Chapter 21 The Hopps' Kerfluffle

Edited by Bearmauls

The fox's ear twitched from the sound of hissing brakes. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling the train slow as it must be nearing their destination. Nick took notice of his surroundings, remembering how he and Judy had left the observation deck of the train shortly after it had left Zootopia, as both were quite tired. They had retired to share a large seat together in the lounge area, where the lights had been dimmed to allow mammals to sleep better on late night train rides such as this one. He pushed himself up, but stopped as he felt something stir on his lap.

Looking down, Nick smiled as he saw the slumbering form of Judy laying across his lap, her ears lazily falling across her face. Gently, he brushed back her ears, chuckling in his head at the smile that formed on his girlfriend's lips. He didn't want to wake his sleeping partner, she looked so adorable, but, as the lights on the train slowly began to brighten in preparation for arrival in her hometown, Nick gently shook the rabbit resting across his lap.

"Hey, Carrots. Time to wake up."

Judy stirred, her paw swatting at his own.

"Five more minutes, Dad…" she mumbled. Nick's jaw dropped, then drew into a smirk as he couldn't contain his laughter.

"Really, Carrots? You're going with that nickname for me now?"

Again Judy stirred, though this time, her eyes cracked open a fraction of an inch. "I'll call you whatever I want, Foxy."

Nick shook his head, "Alright, sleeping beauty. I've think you've gotten enough rest for now. Besides, if you don't wake up now, how will you sleep in an hour when we arrive at your home?"

That woke her up. "We're already there?"

"Yep."

Her eyes opened the rest of the way and she rubbed at them blearily as she sat up. The rabbit stretched, then yawned, revealing her large front teeth while letting out a soft 'eep'.

She looked up at Nick, only to see his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. She cocked her head to the side, "What?"

"Out of everything I've seen in my life, that had to have been the cut-."

"Don't say it, Nick," Judy warned, glaring at him, only for the glare to be cut off by another yawn.

"And there it is again," Nick had cooly, snickering as she lightly jabbed him with her elbow. Judy shook her head, ambling off the fox's lap and hopping to the floor, just as an announcement came over the intercom welcoming them to Bunnyburrow, with the next stop being in Podunk, another hour away in Deerbrook county. As the doors to the train opened, Judy grabbed her suitcase, and pushed it into Nick's arms, eliciting an "oomph" out of the fox.

"That's for calling me cute," Judy said with a smile before she loped off towards the train door. Nick watched her go, her tail twitching as she walked. He shook his head, grabbing his own suitcase and followed his bunny off the train.

After only a few steps off the train, Nick harrumphed, staring at the station in amusement. "Well, this place is...interesting."

Everything in the station looked like a rabbit. The cresting on the top of the station had decorative metal, shaped like bunny heads, the entire station itself looked like a giant, happy rabbit greeting visitors to Bunnyburrow. The windows were all shaped like rabbits, while the pillars that held up the roof around the platform itself were shaped like large carrots.

Nick glanced around, noticing only a few other mammals seemed to have gotten off at this station. He saw a pair of rabbits heading into the station, completely engrossed in conversation with one another, a marmot dragging his luggage behind him and a tired white rabbit with black stripes on his face giving him a sideways glance as the bunny turned and walked around the side of the station.

"So, where's your brother? He said he'd be here, right?" Nick asked Judy, looking down at the rabbit, who herself was looking around the station.

"He should have been here by now," she murmured, sighing when she completed her second scan of the platform.

"Now leaving Bunnyburrow station," a calm, electronic voice stated behind them. With a hiss, the doors to the train closed, and with a sudden jerk, the train began rolling along to its next destination.

"I guess it's too late to get out of meeting your folks now," Nick said coyly, a smirk spread across his face. "How far away is your place from here?"

Judy sighed. "Only 45 minutes walk from here, but…" she huffed, staring down the road with agitation in her voice. "Jaden should have been here by now."

"Well, we could always just meet him on the road to your home," Nick suggested, his eyes lighting up. "Think we'd make for passable hitchhikers? I mean, I have the looks to cause any car to stop and pick me up."

Judy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Just keep thinking that, Slick. Now let's just start towards home."

They were about halfway to the Hopps home when two headlights became visible in the distance after rounding a hill, racing down the road like it was being chased.

"I'm guessing that must be him?" Nick asked, feeling hopeful as both his and Judy's luggage was starting to become heavy in his paws. Judy nodded, checking her phone for the time.

