Chapter 15: Operation Tamesgiving - Is A Go!

"Alright...so we need to grab some more butter and then we'll be done," Judy exclaimed looking at both the list in her paws and at the isles around her.

"Carrots we already have five sticks of butter and the recipe doesn't even call for that much!" Nick groaned from behind her, trudging slowly with the cart.

"Yeah but you can never be too careful!" She exclaimed, still focusing on the list. The two were currently shopping at a nearby supermarket in the district. Judy couldn't remember the name however, she wasn't focused on that. Instead, she was strongly focused on getting the right ingredients for the dinner. They had been invited to Tamesgivng by Nick's family and she felt the need to make something for them to thank for the countless hospital times they've welcomed her.

Something that obviously didn't need five sticks of butter as opposed to how she believed.

All this, of course, wasn't just some big distraction so Judy could focus on something else besides the letter. Not that it was the last thing she wanted to think about at the moment. Who wouldn't want to find out the genders of their kits about to be born in 4 or 5 months? Judy was just very focused on making the perfect dessert for the Thanksgiving dinner. Nothing else.

Nick eventually caught up to Judy and stopped rolling the cart to give her a serious look.

"Are you sure you aren't just trying to focus on something else besides the-" Nick tried to mention the letter in hopes of finally talking about it but Judy quickly moved from the topic.

"Oh hey! We still need to buy some scarves!" She exclaimed moving farther ahead.

"Scarves?" He questioned.

"Yeah, scarves. I just realized I don't own any scarves for winter!" Judy said with wide eyes.

"W-Wait but we live in the Sahara district, it's never cold," Nick argued.

"I know that..." She trailed off trying to come up with an excuse. Not that she was even trying to make an excuse for a perfectly normal request. "I'm just trying to be prepared! For you know...if we visit Tundra Town in the future or something…"

"Ok...But are you sure you don't want to at least talk about-" He tried revisiting the topic but Judy had already rounded a corner in a blink of an eye.

"I'll go check if there's a shop nearby and meet you back in front of the store. Bye!" Judy quickly scurried out of the store, as quick as a pregnant 16 year old could run out of a supermarket that is. She walked down the sidewalk, stepping out of other mammals' way and frantically searching for any sort of store that might sell scarves. The search went harder than she thought…

Because one, she was currently in the Sharara district so why in the world would a mammal here want to buy a scarf. And two, she was stalli - I mean enjoying the view! Definitely not stalling…

Judy walked up and down the street in search of just about any shop with winter clothing until finally finding a small boutique that appeared to have something thicker on the mannequins as opposed to light clothing. She happily went inside, welcoming the rush of air conditioning in her face, and turned to look at the register in the front. There was a chipper mongoose, smiling upon her entry.

"Good Morning! If there's anything I can help with you today just let me know!" She exclaimed, tilting her head slightly as if she was a doll. Judy cringed but smiled politely, she reminded her of those overly enthusiastic retail workers that pressured shoppers to buy practically the entire store.

"Thank you...I'll just be browsing today." Judy quickly moved out of her sight before she had the chance to ask her to pay for a membership card.

She moved towards a corner in the store that looked promising. There were a lot of hat options, most of them very beautiful. But after reading the price tag Judy, for whatever non-related reason, had a change of heart about buying them. She was currently scrolling through a promising row of dresses when a mammal towards her left caught her eye.

But then her heart dropped...Judy's pace quickened, she continued to stare, out of fear, out of confusion. There's no possible chance this could be happening. Once Judy walked towards her to get a better look she realized...it wasn't Simone. The vixen, whoever she was, turned around and Judy was able to calm down. They just both happened to look the same. And after looking closely she clearly saw the differences.

That was too close. Judy had been seeing too many mammals that reminded her of Simone. But that she-devil of a vixen was still miles away from her and Nick in BunnyBurrow. Yet even the thought of seeing her again shook Judy to her core.

Out of desperation, she left the store, not even bothering to say goodbye to the crazily cheerful employee while leaving. Judy needed a breath of fresh air. And staying in a store with another Simone look-alike wouldn't give her the option of that. She quickly moved back down the street in the direction of Tamer Joe's, the supermarket, and ran into Nick.

"Hey Carrots, did you end up actually finding a scarf store here?" He chuckled. Judy gulped, still slightly shaken by the recent encounter and smiled awkwardly. Nick clearly noticed her change in demeanor but could also probably tell she didn't want to talk about it. He wrapped an arm around her while continuing to hold the rest of the groceries and led them back in the direction of their apartment.

The supermarket had been close to their complex so the distance back didn't take too long. Unfortunately, it wasn't long enough to get rid of the sick feeling in Judy's stomach.

Today was only about to get worse….

