killed and then there would be noone to stop whoever it is?" Judy nodded.
"you will be staying here." Bonnie said standing up
"Mrs. Hopps, That's very kind of you, but we really-" nick tried to protest
"You will be staying here" Bonnie said again this time with an air of finality filled with maternal authority. "Dinner is in 2 hours" she said giving Judy a kiss between her ears.
"Mom, you can't tell anyone, not even dad." judy cautioned
"Just leave your father to me" Bonnie said with a wink. "I should probably give great aunt fru fru a call later, didn't know she was still alive and kickin i hope i still have her number" bonnie mumbled as she walked out shutting the door behind her
Judy sighed and leaned on nick.
"I'm sorry nick" she said looking up at him sadly
"what for?" nick asked interlocking their fingers.
"I screwed up the con." Judy said "If this had been real, if we had been on an undercover operation, we both could have been killed."
"Probably, but it isn't your fault your mom remembers her grandparents, and to be honest with you i'm just glad she is on our side." nick said
"Achoo!" came a squeek from behind an old sleigh blanket hanging in the corner of the room. Judy's ears perked up at the small sound and she put a paw on nicks mouth. she went over and lifted the old blanket to reveil mina hiding in a hole in the wall.
"Aunt Judy! it is you!" the bunny cried with glee jumping into judy's arms.
"Mina, what did i tell you about spying?" Judy asked
"That if i'm gonna, i have to take my allergy medicine so that i don't sneeze at the dust." Mina said triumphantly, pleased with herself that she finally remembered. Nick let out a laugh as Judy rolled her eyes and put mina down.
"How long were you hiding there?"
"Since Grandma told me to find Mama." Mina said sheepishly "I heard everything," Mina wrapped her arms around judy's legs and looked up at her "Please don't go away again aunt Judy, i'll miss you"
"Don't worry, your grandma won't let us" Nick said walking over to them from his perch on the bed.
"Nick this is Mina," Judy said putting her paws on Mina's shoulders. "Mina, This is Nick"
"He isn't as cute as you said he was aunt Judy" Mina said mischieviously.
"Mina!" Judy said as Nick chuckled. Judy sighed and shook her head "you have to call me Jenna for now at least when we are not alone."
"That's quite a throwing arm you've got, Little Cottontail" Nick said. Mina watched his tail swish back and forth behind him, and she pounced on it causing Nick to let out a yelp. this caused Judy to go into a fit of giggles, having never heard Nick make that sort of sound.
"Mina Genevieve Hopper!" came Bree's voice from behind the sled blanket "Did you go to your aunt's room again?"
Nick saw Mina cringe at her mothers voice, she wasn't supposed to be down there and now all three of them knew it.
"Wow Jenna, Look what they have!" Nock shouted up through the portal in false amazement "Hello up there!" Nick called "My names not Mina and i'm not sure whose room i'm in but may i just say that your family has a lovely home!" Nick said innocently as Judy and Mina giggled silently trying not to be heard.
"uh, um, well thank you very much and sorry to bother you sir." Bree called back crossly.
after a moment or two of silence the three of them burst out laughing.
"He isn't very cute, Aunt Judy but he's really sneaky!" Mina said inbetween giggles
"Mina!" Judy scoulded again
"I got a question," Mina said quieting her laughter
"You know curiosity killed the cat, right?" Nick said, feigning annoyance.
"well i'm not a cat, i'm a rabbit, so i'll be fine" Mina said crossing her arms.
"What is it Mina?" Judy asked stepping between the two.
"if we could get hurt if anyone found out you weren't who you say you are, why come?" Mina asked. Judy looked at nick, unsure how to answer. "And your dumb fox sticks out like a hare in a house full of rabbits"
"MINA!" judy half shouted
"Well he does!" Mina said defensively
"Just wait till you bring your first boyfriend home!" Judy said through gritted teeth
"Now I see why she's your favorite" Nick said wraping his arms around Judy
"You should stay at Uncle Gideon's place! he makes the best blueberry pies!" Mina said as if it was the best idea since the carrot
"You know that's not a bad idea" Nick said looking down at the Baby Carrots
"I'll go get him!" mina said running out before Judy could stop her. judy looked up at Nick again
"Why did we come here?" Judy asked
"Because you're a family bunny" Nick said "It's my fault you 'died' in the line of duty, i couldn't take your job and your family. you will be safe here, noone would think to look for a dead bunny, especially not here." Nick said staring off into the distance "Mina's right, I do stick out like a hare. I was going to go back to the city."