"And only 30 minutes late...a new record," she chuckled, watching the incoming truck rumbling down the road towards them. As it neared, the vehicle honked several times before skidding to a stop in front of them, throwing up a cloud of dust which surrounded the fox and rabbit. Judy coughed several times, as she heard the truck door slam and a familiar voice call out to her.

"Sorry about being late, Sis. I kind of fell asleep on the couch and only woke up a few minutes ago when Matt blared the bullhorn in my ear."

Nick waved some of the last of the dust away, his night vision partly disturbed by the truck's headlights, but managed to make out a brown rabbit, a little taller than Judy, rounding the corner of the truck.

Judy smiled as her brother approached, then wrapped him up in a tight hug. "You're ok, Jaden. Besides, I had this guy here with me to keep me company so it was a pleasant walk."

Jaden turned to look at Nick, eyeing him carefully before sticking out his paw. "Name's Jaden, and you must be Nick, right? Sissy's partner? Looks like you're doing a good job at that, considering she's still in one piece"

"That would be me," Nick replied warmly, shaking the extended paw. "Though I think that, 'sissy'," he glanced over at Judy who glared back at him as she shook her head, "is probably the one who has been watching out for me more often than not," the fox continued with a chuckle. "How many times have you saved my life now, Carrots? Seven? Eight?"

Judy smirked, "It's eleven, Nick. Are you still not counting the time I saved you from that lion?"

Nick smirked. "I had that completely under control, Carrots. There was no need for you to use my head as a bouncing board to dropkick him into the pavement like Bun Norris. Therefore, it doesn't count."

"Right," Judy drawled, snickering as Nick's smirk turned into a smile. "And that truck driven by the elephant?"

"Pure coincidence," Nick chimed back.

"Mmhmm, right," Judy snickered.

"Wow, you two argue a bit just like Mom and Dad do. For a second there, I'd almost mistake you two for a couple or something."

Both Nick and Judy turned to look at Jaden, their eyes widening with nervous smiles creeping up their faces. They glanced towards each other before laughing nervously.

"Right," Judy piped out, at a much higher octave than her usual voice. "That totally is the reason…" Her comment slowed before turning into more nervous laughter while Nick scratched at the back of his head.

Jaden eyed the two, arching his eyebrow before simply shrugging his shoulders and grabbed their suitcase. "You're just as weird as always, Judy," the male bunny drawled, chuckling as he threw their suitcases into the back of the truck. "Now you two best get in here, since Mom and Dad said they don't want to wait another minute before they see you again, Judy."

The truck roared to life as Nick popped open the passenger side door, holding it open for Judy as she hopped into the truck. Nick slid in after her, only to find there wasn't enough room for two bunnies and a fox to fit in. Smirking, he patted his lap, winking at his partner.

"Carrots, since there doesn't seem to be enough room in here for all three of us, would you like to hop on over? My lap is big enough for you."

Judy felt a blush rising in her ears, but folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head while trying to maintain a stoic expression.

That expression remained until she suddenly found herself with two red paws around her middle, hoisting her into the air and down onto a certain fox's lap. She let out a small surprised 'eep' at the motion, her ears laying flat against her neck as she twisted to stare up at

"You…"

"Are amazing? Yes, yes I am." Nick finished for her, his smirk becoming even more smarmy than before. "And you know you love it…" he finished, leaning down so his muzzle was barely an inch away from her own. He paused, realizing that there was another mammal in the car, one that didn't know they were a couple yet.

Judy readied a retort, forgetting about her brother driving, when the car hit a bump, sending Nick and Judys' muzzles into each other in what became a very surprising kiss for both of them. Two sets of eyes widened as they pushed away from each other, Judy quickly turning her head back to face forward, her ears turning a bright red as Nick's smirk fell in an instant. Both mammals turned suddenly to face Judy's brother, both sets of ears lowering and eyes going wide.

"That wasn't what you thought…" Judy started explaining before her brother started laughing.

"Well, cabbage patch and thump my foot. You two are a couple, aren't 'cha?"

Both Nick and Judy turned to see a grinning Jaden eyeing them with a broad smile.

"Oh boy, ole Pop-pop's gonna have a heart attack now."

Judy groaned, putting her paws over her face. "Sweet cheese and crackers…"

Jaden laughed even harder. "You always had the cutest swear words sissy." The young buck winked at her, causing her blush to heat up even further.

"Could you possibly, not, let the rest of the family know about that little secret? We want to figure out how to let them know about this, and I wouldn't mind a few days to be around them first before we tell them." Nick exclaimed, before looking down at Judy who was shaking her head.

"Don't worry yer little britches, Nick," Jaden drawled, tossing the fox a wink. "Your secrets safe with me."