Judy waited as Nick knocked on the door to his parent's apartment. Bags of groceries stood at her feet and she felt somewhat better than the morning events earlier. She had changed into a loose plum dress with sleeves that went past down her arms to feel a little more comfortable but still at least look presentable. The scenario gave her a sense of deja vu. From the dinner a few months back...

But this time would be different! She was with Nick now, and they lived happily together in that small yet cozy apartment. Judy didn't need her parent's badgering the two of them at every turn. And if she had really decided to stay back in BunnyBurrow even after everything that happened that night she never would be as happy as she was now.

The door eventually opened, breaking Judy from her trance, and they were met with the beaming face of Nick's mother.

"Judy! Nick! Come inside, please, please!" She squealed, weirdly excited. Even after the last time she saw her son she looked about to snap his head off for poor time management. The two scampered inside, immediately hit with the smell of homemade food.

"Cooper! Nina!" Victoria yelled after closing the door. "They're here!" Two heads poked out of the kitchen shortly after. Nina was currently busy eating frosting out of a bowl while Cooper repeatedly hit her head with a wooden spoon like an angry chef.

"Oh hey, guys!" He exclaimed innocently while still whacking Nina angrily.

"Hey - ow - Ju - ow - dy!" Nina smiled flinching. Judy waved awkwardly and watched Victoria sternly tell the two to break it up. She quickly went to set down all the bags and started taking things out to prepare. Cooper hovered over her, watching intently, and Judy didn't notice him until he eventually pointed out her ingredients.

"Granny Smith apples…vanilla extract….a whole lot of butter…If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're making an Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Icing." He smirked. She stared at him dumbfoundedly.

"H-How did you know?" Judy questioned, surprised.

"Never underestimate the knowledge of an amazing pastry chef sweetheart." Cooper bragged. "Also your recipe fell out with the name on top…" She scoffed playfully and snatched the paper, then proceeded to focus her attention back on what was in front of her.

Nick eventually walked into the kitchen as well, bringing the rest of their bags. But when he did he immediately moved to Judy's side and dropped his voice to a whisper.

"Carrots…" Nick pestered. She knew what he was about to say next, it was the same thing he kept on saying for the last few days or so. Judy desperately wanted to avoid the topic, afraid of actually acknowledging it and having to realize the fact that she and Nick were about to become even more serious. Not that they hadn't been serious about everything already. Knowing him she knew that he would continue to bring up the topic, Nick was the braver of the two, he could actually read the data without breaking into a nervous seat like herself.

After they received the papers from Dr. Firefox that very week the two considered reading what was in the other envelope. More him than Judy. And she was too unsure about reading it! W-What if they had all girls? O-Or all boys? The thought of that only made her become more stressed than she needed to be.

Judy made excuse after excuse to avoid any subject of the envelope. She ignored it with a passion. In fact, Judy ignored it so hard she almost forgot about it entirely. That was until Nick brought it up almost every 10 minutes. She knew they would have to read it eventually, Judy just didn't have the strength to tell him yes.

She turned her head slowly to him and smiled. "We can talk about it after dinner. When we get back home. OK?" His ears and tail perked up instantly.

"Y-Yeah. We'll do that." Nick grinned. He quickly placed a kiss on her forehead before leaving the kitchen, probably to go find his mother. And she returned to cooking the cake. Judy brought a bowl and started to follow the instructions.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Beat together ingredients in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, Bake batter until a toothpick, inserted in the center, comes back clean. Stuff like that. She was currently hard at work, frantically whisking a bowl of butter mixed in with eggs thinking that it might help to have some extra cake batter in case there wasn't enough in the first place.

In short, Judy was sorta freaking out. But it wasn't like she was about to admit that herself. She was hard in the zone when suddenly Nina's random snickering interrupted her flow.

"What's up?" Judy asked, still strongly focused on the bowl and not that envelope whose name shall not be mentioned again in this chapter. Surely…

"Your stress baking!" Nina laughed. She almost threw her spoon from how fast she was whisking it once hearing that. Judy hastily turned around, her nose twitching, which was an obvious tell for when she was lying.

"N-No I'm not…" Judy mumbled unconvincingly.

"You totally are! Believe me, I have seen this way too many times before. When Cooper was about to get accepted into a cooking school he spent weeks bakings everything. And I mean everything." She argued.

"W-Well...That's Cooper!" Judy protested, "A-And I'm only trying to...make a good impression…"

"Ok, first of all, you've already made the impression of a lifetime. Being my twin brother's first actually meaningful girlfriend in years and yet already showing up pregnant." Nina added but hearing her mention the pregnancy only made Judy's body stiffen. If Nina had noticed she didn't bother to address it and continued.

