WingedKatt here. Just a heads up, I added a few more details to Shaylee's pillow talk with Judy at the beginning of Ch15 when Shaylee catches Judy sleeping and dreaming about Nick. I also added a few more details/thoughts to Ch24 when Nick was watching the videos Judy sent him on his way to meet her, and again when Shaylee dropped him off, as well as that first kiss he stole from Judy. Judy had a few thoughts about it, too. I hope this gives a little bit more reason to them so readily jumping into the deep end of the pool while having an epic game of Battleship. Now enjoy the chapter.
As Judy pulled into Bobby's garage and killed the engine, she sat gripping the handlebars while staring down at the ATV's gauges. But she wasn't seeing them as her mind kept replaying scenes from the tree, scenes of Nick's touches and his hungry kisses. She still couldn't believe he'd claimed her or that she was now his wife.
Well, being pinned to the tree by Nick wasn't a complete surprise. With the way things were going, it was pretty obvious what was going to happen if she scent marked him. Even though scent marking didn't equate to mating among rabbits, after Nick said he wanted her, how could she still be ignorant of the consequences of her actions?
No, her surprise was at herself. Even knowing what would happen if she scent marked Nick, she still did it. Her whole adult life, Judy had feared there was something wrong with her, that her biological makeup was somehow wired wrong. Being a rabbit, she always lacked that strong drive to find a mate and start breeding. A lot of rabbits were married by the time they turned 20, though the strong desire to breed didn't actually kick in until after their first mating.
Although she thought most bucks looked good, and quite a few were pretty hot, she never once wanted to know what it would feel like to have a buck run his fingers through her fur or to kiss one. And even with the bucks she felt were handsome and worth a second look, mating was always the furthest thing from her mind.
But with Nick—when she felt his claws combing through her fur and across her skin, and when she tasted his hungry kisses and felt his predatory nips and licks—mating was the only thing on her mind. For the first time in her life, she felt like a normal rabbit. That biological need to find a mate and well, mate, was finally there. Having feared her rabbit's need to mate was dead, that she was never hardwired for it, it was amazing to finally feel like a normal rabbit. That Nick was able to show her that she was, indeed, a normal, average bunny. And it felt incredible!
After spending her whole life trying to prove she was more than a rabbit, she was finally content to be a one. There was nothing to prove and nothing to overcome, she could simply feel. For the first time in the last ten years, she was happy being in her own skin. Being a rabbit was fantastic! And being with a fox was phenomenal! Grandma Cecilia had been right about everything! A predator's long tongue was heaven itself and the forerunner to complete and utter bliss! Life couldn't get any better than this!
With her tail quivering, Judy reached up and touched her lips. She could still feel Nick's lips pressed against her own, his tongue and taste in her mouth. With eyes closed, she once more felt his paws sliding over her body with his criminal claws grazing her skin. His teeth were just as criminal—and that sinful tongue of his! With a groan, she had no problems remembering with crystal clarity what he did to her with that hot, flexible tongue of his.
After hearing about a predator's long, flexible tongue from both her grandmother and her friend Jasmine, Judy was highly curious to find out if Nick's vulpine tongue would measure up, and she was so glad she didn't have to ask to find out! That would have been embarrassing, but at the same time, just thinking about it was getting her hot and bothered again.
"Nick, it's criminal what you do to me," Judy whispered under her breath while remembering what he did to her after blowing up her fleet and she sank under the fiery waves of desire. With a laugh and a bright smile, she tilted her head back and stated, "Being with a fox should not feel this amazing." With another laugh, she opened her eyes and stared ahead at the couch where she had sat earlier today and watched the teens play. That seemed like a lifetime ago.
Remembering that she was now Nick's wife—not just his mate but his wife—had another joyful laugh bubbling up inside her. Having never wanted to be someone's wife before, it was inconceivable that she now was a wife, and yet, knowing she was Nick's wife was so, so satisfying.
Her only regret was that she wasn't able to dress in white. To stand up as his bride was something she now missed. Would Nick agree to an ancient bunny wedding? She still wanted Nick to put her grandmother's choker on her and have it recorded that they were husband and wife. To have her friends and family (the few who would be happy for them) there to cheer them on. She would have to talk to Nick about it later—when they were alone.
Maybe if she snuck into the burrow through one of the back entrances, she would be able to make it to her room unseen. Then she could text Shaylee and have her sneak Nick into her room. Well, no, not Shaylee. If Nick was wandering the burrow alone with her, it would catch too much attention. But maybe Marty. Yes, Marty would be the best choice. He was already friends with a bunch of foxes so no one would question it if Marty brought a fox through the burrow.
Having made plans to get Nick alone in her room, Judy figured she better get her tail inside and say 'hi' to Bobby and Carol and let them know she was back. With her mind filled with thoughts of Nick, she wasn't even sure how long she had been sitting here.
As Judy hopped off the ATV and turned towards the house, she was startled to find Bobby standing by the door, a look of astonishment on his face. With a warm smile spreading across her face, Judy said, "Oh, hey, Bobby. I didn't even hear you come in."
"Uh, yeah, I could tell you were deep in thought." When Bobby had first come in, the strong scent of male fox hit him like a slap in the face. Carol had told him Judy had borrowed one of the ATV's to meet with her friend Nick who had come down from the city. He was glad she was able to reconnect with her friend and so had come out to see how the meeting went after hearing the ATV's loud engine returning.
But smelling Judy and seeing her blank stare, he knew she and Nick had done a whole lot more than talking. And with this being their first meeting since Judy left the city, along with the fact Nick was a red fox, a predator who was larger and stronger than a rabbit, Bobby feared Nick had taken advantage of Judy and had forced himself on her. And as she sat there unmoving, he became more sure of it as the seconds ticked by.
But just as he was trying to decide whether to go to Judy and ask what happened or go and get Carol (if Judy had been raped, he figured it would be easier on Judy if she had a female to talk to about it), Judy finally moved. After touching her lips, she groaned before claiming Nick was a criminal with how he had handled her.
With his fingers curling into fists, Bobby was thinking on whether to call the sheriff or hunt down the fox himself when Judy suddenly smiled, then laughed before saying how amazing her time with the fox had been. Bobby was dumbfounded. Whether or not the fox had taken advantage of her, it was obvious now that Judy was a willing participant. And if he knew anything about Judy, then Bobby was sure she was not only willing but a highly active participant. Judy never did anything halfway.
Bobby was still trying to wrap his head around the fact Judy had just been taken by a fox and was laughing happily about it when she suddenly hopped off the ATV and spun around.
