28 Home At Last
XxX
Saturday morning, the Palms hotel, Zootopia
Sunrise finds Judy with an empty bed yet again, but knowing Nick, she slides quietly out of bed and goes to the east facing window of the females room. Of course Nick is there, reveling in another sunrise.
Knowing instinctively that his mate is watching him Nick speaks "As nice as it was to visit with mom again, I miss the country. The air is fresher and the smells … nothing beats country air especially after living in the city for so long."
Wrapping her arms around her husband, Judy has to agree "OF course Nick, it's home after all."
Turning to face his mate, Nick picks Judy up and gives her a quick peck on the nose, only to hear "EEWWW!" from Sarah and Rose, with a giggling Cotton looking on as well.
"I'll be sure to remember that the next time I catch you and Tanner with your faces stuck together." comments a grinning Nick, much to the embarrassment of Sarah and amusement of Rose.
"Daaad!"
"And that goes double for me young lady" adds Judy as Nick sets her back on the floor.
"Mom, really?"
"Yes really. You had to go on about Nick and I kissing, so you get to get the same treatment."
"But that's different…you're my mother for cryin' out loud!"
"And you're my daughter, my teenage daughter. Get over it already."
"Rose" asks Nick "You got nothin' to say?"
"Nope. If and when I ever get a boyfriend, I don't wanna go through the hassle that Sarah's gonna get."
"Smart girl!" says Judy.
"I'll go and make sure the guys are up, and leave you three to get dressed. We'll catch a good breakfast and hit the road, we've got karate tonight and who knows what else in the meantime."
…
After a relatively event free breakfast, the Wildes plus two hit the road back to Aurora.
Just after clearing the Zootopia city limits, Rose has some questions "Dad…"
"Hmmm?"
"Your scars …umm, can I ask if they hurt a-and how you got them?"
"If you really want to know, I'll tell you. But be warned, it's not pretty … right Sarah?"
"That's right. Dad told me some of the stuff when we were at Stergis…"
"Yea, I think I really do…"
"Tanner, are you gonna be ok learning this?" Nick asks, genuinely concerned.
"If I'm gonna be with Sarah, I'll find out sooner or later anyway, right?"
"That is true. And even though Aja and Cotton are kinda young and might not remember, they'll eventually find out as well."
"Fluff, would you mind driving, at least for a while? I need to keep an eye on the kits and observe their reactions while I do this."
"No problem, just pull over when you find a good spot and we'll trade places."
After a couple of miles, a small turn-off was spotted, so Nick stopped the SUV and he and Judy traded places.
Once they started moving again, Nick turns in his seat and begins "Ok then here we go-"
Keeping a close eye on the kits reactions during the limited telling of his time in the Teams, Nick informed them of his time in basic training, then of the arduous and stressful times during his indoctrination into the Teams including a few instances where he was injured in each, which even Judy and Sarah hadn't heard.
"So let me ask you mister Wilde (Tanner was always respectful), "Do you really believe that it was necessary to go over there and do what you did?"
After a moment's thought, Nick responds "The best way to answer that is to ask Rose a few questions. Would that be ok Rose?"
"Umm, sure, I guess."
"Hmmm, where to start… Rose, I pretty well know how rough you and Aja had it in the orphanage. Other kits made fun of your fur color among other things, right?"
"Yea."
"Were they just verbally abusive or physically as well?"
"Both…sometimes."
"Here's the reason behind why I, that is we, were over there and did what we did. Instead of just mocking or beating up mammals that they didn't like, they would simply kill them in the most horrible ways you could ever imagine. Young or old, male or female. Straight or gay. And females and children are simply considered as property to them … like pets, to do with as they pleased."
Seeing the horrified looks on the kits faces, Nick paused "Are you beginning to understand?"
"But why go over there?" asks Rose.
"Because those same mammals are coming over here and will do the same thing once they are numerous enough."
"You can't believe that!" intones Tanner.
