After Nick left him, Finnick puttered around the barn. It'd been a while since he'd been here, and he was refamiliarizing himself with all the expensive tools Nick had stashed away. He resisted the urge to follow after Nick and see how he and bunny cop interacted. He still struggled with the idea that they were not only friends, but had strong feelings for each other. The hypocritical bunny was flicking her cottony tail at Nick and he, the eternal bachelor, was more than happy to chase after it. It was crazy.

After a few minutes of puttering around the garage, he heard the soft murmur of their voices, then Nick's voice got a little louder followed by laughter. Being inside the garage, he couldn't quite make out what was said, but he recognized Nick's teasing voice. He did hear clearly the bunny cop's loud moan of his name, followed by a deeper, louder laugh from Nick, his yip of pain, and then more laughter. And the hearty laughter continued.

Finn sat down hard on the ground as he listened to his friend's loud, continuous, heartfelt laughter. He hadn't heard him laugh like this in over 5 years. Five long years! He'd laughed plenty in that time, but it was always joking, snide, aggravating, or demeaning—never this happy, heartfelt laughter. Spending time with his family was the closest Nick came to sounding this free and happy—no worries, no concerns, no mask to put on to hide who he was or how he felt. Nick was actually being his honest self and enjoying it immensely—all thanks to bunny cop.

"You better not leave him, bunny cop, 'cause Nick needs you. He needs this." After all the tragedy and abuse Nick had suffered through the years, this was the best therapy Finn could think of for his emotionally stifled friend. After hiding his emotions for so many years, he was finally letting them out. And it sounded great to Finnick's over-sized ears. Really great. Until it stopped—along with their voices.

With ears pricked forward trying to catch any sound, he scrambled to his feet. Nick had already told him how hard it was to hold back with Judy, how pawsy she was, and how persistent his biology was when it came to his bunny—and getting physical so soon wouldn't be good for either of them. She may be a bunny, and they might be fine with quick relationships, but Nick was still a red fox and they didn't do quick relationships. They needed time to cement them—the two of them probably didn't need as much time as a normal fox relationship, but they still needed time—not five freaking days!

Running from the garage to stand next to his van, he hollered up with his deep, irritated voice, "Yo, dirt-for-brains! You better not have forgotten about me being here and are up there sucking face with your bunny!"

….

Nick and Judy froze, their lips a breath away from each other, and then their eyes widened. Nick quickly scrambled up and away from Judy, then rubbed his face as he turned around. Talk about a mood killer . . . not that he was complaining—much. Walking over to the railing, he waved at Finn, who stood glaring at him, and said, "No, no face sucking here." With a weak chuckle, he scratched the back of his head.

Finn folded his arms and continued to glare. Guilty, he thought. Nick has guilty written all over him.

Nick turned back around and, seeing Judy push herself into a sitting position, hurried over to help. "Are you alright?" he asked at seeing her grimace.

"Yeah, but my leg really hurts now."

Bending down, he scooped her up into his arms, then froze. With his nose twitching he took several deep breaths, then his ears flattened against his head.

Seeing Nick's concerned expression, she asked, "Nick, what's wrong?"

"Blood. You're bleeding again."

Glancing at her leg, Judy cautiously asked, "Is it bad?"

With a slight shake of his head, he answered, "No. It's real faint, but we should check to be sure. I guess we can change your bandage a little early today." Judy nodded and Nick carried her over to the railing so he could yell down, "I need to change Carrot's bandages. I'll be back out in a little bit."

Finnick nodded, then his eyes widened when bunny cop waved to him. He reflexively gave a slight wave back, and then watched them disappear as they headed into the house. Rubbing his face, he muttered, "Dang, that was weird. She didn't ignore me." Finn was very used to being ignored by both preds and prey, but especially prey. And that's when they weren't treating him like a little kit or harassing him in some other way. Which is why he was so irritable all the time. If he wasn't loud and irritating, no one would notice him, or take him seriously when they did.

And yet bunny cop acknowledged him. He knew she acknowledged Nick, and was actively pursuing him from what he said, but Finn didn't expect her to treat him the same way—well, not the same, obviously, but she was treating him more as an equal and not a shifty lowlife or second class citizen like most prey did.

Scratching his head, he returned to puttering around in the garage while his thoughts ran in circles and didn't make much sense.

….

As Nick brought Judy into her room, he set her on the bed, then went to get a bowl of warm water and a clean washcloth. Setting them on the dresser, he pulled out the sterile gauze they'd received from the hospital, then turned back to Judy. "You ready, Fluff?"

Judy nodded, knowing he would have to take her pants off. With ears bright red, she leaned back on the bed and supported her weight on her forearms as she watched him.

