A/N

I have a big pot of coffee today so I thought that I needed this to go with it.

Disclaimer: Ok we might be in trouble, Disney has apparently sent out Captain Hook to hunt us down and all I have is a digital clock.


Chapter 11 - How To Start A New Day

"OOOHH M GGGOOODDDNNNEEESSS!"

That, Nick decided did not sound like an alarm clock. Before he'd fully opened his eyes, Judy had sat up straight like she'd been ejected from their snuggle.

"Clawhauser!?" Judy said then looked down at her unclothed self, a very lovely if ruffled figure Nick thought. They'd certainly need to get a shower and groom a bit before they left, Judy's gray fur was a bit disheveled, tuffs matted and tousled from their activities yesterday evening, and night, and a few times this morning Nick remembered with a satisfied grin looking at his mate.

For that matter they probably needed to take a shower to attempt to knock down the smell as well. Between their liberal marking of each other, which Nick thought was an understatement if he'd ever heard one, and their bedtime activities, even the most scent blind would be able to smell exactly what they had been up to all night.

Judy's eyes widened as she took in her state, Nick knew he probably didn't look any more presentable than her but he found her figure mesmerizingly beautiful, ruffled or not.

Judy apparently didn't agree because she grabbed the first thing she could and used it to cover herself.

The rather chubby cheetah officer in the doorway, Clawhauser was it? Had both of his paws on his tubby cheeks as he continued to squeal in apparent utter joy. Seeing Judy trying to cover herself, his eyes got even bigger and he started to bounce, muttering in a high pitched voice, "Oh My Goodnesss, I can't believe she just did that! I knew it! I Knew It! They're SO cute!" Nick just grinned more, even rumbling a bit.

"Clawhauser, what did I say about the C-word?" Judy asked exasperatedly, before then asking in a confused tone, "Know what? Did what?"

Clawhauser just pointed one finger at her bouncing even more now. Judy looked down and finally saw that she had used Nick's tail to cover herself. She blushed a bit but seeing Nick's grin recovered fairly well.

"Oh, well I knew he was useful for more than just keeping the bed warm" she said shooting Nick a mirror of his own smirking grin. Nick sat up and gave her a good morning kiss.

"Almost Carrots, but you're still blushing" he teased after. Grabbing the sheets on their laps and wrapping them around them like a makeshift toga.

Clawhauser looked like he was fit to burst by this point, "Oh M Goodness! O M Goodness! I know a fox from high school, he doesn't even like his mate touching his tail! That's just the most cu-" he quickly rephrased his sentence, "adorable thing I've ever seen!"

Judy gave Nick a quick wide eyed look before letting go of his tail, "Oh, Nick! I'm so sorry I didn't know, I -"

He kissed her to stop her apology, and not lightly either. There was a loud joyful squeal and a thump.

"Carrots you and nobody else is allowed to touch my tail, and any other part of me you want," he added for good measure, before leaning in close, "I love feeling you against me and the way your paws hold me"

That got him an equally passionate kiss back, and by the time they finished Nick was afraid his smile was going to break his jaw. He looked over to the door to see Clawhauser sitting against the door frame giggling madly.

"You ok over there bud?" he asked. Clawhauser was just barely able to nod, "That'll be a dollar for the show" Nick said still feeling giddy himself from Judy's kiss.

"NICK!" Judy said with a light punch to his shoulder, before she turned her head to see the cheetah frantically waving a pawful of bills at them and giggling twice as hard as before.

"CLAWHAUSER!"

Nicks smirk was well past breaking, he looked at his flustered bunny and simply couldn't resist, "Well Carrots, I guess we need to give the crowd what they paid for."

"Nick, don't you dare-"

But he'd already swept her across his lap, his paws on her back supporting her and leaned down to kiss her like they were at some grand dance not sitting on a hospital bed. He didn't just kiss her. He Kissed her. He gave her a kiss that would make gods envious and the best romance movie actors seem like bumbling high schoolers. He could feel Judy's arms come up and wrap around his neck; the world seemed to stand still and there was nothing but him and Judy as the kiss went on.

And then there was an eruption of cheers and whistles, and even some camera flashes. Nick ignored it all and finished the kiss before slowly pulling back to look at his happily dazed bunny and slowly pulled her up to sit on his lap.