"Do you remember reading about the Two Towers incident in New Yak City? The mammals that brought down the towers, the same type of mammals that flew an airplane into the Penthagon, the same mammals that were responsible for suicide bombing of the Behruit Marine barracks years ago are all of the same ilk. They will stop at nothing to bring their way of suppression to this country and across the world."
Deciding that his narrative was more than enough judging by the looks on the young kits faces, Nick winds down his story.
"Mammals like me have fought and died in almost every corner of the world trying to keep this menace at bay, to keep the world, especially Animalia which means our loved ones, safe. In the beginning, I did this just to keep the bunny I love safe. But after a while I saw the bigger picture. The world is at risk and I would gladly do it all over again for my family. Please tell me you understand, at least a little bit…"
"I-I think I do." admits Rose.
"Anyway, just so you all know, I'm still subject to be called back to work with the Teams at a moment's notice."
"But why?" asks Sarah.
"It's all part of the deal when you're unmarried with no close relatives."
"But-but you're married now, doesn't that matter?"
"Of course it does. I submitted a letter along the proper channels, I just haven't heard anything back yet. It takes time sweetheart. Until I receive word, I'm still subject to call-up."
"And you'd go if called up?"
"As much as it would pain me to leave you all, of course I would. Anything to keep all of you safe. It's also part of the reason I hold each and every one of you so dear."
Suddenly a tearful Rose is grabbing Nick in a particularly tight hug "I don't want you to go dad … please…"
Patting his daughter on the back "It's ok Flower it's ok. I haven't heard anything either way, so I guess that no news is good news. Let's dry those tears and find something a lot happier to talk about for the rest of the way home, ok?"
*SNIF* "Ok…"
"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall-" begins Tanner.
"Really? That's all you can come up with?" laughs Sarah.
"Well, we could play catch 'em and kiss 'em, but I doubt if your folks would approve, and even if they did…"
"Even if they did … what? Asks Sarah.
"Firstly, there's no place to run to, and it wouldn't be much of a chase, bec-" was as far as he got, when Sarah placed a short tender kiss on Tanners lips. When a more than slightly shocked Tanner shoots a quick concerned glance at Nick, all he sees in a sly grin.
"Before you get any bright ideas" cautions Nick "don't forget that Judy and I are right here…"
"Umm-"
When Nick winks and turns around, Tanner takes the hint and returns the kiss, with a bit more passion which causes Sarah to let out a brief squeak.
"Just don't get pawsey and you two 'll be ok" adds Nick over his shoulder, "and that goes for you and Cotton as well AJ!" Nick cautions Aja, who was in the middle of a tender kiss with his bunny.
With the embarrassing banter lending to an easing of thoughts, the remaining journey was rather pleasant.
…
Nearing their home, Judy decided to continue on into Aurora to make good on their promise of ice cream for Aja and Cotton being behaved so well with the blood draw.
Arriving at Jumbeaux's, Judy calls Bobby and Georgette to let them know that the group has arrived, but with the additional kits respective parents each slightly busy, arrangements were made to have Tanner and Cotton picked up a short time later at the Wildes.
Stopping only briefly to get the mail out of the mailbox, our group finally arrives at home.
Shuffling through the various bills and junk mail, Nick says "Sarah, you've got mail here…"
"Really? From who?"
"It says ... Tri-Burrow Department of Corrections?"
"WHAT?"
"We'll read it when we get unloaded and have time to digest whatever's in there" says Judy firmly, leaving no room for debate.
With everyone pitching in, it takes almost no time to get the SUV unloaded and stuff put a way.
Opening the letter in the spacious living room, Sarah quickly reads the introduction letter before turning a bit pale, Shaking, she sinks back into the cushions of the sofa, dropping the letter.
Picking up the letter from the floor, Nick reads the letter aloud to the group:
…
"Miss Wilde.
Due to extenuating circumstances, your letter could not be delivered to the appropriate prisoner. For more information, please contact out public information officer at 555-1950.