As Nick slipped his fingers under the elastic band of her sweats, he paused as a mischievous twinkle entered his emerald gaze. He could never resist teasing her when the opportunity arose, and so he said, "You know, Fluff, as fun as the idea was to take your clothes off five minutes ago, this really isn't how I pictured it going."

"Ni-ick!" She whined, then kicked him lightly in the stomach with her good foot.

"Oomph!" Nick dropped his arms to protect his stomach, then rubbed his shirt and thick fur over the spot her foot had connected. It didn't hurt, but he felt like humoring her. As his teasing smile returned, he said, "What? It's true, isn't it?"

"That is . . . I mean . . . it's not . . ." Not able to refute his claim, nor willing to actually admit to it, she let her head drop onto the bed, then folded her arms and stared at the ceiling. She knew exactly what he was talking about and now she had those annoying ideas back in her head. "Jerk," she muttered.

Nick chuckled again, then quickly tugged her sweatpants off. Folding them up, he set them on the dresser, then dug out her shorts, asking, "Do you want to put your shorts on? That way you can get back some of your modesty."

With ears now cocked forward, she met Nick's warm gaze as he held up her blue jean shorts. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about those." With a smile, she nodded. "That'd be great, Slick." Wriggling her feet, she waited for him to slip them on.

Bringing her good foot up to bed, she lifted her hips so he could slip them up to her waste, then she reached down to help pull them over her tail. Relaxing back on the bed, she grinned. "You've come this far, you might as well finish, Slick."

Raising an eyebrow, Nick reached down and fastened her shorts and zipped them up. Planting his paws to either side of her head as he leaned over her, he gave her a hungry, predatory grin and said, "You know, you shouldn't tease a hungry predator like this. You've laid yourself out as the most delectable meal, and if you're not careful, you'll be devoured." Opening his maw to show off his glistening fangs, he slowly licked his chops while exaggerating his tongue sliding over his sharp teeth.

Judy's nose began twitching while her heartrate and breathing increased. Nick was giving her plenty of new ideas to try with him—once they officially started dating, of course. And some of her ideas they'd need to wait until they were married. Hm, marriage. She was already liking the idea. She particularly liked the idea of a fox wedding. Maybe they could have a big rabbit wedding afterwards. Yes, a nice quiet fox wedding followed by a large bunny wedding—then she wouldn't have to die from anticipation and longing while the bunny wedding was planned.

Nick, thinking he'd gotten the best of her, was on the verge of standing up to check on her injury when his honeybun suddenly moved and his heart nearly stopped before jackhammering in his chest while his abdominal muscles suddenly clenched.

Not wanting him to have the last laugh, Judy lifted her paw and rubbed it across Nick's chest and then halfway down his belly, then looked up to meet his predatory gaze with an embarrassed, yet hungry one of her own. "You know, Slick, you look pretty tasty yourself, so if you do decide to eat me, don't be surprised when I start nibbling on you, too." Letting her gaze travel down his lean figure, then back up to meet his now excited emeralds, she added softly, "A lot."

Nick's eyes widened and the tingle started in his belly again. Taking a deep breath, he promptly smelled the blood from her injury and tried to shake the hormone-induced-fog from his brain. Licking his black nose, he stood up, saying, "As tempting as your offer is, and as exciting as it sounds, we really need to look at your leg. It's still bleeding."

Judy nodded, then pulled her flaming ears over her face as her nose twitched. "I'm sorry, Nick. I don't know what's come over me." Peeking out from behind one of her ears as Nick crouched down and began removing her bandage, she said, "Well, I know what part of it is." With a cheeky grin, she continued, "I hate losing, so when you get to me, I feel like I need to one up you."

"And you're doing a splendid job of it, too."

"I still think your winning, though."

"Hey, I'm not counting." Peeling the slightly bloody gauze off her leg, Nick reached over and grabbed the warm water and washcloth. As he began gently cleaning the wound, he asked, "And the other part?"

Hiding behind her ears once more, she moaned, "My boy-crazy sisters." Letting her ears flop back against the bed, she glanced at Nick and saw him raise an eyebrow. With a small smile, she said, "I should probably explain more about rabbit dating habits first."

"Please do," he replied while gently wiping her wound and being careful of the stitches. He was highly interested in hearing more about rabbit culture, and especially their dating habits. It would help him understand Judy a lot better and allow him to put her atypical bunny behavior in perspective.