At Bobby's mention of how lost in thought she was, Judy flashed him a blinding, buck-toothed smile. "Yeah, my friend Nick is in town and I just met with him!" she said excitedly.
Bobby's nose twitched as Judy stepped closer to him and the strong scent of red fox todd hit him in the face again. "Um, yeah, I can smell him." The words were out of his mouth before he realized he was speaking. Talk about putting his foot in his mouth!
Judy blushed bright red. As her flaming ears dropped to her back and her bright red nose started twitching incessantly, she murmured, "Um, yeah, Nick did mention I would need to borrow some musk mask."
Bobby nodded thinking she would need a shower first. The musk mask he had would do little more than dampen the smell of fox musk, but there would be no hiding what she had been up to with the todd. Putting the thought aside, he asked, "Just so I'm clear—Nick didn't…force himself on you, did he?"
With her eyes widening, Judy exclaimed, "Of course not!" With her tail twitching as well as her nose now, she waved her paws in front of her and said, "Nick would never force himself on me! He even offered to give me some time and space before we—" Judy realized her mouth was running away from her and had to backtrack.
Folding her arms, she stood up straighter as she tried to gather her racing thoughts. Taking a deep breath and speaking more calmly, she said, "To be fair to myself, I honestly thought it was a dream when Nick showed up and kissed me." Throwing her paws up in the air, she added, "By the time I realized it wasn't a dream I didn't have the heart or desire to stop!"
Folding her arms again, her foot started thumping as she decided she better do a little more explaining. "I was missing Nick like crazy already and fearing it would be years before I met him again, and then he sent me some music videos he recorded that made me a blubbering mess, and when he arrived, I soaked his shirt with my tears!" Grabbing her ears and tugging on them, she stared straight at Bobby and said, "Being in his arms, I felt like I'd finally come home. And then when he kissed me—!" Stopping to take a deep breath, Judy tried to calm her now racing heart. But remembering Nick's hungry, predatory kisses and feeling his touch while touching him in return kept her heart pounding at a fast gallop.
Looking up to meet Bobby's stunned gaze, she released her ears to rub her arm, saying, "You know as well as I do that I've never been interested in males—prey or predator—but with Nick I finally feel like a normal rabbit with normal rabbit urges when it comes to a guy." Closing her eyes, a bright smile flashed across her lips again. "Hot fudge, being a rabbit never felt soo good!"
Bobby stood there astounded by the effect Nick had on Judy. She was right when she admitted to never being interested in guys before, but he always thought she was just too focused on being a cop to notice them. Now he saw that Judy just never met the right one. But for it to be a red fox was just too shocking, especially knowing what had happened between her and Gideon Grey when they were kits.
Opening her bright, amethyst eyes, Judy met Bobby's light-green eyes. Stepping forward, she hooked her arm through his and led him through the garage's open door, saying, "Come on, I can stand around talking about Nick for hours, but after all that physical activity the two of us did I'm getting pretty hungry."
Bobby snorted as Judy led him towards the house. "Dinner can wait—you need a shower." Poking her twitching pink nose with his claw, he added, "You smell like you swam in a vat of Nick's musk."
Judy's ears and nose turned candy-apple red again. "Sorry," she mumbled.
Bobby laughed. As they stepped into the kitchen, Carol greeted them with a smile. "Welcome back, Judy." Judy smiled at her and then Carol caught her friend's scent. With her eyes widening, she gasped, "I guess I don't have to ask how your meetup went."
A fiery blush spread across Judy's face once more, even as her ears dropped against her back. "Um, yeah." With a slight laugh, she met her friend's curious gaze and said happily. "It was better than a dream come true."
Carol nodded even as her husband snorted into his shoulder as he remembered Judy saying she thought Nick showing up had been a dream.
Ignoring Bobby, Judy focused on Carol, saying, "As good as it was, Bobby suggested I should take a shower before dinner." Biting her lip, Judy hoped she wasn't being an inconvenience.
"That's actually a great idea." Stepping forward, Carol shooed Bobby into the living room, then led Judy down the hall to her bathroom. As she wasn't sure when the kits had last cleaned their own bathroom, Carol wasn't about to let Judy use theirs.
Leading Judy through her bedroom and into the master bath, Carol grabbed a clean towel from the linen closet and hung it on the towel rack. Then she grabbed her musk mask off the shelf and turned around. Showing it to the fox-smelling rabbit, Carol said, "This is my musk mask, and it has a light hint of lavender so it should cover up any of Nick's scent that the shower and the spray itself doesn't get rid of." Bobcats didn't have a real strong odor, so their musk mask was regular strength whereas a red fox needed extra strength.
Judy smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Carol, for everything."
Setting the can on the counter, Carol looked Judy over, then asked, "So, was Nick worth the wait?"
Pulling on her ears, Judy exclaimed, "Hot fudge sundae, yes!" Giving her ears another tug, she added, "Nick makes me feel like a girl and I love it. With that first kiss he stole from me, I swear an electric current shot through my whole system and woke everything up! After 10 years of feeling nothing towards guys, I now have all these bunny urges for my hot, hunk of a fox!"
Carol laughed. "Well, I'm glad you finally found someone. Heaven knows, you've waited long enough."
Pulling on her ears, Judy replied, "Right! And Nick was so worth the wait! I get drunk on his kisses and turn into a mewling, shuddering lump of hypersensitized bunny under his talented paws!" With her nose twitching furiously, she added, "You remember that my Grandma Cecilia had fallen in love with a badger in high school, right?"
Carol gave a soft laugh at Judy's exuberance, even as she nodded. Judy's Grandma Cecilia was one of her favorite bunnies to be around when they were kits, as Cecilia always kept little candies in her pocket to give out to the kits, and even went out of her way to make sure the predator kits got a candy too. When she had asked Cecilia once why she was so kind to predators, Cecelia had said that she was in love with a predator once, but the town didn't approve and so drove her lover out of town.
"Right," Judy said, "so Grandma told me once how good being with a predator was and some of the things I could look forward to if I ever fell in love with one." Tugging on her ears, Judy exclaimed, "She was right about everything!"
Laughing again, Carol reached over and smoothed Judy's fur down between her ears. "At least with Nick being a red fox you know he won't leave you."
"Exactly!" Judy exclaimed as she released her ears. Pulling the collar of her shirt over to show Nick's claiming mark, she added, "Nick even claimed me! See." Judy had no intention of showing anyone in her family Nick's mark, (well, maybe Shaylee if she actually started dating Jarod) but since Carol was a predator, too, Judy wanted to show someone her good fortune.