"Second, I know your stress is baking. And I'm gonna find out about what, mark my words…" She threatened, jokingly squinting her eyes and dramatically leaving the room as if about to start her "investigation." Judy let out a long sigh, getting a concerned look from Cooper, who had just observed the whole debacle from where he stood.

"Judy…" He began, grabbing her attention. "I know you might be nervous about spending your first holiday in the city with us but you don't have to worry. My parents love you, Nina's obviously attached, and with you around I now have a kitchen buddy." Cooper laughed, standing alongside Judy and ruffling the fur on top of her head as if she was a kid. It was then when Judy remembered that he was in fact older than her, Nick as well. Nina had mentioned him being in cooking school so she'd say he was in his early twenties at least, even when most of the time he didn't act like it.

I suppose when things get really serious he actually puts the time and care to make sure everyone is safe. Just like that of an overprotective older brother. Judy smiled politely at him, mouthing a small thank you, before remembering her cake still cooking in the oven. She had been so caught up with baking extra batter, not that it was at all needed, and talking with Nick's sibling's that Judy hadn't focused on her cake!

She frantically moved away from Cooper and peered inside the oven to make sure it hadn't burned when she wasn't paying attention. Thankfully, the cake was fine, she was fine, everything was fine. Judy realized she had been saying the word so many times to herself in the last few days that it felt as if it lost all meaning.

Judy could feel her stress rising and decided it would be best to do something to take her mind off everything. She started to clean up everything and set aside her bowl thinking there'd be use for it later. Judy gave Cooper a quick goodbye, the fox still heavenly focused on whatever he was cooking then still, however, returned it.

She left the kitchen and reentered the living room in hopes of seeing Victoria. Nick's mothers' enthusiastic personality could surely take her mind off of…..you know what. Unfortunately, Victoria was nowhere to be found. The mammal in her place, however, was in fact, John. He must have come back while she was busy with Cooper and Nina!

Judy noticed that he was busy setting the dining table and thought it would be nice to go over and help him. Not only that but, it wouldn't hurt to get in some bonding time between the two. She had learned just about everything with Nina, had basically become Victoria's second daughter, and is now Cooper's baking buddy. Judy had a strong relationship with almost everyone in Nick's family except his father.

John Wilde, as weird as it may sound when she's thinking this, prepare to become very good acquaintances with your son's pregnant girlfriend...!

Judy hesitantly entered the dining room, forks and spoons clenched tightly in her paws. She saw John standing by the window on the far side of the room, he appeared to be deep in thought. Judy considered possibly leaving at the last second out of fear but it had been too late. The floor creaked awkwardly when she stepped inside and Judy immediately chastised herself for not being careful of where she was stepping. John turned around almost instantly, surprised.

"H-Hi!" She stuttered nervously, nearly dropping the utensils in her paws from how hard they were shaking. Why had it been so easy to start a friendly foundation with Victoria but practically impossible with John?! Is it so insane for wanting to not act awkwardly in front of their significant others' parents?

"Judy! I wondered when I'd get to see you! Have you said hi to the other yet?" He asked, smiling politely. Judy stared at him in bewilderment for a split second before letting out a sigh of relief. The entire thing was just in her head, like almost everything else that her mind came up with these days…

"Yep!" She answered breathlessly. "I just finished baking my cake and wanted to see if anyone needed any help, aaaand I found you."

"Ah, well thank you! That'd actually help me finish faster." John beamed, heading towards the table. Judy quickly moved next to him and the two wordlessly continued setting the table.

She thought the long silence might have become awkward but in reality, it was actually comforting. Nick's father just managed to make the imagined tension seemingly disappear. Almost as if his presence was naturally parental. The type where deep down you know the silence isn't a bad thing.

Besides all that, Judy still became influenced by her clouding thoughts. The dinner would happen in a few short hours. Meaning that as soon as it ended, she and Nick would have to head back to their apartment and actually talk about the envelope. Judy desperately wanted to find out what exactly was happening inside her body, but the entire situation felt exactly the same as when she first threw up in her bathroom 4 months ago.

She stood still, staring way too intensely at the spoon in her paw when John eventually noticed her behavior as well. There had to be some kind of intuitive gene in this family otherwise Judy was just naturally obvious.

"You know…" He began. "I was surprised when you told us you and Nick were dating, even finding out you were expecting..." She turned to face him, eyes wide in fear, hoping that the sentence would be followed with a but.

"But…" Judy let out a small sigh in relief and listened as John continued.

"I'm glad to learn how much my son has changed since meeting you. You've really helped him get stronger Judy…" He expressed caringly. She stared at him with small tears stinging her eyes. Because that had been the first time Nick's father actually complimented her. And Judy didn't know why, but hearing that from him made her feel like she actually belonged in the family. Even if she and Nick weren't legally married. (HAH….NOT YET….:3)

"T-Thank you…If it means anything I'm glad to have you, Victoria, Cooper, and Nina in my life," Judy mumbled shyly, touching her cheeks to make sure no tears had gone down them.