Judy's grin widened and she pushed herself up into a sitting position so she could see him better. "So, most does will casually date several bucks at the same time while looking for someone that clicks with them, in which case they'll break off and start exclusively dating. And, yes rabbits are good at multiply—just look at my parents—but contrary to popular belief, most rabbits don't start multiplying until they're actually engaged or married. I mean, can you imagine how many unwed mothers, many still teenagers and kits themselves, we'd have if most rabbits lived up to the promiscuous stereotype most mammals see us as?"

Nick nodded, seeing the logic of her statement. It did give him a better view of rabbits, but he still had to ask, "But rabbits do have a high sex drive?" At her nod, he asked, "So how do you control that?"

"When we hit puberty and our sex drives kick in, we go on suppressants, both does and bucks. That way we can think properly, and our hormones aren't running away with us."

"Okay, that makes sense. So how do your boy-crazy sisters come into the picture?" Having finished cleaning the wound, Nick looked the injury over and saw that the minuscule tears around a couple of the stitches were already starting to clot. That was a relief. Grabbing the antibiotic spray from the dresser, he sprayed a liberal dose over the wound.

"Well, most of my sisters are clear headed and are looking for a buck with qualities befitting a husband and father, but there is a small group that don't take their suppressants and go on dates several nights a week and are extremely pawsy. Rabbits, in general, are naturally pawsy, but they take it to a whole new level," she explained while waving her paws for emphasis.

"You don't say?" Nick murmured teasingly while remembering how pawsy she was with him. Waiting for the spray to dry, he grinned as Judy's blush deepened again.

"Yeah, so, anyway, my dumb sisters would find me the day after their dates, usually when I was trying to study, and would start discussing—very loudly, I might add—their exploits of the night before and what they still wanted to do with the dumb bucks they were dating. Sometimes I'd have to threaten bodily harm if they didn't shut up and leave me alone."

Nick chuckled. "You threatened your sisters?"

"Yes! They were always going on about their dates in vivid detail. Picturing them in such compromising positions with all the dumb bucks that had caught their interest was—aach! Disgusting." Rubbing her paws down her face, she then rubbed her eyes while trying to blot out the memories.

Nick smiled wistfully while picturing a younger Judy being harassed by her crazy sisters. "Did you date anyone? I know you weren't really interested in anyone, but you said rabbits casually date while looking for Mr. Right."

Judy scrunched up her nose in disgust while thinking of her "dating" experiences—or lack thereof. "Only once, for prom, and I ended up sending him to the hospital before the dance was over."

"You what!?"

"His name was Rick Leapsen and he'd been bugging me for months to go to prom with him. Most of the bucks who tried dating me had the worst pickup lines ever and were obviously only wanting a quick tumble in the hay. But Rick actually sounded genuine about wanting to take me to the dance and never once tried to get pawsy with me." Pausing to frown at the memory, she added, "He was probably afraid I'd dislocate his fingers if he tried." At Nick's raised eyebrow, she explained, "That's usually what I did to the bucks who wouldn't stop touching me. I mean, I gave them several warnings and I don't know how they equated me wanting to be a cop into being an easy tail . . ." Unable to comprehend their perverted minds, Judy shook her head and continued with her story. "Anyway, Rick wasn't like that. He kept his paws to himself and was very respectful. He didn't even tear my dreams apart."

Pausing in memory, she then continued, "I still wasn't interested in him as a dating partner, but I thought I might actually enjoy the dance. I'd never been to one, so I was curious about what it'd be like. I always liked dancing to music back at home when I needed a break from studying, that or going outside for a nice run or hike."

Nick nodded, and Judy said, "So back to the dance. It was nice at first, and Rick was a great dancer, but once we went outside to get fresh air, he kept trying to kiss me. It was annoying, but he wasn't being all pawsy with me, so I just kind of focused on everything but him. He got frustrated after a bit and said he was going in to get us some drinks. When he didn't come back, I went looking for him. I found him with some of his friends who were giving him a hard time. When I got close enough to hear what they were saying—I flipped! I marched up to Rick and punched him in the nose." Her nose was twitching incessantly as the anger she felt back then rose to the surface once again.

Nick's eyes widened as he stared at her. "What were they saying?"

"Apparently, Rick had a bet with his friends: 50 dollars said he could kiss me by the end of the dance. He'd get a 100 if he could get laid that night, or 75 dollars if he could get lucky by the end of the weekend. Needless to say, a broken nose and trip to the hospital was my contribution to the bet."

Nick's ears splayed back and to the side at their mistreatment of Judy, of his bunny. He swallowed the low growl that started in his chest and then asked, "And you never dated since or had any interest in any buck?" Sitting back on his heals, Nick cocked his head, his ears pricked forward as he waited for her answer.