Carol's eyes widened when she saw the mark. With Judy being a rabbit, Carol didn't think Nick would bite her. Wasn't Nick afraid that Judy would fear him afterwards? "Did that scare you when he bit you?"
Judy waved her paw in the negative. "No way. Nick would never intentionally harm me, and it was obvious he wasn't trying to hurt me. I figured it had to do with some weird fox mating ritual."
Carol's ear flicked. Pointing to Judy, she said, "Any other bunny—or prey for that matter—would say a fox biting them was intentional harm."
Judy waved her paw again. "This is just a love bite. It shows Nick's love and devotion to me." With a shrug, she added, "Besides, I think his knot hurt worse, but that was because we—" Judy froze as she realized her mouth was running away with her again. Clearing her throat, she amended, "Anyways, I'm fine."
Carol raised a brow for a moment, then nodded before asking, "Well, did you bite him back?"
It was Judy's turn to look surprised. "Huh?"
Folding her arms and leaning against the sink, Carol explained, "In the fox Ritual of Claiming, the todd and the vixen both bite each other after the todd knots her. Don't you want to leave Nick with your mark of love and devotion?"
"Yes," Judy automatically replied. With a shake of her head, she asked, "Why didn't he tell me!?"
With a raise of her brow, Carol stated the obvious. "Because you're a bunny. Because most rabbits would freak out from a predator's bite, let alone be asked to bite the predator back." With a flick of her paw, she added, "Need I go on?"
Judy snapped her mouth shut. Folding her arms, her foot started thumping as she considered how Nick might be afraid to tell her she was supposed to bite him back. Dumb fox. As if she would balk at biting him back if it meant she could leave her mark on him. "I'm not a timid bunny," she finally stated with a huff.
Carol laughed, but then the oven timer beeped. "I need to check on dinner and you, my friend,need to shower." Judy nodded and as Carol slipped through the bathroom door, she glanced back at Judy and said, "Join us as soon as you can."
"I will," Judy replied. As the door shut behind Carol, Judy took a deep breath. "Okay, Judy, get it together," she murmured to herself. Taking another deep breath, she added, "Speedy bunny shower. Pretend you're back at the academy and you only have 5 minutes to shower."
Taking another deep breath, Judy turned the water on to heat up then quickly stripped down and hopped in. After adjusting the water temperature to something comfortable, Judy got to washing. The whole time she was scrubbing, Judy kept thinking about what it would feel like if Nick were here scrubbing her instead. Of course, if Nick were here, he would probably have her pinned to the shower wall already—and she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Remembering how good it felt when Nick pinned her to the tree, Judy wondered what other flat surfaces she could get Nick to pin her to. With a wide, slightly lustful gaze, Judy quickly finished scrubbing her fur (she was loath to wash Nick's scent mark off her face but knew it would shock her parents to smell it when they gave her a hug). With a heavy sigh, she washed her face and head, then washed the soap from her body.
Once she was clean, she hopped out and quickly dried off. Taking a deep breath, she was pleasantly surprised to still smell Nick's scent in her facial fur. Well, her whole body still smelled like him, but her face was the strongest. Glad that his scent mark was still there even if she had to musk mask it in a minute, Judy hopped up on the sink counter so she could get a better look at Nick's claiming mark.
Brushing the fur aside, Judy saw that the mark was small. She could tell by the look of it that Nick hadn't sunk his large canines into her shoulder but had only bitten her with his short front teeth. That's why she hadn't been afraid of him when he first bit her.
Smiling at the mark, Judy brushed the fur back over it and hopped off the sink. Landing lightly on her feet, she picked up the can of musk mask and sprayed a liberal amount all over her body and then her clothes. With Nick's scent neutralized, she quickly dressed and joined her friends.
Dinner was a pleasant affair. She was sitting across the table from Daniel and Jacob who kept grinning crazily at her. Since the band was still planning to practice after dinner, Stella, Sabrina, and Nathaniel had stayed for dinner, too. This made for an interesting experience as all five of the teenagers had smelled Judy walking through the house and knew she scored with Nick. This had them snickering behind their paws as they whispered to each other once she entered the room after her shower.
Knowing how badly she had missed Nick, they all congratulated her on the new 'perfume' she was wearing (Nick's musk not the lavender musk mask). This made her blush bright red again. Laughing it off, she thanked the teenagers for helping her with the songs she sent Nick and assured them that the songs helped in winning Nick's affection.
This pleased the kits and they wished to know when they could meet him. After explaining that Nick was coming on the trip with her in the morning, she then told the kits that she and Nick would stay a few extra days after the others returned. The kits were bummed that Judy and Nick would miss most of the rodeo, but hoped they returned in time for the last two days as they wanted to show the two around.
Judy agreed that it would be fun but had to talk to Nick before she committed to anything. They were halfway through dinner when the front door opened and Bobby's and Carol's eleven-year-old daughter, Deedee, scampered in. She had been playing over at Suzie Nilwater's house (Suzie was Sabrina's and Stella' little sister) but was supposed to be home for dinner.
"Sorry for being late," Deedee said as she hurried over to the kitchen sink to wash her paws. "One of Suzie's juvenile dodo birds got loose, and we were running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to catch it."
Watching her daughter, Carol said, "Well, at least you're home now." As Deedee came to the table, Carol added, "You remember our friend Judy, don't you?"
Taking her seat, Deedee nodded towards Judy and said, "Hi, Judy, it's been a long time since I last saw you."
Judy had to stop her ears from drooping when she once more considered how much time she had lost with her friends and family while pursuing her police career—her failed police career. With a heavy heart, she responded, "Yeah, it's been a long time for a lot of things."
While filling her plate with food, Deedee then asked, "Since you're eating with us, I take it you didn't mean what you said on the news."
With a groan, Judy dropped her fork on her plate, then dropped her face into her paws. Rubbing the sides of her face as she stared down at her half-empty plate, Judy said, "Please don't remind me what I said. That has to be the worst day of my life for so many reasons. I wanted to make the world a better place but all I did was ruin it for so many innocent predators. I'm a complete failure as a cop." Squeezing her eyes shut, Judy began rubbing her temples.
Everyone was quite for a minute, but then Deedee asked, "So why did you say it was in our DNA to go savage?"