"I'm glad, i-it means a lot.…..AND where in the world is my wife I haven't seen at all today!? You know what, I'm going to go look for her. But, thank you again for helping out, and I hope we can continue doing this every year." He exclaimed awkwardly patting her shoulder and walking out of the room in a hurry. She giggled watching John leave the room, he and Nick were exactly the same when something became too emotional for comfort in a conversation. Awkward but still invested enough for the people they care about.

She finished adjusting the rest of the settings until feeling satisfied with the work. Exactly six fancy, the ones used for special occasions, plates laid out on the white table cloth. It was one of the festive types, with tiny sewn pumpkins scattered across the rim. Judy smiled, fulfilled with how the table looked and decided to head out and back into the kitchen to see if her cake had finished baking.

Just as she left the room Judy was met smack in the muzzle with Nina eyeing her suspiciously from across the living room.

"H-Hi Nina….What's up?" She stuttered nervously. The vixen stared at her for a few more seconds before sauntering across the carpeted floor to look at her in the eye.

"I don't know….Judy….Maybe what's in this envelope can tell me "what's up?" Nina said, pursing her lips in skepticism. She looked back and forth at the familiar envelope in her paws and Nina. Her mind racked trying to think of an excuse. Lying straight to her face, grabbing the envelope and running, or distracting her by doing some weird dance.

Instead, Judy chose none of the options and just settled on not answering and letting Nina explain herself.

"I can't believe you and Nick weren't gonna tell us?!" She exclaimed.

"I know, I'm sorry! We were planning on doing it maybe next week or...Look, he and I still haven't even opened it so we still don't know anything ourselves…." Judy explained, until realizing a very important piece of information. The envelope Nick had been pestering her to open and look through for the last few days was locked in a drawer in her bed stand.

"Hold on a minute, how did you get that in the first place!?" She questioned.

"Look I know I pulled a Dawn on you and everything but I had a good reason!" Nina whined in protest. Judy waited patiently for her explanation, although still irritatingly tapping her foot.

"I was worried...worried that something was going on with you, or the kits, or just even between you and Nick. When you were obviously freaking out in the kitchen I needed what was going on….You're like a sister to me Judy, and, you mean a lot to my brother and I know he wouldn't want to see you like this either." She sighed, rubbing her neck regretfully.

"Wait...So you don't know what's in the envelope?" Judy asked hesitantly.

"Well, I assume it's a letter. But no, I don't know what's in it. So that is why I even have it in the first place. Because I was worried, but I'm sorry for invading your guys' privacy like that. It was a very "Dawn" thing of me to do" Nina shrugged apologetically.

"It's fine you were only worried!" Judy reassured but hoped to move the topic so the envelope things wouldn't resurface. "How did you even get into the drawer in the first place? I hid the key." Nina's facial expression changed shortly after she said that. It went from concerned and skeptical to morphing into one of slight pretension.

"Well, it started when I left the kitchen and your obvious stress baking - "

"It wasn't obvious - " Judy intervened but Nina continued.

"Yes, it was. Anyway, after that, I went to look for Nick because no one knows you better than him and I interrogated him for a few minutes until he broke."

"He told you that fast?!"

"Hmm? Oh, no. He just had a huge tell I recognized from when we were kids that helped me figure it out almost immediately." Nina laughed. "Whenever something bothers him his ears while doing this thing where they twitch or spin because he's always so deep in thought whatever made him so preoccupied."

Judy went back to reminisce over the countless times she'd seen Nick do the ear twitch thing in their relationship. However, she managed to catch him doing it more often in the last few months than any other time in the past. Had the envelope bothered him as much as it did her? Of course, it did! What was she thinking? If she actually just said, "We should read it and find out right away," then none of this stress baking and whatever crazy observation Nina was conducting.

Seriously, what was with the intuition in this family?

"After I figured out that whatever was bothering you was bothering Nick as well I assumed it had to either be something about the kits or school. And the last time my brother worried over the school was with Simone but that story's a been, there done that, hated every second of it situation, so I knew it wouldn't be about her again." Nina scoffed but proceeded in the fascinating retelling of her plan.

"As the concerned older sister, by 3 glorious minutes, I knew I should find out if anything was seriously wrong with the kits or you so I walked into your apartment normally with the extra key he gave me."

"Wow…" Judy gaped at her in wonder, Nina had some serious skills. "You know, you'd actually make a pretty good -"

"Stop right there, I know I'd make the world's best detective/cop already but my passion is for something else. And again, I'm sorry for breaking open your bed stand and taking the envelope." Nina blurted bluntly.