He turned to the door which now was filled to bursting with a small still cheering crowd and gave a short bow, "Thank you, Thank you all! We'll be here all week." Judy looked over to the door, gave a small 'EEpp' before turning and burying her burning face into Nicks ruff.

Nick continued to pander to the crowd which had only picked up its volume at Judy's embarrassment.

In the door way was the still jubilant Clawhauser sitting on the floor, cheering and playfully cat calling while tossing bills; Judy's parents, her father, mouth agape looked like he might just have had a heart attack but her mother was standing there with her phone out snapping pictures with what Nick could only describe as a hustler's smirk on her face. Behind them and to the side was Koslov paws outstretched holding a cheering Fru Fru Big who was also waving some bills in the air. Nick could swear he even saw the stoic bodyguard of the Big family blushing under his white fur. And to the other side was their antelope nurse who was bouncing, cheering and snapping photos like she was at a concert and a grinning Doctor Winters who gave them another wolf-whistle.

After a few more moments Doctor Winters spoke up, "Ok, everybody settle down, settle down, they're obviously done canoodling, and we don't want to wake up everyone else since the show's over."

"Well, Judy, seems like you bagged yourself quite the dashing one!" piped up Fru Fru's small but excited voice over the calming crowd, "Seems like we might be interrupting, I just wanted to stop by and give you mine and daddy's congratulations. He said that if Nicky doesn't ever treat you right just tell him and he'll straighten Nicky out."

Nick managed not to show it on his face but he winced inside thinking of what Mr. Big would consider 'straightening out'.

Judy, peeked around, cheeks still bright but smiling just a bit, "Thanks, Fru. And tell Mr. Big thank you too, I don't think I'll need him to straighten Nick out, but I'll keep it in mind if he forgets to put the toilet seat down."

"Juddyy!" Nick whined and nuzzled the top of her head, as a few laughs broke out.

"Well, we'll get out of your fur. Tea day after tomorrow?"

Clawhauser piped up before Judy could respond, "OOhh! I knew the best little bakery that just opened up! I'll take both of you and Judy can tell us Everything!"

There was a quick murmured conversation between Clawhauser and Fru Fru, a flash of phones and typing as they exchanged numbers and before he knew it or Judy could join the conversation Koslov and Fru Fru were leaving, Fru Fru waving and yelling back, "Day after tomorrow, 5pm at Honey Bear Bakery!"

Nick turned to Judy, "Carrots did that really just happen? Did I just see another police officer befriend Fru Fru Big?"

Judy looked back at him, "Oh, hush, everybody loves Fru Fru, she's one of the sweetest mammals I know."

Nick just shook his head muttering, "Ya, sweet, sweet like no icing anyone on her wedding."

Doctor Winters broke in, "Well as much as I appreciate a show, you were building up a bit of a crowd and I'll need you two free and ready in an hour. We need to give you two a final checkup and there are a few other doctors that would like to ask you two some questions about your, hum, unique proposal, before we check you two out."

She turned to leave taking the still giggling nurse with her, "Oh, and you might want to shower and wear something else beside the bed sheets." And with one last smirk the two were gone.

Judy sniffed the air, looked at her parents, (her ears where turning violently red again), looked back at their disheveled fur and loosely wrapped bed sheet, and looked over at her mother still holding the phone up. Her ears dropped like two bricks.

"NOOO, Mom you didn't!" Judy said desperately.

"Oh come now, dear, you want the family to get used to your new mate," There were a few clicks and a ping of a message being sent.

"NNNNOOOO!" Judy looked like her mother had just sentenced her to fifty years of hard labor.

"The best way is to show them how much you two care for each other."

"MMOOMM!" Judy nearly whimpered.

"Well, we need to be getting back to Bunnyburrow and its a long drive. I just hope your siblings haven't burnt down the farm. You remember the house party they threw when we came out to your graduation." She came over leading a shell shocked Stu by the paw, she nudged him and he placed a bag on the bed, all while still dazed. "We picked up some clothes for you, since you didn't seem to have any with you yesterday."