With a heavy sigh, Judy sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, then stared across the table and out the dining room window. Watching a large bumblebee buzzing about the tiger lilies growing in front of the window, Judy finally said, "It's the excuse Lionheart's doctor gave for not being able to find the real cause for the predators going savage. Everything was happening so fast when they shoved me out in front of the media—I was scared and nervous and confused and spoke without really understanding what I was saying."
With a shake of her head at the lame excuse for causing so much harm to the city, and specifically to predators, Judy continued speaking, "If I had time to think about it, I would have realized that it was just a lame excuse the badger doctor used to hide her inadequacies for being unable to find the real cause of the predators' savage condition."
Silence returned to the room, but then Carol tilted her head in confusion and asked, "But didn't they coach you or anything before they had you talk? What about the Public Relations department? Didn't they give you pointers for talking to the media?"
Judy shook her head. "It was the middle of the night when Nick and I stumbled onto the missing mammals and then we had to wait for backup. It was almost morning before we got to bed and then they called us about five hours later to inform us about the press conference. We only slept about 4 hours total, and then it was hurry up and get down here, we want you to talk." Judy gave a bitter snort at the memory.
Waving her paws around, Judy continued, saying, "It was my fourth day on the job and they never even assigned me a senior officer! I didn't have any resources or help on the case and then when I arrived for the conference, it was, 'Oh, good you're here! You're up in ten minutes.'" Planting her paws on the table, she pushed herself up out of her seat as she exclaimed, "They never even briefed me on what they'd found!"
The predators at the table sat gawking at Judy in shock. How could they send a rookie up there in front of the media without any kind of preparation or coaching in talking to the press?
Dropping back into her seat, Judy dropped her face in her palms as she muttered, "And then after causing so much hate to spread through the city, Mayor Bellwether wanted to make me the poster child of the ZPD." With a bitter snort, she added, "She claimed there were a lot of terrified prey and they needed someone they could trust." She spat the word 'trust' out like it was a filthy word.
Lifting her face to stare at Bobby, Judy grabbed her ears as she exclaimed, "Bellwether even put my face on several hundred flyers like I was some hero!" Folding her arms and leaning back in her chair, Judy dropped her gaze to the table and muttered, "That's when I turned in my badge and scurried home with my tail between my legs." Just like Nick said I would, Judy thought morosely. With a heavy sigh, she stated, "I was no hero, and I certainly wasn't someone the city could trust."
Watching Judy stare despondently at the table, Bobby snorted. Folding his arms across his chest while leaning back in his chair, he growled out, "I knew you were set up." Pointing a sharp claw at Judy when she glanced up, he added, "Someone wanted you up there nervous, clueless, and talkative. If you ask me, there's a conspiracy going on. The only predators going crazy is in Zootopia so whoever's behind it has to be in Zootopia, too."
With a nod, Carol asked, "Was it Chief Bogo who put you up there with no coaching or information on the case?"
Judy sat wide-eyed at her two predator friends. She had never considered a conspiracy before. She thought maybe a virus that only predators were susceptible to was being carried by mosquitoes or something. Then again, she had considered the possibility of someone poisoning the meat and bug products that predators ate, and if that was the case, then it would be a conspiracy…wouldn't it?
But for it to be Bogo? Although he didn't give her any respect those first few days, Judy got the impression it was because of her size and the bunny stereotype of being weak and timid. And Bogo never showed preferential treatment for his prey officers over the predator ones. Well, there was him moving Clawhauser to Records, but that wasn't Bogo's decision. That decision came from higher up and Bogo even complained about it. Apparently, the tubby cheetah was the best dispatcher they had ever had, notwithstanding his severe sweet tooth and Gazelle obsession.
With a shake of her head, Judy said, "Bogo was there and agreed to it, but it was actually Mayor Bellwether who was calling the shots at the press conference. I think Bogo wanted to wait a day or two to gather all the information before holding the conference, but the Mayor insisted it be that morning."
With the flick of her black and white ear, Carol said, "Then maybe Bellwether is behind the attacks, or at least, is part of the conspiracy. You did say she was the one who wanted to make you out to be a hero. And since the predator population was already mad at you for your infamous speech, if you had agreed to be the hero of the ZPD, it would have turned them all against you. Some might even have tried killing you in retribution for their sufferings."
Judy's eyes widened at this new thought. She hadn't considered this possibility when she turned in her badge, but at the same time, she couldn't refute it. So many predators were suffering because of what she said. So many had lost their jobs and their homes. Their families were living on the street and starving to death. Many were hurt in skirmishes with prey during the protests. And recently on the news, there had been reports of small mobs of prey going around harassing predators until they retaliated in anger just so the prey could have the predators arrested on assault charges. It was awful!
But still, for it to be sweet, little Dawn Bellwether behind the attacks? Judy tilted her head one way, and then the other in thought. "I don't know," she finally said to Carol. "I have a hard time believing Dawn Bellwether is behind the attacks. She was so sweet and helpful when Nick and I were following up on our clues to find the missing mammals." With a flick of her long, gray ear, she added, "And it was Lionheart who had kidnapped and imprisoned the savage mammals."
Leaning across the table, Bobby pointed his clawed finger at Judy again. "Yeah, he might have locked them up and kept it a secret, but he had a valid reason. Look what happened when word of their condition got out? How quickly did the flames of fear and hate sweep the city?"
Judy sat quietly while remembering the night they had hauled Lionheart to jail, and how he claimed he kept the savage predators a secret because he was trying to save the city. At the time, she just thought he was trying to save his own career, but now, she could see that Lionheart had been right in capturing the savage predators and not informing the public. Until the cause could be determined, releasing the knowledge only caused a city-wide panic.
Comparing Lionheart's actions in regard to the savage attacks to how Bellwether was dealing with them, Judy realized that Bellwether's plan wasn't calming people down at all, but seemed to be fueling the unrest. And if Judy had accepted the 'hero' title Bellwether wanted to give her and some predator (or group of predators) had killed her, or even tried, what would that have done to the fear and unrest prey were already feeling towards predators? It would have turned the whole city into a complete bloodbath, she was sure.
Still lost in thought, Judy whispered, "Lionheart only appointed Dawn as his assistant mayor because he wanted the sheep vote." With a slight shake of her head, Judy added, "And Lionheart never once treated her with respect. Dawn was just his glorified, overworked secretary. He even called her Smellwether."
"Well, there's your motive," Bobby said with a flick of his short, stubby tail. "She has a huge grudge against predators for their mistreatment of her and wants to make every predator suffer."
