As Nick hung over the side of the balcony railing, he took several large lungfuls of air as he tried to calm his pounding heart and raging hormones. Never in a million years would he ever have guessed that a bunny could get him so excited or so hard. The memory of Judy's paw on his foxhood was still replaying in his mind and he could almost feel her soft fingers caressing him—which wasn't helping him calm down. Being out here and not in there with her was agony—pure agony—but the thought of talking to Mrs. Hopps afterwards or facing Fru-Fru's ire should her courier show up and he was unavailable to pick up the dresses terrified him. He wanted to ease Judy's parents into the idea of them being together before springing something of this magnitude on them, and Fru-Fru, well, he was still terrified of her dad and his posse of polar bears should he step on her tail—and dropping the ball when she went out of her way to help him with his relationship with Judy would definitely be stepping on her tail.

And he really did want that first date with Judy. With as fast as their relationship was moving, he wanted to do this right. He wanted to show her how much he valued her as a mammal and not just an object of his desire—whether she cared about it or not.

Taking another deep breath, he focused on his breathing while considering their date. Even though it was more or less a last-minute thing, he didn't want it to feel last minute. He wanted it to be special, something Judy could brag about to all her sisters. And . . . and . . . this wasn't working. He was supposed to be calming down, not . . . Nick dug his claws into the wooden balcony railing.

He was trying to focus his thoughts on the date, but all his mind (both of them) wanted to think about was how much he wanted to return to Judy and finish what they'd started. To feel her soft paws, mouth, and that cute little tongue of hers running over—Nick growled in frustration, then spun around and ran down the balcony stairs before sprinting across the yard to the garage. Luckily, Finnick hadn't locked the outside door, but merely shut the door and set the lock to look locked.

Moving the lock, he opened the outside door enough to reach the electronic lock on the steel door. Once he'd punched in the code and sang the little ditty, he waited just long enough for the doors to open enough for him to squeeze through, then flicked on the soft lights and sprinted to the back of the garage (while weaving in and around his 'toys') to the bathroom. Slipping inside, he stepped into the shower and turned the cold water all the way up. As the frigid water hit his head and streamed down his back, Nick shivered but remained standing as he leaned forward and braced himself against the shower wall with outstretched paws.

As the cold water streamed down his body, it had the desired effect as the pressure in his shorts lessened, then disappeared. Taking a deep breath, Nick slowly released it as he felt immense relief. His briefs and shorts had gotten way too tight there at the end when Judy was feeling him up. Scratching his claws across the tiled wall as the memory of her brazen paw once again assaulted his mind, Nick growled out in frustration.

The water had done a great job of getting his body under control and clearing his head of Judy's intoxicating scent, but it could do nothing for his errant mind and torturously good memory. Taking another deep breath, Nick decided he needed a distraction, something to do that would get his mind off his divinely sent girlfriend waiting back in his house.

Turning the water off, he shook the worst of the water off in the shower, then stepped out and made his way through the garage to one of the storage closets across from the bathroom (with water dripping off him and leaving a wet trail across the floor). Throwing open the door, he flipped the light on and began rummaging through closet until he found the item he sought. Pulling out the heavy duty, clear plastic zippered bag, Nick grinned to see the hammock resting within. Taking it outside, he strung it between two of the trees with large rings screwed into their trunks for just such an occasion.

Standing back to admire his handiwork, Nick then turned around and flopped back into the hammock then tilted his head back while feeling immensely grateful for the hot summer weather. It meant his fur and shorts should dry quickly.

As he relaxed into the hammock and enjoyed the warm breeze, Nick's thoughts once again strayed to his hot, sexy girlfriend. Which was not helping him any. Rubbing his paws over his face, he reminded himself that he needed to call Bonnie and find out what Judy liked to eat, but he couldn't do that while his mind was filled with indecent thoughts about her bewitching daughter hiding in his house. He needed to talk to someone else first. Someone who could shift his whole thought process onto something else.

His first thought was Finnick, but if the little fennec found out why Nick was calling (which he would—he knew Nick too well), he'd never hear the end of it—which would be counterproductive. There really wasn't anyone else he was really close to that he could just call out of the blue and—having opened the contacts on his phone, a name jumped out at him from the top of the list. A pretty, young vixen with deep red fur and stunning sapphire eyes stared back at him from the contact picture.

With a wide grin spreading across his face, Nick punched the call button for MuzzleTime, then waited for the line to connect.

….….

Hours outside the Zootopia city limits, the young vixen (who wasn't as young as her contact picture showed, but still young), breathed heavily as she left the surgery room and walked over to the large, metal sink while removing her surgical gown, mask, and bloody gloves, and stuffed them into the disposal bin. Turning the water on with her elbow, she shoved her hands under the hot water, then lathered them and her arms up with soap. In her mind, she was going back over the surgery she'd just performed and trying to make sure she'd done everything right and had left nothing behind.

