WingedKatt here. I need to apologize in advance—the worrisome conversation between Nick and Judy will be next chapter. I got my chapters mixed up last week while I was writing the notes about this chapter. At any rate, I hope you enjoy the chapter.


Humming happily to herself, Bonnie sorted through Judy's things and decided which items needed to go to Zootopia, and what should stay behind. Judy had hardly taken anything with her the first time she left for the big city, but now that her bun-bun had her own room and a huge house, Bonnie figured her daughter would want more of her things to help make the place her home and not just Nick's house that she was living at.

Lily and Rachelle were helping her sort through Judy's things, as well, since they were both upset at Henry for bullying them into staying behind. She would definitely have strong words with that boy once he got home.

Dismissing her wayward son from her mind, Bonnie went back to her humming while shuffling around Judy's room, taking books and keepsakes down from shelves and putting them in boxes. She was just taping up another box, when Rachelle spoke up from the bed.

"Hey, Mom, look at this." Rachelle was a chocolate rabbit with a little bit of black mixed into her fur, along with black tipped ears with the black outlining the outside of her long ears. She also had black paws and a lighter-brown undercoat. She loved reading, hiking, and playing with her nieces and nephews, and she hoped to one day become an astronomist and study the stars.

As Bonnie turned around to look at her daughter, she saw that Rachelle was holding a fox plushy with emerald green eyes. "Where did you find that?"

"Under Judy's pillow." Motioning to the head of the bed, Rachelle then turned back to her mom. "Is this supposed to represent Nick? The fox she moved in with?"

Stepping over to her daughter, Bonnie took the plush fox from Rachelle and turned it over in her paws. While studying the little red fox with deep green eyes and wearing a pale green shirt, her gaze softened. The shirt was hand-sewn, and since Judy wasn't the best seamstress, there were several mistakes with the stitching. But notwithstanding the mistakes, it was obvious that Judy (like everything she did), was careful in her stitching and tried her best.

Bonnie could just picture her bun-bun's frustration at the mistakes, but too nervous to admit it was a fox she was missing to ask for help. And considering how her and Stu had gone off against foxes when Judy left for Zootopia, and her daughter's surprise yesterday that she was fine with her spending the night with a fox, it stood to reason that her bun-bun was a bit afraid of their reaction when they found out how deep her feelings ran for the red todd. With a sigh, she ran her fingers over the soft fur between its ears.

"Should we pack it with Judy's stuff, then?" Lily asked. She was a black rabbit with white specks scattered throughout her fur. When she was little, several of her friends called her Snowstorm or Blizzard because that's what her fur reminded them of. Her greyish-blue eyes reminded them of storm clouds, which strengthened her nickname. And although her friends no longer used the nicknames for her, several of her young nieces and nephews did.

Bonnie thought a moment as she ran her fingers over the fox's furry face and took special notice of the eyes. It was obvious the fox came with black button eyes, but Judy had found two emerald jewel stickers (the kind they sell for craft projects) and had stuck them on the black button eyes. Taking note of the light green shirt again, Bonnie wondered if this was the shirt Nick had been wearing when he helped her 3 months ago, as she hadn't seen Nick wearing a green shirt like this either of the times she had talked to him.

Remembering what Nick had said about Judy's ears, Bonnie finally answered her daughter's question. "No, I think he should stay here and keep an eye on Judy's room." After a moment's thought, she added, "Guard it, if you will," and then placed it atop the pillow for all to see who entered the room. Stepping away from the bed and turning towards her slightly confused daughters, Bonnie gave them a teasing grin and explained, "She has the real one to snuggle with now."

Lily and Rachelle both had their jaws hit the ground to hear their mother talk about any of her kits snuggling with a fox, especially Judy who had never been interested in bucks before—or any male, for that matter. Not romantically anyways.

Finally, Rachelle picked her jaw up and asked, "You're saying Judy wants to snuggle with Nick—with a fox—and you're fine with it?"

Bonnie paused for a moment in thought, then answered, "I can't say I wasn't a little nervous when I first found out she was staying with him." Pausing a moment in thought, Bonnie then continued, "But after talking with him a couple of times and seeing how gentle and considerate he was with your sister, he started to grow on me. And you should hear your sister talk about all the things he's done for her." With a gentle smile, Bonnie thought of her one daughter whom she feared would forever be alone—until now. "After listening to Judy talk about the sly todd and seeing how happy she is with him, I really can't see her being with anyone else." Glancing back at the fox plushy sitting guard atop Judy's pillow, Bonnie added, "And it's not like she wasn't already wishing she was snuggling with him."

Lily and Rachelle glanced at each other, then Lily asked, "What do you mean?"