David Silvertail
Warden T-BDOC
…
"Sarah" asks a curious Judy "Did you write a letter to you father?"
"To my 'sperm donor' yes." admits Sarah, using her fingers to make air quotes.
"May we read the letter?"
"How about we call the prison and find out why the letter was returned first." suggests Nick.
Dialing the number for the public information officer, Nick is directed to the warden himself due to the sensitive nature of the circumstances.
After three rings the warden picks up "Hello? This is Warden Silvertail…"
Hearing the mammal answer on the other end, Nick begins the conversation…
"Warden Silvertail, this is Nicholas Wilde. I have Sarah Wilde here with me, and she would like to learn the reason that her letter to Gerald Fluffson, one of you 'guests' was returned."
"Miss Wilde is there? Why did she not make the call herself?"
"Because she's a minor, only fourteen, and I thought it would cut through some red tape if I were to make the call."
"I see. Miss Wilde, are you there?"
"Yes sir I am, my dad has the phone on speaker. Mom's here too."
"Are you sure you want the information? It's not really umm … appropriate for young ears."
"It doesn't matter warden" interrupts Nick "no matter what you tell me, Sarah has a right to know, and I'll just tell her anyway."
"All right, but please be warned, it's very … graphic."
"Go ahead."
[paper rustles] "Prisoner 334987, one Gerald Eugene Fluffson, was found deceased Wednesday morning in his cell. This report finds that Mister Fluffson had been first strangled with his own bedsheet, then castrated - with a testicle pinned to each ear and his penis was found lodged in his anus."
"There was a note pinned to mister Fluffson's body, which reads and I quote 'This is what happens to all child murderers, rapists and molesters'. The inmates who did this have not been identified, but we are conducting an internal investigation."
Seeing the shock on not only all of the kits faces, but Judy's as well, Nick concludes the call.
"Thank you for the information warden. Please forward a copy of the report and the note to me at my home address, which of course is the same as Sarah's."
"I'll have a copy sent to you first thing on Monday mister Wilde."
"Thank you." says Nick as he severs the connection.
Turning his attention to three stunned teenaged kits and an equally stunned wife, Nick give the information a few minutes to sink in, then asks Sarah (who is being tightly hugged and consoled by Tanner).
"Sarah …SARAH!"
" … Uhhh … dad? What?"
"I know this seems like a dumb question, but … are you ok?"
"I-I-I I don't know? I-I'm not sure."
"I know that was quite a shock, it had to be. But … would you care to share the letter that you wrote? You know your mom and I really kinda need to know stuff like that. Please."
"I guess it really doesn't make any difference anymore, so … I guess so. Here." as she hands the letter to Nick instead of her mother, which is a bit of a surprise.
After reading over the letter, Nick asks if he can read it out loud.
Knowing the reason (so everyone can know and appreciate her reasoning behind the letter, especially Tanner since Rose and AJ already kind of knew) Sarah nods yes, hoping that the cub would understand.
Nick begins:
…
"Dear Gerald,
How are you? Are you setting along in prison? Have any of the ordinary decent criminals taken issue with you attempting to rape a child?
Oh by the way, I'm now dating a cougar cub, I thought you would like to know.
(In)sincerely,
Sarah Leigh Wilde."
…
"Sarah" asks a concerned Nick "when did you have time to write this?"
"Just after meeting and … umm … falling in love … with Tanner."
Seeing the confusion on Tanner's face and hoping that he'd understand, Sarah begins telling him the sordid tale of her encounter with her biological dad, hoping that it wouldn't change things between them.
After she finishes, Tanner wipes tears from his eyes and gathers the young bunny doe into another tight hug, reassuring her "I'm sorry that another mammal is dead, but I'm so proud of you for standing up to him, that you were strong enough both physically and morally to fight him off. I could never love you any less, you know that, right?"
"Tanner … I-"
"Sarah, there's no way that any of that was your fault. So just … let it go … ok?"