"Wait what!?" Judy exclaimed.

"Relax I fixed it and it's good as new, plus I didn't have to waste my time looking for the key."

"Ok...I guess that's alright, I mean as long as you didn't break anything else...You didn't, right?" She pleaded.

"Nothing except my expectation for myself because seriously, I solved this case in under ten minutes. In short, I am amazing." Nina bragged. Judy chuckled in response but quickly became serious, knowing where the conversation was about to go from there.

"So...what was in the envelope? Is there actually something wrong with the kits?" Nina asked fearfully. She sighed, knowing it would be better to tell the truth then yet again avoiding the topic.

"Everything is fine, with me, with Nick, and with the kits… What's in the envelope actually will tell us the gender's. Virginia figured them out and we got a letter in the mail about it a few days ago. But...we still haven't opened it." Judy murmured, averting her gaze.

"And I love Nick, and I really want to figure out the kits' genders. I guess I just didn't expect everything to happen so soon. Although in honesty, I've probably subconsciously been planning for this since the moment we started dating…" Judy chuckled. When she looked back up Nina was already crying.

"Oh my god Nina! Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yep...I'm just...really happy that Nick has you in his life. But are you really going to keep waiting to find out? I mean, you seem like the mammal who likes to prepare all the silly stuff before the birth. The clothes, the nursery, all of that kind of corny stuff." Nina suggested, wiping her damp eyes.

"I-I….I am! B-But, actually finding out will make everything feel so real and-" Judy tried to protest but she instantly stopped her.

"Oh bull to that! You love my brother and I know for a fact that you two are probably going to get married in the next year or two!" Nina shrieked, shutting her up.

"And since when has this haven't been real? Everything with Dawn and Simone, already finishing your first trimester. Judy?! You are more prepared for this than any other mammal I've known, and that's not that many but still! The both of you deserve to know, not for the sake of planning but just for the thrill of it! They're your kits, and wouldn't it be nice to help figure out their names before they're born?" She exhaled, slightly out of breath from her long but useful rant.

Judy looked at Nina in surprise, the vixen had basically said what her gut had been telling her all this time. She didn't have to worry about going too fast with Nick, they've basically been going steady for the last two years! And who the heck cares about the stress of not knowing because of some small fears? Judy and Nick had the right to know for themselves, and everyone around them as well.

"Y-You're right...You're so right!" She laughed in realization.

"Obviously! Now come with me to my room because that's the only place that I have an extra letter opener lying around. My last one got put into evidence or whatever after I went to town on this jerk on the subway." Nina demanded, still grimacing over the unknown event replaying in her mind.

"U-Um ok...Lead the way!?" Judy answered unsure, thinking it would be best to not ask any more questions and to just follow her. But who cares? She was about to find out the genders of her three unborn kits! The only thing that could make her feel worse was if Dawn made a surprise entrance at tonight's dinner.

She prayed hard for that not to happen. (Don't worry guys, Dawn only breaks in that ONE time, she won't do it again….OR WILL SHE? Just kidding she won't XD)

Judy excitedly walked into the unknown of Nina's bedroom. It would officially be her first time there since moving to Zootopia a month and a half ago. She had already become acquainted with Nick's, not so much of Coopers, and definitely not with his parents. So this was sorta progress!

The room opened with a cold, stone floor pattern, causing the comforting carpeted floor to disappear behind her. Besides that, the rest of the room was illuminated with this blue strip light lined across the ceiling, giving off the vibe of a full moon. It felt peaceful, almost making Judy want to fall asleep right then and there.

She was able to get a better view of the rest once Nina pulled out a cushioned chair for her to sit in while she grabbed the letter opener. Judy tiredly plopped down, feeling the ache in her feet, and was grateful that Nina had thought of something in time. Unfortunately, deep down she knew this uncomfortable feeling would only get worse in a few weeks anyway.

Enough about Judy's pregnancy, even though that's basically the entire story (Breaking the fourth wall! You Know My Jam :3), she continued to glance around the room.

Nina had settled into a goth aesthetic for her style. But not entirely the one where the room would be likely covered with Wicca symbols or just completely black. The walls were actually painted a pretty beige that seemingly tied the room together. On top of them were hundreds of funny or inspirational posters, the only one Judy would call "gothic" or "supernatural" would be the one with a green skull head of a goat with the word Believe.

Something else that caught Judy's eye was the tiny little trinkets scattered across her bookshelves, which she also had a lot of. There were random rocks, leaves, strange pieces of metal, or even just interesting objects any average mammals could find anywhere. There also happened to be a beautiful tapestry of the moon cycle hanging above her bed which managed to grab Judy's attention just long enough for Nina to grab her letter opener and come back.

