Judy couldn't believe the headache that had been forming between her ears since she'd been woken up late last night. The constant chatter from the two mammals in the front seats wasn't helping either. With a weary sigh she propped her elbow on the sidearm of the door and rested her forehead into her paw, blocking the light from her eyes. A moment later she heard her name called, she looked up to see Lucas looking at her through the rearview mirror, Eileen was twisting in her seat to look back at her sister.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, just tired is all." She then rested her head back in her paw again.

"Won't take us long to get there and we'll all be able to get some rest." Lucas replied, he and Eileen then returned to their previous conversation.

Judy found it hard to get any rest as the car bounced down the bumpy country roads they were taking. She didn't pay attention to where they were going, looking out the window and seeing the scenery race by made her feel dizzy in her tired state. Instead, she kept her eyes closed and thought about how she'd gotten here.

From her hard journey through the academy to spending months slipping into a state of depression doing a job she overqualified to do. Then a smile came to her face as she remembered how, on the last day she'd actually been able to be on the job, she was finally awarded for her hard work. She was going to miss driving that beast of a car around the city, hopefully this would all come to a close quickly so she could get back to it.

And Nick.

Her smile slowly vanished. The downside to this is that she wouldn't be able to so much as write him a letter till this was all over. That's how witness protection worked after all. Divide your assets to keep the bad guys confused. And in the event that one was discovered, at least the other would still be protected. Judy let out another sad sigh. Seems her father would get his way after all.

"You have to put distance between you and him." His words echoed in her mind.

She didn't get much sleep that night. Waking up early with everyone else and taking the train home. Once there, and after spending time with her siblings while they bombarded her with questions, she did manage to go to bed early. But that only presented another problem.

Sleeping alone for so long seems to have affected the way she sleeps in general. Every time someone would cuddle next to her she'd wake up and move away slightly to get comfortable again. It was strange, being alone for so long is what caused her to turn to Nick for friendship and socialization in the first place. And now that she had all the bunny company she could ever desire, she felt overcrowded. She was so exhausted that, when her phone rang in the middle of the night, she didn't even acknowledge that it was ringing.

Even her sister's sudden scream about her having a fox boyfriend took a moment to register. Eventually, she'd managed to summon enough brain power to understand what was going on and what Nick and Lucas were telling her. On a whim, they suggested she should bring someone with her, and, though younger, Eileen, was the only sister she had who knew what was going on and that she'd confided in. So she was the obvious choice. She was very skeptical of the idea, till she found out that Lucas was the one that would pick them up to deliver them to the safe house.

Judy and Eileen had stayed up the rest of the night, talking about what they might expect or where they might agreeing that a place similar to home or maybe a tropical beach would be nice. Once it was late enough in the morning that there was no worry of waking anyone up early, she and Eileen began going through their things for items they would need to take with them. Not having a way to know where they were going, they had to pack clothes for all seasons as well as toiletries and other personal hygiene items. They still had to wait for Lucas to call back and let them know if Mayor Lionheart and Chief Bogo had both agreed to the arrangement, so their early morning was spent on making sure they were going to be able to pack all that they needed. They were nearly finished when the call finally did come in and Lucas informed them that he would pass by sometime that evening. The two set about actually packing all the items they planned to take.

Judy had managed to take a short nap after packing and before being picked up, but it just wasn't enough to soothe the exhaustion that was weighing her down. She was so grateful when they finally pulled up to the old fashioned burrow in the middle of nowhere, glad they weren't taking a flight anywhere, at least today. Lucas graciously helped them carry their bags inside and gave a quick tour of the study, dining area and kitchen. Then, pointed Judy to where her room would be. She quickly took her bags to her room and started unpacking something comfortable to sleep in. She changed into an old t-shirt and fuzzy pajama pants before walking to the restroom at the end of the hallway, noting a doorway to another room as she passed by.

Finished with the restroom, she started the short trudge back to her own room when she heard a noise coming from the second room. With the door partially cracked open, she leaned in closer to listen and heard the unmistakable sound of very soft snoring. Curious, she slowly opened the door further and peeked inside.

She quickly placed her paw over her mouth to cover the sudden gasp that escaped upon seeing the room's occupant. There, curled on the bed in the cutest position, was Nicholas Wilde.

Judy wanted nothing more than to run over and jump onto the bed with him, let him know she was there and then let him curl around her and hold her like he held that pillow, using his sinfully fluffy tail as a blanket. She slowly approached the bed and leaned against the side onto her elbows. She felt mesmerized as she watched his breath gently blow the fur of his tail to the side, only for it to fall back where it was and start over again.

She wasn't aware of how long she stood there watching until, eventually, Nick started to move. It was just a slight turn of his head, moving it outward and towards her. She then saw that his inhales were much more forceful and longer, so she tried something. She moved to the side a little and away from where his nose was pointing. A few breaths later and his head once again moved to point his purple nose at her. It was unbelievably cute how he was scenting her in his sleep. She wanted to stay longer but felt her eyes slowly trying to close on their own. She reached out and gently brushed the side of his snout before turning to leave the room, making it all the way to her room door where the saddest sound she'd ever heard in her life stopped her.

A long high pitched whine cut through the silence of the hallway, making Judy's ears twitch and swirl towards Nick's doorway. She quickly walked back and peered into the room once more. Nick was still on the bed and still asleep. She could see him weakly reaching for something in his sleep as another whine slipped from his throat. Thinking he was having a nightmare, Judy went to his bed and grabbed his paw in hers.

"Nick, wakeup i- EEP!" Judy hadn't expected him to grab her paw back and pull her onto the bed with him, curling around her body and pressing his nose into the crook of her neck, pulling deep breaths of her scent into his nose. He still seemed to be asleep but, as much as she wanted to stay there, Judy knew she needed to protest and wake Nick up. That thought only lasted until his tail suddenly draped over her. After that, all she remembered was the feeling of warmth and the smell of cedar and wildflowers.