Not caring who saw or what they thought, Sarah gives Tanner the most passionate kiss of either of their young lives.
"Tanner … I … I love you. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do."
"Before you two get too carried away, let's all take a deep breath, ok?" interrupts Nick.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod … dad, mom … I-"
"It's ok Sarah, we understand, trust me." interrupts Judy. "The fact that Tanner gets it and is willing to stand by you no matter what speaks volumes of his commitment to your relationship, as young as it is.
"In fact-" begins Nick, who is interrupted when Judy's phone suddenly rings.
Seeing who's on the other end, Judy is mildly surprised.
"Jack? What do we owe the honor of this-"
"Judy" says Jack quickly "this is serious. I was just talking to Jill and she gave me some very disturbing news!"
"Ok, I'm listening…"
"Jill finally told me that your last husband, Gerald, tried to rape her when she came into her first heat."
"I'm afraid that there's really nothing that can be done about it at this point," returns Judy.
"What are you talking about? I know that he's in prison, but-"
"Jack, we just received word that Gerald is dead."
"WHAT!"
"Sarah had written him a letter not too long after the adoptions, and she got the letter back today. We called the prison to find out why she got the letter back and learned that Gerald had been killed and mutilated in his cell. I know that you'd like to get some sort of retribution, but I'm afraid that's out of the question. You can tell Jill as much as you need to, but there's nothing else that can be done, dead is dead.'
'And please tell Jill that I wish I'd known earlier, maybe we could have done something for her and spared Sarah her trauma as well."
"I'll tell her, and tell Sarah to be strong. If she's half as strong as her mother, she'll get through everything just fine."
"She's gonna be fine I'm sure. Between Nick and I and her boyfriend, she's got plenty of support."
"Boyfriend? At her age?"
"She'll be fifteen soon enough, and they both have plans for the future and understand the need to not get physical and screw things up."
"Well, good for her then. I'll tell Jill you send your love, and that there's nothing that can be done about Gerald."
"All right then … bye" and the connection is severed.
"Well, that was interesting" interjects Nick. "I wonder how many other poor young does Gerald tried to get to, successfully or unsuccessfully."
"I shudder to think. But at least it's over now"
Seeing that everyone old enough to understand what's going on is still a bit shaken, Nick decides to take matters into his own paws.
"Look, I know it's karate night, but how about I call sensei Brown and tell him that we have a family thing going on and won't make practice tonight?"
"But, what-"
"I think that Sarah and Tanner need a bit of alone time."
"Nick," begins Judy "Where are you going with this? We all agreed that the kits need to be supervised and-"
"Well, how about if Sarah and Tanner supervise A.J. and Cotton?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"Nope."
"Then what-"
"The new Floatzen movie is in town at the theater, and I thought that maybe Sarah and Tanner could chaperone A.J. and Cotton and Rose can chaperone the four of them if she doesn't mind ... it should help break the funk that's kinda settled in. What do you think Rose, you interested?"
"A movie? Really? With soda and popcorn? Sure!" says an excited Rose, who has probably never been inside a theater in her life.
"I get it, they can all chaperone each other. Great idea. I'll call Bobby and Georgette and let them know our, that is their plans for the evening. I'm sure they won't mind." finishes Judy.
"Well the next show is at seven, so while mom calls your parents" indicating Tanner and Cotton "we can catch a quick bite so at least you won't be starving to death before we get to town."
…
While Nick fixes a quick snack for the kits, Judy makes arrangements for Tanner and Cotton to be able to go to the movie with their respective 'dates'.
The trip into town was a chatty affair, with Sarah and Tanner excited about finally having their first official date, with AJ and Cotton just happy to be together for a little longer. Rose on the other paw, was in seventh heaven, being treated to her first actual theater move, with the popcorn and soda included.
Arriving at the theater, just before everyone departs the vehicle, Nick has instructions that surprise all of the kits.