"Ok didn't take me as long as I thought but I have it and now we can finally open the letter." She smiled once returning.

"Got it...Hear you loud and clear...Let's tear the envelope a new one….Judy said awkwardly before immediately regretting it. On second thought, maybe it would be better if we came back to this and-"

"Too late it's already open." Nina blurted, having already taken out the pictures, data, and explanation letter that Dr. Firefox said would be there.

"Ok then, I guess I'm actually going to find out the genders of my kits in the next few seconds…" Judy mumbled to herself while watching Nina read through everything. After a few more seconds she finally heard some sniffing and became worried.

"What is it?! Do we have some kind of error message on the paper - or is one of the kits already dying as we speak?!" Judy exclaimed frantically.

"Sorry…" Nina laughed, wiping her eyes. "I'm just getting a bit emotional thinking about how I'm actually going to become an aunt...But back to you! Um, so the data says that so far all three of them weigh around 5 ounces, about the size of tiny bell pepper."

"About the genders! Not that I didn't find everything else you just said also very adorable, but please!" Judy pleaded.

"Oh! Y-Yeah, right to it. You are going to have…...two girls and a boy." Nina finally confessed, showing her the pictures. She hastily grabbed them from her paws, trying her hardest to keep from staining them with any tears. The kits looked so much bigger now, and most likely even cuter, but what Judy focused heavily on was the last five words Nina had said.

"T-Two girls….a-and a….boy?" She stuttered, still trying to grasp the situation.

"Mhm, from left to right a girl fox kit, a boy, and lastly a girl rabbit," Nina said, kneeling beside her.

"Oh my god…." Judy squealed, looking back and forth between the data and the pictures. "I'm having a daughter, two of them! A-And a son! I-I can't believe it…"

"Judy….your going to be a mom. A great one at that, I know it…" Nina beamed. The two continued to squeal over the kits and pictures until Judy realized something.

"Oh my god! I-I have to show Nick as well!" She gasped.

"Or….hear me out, you could maybe try surprising him at the dinner. As, I don't know, some cute couple thing?" Nina suggested.

"B-But wouldn't he be mad at me for reading the letter before him?" She asked, unsure.

"Judy, if anything the moment you tell him that not only he's having a son but two daughters as well, then I am 100% sure he'll just propose to you on the spot," Nina said, giving her a knowing look.

"Are you sure about that though?" Judy questioned, still uncertain.

"Seriously? He bought a car for you to show how serious he was!"

"He bought a car for the kits." She tried to interject but Nina ignored her and continued.

"He loves more than he has ever loved anything. And if your still unsure, you can read it with him later as planned. Just try thinking about it, and maybe then you'll know." Nina recommended. Judy nodded silently in response, thinking over the situation and yet still feeling greatly unsure.

"You can chill here while you make up your mind, the blue light helps with decisions and stuff like that. It's why I'm the amazing one in the family." She smirked, laughing. "I'll be back before dinner, just tell my mom that I went to do an errand."

"A-Alright...Are you going somewhere?" Judy asked tentatively.

"Just to check out something, I'll be back...Also, um, are we still meeting up with Fru Fru this Saturday….?" Nina questioned before walking out the door.

"Not this Saturday, she has some family thing that's happening. But she can come next week to our Clawsmas present shopping trip! Why do you ask?" She interrogated, tilting her head.

"Oh! Ah, no reason. Just wondering….and stuff. Ok bye!" Nina exclaimed frantically, waving goodbye then rushing out the door while slamming it loud enough to make Judy jump. She blinked dumbly, grasping the scene that just happened but just shook her head chuckling.

Judy sat there comfortably for a few more minutes, basking in the blue light until having her gaze fall on a vintage clock that stood on Nina's bed stand. It read 4:15, and that meant that her cake was only a few minutes away from becoming well done. And no mammal on the entire planet would ever consider a well-done cake edible in any way.

She hastily stood up and headed out the door as fast as she could. Judy ran into the kitchen, expecting to smell something burning or at the very least be on the bridge of burning. But, no, everything was fine, she only saw Cooper handling the cake with two blue oven mitts on his paws.

"Hey, Judy! Your cake had finished so I thought I should take it out in case a fire started." He smiled.

"Oh thank goodness, you are amazing Cooper! Thank you!" She exhaled, walking up to hug him gratefully. He let one arm wrap around her shoulder while the other one held the cake tightly in fear of dropping it.

"Don't worry about it, but I'll just tell you now that it smells amazing! You obviously used the right amount of cinnamon." Cooper sang praisingly.