Judy slowly shook her head again. "I don't know, Bobby, it just seems so. . . so farfetched. I mean, come on, a city-wide conspiracy with the Mayor as the mastermind? I just have a hard time seeing it. Dawn was so nice and helpful when Nick and I needed help in finding the missing mammals—how can she be behind all the savage predators?"
Bobby rolled his eyes. "Haven't you ever watched Star Trek? Spock once said that 'If you remove the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'" With a raised brow, he waited for Judy's response.
Bobby was a huge Star Trek fan, so Judy wasn't surprised by his ability to flawlessly quote Spock. Turning her attention to her friend's question, Judy said again, "I don't know." Rubbing the back of her neck, she added, "Dawn just seemed so innocent. How can she be such an evil mastermind?"
Bobby opened his mouth to argue his point, but Daniel beat him to it. Leaning over the table as he pointed to Judy, Daniel said, "Haven't you ever seen the Addam's Family movie? Their daughter, Wednesday, was a homicidal maniac for Halloween at the end of the movie and when asked about her costume, she said she didn't need one because homicidal maniacs look like everyone else."
Smiling excitedly, Jacob was shaking his head as he spoke up right after his brother, "Yeah, homicidal maniacs look normal and innocent which makes them soo dangerous because you never suspect them right up until the moment they steal your last breath." Slashing down with his dinner knife, Jacob added while grinning, "Usually in some horribly gruesome way!"
"Jacob!" Carol berated him. "We do not talk about dying horribly at the dinner table, do we, son?"
"No, mom," Jacob mumbled in reply as dropped the knife back on the table. "Sorry," he added for good measure as he didn't want to get in trouble. They still needed to practice their songs after dinner and he didn't want to be sent to his room.
Sitting beside Judy, Sabrina leaned over and whispered, "Daniel and Jacob wanted to be homicidal maniacs for Halloween after watching the movie, but their mom refused to let them. Instead, they dressed up as Cereal Killers. You know, breakfast cereal, instead of the mass murderer kind of Serial Killer. They glued a bunch of cereal boxes to a couple of oversized shirts and then slashed them up and made it look like blood was oozing from the boxes."
Sitting at Judy's other side, Stella added in an equally quiet whisper, "They even carried around fake hunting knives with fake blood on them." With a soft giggle, she added, "It was pretty dumb, but we were a lot younger, so we thought it was pretty cool at the time."
Judy nodded, but then Bobby spoke up again. "Anyways, what me and the boys are getting at is even though Bellwether might look and act innocent, it doesn't mean she is." With a shrug, he repeated, "Eliminate the impossible and what's left must be the truth."
Judy sat tapping her chin in thought, then said, "I still have a hard time believing Bellwether is behind the savage predators, but even if there is a conspiracy and she's somehow involved, what am I supposed to do? I have no evidence and no leads. I don't even have a badge anymore! And it's not like anyone is going to believe me if I show up and accuse the mayor of being involved in some elaborate conspiracy to segregate and subjugate the predator population through fear and hatred."
Leaning forward to drop her face back in her paws, Judy muttered morosely, "Let's face it, I broke the city and ruined the lives of so many predators and there's no way to fix anything. I feel like I kicked Humpty Dumpty off the wall—and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put him back together again."
Feeling like they needed a change in topic, not to mention the food was getting cold, Carol said, "Well, there is one predator you were able to make things right with, isn't there?"
Judy looked up with wide eyes, then a soft smile crossed her small muzzle. "Yes," she whispered while remembering Nick's kisses and everything that followed. "Yes, there is."
With a giggle, Stella said, "And going by the new perfume Nick gave you, I'd say you more than made things right with him." Stella wasn't the only one giggling. All five of the teens were snickering again (Nathanial was the only one who continued eating while listening to the conversation, but he too was snickering again).
Judy's ears immediately turned bright red and dropped to her back, even as Deedee looked around at the older kits in confusion. Finally, she asked, "What's so funny? And who is Nick anyways?"
Sabrina looked down the table at the younger bobcat and replied, "Nick is a fox that helped Judy find the missing mammals, but they had a fight over Judy's speech at the conference and he left her."
With a nod, Stella quickly added, "Yeah, but he came to Bunnyburrow looking for her. Judy met with him just before dinner and came back wearing some pretty strong perfume."
Trying to hide her embarrassment, Judy had picked up her glass of lemonade and took a drink, but at Stella's last comment, she nearly choked on it. Coughing, she beat her chest a moment and then cleared her throat.
Giving Stella and Sabrina a stern stare, Carol said, "Now girls, that's not something we need to discuss at the dinner table. Why don't we finish our meal before it gets any colder?"
"Yes, ma'am," the mink sisters said together as they turned back to their lukewarm food. The conversation had taken a weird turn and they now understood why Judy had said what she did at the conference, but the highlight of the evening was still Judy and the new perfume she was sporting when she came back from her 'talk' with Nick.
Deedee wasn't happy with the way the conversation ended, and so asked, "Come on, what was so funny?" The teens tried not to laugh at the young bobcat's ignorance, but they didn't do a great job of it. Frowning, Deedee sniffed the air, then said, "Judy smells like lavender—what's so funny about that?" Since she was sitting at the far end of the table from Judy, she couldn't smell the faint fox scent under the lavender musk mask.
The teens snickered again, even as Carol said, "Don't worry about it, sweetie, just eat your dinner."
"Ah, come on, Mom, I'm not a little kit anymore," Deedee whined. "What's so funny?"
With a raised brow, Carol repeated, "Don't worry about it, Deedee, it doesn't concern you."
Pouting, Deedee turned her attention back to her food. Stabbing her baked chicken, she grumbled, "I hate it when you treat me like a baby."
Tearing off a small piece of bread from his roll, Daniel tossed it at his younger sister with a laugh, saying, "The fact you need to ask goes to show you're still a little kit."
Glaring at her brother, Deedee growled, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Kits!" Bobby said sternly. "This conversation is over. Now eat." He pointed to their plates.
"Yes, Father," they both answered obediently as they turned back to their food, Daniel with a wide smile as he was in on the joke while Deedee was sullen. She hated being treated like a little kit when the others weren't. The other kits weren't that much older than she was.
The rest of dinner was a much quieter affair. They had some light chit-chat about the kits' preparations for the upcoming rodeo, with the teens talking about their music and Deedee talking about her takahe and dodo she was entering in the fair next month. After dinner finished, Sabrina and Stella asked for Judy's phone number before they scampered back out to continue practicing their songs with the boys.