"All right kits, listen up and listen carefully. Sarah and Tanner, please lightly mark each other. This is to not only help you find each other in case someone becomes misplaced, but especially for Sarah, to help keep unwanted advances from other bunnies to a minimum. The same goes for AJ and Cotton.'
'And Flower" says Nick as he motions her close "this is for you." as he marks the young doe, leaving no mistake as to who her parent might be.
"DAAAAD!"
"Now, you should be easy enough for anyone to find in a crowd." says Nick with a smug grin.
"Fine, nothin' I can do about it now I guess." she remarks with her arms folded across her chest, acting a bit peeved, but secretly happy that Nick actually marked her,
Pawing Tanner and Rose spending money for sodas, popcorn and maybe some candy, Nick and Judy watch the five kits disappear into the theater.
…
"And what are we gonna do for the next three hours?" asks Judy.
"Well, since we haven't had any alone time for a few days, I thought maybe-"
"Really Nick?"
"Unless you can think of something better, yea!"
"… Ok, fine, but I get the top…"
"You drive a hard bargain Mrs. Wilde…"
"Get me home and you'll find out how hard a bargain it can be … mister Wilde…"
…
Three hours later, s slightly used up interspecies couple arrive at the front of the theater just in time to find their charges exiting the show.
"Mom … dad … you took showers while we were in the show?"
As the implications suddenly become apparent to three of the five kits "Oh for cryin' out loud" begins Sarah, much to the discomfort of Tanner "Really you two?"
"What?" asks Judy "We're married and we have needs. When you get married, you can enjoy each other's company all you want. Besides, we're still tryin' to make up for lost time … over fifteen years' worth."
"At least you didn't stink up the inside of the car!" says an only slightly put off Rose.
Shooting her daughter a stern look, and Judy can say is "Rose will you PLEASE not give your father any more ideas?"
"Too late!" comes from the smirking todd,
Pinching her brow, all that a thoroughly embarrassed Judy can do is shake her head, knowing that sometime in the future, Nick will undoubtedly figure out a way to work that suggestion out.
"Let's get Tanner and Cotton home … please." ends that particular line of conversation.
During the short trip to first Cotton's home and then to Tanner's, the kits talk about the movie and enjoy each other's company, while Nick and Judy simply delight in listening to the separate conversations.
Figuring correctly that a brief kiss will be the perfect ending to their recent adventure and first date, each young couple says good night.
Finally arriving at home for the day, the Wildes all get ready for bed, knowing that there's only one day left before school starts, so hopefully rest will be the order of the day tomorrow.
"Don't stay up too late talking and comparing notes girls" cautions Judy as she tucks the young does in. "Your dad will be in in a minute."
Tucking AJ in, Nick asks "How was the movie, sport? Did Cotton enjoy it?"
"It was great dad, really. The seats were so big, she and I shared one. Was-was that ok?"
"Sure, no problem. While the girls are at school, you, me and mom can go see how the berry fields are doing ok? Maybe you and Cotton can have a play date a day or two a week if it's ok with her mom."
Giving Nick a tight hug was Aja's answer.
"G'night son, see you in the morning."
"G'night dad…"
After all the tucking in the girls and cautioning them no to stay up late, Nick retires to the bedroom, only to find Judy with a small can of whipped cream and some blueberries.
"Ready for some desert my darling husband?"
As Nick launches towards the bed, losing clothes in mid-flight, a loud "EEEPP!" escapes Judy, and the night held its own promise of more adult exercise.
XxX
AN: My thanks to Caoimhin (Guest) for the suggestion of the letter from Sarah to Gerald, may he (not) rest in peace!
Also for Caoimhin (Guest): your assessment of Judy's medical procedure is correct, and you are very close with the timeline. However, you have to remember that for females over 40 (Judy) successful reversal of the procedure is around 40% or less.
Thanks to Vescu for the suggestion about the phone call/text from Jack or Jill about Gerald.
And it looks like I'm going to be adding at least one more chapter before the epilogue … sorry if I disappoint anyone