"Hey, Anya," a nurse hollered from the other room, "you have a call." Picking up the phone to see who was calling, the nurse saw a handsome red todd smiling back at her. She wondered who he was as she'd never seen him in town before. Reading the name, she added, "It's Nick."

Anya's black-tipped ears immediately perked up. She had her phone on vibrate and always left it in the other room while she was in surgery, so as not to distract her during a delicate operation. But now, hearing who was finally calling her, she couldn't get the soap washed off quick enough. "Answer it! Answer it! I can't miss that call!" she hollered back. She was afraid if she missed Nick's call now, he might not answer when she called back later. Just like all the other times she'd called him these last few months.

The nurse, a grey fox named Carol, hit the answer button and pasted on a smile as she felt a little nervous about answering a MuzzleTime call to this todd she'd never met before.

As the call connected, Nick's grin widened. "Hi—" Nick's smile dropped. This wasn't his sister. Anya was a stunning red vixen with a deep red coat, bright blue eyes, and black ears while the vixen on the phone had a medium grey face peppered with black, along with black markings that circled her deep amber eyes and extended down the sides of her muzzle to frame the white around her black nose and tip of her muzzle.

"Hi," Carol said nervously. She was always a bit shy around males, especially good looking todds.

"Hi," Nick replied back. "Is Anya busy?"

"Um, she's washing her paws. She just got out of surgery."

"Oh." Nick frowned slightly, then asked, "Should I call back later then?"

"Nicholas P. Wilde," Anya yelled from the other room as she quickly dried her paws off, "if you hang up, I swear I'm taking the first train to Zootopia so I can wring that scrawny neck of yours!"

What was left of Nick's smile disappeared completely as his ears flattened against his head, even as his life flashed before his eyes. He hadn't heard Anya this angry in a long, long time.

Anya ripped the phone from her startled friend's paw and glared at her brother. "Nick, how could you do this to us!? Do you know how worried we've been? You don't answer Mom's calls. You don't answer my calls. You don't return our calls. You haven't replied to any of my letters." With an angry huff, she added, "We thought you were dead! That some savage predator had eaten you! Or you'd gone savage yourself! You have to be the worst son and brother ever to put us through this!"

Nick watched his sister deflate and the anger in her eyes to be replaced by fear and anguish. Realizing how close their fears came to reality (Manchas tried eating him and Judy 3 months ago, and then Bellwether tried making him go savage 3 days ago), Nick felt like the lowest scum on the planet.

"We were worried sick, Nick. What if we never saw you again?" Wiping at her eyes, she continued, "We haven't seen you in almost 2 years and you hardly ever call." Taking a deep breath, she added, "We've already lost dad and Demetri—we can't lose you, too."

Yep, Nick thought, I'm the worst kind of scum on the planet, even lower than slime. As guilt ate at his insides, Nick reached up and scratched the back of his head, then pulled on his ear nervously. "I'm sorry, Anya," he said softly. "I really don't have any excuse." Pulling on his ear again, he explained, "I was having a monumental pity party and was feeling too angry and depressed to talk to anyone." He knew his sister and mom had been trying to reach him these last three months, but knew that if he answered the phone or called them back, they'd immediately know something was wrong (they could always see past his mask), and he wasn't in the mood to talk about it. And so, he had ignored them. He'd been so wrapped up in his own miserable little existence, that it never dawned on him that they might be calling about all the savage attacks going on around him which the news was showing even way out in Rándýrabær.

"Nick, do you know what it's like to watch the news and see all those savage mammals being captured, many of them having attacked other mammals, some of whom lost their lives, and knowing my little brother is lost somewhere in that nightmare?" Anya made a fist and looked off to the left as the worries from the last three months washed over her. Returning her gaze to her dumb brother, she said, "Watching all those savage mammals every day, with more and more going savage as the days and weeks went by . . ." Anya sniffled and wiped at her eyes again. "And then not being able to reach you on your phone, nor having any other way to contact you." After grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose, Anya added, "We tried calling Finnick, but his phone was either stolen or he changed his number because all we got was some angry mammal with a heavy accent yelling at us for disturbing his sleep."

If Nick's ears could go any flatter, they would. Wiping a paw down his face, Nick focused on his sister and whispered, "I am so, so sorry, Anya. I really am the worst brother ever."

"Yes, you are." With another sniffle, she asked, "So what are you going to do to make it up to us?"

Nick didn't answer right away as his thoughts took off. Not seeing them in almost two years really ate at him, as he really had no excuse other than feeling too apathetic to leave Zootopia. He'd been coasting though life with no real direction and not really caring about anyone or anything.