Laughing to see the mink sisters' enthusiasm, Judy was grateful to have more support for hers and Nick's abnormal relationship. Turning her attention to Carol's and Bobby's youngest kit, she heard Deedee say she was going outside to feed her birds. Walking up to the young bobcat, Judy asked if she would join her in the living room for a moment. With her short bobtail wagging back and forth with her curiosity, Deedee followed Judy into the living room and sat next to her on the couch.
Taking a deep breath, Judy put her arm around Deedee's shoulders and was surprised to see that the young bobcat was already as big as she was! Turning her attention back to what she wanted to say, Judy then said, "I know you're curious about the new perfume Nick gave me, so I wanted to explain it to you so the older kits can't keep teasing you about it."
Deedee immediately perked up and her expression brightened. "Really!" With a wide smile that showed her needle-like teeth, the young bobcat asked, "What perfume did Nick give you?" She felt really grateful to Judy that she wasn't treating her like a little kit like everyone else did.
With her nose only slightly twitching in embarrassment at what she was about to say, Judy smiled. "Well, it's a special kind of perfume you only give to the mammal you love, that special someone you want to marry and start a family with."
Deedee's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her wide, feline paws. "You're not talking about a mammal's scent mark are you?" she said incredulously. This was a rabbit doe talking about being scent marked by a fox todd! How weird was that!? A second later, Deedee then thought, 'But it would be really cool if it were true!'
Judy gave a slight nod, then asked, "Can't you smell Nick's scent under the lavender musk mask?"
Deedee leaned closer to the rabbit doe beside her and took a deep breath, then another. The lavender scent was strongest, but there hiding under it was the scent of male fox. With her eyes getting even wider, Deedee gasped. With her large paws still covering her mouth, she whispered in disbelief, "Nick scent marked you!?"
With a soft laugh, Judy replied, "I scent marked him first, and yeah, we kinda went overboard with the whole scent marking thing." Jabbing her thumb down the hall, she then explained, "I had to take a shower before dinner so I could wash the worst of it off, and then I still had to use your mom's musk mask to hide the rest so my family doesn't freak out when I go home in a little while."
Deedee now understood why her brothers and his friends were teasing her earlier. If Judy had been smelling that badly of fox, no wonder they were laughing about Judy's new perfume! Thinking back over Judy's words, Deedee realized what Judy had said at the end. With a flick of her small, rounded ears, she asked, "You're not going to tell your family that you already scent marked Nick and want to marry him?"
Judy slumped down on the couch. "No," she murmured. "At least, not right away." Leaning forward, she dropped her face in her palms. "My family is pretty specist against predators, and against foxes in particular, so I'm afraid to tell them about my choice in a mate."
Feeling a bit confused, Deedee asked, "Then wouldn't it have been better to let your family get to know Nick first before you scent marked each other?"
Judy nodded and couldn't refute the young bobcat's words. If she had been smart, she would have waited, but… With a sigh, Judy sat up and crossed her arms over her chest again. Meeting Deedee's pale green eyes, Judy explained, "If we were being smart, yes, we should have waited."
Deedee's large, feline nose twitched briefly as she asked, "So why didn't you?" Although she was pretty perceptive for her an eleven year old, Deedee was still inexperienced in the ways of adults and so didn't understand why Judy and Nick didn't wait to scent mark each other. Getting her family's approval would be best, wouldn't it?
Judy blinked as she looked into Deedee's large, confused and curious eyes. Carol and Bobby raised their kits to be accepting of others, to not discriminate against others because of their species or by how wealthy or poor a mammal was. And being bobcats, smaller predators who were respected in the community, Bobby's kits didn't receive a lot of discrimination themselves so Deedee didn't understand how bad (and scary) it could be—especially for a fox wanting to join such a large and specist rabbit family.
Taking a deep breath, Judy looked across the living room at a family portrait hanging on the wall. Bobby stood with Carol in their Sunday best with the kits sitting in front of them. Taking another deep breath, Judy thought about Deedee's question and why she didn't even think twice about scent marking Nick.
Finally, she looked back at the young bobcat and said, "Seeing Nick again felt like a dream. I didn't think I would see him for years, nor did I have much hope that he would ever see me as anything more than his rabbit friend. But he did see me as more than a friend and being able to hug him felt like I'd finally come home." With a sniffle as she felt a tear leak from her eye, Judy added, "But then I found out Nick had been knifed in the back three weeks ago while he was at the store buying groceries."
Deedee gaped as more tears started spilling down Judy's cheeks. Wiping at them with her arm, Judy then added, "Because of what I said four months ago, some over-sized rodent thought he was justified in stabbing a fox. Nick nearly bled to death from the wound, and since he's a fox, he couldn't even see a doctor and the wound got infected."
Deedee's own eyes were starting to smart at hearing Judy's story, so she slid off the couch to grab some tissues and brought the box back with her. Sitting next to Judy again, she pawed a few over, then dabbed at her own eyes before wrapping an arm around the rabbit's shoulders and pulling her into a side-hug.
Judy felt grateful for Deedee's thoughtfulness and compassion. With another sniffle, Judy explained, "After realizing how close I came to losing Nick forever, I couldn't let him go. So when he told me he loved me, I had to show Nick just how much he meant to me. That if the whole world turned against him, I would never forsake him." Dabbing at her eyes again, Judy added, "I had to let him know that there would never be anyone else for me."
Deedee nodded as she squeezed Judy's shoulder briefly. "That's when you scent marked Nick?"
Judy nodded. Blowing her nose, she then said, "Did you know that when rabbits scent mark each other for the first time, it's a sign of their engagement?"
Deedee shook her head, then looked sharply down at the rabbit she was hugging. "Does that mean you're already engaged to Nick!?"
Judy nodded as she finally got her tears under control. With a soft chuckle, she explained, "Well, in rabbit culture we're engaged, but for foxes, scent marking means something a little different."
"Really?" Deedee asked curiously. "What does it mean for foxes?"
With bright smile, Judy looked up and said, "According to fox tradition, I'm now Nick's wife." As Deedee's jaw went slack, Judy added, "But I still want to have a real wedding. I want to dress in white and walk down the aisle where Nick will be waiting to receive me. My bridesmaids will be standing up there with me and—"
Deedee suddenly grabbed Judy's arm and said, "Can I be your flower girl?"
Judy met Deedee's expectant gaze and blinked, then a wide smile spread across her face. Wrapping her arms around the young bobcat, Judy gave her a tight hug and said, "You would make a very beautiful flower girl, Deedee, and I would be honored if you were to be my flower girl at my wedding to Nick."