Judy exhaled loudly, before jumping across the middle console and wrapping her arms around her brother in a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She blurted out, squeezing him harder with each 'thank you'.

"Driving! Driving! Driving! Aak-" Jaden yelped.

Nick just clung to the side of the truck and the back of his seat as the truck continued swerving down the road, whispering to himself.

"Don't crash, don't crash, don't crash."

"Oh, there you are, Judy! I've missed you so much!"

Judy barely had time to hop out of the truck before she was enveloped by her mother. Judy relaxed under her mother's embrace, squeezing back with a contented smile.

"I've missed you too, Mum."

Bonnie pulled away from her daughter, looking over her as only a mother could while placing her paws on Judy's shoulders. "Oh and look at you, have you been eating well? No more of those minute-carrot meals I hope? And how have you been? Staying safe? No more savage mammals after you?"

"Mother, I'm fine." Judy couldn't help but giggle at the flurry of questions her mother shot her way. "Yes, I have been eating well. No, I haven't eaten one of those meals in months, and I'm a cop, so I can't guarantee on staying safe."

"And the last one? No more savage mammals after you I hope? You frightened us so much, sweetie."

Judy shook her head, "No mother, there haven't been any savage mammals chasing after me since then."

It wasn't a lie, as it was true that Judy hadn't been chased by any savage mammals, but had been the one doing the chasing. It hurt her a little to hide the truth from her mother of all mammals, but if Judy was honest with herself, she hoped this entire last week would be something she wouldn't have to let her mother ever know about.

"That's good to hear. Stu wanted to be here to meet you two when you arrived, but one of the irrigation pipes in the carrot fields broke so he had to go and mend that real quick, but he should be back soon." Bonnie stated, gently brushing her daughter's cheek with her paw. "It's so good to have you back, Judy."

Bonnie jumped a little when the truck door shut with a 'thud, her eyes focusing on the fox behind her daughter. "Oh, and there's your partner. How have you been, Nick? I hope you've been well?" Her voice sounded a little more nervous than usual, and Judy put that towards how the last meeting between her parents and Nick had gone.

Nick chuckled, which seemed to help in cutting the slight tension in the air, while placing a paw gently onto Judy's shoulder from behind. "I've been well, and we've got this little bunny to thank for that."

Judy smiled, craning her head so she could see Nick smiling down at her. Though his gaze quickly shifted to the enormous building in front of him.

It wasn't that the Hopps residence was tall, it was more that it was simply massive and long. Where the front door and porch was, it looked like a normal ranch style home in the country, tall eaves, chimneys interspersed here and there, along with a brickwork facade that went up to the lips of the windows. Yet as Nick took a few steps to his right and leaned out, he could see the building went on for what must have been at least 100 yards or more. His marvelling at the structure, which he assumed would be much more impressive during the day, was interrupted by Judy's brother.

"I'd say that both of them have been better than well," came a shout from behind the truck as Jaden appeared carrying both Nick and Judy's suitcases. "I reckon they haven't told you about it yet?" the male rabbit stated while setting the suitcases onto the ground in front of Nick.

Bonnie turned from Jaden, to Judy. "Oh, what haven't you told me about yet?"

Both the male fox and younger doe froze on the spot, looking at each other for support on what to say. Jaden chuckled and walked up to Judy, placing his arm around her shoulders. "Well, looks like Judy here has...oww-"

"...has come a long way and is really tired and wouldn't mind getting some sleep, right Nick?" Judy stated frantically, ignoring her brothers cry of pain at suddenly being elbowed in his ribs by his sister.

"Oh my," Bonnie stated in alarm. "It is quite late, isn't it, and you two have made such a long trip. I should let you two get some shut eye."

Bonnie headed toward the house, followed by Jaden who Judy gave a quick glare while making a zipping motion with her paw across her mouth as he glanced at her. Nick chuckled before grabbing both suitcases and the pair headed towards the farmhouse.

"Nice save there, Carrots" Nick whispered.

The doe sighed. "I know, but it will come up again," she whispered back, grateful they had lagged behind so as her mother and brother couldn't hear them. "Jaden isn't good with keeping secrets, and I know my mother is going to try and set me up with some young buck while I'm here."

The fox shrugged, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it then. For now, let's just try and focus on doing what Bogo wants us to do; relax and recuperate so we can go back out and make the world a better place."

A contented sigh escaped Judy's lips as she leaned against her fox as they walked towards the Hopp's residence. "And we'll be doing that together."