Mrs. Hopps had a quick discussion with a dismayed Judy, and after some pleasantries and getting the location of the farm truck Judy had driven to Zootopia from them gave Judy a kiss on the cheek and looked up at Nick, who had to admit to himself that he was a little apprehensive, "Now you better take good care of our daughter. I expect you two to come out and visit us soon, do you understand?" Nick gave a quick nod and "yes, ma'am", to which she smiled and reached up and lightly pulled him down by the ear for a motherly kiss on the cheek. "Good, and make sure to give this to your parents," she said handing him an envelope, and leading Stu out of the room, with a last wave and, "Take care and do wash up before you head out"

Nick turned back to Clawhauser who was still smiling like a cat that had stolen the cream and got away with it too.

Nick smirked and said "Hey Claw man, I'll take you and the other officers out for a round of beer next weekend, if you all will give me the good stories on Judy from her time at the precinct."

Clawhauser bounced up to his feet and shook Nick's paw faster than he would have imagined the tubby cheetah could have moved with all his flab.

"Deal," he said nearly bouncing, again. Before Judy could even get out her, "Hey! Now wait one carrot baking moment!"

"Oh, don't worry Judy, they're all funny stories and everyone will be happy to see you again. You'd just gotten past all their gruff exteriors when you left, and they all miss you!" He stopped, quickly looked over his shoulder and continued in a low voice, "Though don't tell any of them I said that, they'll deny it even more than Chief Bogo does about being a Gazelle fan!"

He straightened back up. And handed them an office envelope and a few police evidence bags stamped with 'Cleared for Release'.

"I got to be getting back to the precinct, I got my spot back at the Front Desk!" He nearly shouted with joy, "Bogo asked me to deliver this to you all, said to get the paperwork back to him today if possible and not to expect to get your recorder pen back as they're going to need to keep it for Bellwether's case."

Judy started saying, "Thanks" before the two of them were enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

Nick gasped, "Air… Need Air…"

After the deceptively strong cheetah released them with a giggle, he started to leave saying, "I'm sooo happy for you two, you're absolutely adorable together!" He stopped in the doorway, "And Judy don't forget about Honey Bear Bakery!" He squealed in joy and left.

Nick took a few moments and looked at Judy. Her brows were a bit furrowed and her nose was twitching in the cutest way possible. She looked like she didn't know whether to be happy, embarrassed, or exasperated. He kissed her on the tip of her nose, and nearly laughed when it immediately stopped its mad twitching.

"Well, they all seemed far more supportive than I would have imagined." Nick said. Judy just huffed and crossed her arms.

"almost too supportive" she said exasperation seeming to take the lead.

"I have to admit, Judy, that I'm worried how people will respond to this." Nick said some seriousness coming into his voice as he gestured at the two of them. "Fox's have a pretty bad reputation, let alone the issues with pred/prey and interspecies marriage. I'm worried that that's all going to come back and hurt you."

Judy's expression changed to one of stern determination, "Me? And what about you Nick?"

He shrugged, "I've grown up with it, I'm used to the looks and distrust and sneers. But this is probably going to be even harder than what I've had to live with let alone what you've probably experienced."

Judy reached up and grabbed his ear, and not as carefully as her mother had. He let out a yelp as she pulled him down so they were nose to nose and she speared him with her eyes.

"Now you listen here and listen good. You are mine! I don't give a carrot stalk what everyone else thinks or says, and if anyone so much as dares to do something to you or me they'll find themselves eating dirt so fast that their tails will have to race to catch up."

Nick looked back into her rock hard amethyst eyes filled with an unshakable determination, and could feel his throat tighten up. He tried to speak, to tell her how much she meant to him, how much he loved her but couldn't. Nick had built up so many defenses over the years, so many walls so that no one could ever hurt him, so that no one would ever see that they got to him, but that little bunny, his bunny, could smash right through them. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight not able to say anything and buried his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder as the emotions crashed through the broken defenses around his heart. Judy just hugged him back as he shook with silent sobs and rubbed his back, murmuring reassurances into his ears as he cried like he hadn't since he was a kit.

Nick didn't know how long it took, but the tears slowed, and his breathing started to even out. Judy had held him the entire time, comforting and reassuring.

He looked up and with a hiccup in his voice said, "No one would ever believe it, the big bad fox being comforted by the bunny."

Judy smiled back at him, "You're this bunny's big bad fox. And don't you forget it."

