13 I'm Sorry …

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After making sure that the kits were bathed and ready for bed, Nick and Judy tucked them all in and hoped for the best, not wanting to spend the entire night up with sick kits.

Just when everything seemed fine and a long day was finally over, Nick's phone rings…

…

When answering the MuzzleTime call and seeing the questioning look that Judy's giving him, Nick informs her "It's your dad… hello Stu, how go things in the burrow?"

"I'd like to think that they're looking up. Is … are Judy and the kits nearby by any chance?"

"The kits are in bed right now. It seems like they're in a bit of a food coma after a large supper, but Judy's right here."

"Before you say or do anything, please listen to what I have to say…"

With a look of concern on Nick's face and dread on Judy's, Stu continues: "Jasmine and I have had talks with Bonnie, and she's at least trying to come to grips with the feeling that maybe she's been wrong about … well pretty much everything concerning you two and the kits. Will you please at least give her a chance to at least have her say?"

Leveling a questioning glance at Judy, Nick waits for her to answer before committing to answering his father-in-law.

Letting out a sigh, and not really wanting to be at odds with her mother, Judy takes the phone.

"Yeah dad, I'm at least willing to listen…"

Taking the phone from Stu, Bonnie makes her appearance: "Hey bun-bun … I-I'm sorry, let me start over. Hey Judy…"

"… Hey mom …"

With tears forming in her eyes, Bonnie's apology comes out in a torrent of words: "I'm so sorry Judy … I-I truly never meant to judge you and Nick and especially your kits like I did! After my argument with Jasmine after your father and I got home that night and Cotton overhearing everything, and-and-and-"

"It's ok mom. Take a breath and slow down, please."

After several cleansing breaths, Bonnie continues: "OK … Jasmine and I got into an argument over you, Nick and the kits that night after she brought Cotton home from visiting you. Cotton evidently overheard the entire thing and said she didn't want to live here anymore. After that, your father and I got to talking and I spent the next several days thinking about everything. Needless to say. I simply ran around in circles in my head until your father forced me to face a bit of my past that I've tried so hard to forget."

"Mom?"

"Just before you and your litter were conceived, I … I had an affair with your father's cousin, Brian."

"MOTHER!"

"I know, I know, miss straight-lace herself had an affair. Evidently your father has pretty much known it all along but has stood by me all these years regardless. All of the kits in your litter have longer ears and fluffier tails than the rest of our kits in case you hadn't noticed. That's not mentioning the fact that you're all triers and are steadfastly against farming. Jasmine even told me that she's seeing Roland Gleeson and is just waiting for him to propose."

"And how did you take that?"

"While I don't understand the attraction, especially the biting part-"

"Oh gods, she didn't!"

With a bit of chagrin, Bonnie admits "Yes, I'm afraid she did."

"A-are you going to be ok mom?"

"It-it's a lot for me to take in I'll admit. Just promise me that you'll be careful, especially with the biting and claws and … whatever else you two do that I might not want to know about."

"We promise Bonnie." answers Nick, thinking about how Bonnie would probably absolutely freak out if she knew about knotting.

"If … if it's ok, I'd really like to come and visit and maybe bring you some pies and some tarts for the kits…"

"I'd really like that mom." admits a now equally tearful Judy.

"And I know the kits would too." adds Nick.

"And Nick, I don't think I can ever tell you how sorry I am about the way I judged you. You've never done anything out of sorts with me or Stu or any of the kits. I know from talking to Jasmine that you'd never do anything to harm any of my family."

"Apology accepted Bonnie. It may take a while before I can get back to calling you mom again, but I'm willing to work at it."

"Thank you Nick, that's all I can really ask of you. Would tomorrow be alright for a visit?"

Knowing that they were scheduled to talk to Dr. Froid at ten, Judy tells her mother "Tomorrow afternoon around one or so should be ok. I … that is Nick and I have an appointment with a shrink at ten, but we should be finished in time to grab a late lunch."

"Ummm Fluff, we'll still need someone to sit with the kits while we're at Froid's tomorrow morning, and I'm not sure if agent Winters will be available." Interrupts Nick.

"Damn Nick …" begins a mildly frustrated Judy "ok, change of plans. Can you guys be here around nine or so?"

"Where would you like to meet?" asks Bonnie.

"How about here at the hotel? If Jasmine isn't working, you could bring her and Cotton along. That way we can tell the kits and at least try to soothe everyone's feelings. The kits were highly upset that Gramma Hopps was cross and left without at least saying goodbye." pipes up Nick.

"I can't begin to tell you enough how sorry I am that I upset the kits, they didn't deserve anything that happened to them, or to Judy for that matter. And the hotel is a wonderful idea, that way the kits can be a bit rowdy and it won't be as much of a bother to other mammals." confesses Bonnie.

"Thanks mom, all of this really means a lot … to me, Nick and especially the kits."

"So … we'll see you tomorrow morning then?"

"It's a date."

"I'll let you go for now, love you, all of you."