"You were going to leave me?" Judy asked incredulously
"Not forever, just for a little while." Nick said "just until the case was over." if he wasn't introuble before he was now.
"You were going to kick me off the case?" Judy asked pushing away from him
"I was trying to keep you safe!" nick retorted
"Nick we're partners!"
"I couldnt take the risk of you getting hurt again!"
"And what if something happened to you?" she asked "What would I have done without you huh?"
"You would have gone on with your life!" he replied
"No i wouldn't have! How could I without you?" she asked with tears threatening her eyes
"But you did once!" Nick immediately regretted those words.
"No Nick" she said quietly "i didn't, I couldn't. For three months my heart kept breaking over and over again, and you, you just kept being you and not letting people see what gets to you" she went to a shelf and pulled out a hard covered journal. "I wrote you letters but never sent them because i couldn't bear the thought of you not wanting me in your life." She threw the book at him and it hit him hard in the chest "I never stopped thinking about you! I never stopped believing in you! I never ever stopped loving you! confronting you under that bridge was the hardest thing i have ever done! But it just seems like it means nothing to you!" She took the ring off her finger and set it down on the shelf. "Sometimes i wonder if you really are hiding your feelings or if you even have them at all!" Judy ran out with tears streaming down her cheeks just as Mina and Gideon came around the corner.
"Come on uncle gideon!" Mina said to the tall well built red fox she was pulling behind her
"Mina! slow down, ya know i aint that fast" gideon said as he was pulled by his paw.
"You'd be able to move faster if you weren't so poofy!" Mina said following Judy out the back door.
"There's nothin wrong with a little extra fluff" Gideon said being dragged down an old dirt path, up a hill to a rickety old shack under an oak tree
"You go talk to her, Uncle Gideon." mina said giving him a push toward the shack.
"What do i say to her?" Gideon asked
"Do i have to do everything? i already gotta straighten out one dumb fox! it's your job to talk to Aunt Judy." she said and before he could say anything in defense of foxes everywhere, she was half way back to the house.
Gideon rubbed the back of his neck and then knocked on the door to the old building.
"Go away, you dumb fox!" Judy yelled thinking it was Nick
"Hey! I thought we called a truce!" Gideon hollard back.
"Gid-" Judy opened the door and sheilded her faceshe stopped "I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to insu-" Gideon wrapped his arms around her making her stop with whatever wool she was trying to pull over his eyes.
"I don't know what to call you, or what you're goin through," he said holding her as she cried like the over emotional bunny she was. "but if ya want i can be here for ya. It aint no good to be sad on your own." He finally released her and handed her a handkerchief.
"Thanks Gideon," Judy said looking up at him revieling the new mirroring scratch "you always know what to say" Gideon gently cupped her cheek
"Not always" he said as memories came back from their youth "What happened Judy? Who do i need to beat up for ya!" he asked puffing out his chest
"Noone, he just need to learn that sometimes it's better to let things get to him," she wiped the last few tears from her cheek "How'd you know it was me?"
"Oh it's a fox thing, ya know" gideon tried to play it cool "you're still the judy i know even if you got green eyes now."
"Mina told you didn't she?" Judy asked with a smirk on her face
"it's a good thing my walls are thick, she practically shouted it to the whole world ya was alive!" he wiggled his fingers at her spookily in to reference frankenswine. "so whats this ruckus about me hidin a fox for ya?"
"It was mina's idea," Judy said trying not to impose "He'll be fine in a house full of rabbits," she insisted, but Judy was still worried and gideon knew it.
"I think Mina is right," gideon said leading Judy back down to the house
"Where is mina anyway?" Judy asked
"she said somethin about setting a dumb fox straight" Gidion said. then he saw a hint of fear in Judy's eyes
"Oh dear" Judy said and she took off for the house.
"You don't think he'd hurt Mina, do you?" Gideon said sprinting after her
"It's him i'm worried about!" she called back to the lagging fox
"Wait, but she's the bunny" he huffed behind her
"So was I" she said with a slightly smug look on her face as they rounded the corner of the door way. Judy and Gideon stopped and took in the sight that was before them with wide eyes