"Aw thanks, I learned from the best!" She giggled. He quickly set down the cake allowing the two to have a better look at it. Judy grabbed a toothpick from a nearby drawer and poked it inside the middle, when she took it out it was completely clean.

"Perfect, cooked evenly on all parts." She murmured happily.

"Oh by the way," Cooper exclaimed from beside her. "I had a lot of ingredients leftover so you can use it to make the cream cheese frosting!"

"Wait then what should I do about the ingredients I already bought in the first place?" Judy asked confused.

"You can try baking some more of it and send it to your family! Only if you want to of course." He suggested. "Anyway, I have to go check on the cricket bread I left on the balcony. I'm sunbaking them!" Cooper gave her one last hug before leaving the kitchen. She stood there for a few more minutes, absentmindedly staring at the cake in front, her eyes stayed there once Cooper mentioned her family.

Judy constantly talked with Jasmine and Sharla. But the communication between her parents was left nonexistent. And the worst of it was that she hadn't even deleted their contacts! Embarrassingly enough she sometimes stared at them, contemplating the idea of calling and checking up.

But why would Judy even have to do that in the first place? She had run out of BunnyBurrow for a reason. Plus, it wasn't as if her parents had been begging to talk to her since their last phone call….

Judy had been deep in her aggravating trance, fanning the heck out of her cake in hopes of it cooling down faster, when all of the sudden her phone started ringing from the countertop. She quickly grabbed it, still fanning the cake, and noticed the caller id read Jasmine, trying to request a Muzzletime from Judy. She excitingly accepted, wondering how her sister's Tamesgiving would be going. Until, she realized that every Tamesgiving would always be held back home, with her parents.

But it was too late, the call opened showing Jasmine eagerly smiling at the screen.

"Ahh, Judy! Hii!" She squealed. Judy was able to get a better look at her and noticed the carrot color apron tied around her waist.

"Hey, Jasmine. Are you still cooking?" She asked.

"Well, you know how it is with everyone on the holidays, too many mouths to feed and never enough food. Especially after all the relatives come over as well." Jasmine groaned.

"Yeah….I know." Judy mumbled quietly. "Wait, are you alone right now? Where even are you?" She asked, changing the topic.

"Oh well I wanted to take a break from how cramped it was inside, I'm hanging out on the small attic in the barn we used to hide in."

"Our hideout….! I remember that there was always so much dust but it looked like a completely different world at night." Judy giggled reminiscing.

"Are you cooking something right now as well? I'm only asking because you look like your stress baking." Jasmine smirked.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?! I do not stress bake!" She whined angrily but continued to fan the cake.

"But seriously, is everything ok? Is it the kits? Are they ok?!" Jasmine pressed, concerned.

"No! Everything's fine with them, and with me. I'm just….a tiny bit nervous to have my first holiday with Nick's family. They've all been so sweet and I just really wanted to make it up to them…" She answered shyly.

"Judy, everything you've told me about them in the past months makes me know for a fact that they'll love you no matter what. Nick more than anyone else!" Jasmine argued.

"I know that! 100% I'm in love with him too!" Judy exclaimed.

"Awww. Oh god, I should probably head back! Jullian is going to accuse me of slacking if I'm not in the kitchen cooking in the next 5 minutes." She sighed.

"Well Jullian is a stickler for mammals not listening to his scheduled agenda," Judy added, laughing.

"He gets so cute when he's angry though!" Jasmine squealed.

"Yes! His glasses always go crooked and one of his ears flops down adorably." She agreed. The two continued gushing over their brother's quirk until Jasmine really had to start heading back.

"I miss you tons! But I'll be there at Clawsmas, Sharla too!" She reassured her.

"I know, I can't wait to see you guys again. You'll both love the city! Oh and tell your girlfriend I said hi too!" Judy teased mischievously.

"Caroline isn't my girlfriend!" She exclaimed blushing before ending the call. Judy giggled at her sister's flushed state and went to return her attention back to the cake. It had finished cooling down so Judy went to grab Cooper's frosting ingredients and started prepping.

She was doing her finishing touches, making the final adjustments on the cake when Nick walked into the kitchen to see her hard at work.

"Hey Carrots, you almost done?" He questioned in a calm demeanor. Surprised, Judy spun around to see her boyfriend looking at her from the doorway. And suddenly everything that went down in Nina's bedroom played back in her mind.

"H-Heyyyy Slick….Whatcha doing?" She smiled, feeling her nose twitch suspiciously.

"I came to look for you….Is everything alright? You're stress perfectioning." Nick accused.

"How many of these do I even have?! Nevermind, uh, did you need me for something?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, for dinner. It's 5:00 pm didn't you notice it?" He laughed pointing towards the electric clock above the oven. Judy swung her head around in horror, only now realizing she had been in the kitchen for longer than expected. But it wasn't that she was worried about, it was the fact that she now had to make a choice.