Judy shook her head. "No one ever caught my interest so why bother?"

Nick nodded, then glanced out the window in thought. Just as Judy was his first serious love interest, he was hers. Since he was a red fox, it wasn't too surprising for her to be his first (other than, you know, her being a bunny), although he did keep himself more aloof than most foxes. But for her, being a rabbit, to have no one before him—it did something to his heart. It squeezed it in ways it'd never been squeezed before and left a warmth that flooded his whole body.

Judy felt a light tingle in her belly at the sound of Nick's low growl and she wished he hadn't cut it short. She knew it was a protective growl at hearing how Rick had treated her, and it released a wave of warm, fluffy butterflies loose in her belly.

Trying to quale the butterflies fluttering around inside her, she softly asked, "Did you ever date anyone?" From the way he was talking earlier, she didn't think so, but she wanted to know for sure . . . not that it would matter if he did, but she was curious.

Nick cocked his head and met her curious amethysts, then replied, "I had a couple of teenage crushes, but that was it. With me struggling through Law School and then hustling to help support my mom and Anya, I didn't really have time to pursue a serious relationship."

"And after you graduated Law School?" she pressed. There was that huge chunk of his life between his mom's lawsuit and Honey's death that she knew nothing about.

Watching Nick as he remained quiet for several heartbeats, Judy thought she saw a flicker of pain flash across his emerald gaze, then disappear. Breathing deeply, she bit her bottom lip as she prepared for another sob story.

With a frown touching the edges of his mouth, Nick took a deep breath and said, "No, there was never anyone special." With a heavy sigh, he added, "Let's just say I wasn't around anyone worth my time." Folding his arms, he looked out the window behind her. His expression was a blank mask as he remembered the vixens he was around back then.

Judy bit her lip again and wondered about his answer. She didn't believe he was lying, but there was obviously more to the story—a painful story. A story he wasn't ready to talk about. Trying not to jump to any conclusions, she pushed her need to know aside and decided to patiently wait till Nick was ready to talk. Taking another deep breath, she considered what his answers meant to her. Nick was older than she was by several years, and yet he'd never been in a serious relationship—not until now—with her.

She suppressed a squeal as she realized that Nick was the first male interested in her who hadn't already been through a pawful or more females. Nick had already given her a lot of firsts, but somehow, this took the cake. She was his first. She had never been anyone's first before—well, she wasn't anyone's anything before, but not from lack of trying on any of the bucks' part. With happiness filling her whole being, she turned her attention back to Nick. As he remained silently thinking, she took the opportunity to really study his handsome fox features.

With the sunlight streaming in through the open window, it highlighted the tips of his fur and made them glow gold, which was a striking contrast to his reddish-orange fur. Judy loved it. Just like she loved the shape of his triangular ears covered in soft, thick fur and his long, canine muzzle. She still wanted to feel his teeth against her skin again and his large paws with their claw-tipped fingers sliding over her body. This was a new idea she'd never had before meeting Nick—the desire to feel another's paws on her body—but with him—to know she'd be the first female he touched . . . She had to bite her lip again to stop the squeal of delight that threatened to come out. That tingle was back in her belly again, and she fought to suppress it, too.

Don't screw this up, Judy. Don't rush things. 3 months might be normal for a rabbit relationship, but Nick is a todd, not a buck. They do long courtships, not short ones. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to get her emotions under control. What nearly happened outside didn't count as that was the result of raging hormones neither of them were used to dealing with. With her nose twitching, she turned her focus back to Nick and got lost in the joy simply being with him brought her.

Having been lost in thought, Nick finally pulled his thoughts from the dark past and focused his gaze on Judy, then smiled to see her studying him with a happy, dreamy look on her face. Remembering what she said about stopping unwanted advances, it made him all the more grateful she never tried to seriously hurt him, notwithstanding her punches. He knew they were light compared to what they could be, and he deserved almost every one of them. But even when she was outraged, she never tried to seriously hurt him—which was a far cry from some of the vixens he'd known in the past.

Standing up, he met her gaze and leaned over. Planting one paw on the bed next to her, he raised the other and ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. With a warm smile, he spoke softly, saying, "Thank you, Judy, for believing in me and giving this dumb fox a chance."

A radiant smile spread across Judy's face. Nick's words were honest and heartfelt and made her feel loved. With happiness welling up inside her, she felt a strong urge to kiss him. And that's just what she did. Reaching up, she slipped her paws behind his head and pulled his muzzle down, even as she raised hers up. Their lips met briefly before she realized what she was doing and immediately let go.