With a soft squeal, Deedee said, "I'm so excited! I always wanted to be a flower girl, but nobody ever asked me." Hugging Judy back, Deedee squeezed her tightly for a moment then released her to sit back. With a clap of her paws, she added, "This is going to be the best wedding ever!"
With a happy laugh, Judy said, "I don't know how soon we can hold the wedding, but you will certainly be one of the first mammals I tell."
"Yay!" Deedee said with another clap of her paws.
Before anymore could be said, Carol walked into the room and smiled. "Deedee, sweetie, why don't you feed your birds now? I need to talk to Judy for a few minutes before I drive her home."
"Okay," Deedee said happily as she hopped up off the couch. Bending down to give Judy another hug, she whispered, "I'll be waiting to hear the good news."
"Me too," Judy answered back with a bright smile. Deedee squealed again, then skipped outside to feed her birds.
After Deedee left, Carol met Judy's warm gaze and said, "Thank you for taking time to talk to Deedee."
Judy gave a shrug. "Deedee's a good kit and I didn't want her asking the wrong mammals for answers."
Carol nodded in agreement. "Yes, ignoring a kit's curiosity can be dangerous, especially if they're old enough to seek the answers elsewhere. As they near the teenage years, it's so important to keep the lines of communication open. Then when they become teenagers, you know they'll come to you first when they have important life questions that need answered."
Judy agreed wholeheartedly and wished her parents had more time for her when she was younger. With so many kits, the older kits ended up raising the younger ones, and whenever Judy wanted to have a one-on-one talk with her mother, it seems she was always busy with someone else. When she was really little, up until she was about five, her mom was a mom, but after she turned five, Judy saw less and less of her.
Well, Bonnie was always around but when it came to getting advice, Judy usually ended up asking her older sisters or an aunt or one of her grandparents. That was why she was so close to her Grandma Cecilia. As a preteen and young teen, her Grandma Cecilia was more of a mother to Judy than her own mother was. So, it was a huge blow to her when Grandma Cecilia passed on. Her mother had been there for her for about a week following Cecilia's death, but after the week was up, Bonnie had to focus her attention on the younger kits again.
Once in a blue moon, Judy would find some time alone to talk to her mom, usually after most of the other kits went to bed, but those times were few and far in between. That was one of the biggest reasons she didn't want to get married or have kits—because she didn't want to become her mom—barefoot and pregnant with no time to be a mother once her kits reached a certain age. Maybe that was one of the biggest reasons she never felt anything towards bucks. Most wanted a large family and that wasn't her. But with Nick, Judy didn't have to worry about that. She could enjoy being a bunny without being constantly pregnant. Now if she did get pregnant, it would be a miracle—a miracle she would gladly welcome into their little family.
With all the kits outside, Carol brought Judy into her study. Going to one of the many bookshelves, she pulled a book down and turned towards Judy, saying, "You remember I'm a psychologist who works with troubled kits and teens, right?" Judy nodded and Carol continued, "In working with them, I find that understanding their culture and traditions helps me understand them better and makes it easier for me to help them work through their problems."
"That makes sense," Judy replied while wondering where her friend was headed and highly curious about the fat book in her paws.
"As such, I have a lot of cultural books for the different species I work with." Handing the book to Judy, Carol added, "I think this book will help you understand Nick a lot better."
Looking over the glossy cover, Judy saw it was a book on fox culture. "I can read this?"
With a smile and a nod, Carol explained, "There's a section in there on red foxes. You're welcome to borrow it if you want."
Judy was elated, but then frowned. "I'm heading to the burrow next and I really don't want to be caught with it. It'll raise a lot of red flags to my specist family members." Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Can I go over some of it now and then come back after the trip to finish reading it?"
With a bright and understanding smile, Carol answered, "Of course." Leading Judy to one of the thick, overstuffed-chairs in the room, she said, "Take as much time as you need and then I can drive you home when you're done. If you have any questions, I'll answer to the best of my knowledge and anything I can't answer I'm sure Nick can."
Judy murmured her thanks, then climbed onto the chair and immediately stuck her nose in the book. Finding the section on red foxes, she read about some of their history and was surprised to learn that with a red foxes' high intelligence, they were actually one of the first species to evolve a higher thinking. They used their higher thinking to their advantage against 'less evolved' species. Once the other mammals evolved enough to catch on, foxes were labeled as thieves and tricksters and have never lived those labels down.
Judy was impressed, especially as she had only known Gideon growing up. She didn't think red foxes were that intelligent until she met Nick and he proved just how smart and intelligent foxes really were. She was feeling a bit ashamed again when remembering how she had first treated him.
Not only did she automatically assume that he was up to no good (which wasn't far from the truth), she had been shocked by how well he spoke and called him an 'articulate fella'. With a groan, Judy smacked her forehead with the book. She was never going to live that one down.
Taking a deep breath, Judy set the book back on her lap and smoothed it out. As much as she wanted to read through it all, she didn't have time. Flipping to the section on red fox dating and mating rituals, Judy started reading.
Learning about imprinting was shocking but did explain why Nick might have chosen a small rabbit for his mate. If she touched him on whatever emotional and instinctual level that imprinting required, then it would explain both Nick's angry and hurt reaction to her fearful action towards him after the press conference, as well as what brought Nick back to her and why he stole that first kiss.
Licking her lips, Judy remembered that first kiss they shared along with the many proceeding kisses. She was still shocked by how good it felt to kiss a fox. Kissing one of her ancestor's ancient enemies shouldn't leave her craving more. Taking a deep breath, Judy returned her attention to the book. After reading about the imprinting process, she read about how the vixen determined the pace of the relationship and was usually the one who initiated the first kiss. If that was the case, why did Nick kiss her first? And it wasn't no chaste kiss either!
With a shake of her head, Judy set the question aside to ask Nick about it later. Scanning through the page, she found a section that mentioned the importance of food in fox culture. With all the abuse heaped on them from other species and with the scarcity of high paying jobs due to the stigma placed on them, the ability to provide for his mate and kits was a driving force in a red todd's work ethics. Red todds frequently ended up taking back-breaking, dangerous jobs if it meant they could put food on the table. And even though vixens frequently ended up working to make ends meet, the todds will work long hours in an effort to keep their vixens at home so they can provide a warm, loving environment for their kits to grow up in.