Nick let out a short hiccupping laugh and Judy continued, "You don't have to hide from me Nick, I'll always be there for you, the world might not agree but we'll face it together and when it gets to one of us the other will be there to hold them up."

Nick hugged her again and whispered into her ear, "I love you, Judy"

"I love you too, Nick"

For a bit they just stayed like that not wanting to move, but eventually Nick reached up and with the back of his paw wiped away the drying tracks of tears.

"So what did Clawhauser bring us?" he said, in an almost normal voice.

Judy looked in the office envelope first. "It looks like application paperwork for a Private Investigator's licenses, hum, oh wow, also tranq gun license applications and ZPD bounty hunter applications. I didn't even know they still issued those."

Nick chuckled, almost back to normal, "They're pretty rare, the ZPD has been stingy issuing them over the last decade or so. Been trying to slowly cut down on the program since they see it as being too close to having people take the law into their own hands."

He chuckled again thinking back to Bogo and how effectively he'd been herding them along in the direction he wanted. "Clever old bull. They only issue those to PIs and while we would be completely separate from the ZPD, they'll still have oversight over us."

"Humm, we'll have to read through all that carefully," she opened up the evidence bags, "Lets see, well, the clothes we were wearing are pretty much destroyed but here's our wallets and phones." She handed Nick back his. "So what are you going to do for clothes when we leave?" She smirked a bit, "Going to leave wearing a hospital gown? I don't think you can go walking around in just your fur outside of a naturalist club."

"Well, wouldn't you just like that?" Nick shot back with as best a grin as he could manage.

Judy, looked him up and down with a critical eye, "Nope, I'd be spending too much time beating away other females to enjoy it."

Nick could feel his chest puff out at her words. He was pretty sure she'd said that hoping to cheer him up, so he gave her a kiss, before opening up his phone. He was lucky, it still had about a quarter battery left.

"Well, we can't have that now can we?" Nick replied, ignoring all the missed call messages and dialed a number.

The phone rang a few times before the call was picked up,

"I should bite your face off!" came an angry sounding deep voice.

"Hey Finn, what's cooking? I need a quick favor." Nick replied in full hustler mode.

"Favor? FAVOR!? You call me up after that bunny cop comes running along bugging me to try and find you? After you two apparently go rampaging through the city and gods know what else. I'm half inclined to believe those crazy rumors the news is spouting about you just up and marrying a bunny! You'd be just nuts enough to do it." Nick was holding the phone away from his ear so that the volume of Finnick's tirade didn't blow out his eardrum.

"Well about that…" Nick began, but Finnick just rolled right over him.

"Do you know what it's been like out here? My van almost got wrecked by goddamned protesters! My Van Nick! Forget it, I will bite your face off the next time I see you! Will teach you a lesson. And what Favor do you want now? Need me to come pull your tail out of some new mess you're starting?

"No, no, just need you to bring me a change of clothes at the hospital."

"Hospital? Hospital! What the hell are you doing at the hospital naked? Forget it I don't want to know."

"Thanks Finn, I owe you"

"Damn straight!" Nick was feeling pretty good by now. Despite what others might think, the irascible little fox was one of his very few real friends, he just had an odd way of showing he cared.

Right before Nick hung up, Finnick said one last thing that made his fur stand on end.

"Yo, dirt for brains, Your Mother called me, seems like you weren't picking up your phone, said to tell you, you'd better call her right away. Sounded pretty mad to me!" There was a laugh, "You be screwed!" there was a click and the call ended.

All Nick could think was Oh Shit.


A/N

gonekrazy3000 is like a kid with a magnifying glass zapping ants but with typos.

Ok Thanks to all the reviewers since last time,

ShadowJ95, kirbster676, Starfang's Secrets, Chris Redfield-General Chaos, Fox in the hen House, bagnome, gonekrazy3000, Archangel12575, Darkwolfslayer21, AnimeFan51, RenkonNairu, redwolf23456, syhsnakey

Once again my captors are pleased. They've even promised to go raid a starbucks if I keep it up. Whoopie!

And for all of you who haven't died of fluff exposure, don't worry there getting released from the hospital soon and there will be WildeHopps (Yes, Yes I know but that just sounds better than Wildes) shenanigans in the near future, that is if Someone survives the world destroying wrath that we all fear from or parents no matter how old we are.