Judy led Nick into the farmhouse, Bonnie excusing herself to go check up on Stu, and the fox could only gaze in wonderment at his surroundings. Everything was so, rustic and charming inside the large farmhouse, and it simply screamed 'country' with the older, but still well maintained furniture, flowered wallpaper and earthy smells. The fox breathed in deeply, wondering if he could encapsulate the smell and bring it home to his own apartment.

His partner led him through the massive entry room, then an even larger living room space. Nick shook his head in wonder at the scale of the room he had just entered, as it must have been able to fit the entire Hopps clan inside of it. The room extended for quite a ways, with doors along the sides every few feet. The ceiling arched, with wooden beams crossing the width of the room nearly eight feet above his head while at the far end, a large group of chairs surrounded an equally large fireplace, which glowed dull with the dying embers of a recent fire.

"Judy, this...is amazing," Nick stated in awe as he looked around the room, noticing in the dim light that the doors along the sides of the room each had letters above them. Nick looked to his left, spotting what must be the kitchen, judging from the black and white tile floor that began where the carpeting of the living room ended. "I think I could fit the floorplan of my entire apartment complex into this one room…"

"Well, we did need space for all 278 of us when we were all here together," Judy exclaimed, giggling at how stupefied the fox was. "And now, with many of my siblings having their own litters, well...we still need the space."

"You really do have 275 siblings don't you…" Nick stated, his eyes wide as he looked down at Judy. "I thought it was just another joke about rabbits and multiplying."

Judy shook her head with a laugh. "Nope, it's all true. And each of those doors along the wall lead to hallways and individual rooms for each of the litters my parents had." The doe pointed out the letters above each door to the fox in the dim light. Nick followed her paw until he spied the letter 'J' two-thirds the way down the left side of the room.

"So behind that door and down that hallway is where my room is. The kids in each litter all share the same first letter of their first name, that way it is easier to everyone to remember each other's names."" She beamed up at Nick, who was still too shocked as he started looking down the other side of the room. His trance was only broken when he began chuckling.

"Wait, if each litter starts with that letter, who were the poor bunnies that were in the 'X' litter?"

"Oh," Judy smiled. "Well, there's Xander, and Xeres, Xerxes, Xerenity and…"

Nick's jaw hung slack, which caused another spat of giggling from his partner. She grabbed his paw and led him past all the doors and towards the large fireplace. On the way, Nick passed several large tv screens, so many couches and chairs he couldn't count them all, and dozens of tables lined straight down the center of the room, for what Nick could only guess was the dining area.

"...and right down here is where you'll be staying," Judy stated with a gleam in her eyes, waving her paw towards a door labeled "Guest". Nick glanced down at her, suddenly embarrassed as he realized that she had been talking the entire time he'd been ogling the room in wonder.

Nick just nodded, his mind still buzzing when he felt his tie being pulled. He startled from his fuzzy mind once he felt a pair of lips connect sweetly with his own in a short, but tender kiss.

"Thought you'd might like a goodnight kiss," Judy exclaimed, her eyes full of mirth, but betrayed by the yawn that suddenly forced its way upon her. Nick chuckled, leaning forward to place a kiss between her ears, only after looking around to make sure nobody was watching them.

"Goodnight, Carrots," he said, his own yawn hitting him as his mouth opened wide and his tongue lolled out. It was Judy's turn to giggle as she started back towards the door labelled with a "J". See you tomorrow, Nick!"

Nick watched her go, smiling at how her tail flickered with each step, until she disappeared behind the door and into the hallway where her room was. He shook his head then entered into the guest bedroom. He spotted the bed instantly, and was glad that it was sized for a larger mammal than a bunny. Quickly changing, he closed his suitcase, dropping it next to his bed as he threw the covers off and pulled himself beneath them.

The fox was out in seconds, the new scents of Judy's childhood home softly and gently lulling him to sleep.

Nick felt like he was being watched. Sure he didn't have his eyes open at the current moment, but, that didn't make the feeling of several sets of eyes on him dissipate any. He cracked open an eyelid, noticing the early morning rays from the sun just beginning to flicker into the guest room he was staying in. His eyelids lowered again, as he couldn't see anyone in the room around him. Fluffing his pillow and letting out a yawn, he snuggled deeper under the covers, inhaling the fresh scent and smell of oak that permeated the room.

I could get used to this…Nick thought as he pushed himself deeper under the covers, enjoying the warmth they provided.

"Did you see his teeth?"

"Wow, those were huge! I bet he could eat you with those!"

"Vera, I dare you to touch 'em."

Nick's eyes opened in a flash and he flung himself into a sitting position, tossing the covers off of him as his heart began beating rapidly. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, they widened even further.