"I'm so sorry, Nick. I didn't . . . I mean . . . I know you . . ." Her face and ears were crimson under her fur. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought to herself as Nick stood unmoving before her. Although they'd nearly kissed out on the deck, she knew it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't been sitting on and rubbing against him. You're messing everything up! He's a fox, not a rabbit! "Foxes do . . . long . . . I'm sorry . . . I . . ."

Nick stood frozen for several heartbeats while his brain rebooted. Receiving a kiss from Judy was the last thing on his mind, but oh, was it sweet—and all too short. Hearing Judy's stuttering apology, his eyes came into focus and he saw the fear in her amethyst pools. Placing a finger-pad over her lips, he whispered, "I'm not complaining."

Judy visibly relaxed and a shy smile graced her lips. With her cheeks and ears slowly returning to their normal color, she stared up into Nick's bright, emerald gaze.

Moving his paw to cup her cheek, he softly ran his thumb-pad across her lips a few times, then moved it under her chin to lift her short muzzle slightly as he dipped his own muzzle the last few inches to press softly against hers.

Judy's eyes immediately slid shut as she gave herself over to the slow, tender kiss. Their lips moved gently against each other for several moments before Nick pulled back. After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. Meeting her stunned amethysts for a heartbeat, Nick leaned down again and pressed his forehead against hers. Breathing in her sweet scent, he whispered, "Thank you, Judy."

All she could do was nod against his head. He had stolen her voice as surely as he had completely stolen her heart. She knew she was falling for him before, but this sealed the deal. She was head-over-heels in love with Nick Wilde.

Nick pushed himself back to arm's length, and his smug grin returned. "Your cut is cleaned and just needs to breathe before we rewrap it. Do you want me to bring you a book or something while you wait?"

Judy considered his offer a moment, then shook her head. "No, I think I'll go through my text messages, instead. I'm sure I have tons after my siblings found out I'm moving in with a fox." With an exasperated grin, she added, "I'm sure it'll take the whole half-hour to go through them all, maybe even longer."

Nick nodded as he stood up. "Okay, then let me grab your crutches in case you need to get up for anything."

Judy nodded again, then watched Nick slip out her balcony door. Although he wore a confident expression, she recognized a gallant retreat when she saw one. With a giggle, she raised a paw and lightly touched her lips. With a hum of pleasure, she couldn't believe she'd finally had her first kiss. After beating bucks off her for the last ten years, she'd finally given her first kiss to her best friend, a fox no less, and she couldn't be happier.

Even though it wasn't the passionate, hormone-laden kiss they almost shared on the deck, this kiss was much better. Well, the second kiss anyways. Nick's kiss was short and tender, but filled with so much acceptance, adoration, and love that she couldn't imagine her first kiss being any other way. It was perfect. With another giggle, she considered how they'd arrived here. They'd started out as strangers on a crazy adventure, and now here they were—at the beginning of a new journey . . . their future together.

With a bright smile, she rolled over and crawled to the head of the bed, where she put both pillows up against the headboard. Sitting against them, she reached for her phone, then realized it was still outside with the crutches and hoped Nick thought to grab it, too.

As soon as Nick rounded the back of the house, he leaned up against the door to the storage room and grabbed at this heart. Although it wasn't pounding in his chest, it did feel like someone was squeezing it. "Carrots, what are you doing to me!?" he muttered under his breath. Not that he was complaining. He'd never complain about kissing Judy. Raising his paw, he touched his lips then flicked his tongue out to taste her on them. Her taste was faint, but it was still branded on his tongue. With a warm, happy smile spreading across his face, he laughed softly. His first kiss. Her first kiss. Their first kiss. Although short and sweet, he couldn't imagine their first kiss being any other way.

He never expected to find her, his mate, but when Judy hopped into his life, it was totally unexpected what she did to his heart. The specially constructed walls around his heart were no match for her love and acceptance. And her apology—it was as if she came in with a wrecking ball and obliterated his defenses. And now here he was, kissing a bunny, and wanting so much more from her. To continue this wonderful journey with her.

Pushing off the door, he walked over and grabbed the crutches, then seeing her phone still on the table, he grabbed it, too. After dropping them off to Judy and giving her a warm smile, he retreated to the garage to see what Finnick was up to.

….

WingedKatt here. So what did you think? Was it worth the wait? Although they didn't share a passionate kiss, I think their first kiss was much sweeter.

Chapter 19: Nothing Happened...Right? will post on Wednesday. In it, Nick and Finnick will have an enlightening conversation and Judy will make an impromptu phone call that will reveal some interesting facts.

As always, if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them. For those of you who offered names for Judy's siblings, thank you. They were much appreciated. Have a great weekend.