Bonnie let out a soft sigh and turned back to her daughters. Although young rabbits were given many plushies as kits, usually by close siblings, grandparents, and other family members, a rabbit rarely went out and bought a plushy for themselves—not unless it meant something special. "You already know a doe doesn't get a plushy of a boy unless he's special to her." Focusing on her black-furred daughter with white speckles throughout her fur, Bonnie explained, "Lily, your sister Rachelle is younger and hasn't yet had anyone she felt was special, but you have twice. And you bought a plushy to represent each buck, didn't you?" At Lily's nod, Bonnie continued, "Douglas asked you out and you were ecstatic, but what did you do with the plushy after catching him kissing another doe?"

Lily's expression turned to a scowl, then she let out a heavy sigh as she realized what her mom was getting at. "I burned it."

Bonnie nodded, then asked, "And when Peter asked another girl out instead of you, did you immediately get rid of the plushy you got of him?"

Shaking her head, Lily murmured, "No, I was hoping it wouldn't work out and they'd break up."

Bonnie nodded again and asked, "And when the wedding announcement was made? What did you do then?"

Lily sighed again. "I chucked it down the river."

"And did you ever snuggle with either one at night?"

Lily shook her head and exclaimed, "Of course, not. That wouldn't be right. We weren't even dating." Pausing, she then said, "Well, I did date Douglas, but it wasn't very long. Certainly not long enough to want to snuggle with him. I do have standards, Mom."

"Yes, I know dear, and I'm grateful for it, but that's my point." Turning back to the small red todd at the head of the bed, Bonnie said softly, "Your sister was heartbroken over losing Nick's friendship 3 months ago, and yet she still went out, bought a plushy of him, made him a shirt that reminded her of him, and gave him emerald eyes to match the original, then snuggled with him in bed. My guess would be that she cried herself to sleep while hugging him." Bonnie knew her daughter well, and after the heart-felt, sob-filled confession Judy made a week ago, she could just imagine the nights her bun-bun cried herself to sleep snuggled with the little red fox while wishing it was the real todd.

Turning back to her dumbfounded daughters, Bonnie continued, "A doe doesn't do that if she hasn't already chosen him for her mate, at least at a subconscious level. I don't know if Judy yet realizes how deeply her feelings run for the red todd, but I wouldn't be surprised if she started dating him at some point." With a warm smile, she added, "She has already given him exclusive rights to her ears, so she should at least have an inkling of what she wants." With a shrug, Bonnie turned back to the boxes that needed filled while adding, "I guess we'll see."

Rachelle and Lily glanced at each other, both surprised, not only by the confession their mother just made (Judy, who never had time for bucks, gave exclusive rights of her ears to a fox!), but by how blasé their mother was to the idea that her daughter might be in love with a fox. Taking a deep breath, Rachelle asked, "And if she has figured out what she wants?"

Bonnie chuckled as she put some of Judy's winter clothes in a box. Her daughter would need them at some point, and with a section of the city called Tundratown, her bun-bun might need them sooner rather than later. Answering Rachelle's question, Bonnie said, "If that's the case, then heaven help Nick, because Judy won't stop until she gets him." With another chuckle, she added, "That todd doesn't know what he's gotten himself into."

Rachelle glanced at Lily again, who just shrugged, and then turned back to their mom. "And you're fine with that? If they decide to date? The fact she's with a red fox doesn't scare you? You know how big Gideon is." Everyone knew that red foxes were quite large compared to rabbits, and the idea of their sister being with one seemed a bit daunting.

Bonnie paused a moment, then set Judy's ice skates in the box she'd been packing before turning to her daughters. "When I first saw him on the phone, I was a little wary, but after talking to him a couple of times and seeing how much he adores your sister, and then hearing Judy go on about him—" With a pause as she remembered how happy Judy had been the last few times she'd talked to her, Bonnie had no doubt in her mind who she could thank for it. "If being with Nick is what makes your sister happy, then I'd like to support her in any way I can. Heaven knows I wasn't supportive enough when she was struggling to be a cop, so if being with Nick is her new goal, then I'll give her all the love and support I can."

Turning back to her box, Bonnie gave another chuckle, then glanced over her shoulder and added, "And don't worry about his size. From what I could tell from seeing him on MuzzleTime, Nick is quite fit. And the fact that he's bigger and stronger than your sister probably appeals to her. It means he won't be put off or scared due to her abnormal bunny strength."

Both girls recognized the logic in their mom's assumptions, for there were quite a few bucks (even some of their brothers) who complained about Judy's above average bunny strength and fearless attitude.