Oh Maid Marian...he thought.

Surrounding his bed, on all three sides, were dozens, and dozens of small rabbits, their wide eyes all staring up at him. He nervously scanned the room, suddenly feeling extremely self conscious as the rabbits all seemed to blink at once when he smiled hesitantly.

"Hey there...kits," Nick managed to croak out, trying to figure out how to escape his current situation. He never thought he'd see the day when he'd be surrounded by so much...fluff.

"Hey, he seems nice." a voice from the back of the group piped up, though Nick couldn't pinpoint it.

"I wanna hug 'em!" cried another.

"Me too!"

At the insistence of those two voices, the swarm of bunny kits all moved forward at once, clamoring up the sides of the bed as Nick pushed himself back into the headboard behind him.

"Oh, no, no, no, no!" Nick cried as dozens of the bunnies popped up over the side of the bed, hopping merrily towards him over the covers. "Carrots! Heeeeeelp! Yip!" Nick yelped as several paws grasped his tail, while the herd of rabbits climbed over him.

Nick heard familiar laughter as his vision was cut off as Judy's siblings overwhelmed him, all climbing on top of him, either hugging him, playing with his tail.

"I guess you've met the Kerfluffle, eh Nick?"

"Is that what you call this savage mob?" Nick cried out, poking an arm out from underneath the mess of bunnies, all giggling and laughing atop of him. After a few moments he managed to pop his head out of the mass of fluff, gasping for air in an overacted manner.

"Alright you guys," Judy giggled, clapping her paws several times. "Out, out, out! All of you, off my fox."

A chorus of 'awww's' rang out, but the kerfluffle replied quickly by climbing off the fox just as quickly as they had overtaken him, leaving a wide eyed and panting Nick behind.

"Carrots, you saved my life!" Nick said, eyeing the mass of smaller rabbits leaving the room, with Judy shutting the door behind the last one.

"Well, someone has to watch over you," she laughed, walking over to the side of the bed. Sitting on the side, she leaned over and gave Nick a quick peek on his cheek. "Besides, I don't think you could handle that much fluff in one sitting."

"I handle you perfectly well," Nick smirked, snagging Judy in his arms as she let out a shocked giggle. "Speaking of which, I need to properly thank my fluffy overlord for saving me from that furry mob." Nick leaned down, kissing Judy on her muzzle, wrapping his paws more tightly around her waist. The kiss lengthened as Judy's paw went to caress Nick's cheek, with her other paw wrapping around his head to bring him in tighter against her.

The fox let loose a low growl from deep within his chest.

Judy tightened her hold on the fur at the back of his neck.

The door giggled.

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, an annoyed expression on her face, Judy moved away from Nick, eliciting a soft whine from the fox at his partner's sudden departure. Judy hopped off the bed, landing softly on her soft-furred paws. She soundlessly walked to the door, turning back and winking at Nick before yanking it open.

Nearly a dozen bunnies fell into the room, the door in which they had been leaning on for support, with their ears against it, vanishing as Judy opened it. The tiny rabbits squealed in surprise and scattered, giggling wildly as Judy shoo'ed them away from the door, before slamming it again.

She turned to face away from the door, sighing heavily while placing a paw to her head. "Sorry about that, I should have known they would try to listen in, the little miscreants."

Nick chuckled. "It's ok, Carrots. I think it might have been a good thing thing that we stopped when we did." He rubbed at the back of his head. "So, what did you call that...horde, again?"

"The Kerfluffle," Judy replied, her ears lowering behind her as a blush raced across her cheek as she realized how into the moment both of them had been before the interruption. "It used to be a lot worse when I was a teenager, as the Kerfluffle numbered nearly a hundred strong back then. Now it is just a few dozen."

Nick shook his head, sliding off the bed as he approached Judy. "Think they're gone?" he asked.

Judy rolled her eyes, reached behind her, and banged on the door. Several loud giggles were heard, as well as the soft padding of rabbit feet running away as well. "Now they are."

"Good, I wouldn't want that fluffy horde to overhear me saying what a wonderful girlfriend you are for saving me from them." Nick wrapped his arms around the doe, with Judy reciprocated the action. They stood there for several minutes, enjoying the closeness and the solitude they shared as the room gradually brightened under the rising sun.

Nick's stomach groaned, slicing through the comforting silence like a hot knife through butter.

"Guess it's time for my fox to eat," Judy giggled into Nick's shirt.

"Oh, I have plenty to eat right here," Nick coyly replied, leaning his muzzle down to place a kiss on Judy's lips. "I could eat up your kisses all day."