Does Judy tell Nick she read the letter? Or wait?

The couple entered the dining room shortly after, but her paws shook nervously while placing the cake down on the table. Thankfully, the only mammals that noticed were Nick and Nina. He kept sending concerned glances her way ever since the kitchen. And it only made Judy's situation 10 times more stressful.

"Sweetheart I loved how you and Judy arranged the settings! It makes everything look so fancy!" Victoria squealed, breaking some of the tension in the room.

"I only followed what John was doing," Judy interjected, sitting down beside Nick. "He's a pro so it was really because of him."

"Oh, nonsense." He argued. "Judy helped tremendously." She chuckled awkwardly when two sent her grateful expressions. Didn't know setting the table would be such a big help during a Thanksgiving dinner with six mammals.

Judy returned her attention to the dinner. And in short, Cooper did a spectacular job. He even added different vegan options for her! He appeared pleased with the work with how content his smile looked. But his stare remained focused on the cricket bread rather than anything else. She also snuck some glances at her own cake, feeling accomplished to finish it just in time.

Nina broke the silence when she stood up tapping her glass, indicating the start of a toast.

"I'd just like to say that I'm very grateful we were all able to spend some time together this Tamesgiving. And I am very happy that Judy was able to join us this year with Nick. Honestly, you guys are the cutest couple I've ever seen and I'm grateful my brother has someone to keep him from doing stupid things all the time." She exclaimed seriously. Nick rolled his eyes playfully at her but eventually settled into a smile and glanced at Judy. She smiled back, intertwining their paws beneath the table.

"Also I'm sorry I broke your bed stand but don't worry! I totally found you guys a better one!" Nina bragged confidently.

"Wait what?" Nick proclaimed. "You broke our bed stand?"

"It's a story for later don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm glad we're all here and that Judy and Cooper made such an amazing dinner." She finished, sitting down, but immediately stood back up once Cooper interrupted.

"I sunbaked the bread!" He yelled, feeling the need to mention how proud of the bread he was.

"Yes Cooper, we know all about your fancy cooking techniques. Now shut up and let's eat!" Nina glared.

"Now hold on, we still haven't let everyone else have a chance to say what they're grateful for!" Victoria chastised. "I'm grateful for my three amazing children, my handsome and loveable husband, and for Judy. You are the best thing that has happened to us this year, and I cannot believe my Nicholas waited so long to welcome you into our lives."

Judy bit her lip, trying to fight back the tears, and mumbled a quick thank you, smiling widely. It was John's turn next.

"I am grateful for my wife, my family, including Judy." He beamed. "And for the great quarter the foundation has seen this year, give it time and I can see The Wilde Interspecies Awareness Foundation only growing from there."

"Well, I'm grateful for that amazing name." Nick laughed.

"Hush! It isn't your turn yet. Judy?" Victoria said, indicating the start of her toast. She glanced nervously around the table and stood up, slightly fumbling with the glass of water in her hand.

"I'm grateful for….um." Judy stuttered and looked helplessly at Nick, the look in his eyes said to go on, to keep going and she knew she should listen to him. Her heart pounded, but for once in a long time, even after everything that's happened in that year alone, she knew Nick would still be right there beside her. No matter what.

"I am grateful for...everything. The mammals I've met along the way, for finally finding a place in the city where there wouldn't be any stress or problems, and lastly, for Nick. And the family were about to start together." She grinned, feeling emotional. He smiled tenderly back and continued to hold her paw tightly. That was when Judy knew it was the perfect time, now or never.

"But what I am truly grateful for, is the fact that we can be happy together. You, me, and…..our son and two daughters." Nick stared at her in shock.

"W-What? W-Were having a boy?" He stuttered in surprise, standing up beside her. Judy nodded her head eagerly, already knowing that there were clear tears strolling down her face.

"Two girls as well, but yeah we can focus on the boy for now." She laughed. Everyone around them started jumping up out of joy, Nina grabbed Cooper and started shouting.

"WOO! We're gonna be aunts and uncles!" Victoria and John rushed over to hug Judy and Nick enthusiastically. And underneath all of the chaos, that chaos she learned to love, Judy was able to catch Nick mouthing a quick I love you before returning his attention to Nina and Cooper's congratulations. She repeated it back before his gaze averted and Judy herself had to move her attention to Victoria's long story about how she felt when finding out about Nina and Nick's gender years ago.

And at that moment, all Judy wanted to do was freeze time. To enjoy the very scene happening in front of her. Because if this was the life that waited for her kits, for their kits….then she couldn't wait to become a mother.

Especially with Nick.

To Be Continued….(And Happy Late Thanksgiving!)