Bonnie had just placed another item in the box she was filling when a thought popped into her head and she spun around to address her still dumbfounded daughters. "You can't say anything about Judy's feelings for Nick to your siblings. Judy gets teased enough by Irene, Nicole, and their group, along with several of your brothers, and she doesn't need them teasing her mercilessly about her possible feelings for Nick. This will be her first relationship and they need to be able to grow into it without all the snide comments and relentless teasing. Bun-bun had enough of that growing up and she doesn't need anyone sticking their noses in where they don't belong."

Rachelle and Lily snapped their jaws shut and nodded their heads. They both liked Judy, even if they didn't fully understand her drive and passion to be a cop, and it always bothered them when Irene and Nicole laid into her about her lack of dating experience or went on about all their dumb dates in lurid detail. On several occasions, they'd threaten to tell mom and dad on them if they didn't shut up and leave Judy alone.

Bonnie and Stu didn't approve of such behavior, and would ground any and all rabbits, doe or buck, to the burrow when they got caught coming in late and had obviously been up to more than they'd claimed. Several of their brothers had moved out and gotten jobs to avoid being grounded, and both Lily and Rachelle had wished Henry had been one of them. They had both been really excited at the prospects of seeing their sister again and meeting the red todd who had taken her in. And now to learn that Judy might have feelings beyond friendship for the tall fox left them surprised, but also happy for her. It was about time she found someone special.

It didn't take much more time for them to finish boxing up Judy's room, and then Lily and Rachelle left to find something to snack on as it was now the middle of the afternoon. Bonnie looked around the room and remembered her cop-crazy daughter bustling around the place or sat hunched over the desk while studying. The place held such fond memories of Judy growing up. Then it hit her—the next time Judy came into her room, it would be with a fox in toe. A fox who would be bustling around the room with her. She did have a few misgivings about Judy being with Nick, but she had learned through the years to trust her daughter enough to hold them close and not let them consume her (a lesson which had been painful at times to learn). If Judy trusted Nick, then she'd give him the benefit of the doubt—especially considering how much her bun-bun positively glowed with happiness while being with him.

….…...

As Nick pulled into his driveway, he glanced at Judy and gave her a warm smile. "We're home."

Smiling back, Judy answered, "It's about time! It feels like forever since we left this morning."

With a laugh, Nick said, "I think some bunny is simply impatient."

"Of course, I am. I still owe you an ear scratching and a tummy rub."

With his tail wagging, Nick put the jeep in park and replied, "Now that is something to get excited about."

"Right! And the sooner we get inside the sooner we can get started."

Nick couldn't agree more, and he quickly jumped out of the jeep and hurried around to her side. As he pulled her from the seat, he realized he still needed to get a menu together for tonight, but didn't want to ask her and possibly ruin the surprise. Which meant he needed to talk to Bonnie, but that would mean asking Judy for the number. He needed another excuse to call so Judy wouldn't guess something was up. As he carried her up the stairs, an idea came to him. "Hey, Fluff, can you text me your mom's number. I need to call her so we can decide on a menu for Sunday and then figure out who's bringing what."

"Oh, right. Great idea. Give me sec." As Nick unlocked the front door, Judy quickly sent him the text and then pushed her phone back in her pocket.

Nick stepped inside and kicked the door shut behind him, then opened his mouth to say, "Okay, before we—mmm." He was cut off when Judy wrapped her arms around his neck and locked muzzles with him.

Judy hardly waited for the door to shut before sitting up in his arms and giving into the emotions and desires she kept bottled up all day—especially the swell of emotions at hearing that she didn't need to be someone else in order to please Nick. As she pushed herself higher up onto his chest so they were eye level, she felt Nick's back hit the door as he leaned against it, all the while he kissed her back with as much passion and enthusiasm as she did.

When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Judy met Nick's wild, hungry gaze and knew that same wild hunger was reflected in her own eyes. With a wide grin spreading across her face, she slid her paws from around his neck and down the upper part of his chest. "It's nice to be able to do that without worrying about disapproving eyes or gossipy mouths to interrupt us." Nick merely nodded, but as Judy opened her mouth to ask him what he'd meant to say earlier, she suddenly found her mouth full of fox tongue again. One of Nick's paws was wrapped around the back of her head while the other one teased her tail, and Judy couldn't keep the long, delighted moan back as her boyfriend continued the assault on her mouth.

She was only vaguely aware that he moved away from the door and carried her upstairs as one kiss flowed into the next. Neither broke for air until they crossed into Judy's room, where Nick pulled back to look hungrily at his honeybun. Judy took note that not only were Nick's emeralds still wild, but were now burning with a whole lot more heat than they had last night—which had her stomach doing flip-flops. The words he spoke next did little to dampen the heat she now felt coursing through her whole body.