"Nick!" Judy laughed, pushing him away as her ears began burning with the heat the fox's comment brought to them.

"It's true," Nick replied, tussling Judy's ears as he relaxed his hug around her.

A knock at the door caused both of them to turn and separate instinctively as the door opened and Bonnie Hopps walked into the room.

"Guess there isn't much privacy here, is there?" Nick whispered into Judy's ear, hoping he was quiet enough to not let the matriarch of the home hear.

Judy shook her head. "None whatsoever."

"Oh, there you are, Judy," Bonnie exclaimed with a smile on her face, ignoring the awkwardness of the moment while folding her paws in front of her. "Guess I can tell you you both then. I have some pancakes ready for everyone."

Nick's ears perked up. "Do they happen to have blueberries in them?"

Bonnie laughed, "Well, I could always throw some on the griddle for you, if you'd like." She turned and walked out the door, her pawsteps disappearing down the hall.

Nick's eyes gleamed as he started towards the door, glancing back at Judy. "Well, what are you waiting for, Judy? There's blueberries to be eaten!"

"I thought you said you could devour my kisses all day?" Judy asked back coyly with a smile.

Nick froze, a smirk appearing on his face. "Maybe we could share a few blueberries and kisses at the same time then?" Nick waggled his eyebrows as his smirk grew.

"Nick, you dirty minded fox!" Judy felt her ears were on fire as Nick cackled in front of her, and if she was any closer, she'd have hit him for that comment.

"Just joking with you, Fluff," Nick shot back as he waltz out of the room. "You bunnies, so emotional."

Judy growled and ran after him, smiling at the comment, yet ready to 'reprimand' the fox for the statement. It seemed that was what Nick had expected her to do,and she suddenly found herself running straight into the outstretched arms of her partner, who deftly picked her up, swinging her in a circle in the air.

Judy laughed as Nick finished the circle, bringing her in close to nuzzle his cheek against her own. He glanced into her eyes, smiling warmly at her. "And so predictable, Carrots. You ran straight into that one."

The doe rolled her eyes, lightly punching her partner's chest, before rubbing the same spot gently, her eyes containing a mischievous gleam. "I'll let you keep thinking that, Blueberries, as now I have you exactly where I..." she clasped her paws around his collar, bringing his head in close to hers as she whispered into his ears, "...want you."

Judy could feel a shiver run through the fox as his ear twitched. She giggled, then leaned in again for another kiss. Her mind exploded with emotion, and she smiled into the kiss.

She could get used to this...

Breakfast at the Hopps' was the most organized chaos that Nick had ever witnessed in his life. Dozens of rabbits were running this way and that, several of the older siblings acting as servers for the younger kits, while others acted as bussers, clearing off used dishes from the long table in the center of the great room to make way for more rabbits to come and eat.

The smell of pancakes, fresh fruits, bread and cheese wafted in from the kitchen at the end of the room, making Nick's mouth water. Judy led the fox to the far end of the table, a few seats down from where her father Stu was reading the morning paper. The patriarch of the Hopps home looked over the top of his paper, smiling and setting it down as he saw his daughter and her partner walking towards him.

"Ah, there you are, Jude the dude!" Her father merrily exclaimed, rushing up to hug her tenderly, oblivious to the dazed expression on his daughter's face, as well as the nervousness on the fox's. Stu pulled away, but only for a moment, "I'm sorry about last night. Some of the pipes broke and would have flooded out field four if I didn't run out to fix it. Otherwise, I would have been there to greet both of you." He turned to face Nick, his face growing somber all of a sudden as he extended his paw. "And...I'd like to apologize to you, Nick, for what happened last time we, er, met…"

Nick shook his head, grabbing the extended paw and shaking it warmly. "I understand, Mr Hopps. Your worry about your daughter was understandable."

"But my actions weren't," the older bunny interrupted. "Your supervisor, the hippo, I wish I could remember his name, gosh darn it. He told me what you did for my Judy, Nick and I…"

A tear came to Stu's eyes and he wiped them away. "Aw cripes, here comes the waterworks again."

Nick chuckled, "It's perfectly fine, Mr Hopps. You didn't leave any bruises in your rush to see your daughter, and trust me, the first thing I wanted to do when I woke up was make sure she was ok too."

Judy felt a blush rise through her ears. That's happening a lot today, isn't it...she thought, trying to control her emotions. It was just so comforting to hear that Nick had such concern for her back in the hospital, and even for him to admit that to her father, of all mammals.

"You're a good mammal, Nick," Stu finally said, wiping at his eyes, while putting a smile back onto his face. "I can't think of a better partner at the ZPD for my daughter to have watching over her."