Thinking of Nick as a father had Judy's nose and ears turning a shade darker, even as a warm smile spread across her lips. What would Nick be like as a father? Going by how well he played the father in his hustles, she was sure he would be great. Picturing Nick rolling around on the ground as he played with their kits, Judy's smile disappeared. Would she even be able to give Nick kits? For the first time in her life, she actually wanted kits and was regretting the fact she might not be able to have them.
Running her fingertips lightly across the page, Judy wondered once again if they might be able to have a miracle baby? What would a bunny and fox hybrid even look like? She was sure it would be the cutest thing ever. It would have to be seeing it would have Nick's hot genes.
Continuing with her reading, Judy saw that red todds learn at a young age how to cook and will get creative in order to turn the blandest food into something tasty. When possible, todds and vixens share the cooking in the home. With another smile touching her lips, Judy was looking forward to cooking with Nick. It was a vast difference to what a rabbit buck would expect from his wife and mate, but one Judy appreciated. At the same time, she wondered what dishes Nick liked to cook. What dishes would he cook her? And what dishes could she cook him?
With her list of things to discuss with Nick growing, Judy turned to the next page. This page explained the importance of the first six dates. The todd usually prepared the first date, something special that meant something to both. The vixen planned the next one, something equally meaningful to both. The todd planned the next one, then the vixen, the todd, and then the vixen. If they made it through the sixth date, then they were usually reading to perform the Ritual of Claiming.
Judy's frown returned as she thought of the dates they had missed. If she had known how important dating was to red foxes, Judy definitely would have waited to scent mark Nick. She wouldn't have had to tell him to wait, simply let's go on a few dates first. Now she was feeling guilty for robbing Nick of such an important tradition. Biting the inside of her cheek, she wondered if it would have the same meaning to go on the dates even though Nick had already claimed her.
Adding that to her list of things to discuss, Judy read on. For foxes who could afford it, a simple wedding ceremony was planned out and the Ritual of Claiming was performed on the wedding night. For those who couldn't afford the wedding, a simple ring ceremony was set up, either before or after the Ritual of Claiming. Touching the page, Judy wondered if Nick would still want a wedding. Did she rob him of a wedding, too? Or would he be content with a simple ring ceremony? And then there was the ancient rabbit wedding ceremony. Would he want to perform that wedding with her? Judy truly hoped he would.
Flipping to the next page, Judy's eyes widened. The first page went into more detail on the Ritual of Claiming, but the opposite page showed a diagram of the todd's and vixen's reproductive organs. And yes, the diagram clearly showed the todd's knot. Taking a deep breath, Judy closed her eyes and rubbed her belly. With perfect clarity, she remembered how Nick's hot cock felt in her paws, the growls and groans of pleasure he made when she licked him. Nor could she forget how mind-blowingly amazing it felt to have Nick inside her, to feel his hard shaft thrusting deep inside her.
Whimpering, Judy sucked in a deep breath. "Bad bunny," she mumbled to herself. "Nick's not here to take care of you." Taking a deep breath, she added, "And even if he were, you're at your friend's house and it would be rude to do so." With another deep breath, she shook the images from her mind, even as she solidified her plan to get Nick behind locked doors once she got home.
With a lick of her lips while thinking of Nick's kisses and everything they led to, Judy turned her attention back to the book. Trying to avoid looking at the diagram (looking at it immediately made her think of Nick and what she wanted to do to him behind locked doors), she focused on what the book said about the Claiming Ceremony. Although Nick hit the important parts of it in his explanation, he didn't properly convey its importance in red fox culture.
When Nick said it was a lifetime commitment, he failed to say that if anything happened to her, he would never get over her. It would be mentally, emotionally, and physiologically impossible. Imprinting and claiming their mates triggered something in their brain that was tied into their most primal instincts.
This trigger was intricately tied with their strong sense of smell. Even in immense pain and danger, if they smelled their mates, they would forget their own pain and the need to flee for survival in order to protect their mates. It wasn't even a conscious decision for them. If their mates were injured or in danger, they would throw their own life away to protect and safeguard their mates. This was especially true with todds and added to the misconception and stereotype of fox todds being violent and vicious.
Judy sat staring at the words for several heartbeats, lost in thought. What had she done to Nick when she scent marked him? Being so instinctively tied to a rabbit—was this really what he wanted or did she rob that choice from him with her impulsive actions? Not sure of her answer, Judy thought over how Nick had followed her through so much danger when she was tracking down Otterton. He could have left her at any time. If he was being smart, he would have. Any other mammal would have. It was certain she would have died at least once, if not several times if he hadn't been with her.
So why did he stay? Judy had asked herself this question a thousand times or more over the last four months and had never come up with an answer. But here in this book, she thought she might have finally found it. If Nick had started imprinting on her way back then, then his instincts would have never allowed him to leave her. And when they landed in that pool of water at the base of Cliffside Asylum, Nick's fear and worry for her were real. Even under the water, she had heard his cry. It was the first time he had said her name.
With tears shimmering in her eyes, Judy rubbed her heart. Even back then, when she was just the annoying bunny cop who blackmailed him into helping her, Nick was already falling for her. Just as Nick had effortlessly stolen her heart, it appeared she had just as easily stolen his.
Wiping at her eyes, Judy suddenly felt a strong urge to hold Nick and to be held by him. To feel his loving embrace and hear him say her name as he peppered her with his licks and nips. With a sniffle, she took a deep breath and returned her attention to the book. She wanted to finish this passage about the Claiming Ceremony, then get her tail home so she could see Nick.
While reading, two things became clear. Besides failing to tell her about her own claiming mark she was supposed to leave on him, Nick had also failed to mention that along with his declaration of love and devotion to her, and his vow to remain faithfully by her side, she was supposed to give him her vows. Simply repeating back to him his words of 'For life' now seemed a pale comparison to his own declaration of love and devotion. Both of these oversights she needed to rectify tonight.
Closing the book, Judy set it on the table beside her then hopped down from the chair to go in search of Carol. She had been away from her foxy new husband long enough. Furthermore, she had a long list of items to discuss with Nick…after she had her fill of him. While walking through the house in search of her ride home, Judy remembered a very embarrassing gift she had been given by several of her sisters upon graduating high school followed by a similar gift upon graduating college. Both had ended up in a box in the back of her closet. If she could get Nick alone in her room with the door locked, it might be time to dig them out.
I hope you enjoyed seeing things from Judy's perspective. Next time, we'll jump back over to Ryan and Daisy and see what happens when Ryan drags his new girlfriend home.
Ch. 33: Overwhelmed, will post in 2 weeks.
I hope you have a great weekend. Stay safe. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.