"I figured we could change into something more comfortable before we start the ear scratching and tummy rub." He paused, then added with an eyebrow raise, "Unless, of course, you've decided to do something else instead."

His heated gaze left no doubt in Judy's mind about what that 'something else' might be. And it was tempting. Oh, was it tempting. But Nick had been right last night, they shouldn't rush things. They were already moving a bit fast even by bunny standards, and she didn't even want to think about how fast they were moving according to fox standards. So, she pushed the naughty thoughts back down where they belonged (she didn't even know she had this naughty side until she moved in with Nick), and took a deep breath. With a bright smile, she replied, "Nope. Just ear scratching and a tummy rub."

Nick nodded, then closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Opening his eyes again, Judy noticed the wild look was now gone as was much of the hunger, though it hadn't completely been vanquished. She'd have to remember to temper her impromptu, passionate kisses—at least until they were married. Then all bets were off.

Smiling brightly as Nick set her down on the edge of the bed, he asked, "Are you going to need help changing?"

Glancing at her legs, she shook her head. "No, I don't think so. These pants are pretty smooth so I don't think they'll catch on the bandages." Meeting Nick's dark emeralds again, she added, "And it is getting easier to dress myself, which means my leg is healing, so that's good."

With a nod, Nick reached over and lightly caressed her cheek. "Okay. Let me know when you're done and we'll do the ear scratching and tummy rub." After Judy's nod, he turned and left the room. Closing the door softly, he then leaned his forehead against it and breathed deeply and held it several heartbeats. That rabbit is definitely going to be the death of me. Slowly letting out his breath, Nick took another deep one. Judy's fierce kiss at the front door completely blindsided him. It shouldn't have. This was Judy he was talking about and she was an impatient ball of fluff who'd been holding back all day, so he should have expected that kiss. But his mind was on other things and so it had come clear out of left field. This gave his biology a chance to take over and he felt disinclined to stop it.

Though if Judy had taken him up on his offer of 'something else', he would have drop-kicked his biology back into the dark recesses of his mind. It was too early for that, and even if they'd only done another make-out session, he doubted he'd be able to stay in control as well as he did last night—not while in the mood he was in when he'd made the offer nor with how delicious she was smelling right now. It was a good thing that Judy seemed to be gaining some control over her now raging bunny hormones.

With another deep breath, he stepped away from the door and made his way to the bathroom, then froze. When was the last time his honeybun had gone to the bathroom? If it was like him, then it was sometime this morning. How much (or little) had she drank today that her bladder wasn't screaming at her? Not that he'd drank enough either, not with all the traveling he'd done today. With a heavy sigh, he added it to the list of things still to do.

Leaving the bathroom a minute later, he paused at his bedroom door. He didn't plan on putting a shirt on when he changed since Judy would be giving him a tummy rub, but he still needed to bring in their stuff from the jeep, and if some nosy neighbor had watched him carry Judy into the house, and then come back out shortly thereafter in nothing but his shorts—the gossip and rumors that would be spread could very well destroy their peace and quiet. He knew most of the neighbors and wasn't worried about of those he considered old friends, but Honey wasn't the only one in the neighborhood to die of old age, with several other families having moved out over the years. The newbies that moved in were the ones he worried about. And although this was a more rural community with the yards all being very large and with the houses being spaced well apart (most properties were at least an acre, if not two), the risk was still there.

Shaking his head, he turned around and headed back downstairs. "I'm going out to the jeep to bring in your box. I'll be back up in a minute."

"Okay."

Her voice sounded a bit muffled like she had her face in a pillow, and Nick paused to look at her door. After a moment, though, he shook his head and continued downstairs. It wasn't long before he returned with her small bunny box sitting atop one of his larger fox boxes. Dropping them off in his room, he returned to the jeep to pick up another box—a much larger one—that he carried to the music/weight room. Making one more trip outside, he grabbed his guitar and a couple of other surprises for his honeybun and dropped them off in the music/gym room, too. Next, he walked into the kitchen where he grabbed 2 water bottles, and then returned to his room. After changing into some soft, black shorts, he grabbed a dark-green marbled t-shirt to put on after his tummy rub, then grabbed the water bottles and dropped them on top of Judy's box. Picking it up, he returned to Judy's door, where he knocked softly and asked, "Are you ready?"


WingKatt here. Next chapter will have the worrisome conversation between Nick and Judy which will lead to some Wildehopps fluff. So stay tuned.

Chapter 45: Never Doubt It, will post on Saturday, January 4.

If you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to here them. For those of you who did leave comment the last couple of chapters that I didn't get a chance to reply to, know that I did read them and I appreciate them. This new job is taking up a lot of my time and energy, but your comments do keep me writing, so thank you. And have wonderfully Happy New Year. See next year!