Both Nick and Judy smiled at one another, grinning at how Stu didn't yet know they were partners in more ways than one, now.

"Now come on, you two must be famished from your trip last night. Come, come, sit down and grab yourself some grub!" Stu waved them towards a table set towards the kitchen, piled high with food like a buffet line. Several bunnies were in line, grabbing pancakes and an orangish mess, which Judy pointed out was a mashed, fried carrot cake that was delicious, to which Nick took Judy's word for, but passed it by in favor of a pile of steaming, hot, blueberry pancakes that one of Judy's siblings dropped in front of the fox.

"Here you go, Flick," the rabbit stated merrily.

"It's Nick," Judy calmly stated as her sibling suddenly looked quite embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry about that," the rabbit murmured, before running back into the kitchen to grab another tray of food.

"How many siblings are still living here at home?" Nick asked as he found a pitcher of blueberry syrup and drained a healthy dosage onto his pancakes.

Judy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think around 100 or so? Most are either in college, or now have families of their own so have moved out.

Looking around at the chaotic, but somehow controlled scene before him, Nick shook his head in wonder. "I'm amazed at how organized this is."

"You get a rhythm down after nearly 30 years," Stu interrupted, filling his cup with coffee from a nearby carafe. "It was a bit hard at first, as we had to feed everyone ourselves, but once some of the kits grew old enough to help out, it's become much easier."

The two rabbits and the fox strolled back to the table, piling into the food with gusto.

"So," Nick started to say after swallowing a bite of blueberry pancakes that tasted like heaven to the fox. "What have most of your other siblings been up to Car-, er Judy?" Nick gulped as he almost let out the nickname for her, not knowing if that would be polite to use around her father. Luckily, Stu hadn't seemed to have noticed, currently engrossed in his newspaper and coffee mug.

"Most of them are still in the Tri-Burrows area, starting up their own farms, though as you saw, Jaden is still here helping out father. I think Jessica is still around here if I'm not mistaken…"

"Yep, your twin is still here," Stu opined, his paper set upon the table. "Though I'm none too happy about what's going on."

"What do you mean?" Nick asked, before taking another bite of pancakes.

"She's gone off and joined some dating site, Litter, or something like that, and found herself some city-bunny she's fallen for. I mean, she's only met the buck a few times and you can't judge someone from just a casual cup of joe once in awhile."

"Sounds like Jessica," Judy drawled, sipping at her cup of carrot juice. "Though the city isn't that bad. I've met some good natured rabbits there."

"If you've met some good ones, that means there are some bad ones as well," Stu stated, swirling his cup of coffee in his paw. "And I don't trust this one. He seems a bit...shifty to me."

"Dad, is this because he's a city-buck? We've talked about this before."

Stu waved a paw at his daughter. "I know, I know," he replied, before leaning in towards her. "But you know how dangerous the city can be, I mean, look what just happened to you two. That was a random attack, so just imagine what might happen to Jessica if that were to happen to her."

Both Judy and Nick looked at each other, worry crossing their features. Neither wanted to be the mammal to tell the elder Hopps that it wasn't such a random assault and that they were in fact, targeted by a serial killer. Letting that slip would probably only increase her father's worry of letting another Hopps daughter to enter the city.

"Sometimes, you just need to give a mammal a chance after a first impression." Nick finally said, his eyes thoughtful as he looked towards Stu. "I mean, I'm sure Judy here has told you what her first impressions about me were."

Judy laughed warmly, glancing at the fox. "I told him you were a mean, annoying, shifty-hey!"

"Alright, I get the picture, Fluff," Nick interrupted, tussling Judy's ears with a smirk. "But just looked what I turned into, eh?"

The doe looked up at him, her eyes half lidded as a smirk grew on her own face. "What, you mean a nicer, but still annoying, shifty-"

Nick put his paw across Judy's mouth, cutting her off. "You have such a way with complimenting a guy." Nick grumbled, as Judy glared at him. He yelped and brought his paw away from over her mouth, with Judy grinning smugly at him, sticking her tongue out at him.

Stu chuckled at the two younger adult mammals, though it slowly fell away as his gaze shifted to one of concern. "I just worry about her, being in the city and all. Especially since that buck she's dating is a reporter, and those types always seem to get themselves into mischief, and I don't want that affecting Jessica."

"Would it help if we took a look into this buck, make sure he's on the up-and-up?" Judy offered.