"I know mom, and we love you too."

…

"Well" says Nick "that went way better than I expected! Fluff …?"

Seeing Judy staring at the phone like it was alive and had three heads was a bit disconcerting to the todd.

"Fluff? … JUDY?"

"Huh? Oh, umm…"

"Are you okay Fluff?"

"… Mom called … she actually called and apologized!"

"Yeaaaaah… and?"

"Mom apologized! Nick, this is great!" shouts Judy as she grabs Nick by his tie and pulls him down to her level so they are nose to nose.

"Yeaaaaah …" was all a slightly shocked Nick could get out before-

"Momma" comes a tired voice from the doorway to the other bedroom "what's all the shouting about?" asks Cotton, disturbing what was a soon to be kiss in progress.

Picking up her youngest, Judy twirls her around several times before setting her back down.

"Grandma and Grandpa Hopps are coming for a visit tomorrow, isn't that great?" answers a very happy Judy.

"Please don't do that again momma, I think I'll have to throw up if you d- wait … gramma and grampa are coming? And Cotton?"

"I believe so, yes." a smiling Nick informs the suddenly unsick kit.

"Yaaaaaaaayyyyy!" as Cotton runs screaming into the second bedroom, waking the other kits.

"Good lord!" intones Judy as he pinches the bridge of her nose.

"I guess this means that it'll be a while before we get to bed, huh?" asks Nick with a bit of disappointment in his voice.

"Damn Nick, you just got some earlier…"

"And I was without for seven years … umm sorry?"

Suddenly Nick was again afraid the he may have crossed an invisible line, considering what Judy had been through for the last almost seven years.

Placing a gentle paw on her mate's cheek, Judy gives Nick a soft smile. "I understand what you're feeling Nick, but when I told you earlier that I wanted my mate back I meant it. I promise that we'll make up for lost time, and I know that we were kinda leading into some intimacy before we were interrupted, just don't rush it, ok?"

Leaning into Judy's touch, Nick offers a gentile smile of his own in understanding.

…

Not paying any attention that Cotton had run into the kits bedroom and woken up her sleeping siblings, Nick and Judy were unexpectedly inundated with six kits, happy that they would get to see not only the 'other' Cotton again, but their grandparents as well.

"Cotton and Gramma and Grampa are coming?" asks Thomas.

"And Cotton too!" reaffirms Cotton to her siblings. (Sounds kinda weird, huh?)

"Really dad?" asks Calvin.

"Yes Calvin, really."

"Is anyone else coming with them?" asks Samantha.

"I don't think so, but you never know knowing Gramma Hopps." answers a smiling Judy.

Noticing that Nicholas has been quiet the entire time, Nick asks "Are you ok James? You've been kinda quiet. Is something bothering you?"

"You don't have any brothers or sisters dad? I mean, mom told us that she has a bunch, but never mentioned whether you did or not."

"I'm sorry son but no, no brothers or sisters. My parents were only able to have me, and believe me, I was a pawful."

"Were you bad?"

"Not really, just … adventuresome? And you know what happened after they died-"

"Your parents died?" asks a suddenly somber Marion.

*SIGH* "Yes Leigh, my parents were killed in a car accident when I was twelve."

"What happened to you then?" asks Thomas.

"I-I was placed in a foster home for a while, but the foster parents were bad to me so I left."

"What happened then?" asks Thomas, pressing the issue.

"I lived on the street for a while, until I was taken in by the only friend I ever had until I met your mom."

"That was the … fennec fox we met earlier, right dad?" asks Nicholas, remembering their earlier exploits.

"That's right James, his name is Finnick."

"How did you meet mom?" asks Samantha.

Smiling at the fond memory, Judy recounts the tale of their first meeting.

"But … why are you smiling momma?" asks Cotton "it sounds like daddy was kind mean."

"He wasn't really mean sweetie" comes the reply, "he was tricked into helping me at the time."

"But he tricked you first didn't he?"

Pulling the tiny doe into her lap, Judy tells Cotton "Did he trick me first? Yes, yes he did. That's what made me want to trick him back, and am I ever so glad that I did. It formed a relationship that led us to get married and that, my precious Cotton, was one of the happiest moments of my life."

Seeing the gentile smile she was receiving from Nick, she just had to add "And finding out that I was pregnant with James was the next."

"And what about us momma?" asks a forever curious Thomas (of course it would be Thomas…)

Without missing a beat, Nick answers for his wife "You weren't planned, but it doesn't mean that your mom or I don't love you just as much as James."

Seeming to at least temporarily sate the kits curiosity for at least the time being, Nick and Judy managed to get their kits tucked snuggly back into bed … again.

Finally returning to their own bed, Judy begins to cuddle close to Nick … "Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" she asks…

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AN: I know that some folks are a bit taken aback with Judy being intimate with Nick, especially so soon after her ordeal, but PLEASE remember that this is fiction and not real life. To quote Judy, "Real life is messy!" and will probably never work out the way it will in this story.