Stu's eyes lit up. "That would be wonderful, although you wouldn't have to do that. He's supposed to be here any minute now, as Jess went into town to pick him up." He finished the sentence with a low growl of annoyance, which somewhat unnerved and humored both Nick and Judy.

Though another factor caused the duo to glance in worry at one another.

"You said he was a reporter, Mr Hopps?"

"Call me Stu," the older rabbit said with a wave of his paw before his mood once again went dour. "And yes, he's a reporter. I think Jess said something about The Daily Trumpet? At least he doesn't write for one of those pesky tabloids like The Zootopian Enquirer or anything."

"Yeah, that would be...terrible," Judy exclaimed, looking at Nick, who seemed to be equally as worried. Stu's admission did little to settle their fears, but only seemed to exaggerate them further.

The Daily Trumpet was the number one source of news in Zootopia, right behind ZNN, the Zootopian News Network. Both the newspaper, and the tv channel, were owned by an Andy Lagopus, a multi-millionaire artic fox, who also happened to be one of the most influential mammals in Zootopia. So if this rabbit were to report that they were here to either The Daily Trumpet or ZNN, everyone in Zootopia would know about it instantly.

"Dad, I'm home!" Sang a voice from the front entryway.

"Speak of the devil," Stu grumbled, placing his cup of coffee on the table. He looked over towards Judy and Nick. "Looks like you'll be meeting him sooner than I thought."

Both Nick and Judy turned to look at the front entryway of the Hopps' warren, trying to hide their trepidation and worry with a facade of friendliness and warmth. Nick's jaw dropped in shock as a grey rabbit strolled towards them, followed closely by a white rabbit with black stripes along his ears and cheeks.

"She looks just like you," Nick whispered as Judy's sister came closer, her hips swaying in her cut off shorts, which the buck behind her had a hard time not staring at.

Jessica looked in their direction, and her eyes lit up. "Judy!"

Judy grinned, stepping up from the table before running to her sister, who had herself sprinted towards her twin. The two met in huge hug, squeals of joy coming from both of them as they laughed.

"Gosh, it's been ages, Jude," Jessica stated, pulling away from her sister with a giggle. "Yet you're still as cute as ever! I'm surprised all the available rabbits from here to Zootopia haven't swarmed you yet." Jessica winked at her sister, who blushed at the compliment.

It was then Jessica must have noticed Nick, as her eyes went wide, then lowered slightly. "And who's this handsome fox we have here?" She cooed.

Nick moved from his chair, walking over and extending his paw. "Officer Nick Wilde, Judy's partner," he stated sharply, as Jessica took his paw, then yanked it forward and pulled him into a hug with a laugh.

Judy watched, a strange feeling in her gut which wasn't sitting well with her as she watched Nick freeze up as her sister hugged the fox. It still simmered as Jessica let go, laughing the entire time as Nick slowly back away, then wrapped his arm around Judy's waist.

The feeling vanished at his touch, and she looked up to see him wink down at her.

"Oh, what kind of doe am I," Jessica drawled, as she turned around and yanked the male rabbit following her forward. "Judy, Nick, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend. He arrived late last night on the last train in."

The buck shuffled forward, his eyes widening in surprise as Jessica giggled. "He's a reporter, you know…" Jessica stated, giving the male rabbit an affectionate hug, and a rather intimate kiss on the buck's ear.

"Is she always like that? Nick whispered to Judy, his voice low enough to where only she could hear him.

Judy nodded, looking up at the fox. "Ever since we were kits she's been like that. So be a bit careful around her, alright?" Judy gave him a wink.

Out of view of her father, Jack, and Jessica, Nick grabbed Judy's paw and gave it a quick squeeze. "I only have eyes for you, Carrots."

"Wait, are you two, the Judy Hopps, and the Nick Wilde? The police officers?" Jack stuttered, somewhat recovering from the kiss Jessica gave him, but still visibly shivering from the affection Judy's sister was giving his way.

The two nodded hesitantly. The male rabbit extended his paw, an excited grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, I've been wanting to meet you two for so long now." He roughly grabbed both their paws, shaking them profusely, only letting go when Nick and Judy pulled their paws away, sharing in a nervous chuckle. "Oh where are my manners," the buck said, putting his paw to his head.

"The names' Jack. Jack S Pawson, at your service."

AN: Mwauahahahah! I think I fooled most of you with Jessica this time around. You all didn't think she'd have a boyfriend in this one and not be hitting on Nick the entire time now, did you? ;) And don't worry, Harold will be around soon as well.

Hmm, I wonder if there is more to the Jack S. Pawson, Daily Trumpet Reporter. Anyone care to guess what his middle initial stands for?