The hot summer breeze ruffled his fur as he gently rocked the hammock, lost in thought. The best way to make it up to his mom and sister would be a visit. But now he had Judy. Of course, knowing his honeybun, she would probably be ecstatic to meet his mom and sister. And he was meeting her parents this weekend with a trip already planned to visit her whole family (that he still wasn't sure about). Maybe they could start a few days early and head out to Rándýrabær first. Stay a few days there and then drive over to Bunnyburrow (if he decided to actually go through with the trip). They could make it a road trip. Being able to see his mom and Anya again, and introduce them to Judy, had his ears perking up and his tail wagging where it hung over the edge of the hammock.

Turning his focus back to Anya, who was patiently waiting to hear his answer (she recognized his 'I'm thinking' face), he said, "Are you and mom going to be around next weekend?" Judy would just be off her crutches, so a trip shouldn't bother her leg by then and that would give them several days at both Rándýrabær and Bunnyburrow.

"Yeah, we'll be here." With a sly grin, she tacked on, "If we decided to go anywhere, it'd be to Zootopia so we can smack some sense into that thick skull of yours."

Nick's ears dropped back against his head again. "No need to come to Zootopia. I'll come there."

"So, you're saying you'll willingly come to Rándýrabær so we can knock some sense into your thick head?"

"Uh, yes, I guess."

Anya laughed at Nick's comic (fearful) expression and then said, "Well, then I guess I can forgive you. But you better show up, or I will come down there and beat you up."

Nick's ears flicked forward again, and he chuckled along with his sister. "Okay, I better let you go. But I promise to answer the phone the next time you call." Remembering what happened with Judy's sister while they were in her room, he added, "If I somehow miss your phone call, I promise it won't be because I'm ignoring you. It'll be because I really can't get to my phone, but I will call back the first chance I get."

Anya met his eyes for a second, then nodded. "Okay. I'll hold you to it." She smiled at him, but then realized Nick never said why he was calling. Tilting her head, she asked, "Since you didn't call to tell us you were still alive, why did you call?"

Nick's ears immediately flicked out to the side of his head as he said, "I . . . just needed a distraction. My head wasn't where it needed to be and I was struggling to shift my focus."

Anya's eyes narrowed and she said, "Oh, really? You weren't thinking of doing something stupid were you?"

Nick had the deer-in-the-headlights look and then he exclaimed, "No!" Then his expression turned ambiguous, and he stammered out, "Um, maybe, sort of, but not really." With a shake of his head, he added, "Look, it's complicated. But it wasn't anything—" he froze for a minute. He was originally going to say it wasn't anything dangerous, but remembering Judy's paws running through his fur, her taste on his tongue, and the way she writhed and moaned beneath him while demanding he take more from her, and then seeing (and feeling) what she was willing to do to keep him there with her, he had to change his statement slightly. ". . . too dangerous." Seeing Anya's scowl, he amended, "It wasn't anything bad, just complicated. I promise you though, it was something good. Really, really good."

Seeing Nick's excited emeralds (excitement she hadn't seen in years) and reading between the lines, Anya raised an eyebrow and asked, "Nick, did you finally hook up with a nice vixen?" Nick's surprise didn't surprise her, but seeing the excitement in his bright emeralds fade did. She had hoped that Nick had finally found someone to really open up to and settle down with. With all the crap her brother had to put up with, he needed someone special in his life, but both her and their mom were already losing hope he'd find someone. Nick just didn't trust anyone, nor was he willing to let anyone in. It was sad to see her brother so alone.

"No, no vixen," Nick replied in all seriousness. "It's safe to say the vixen train left the station a long time ago."

Anya sighed heavily. "You know Nick, you really need to let someone in sometime. It's not healthy to remain alone. You need someone special in your life."

Nick raised an eyebrow even as he caught sight of a blue-and-green hummingbird darting around the flowers, drinking nectar. "Oh? Like you're one to talk."

"What?" Anya asked with a little heat in her voice. "I have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, a boyfriend you've been dating for the last three years." Not letting Anya speak up, Nick waved his paw through the air and continued, "Anya, we red foxes like long courtships, but three years is a bit much. You can't keep stringing Brad along like that. Either tie the knot with him or let him go."

"Nick, it's not . . . I mean . . . I like Brad, I really do. He's sweet and kind and loveable . . ."

"But . . ." Nick continued for her with a flick of his ear.

"But . . . I don't know, Nick." Anya was silent for a moment as she pushed a jar of cotton balls around on the counter before running her claws over the wooden ends of several cotton swabs as they sat in their glass jar. After a moment of mindlessly fidgeting with the cotton balls and swabs, she explained, "Brad is a great todd, but it's just never felt like the right time to marry."

"Anya, after three years, I think it's safe to say it will never feel like the right time." Staring up through the branches of the tree he sat under to the clear blue sky above him, Nick wondered how Brad had lasted. If it had been him, he would have lost hope before the end of that second year. With that thought, he realized how lucky he was to have found Judy, who didn't tip-toe around the idea of marriage but came right out and demanded it. With Judy, there was no guess work on what she wanted about anything. If there was something she wanted, she simply opened her cute little mouth and said so—or simply took what she wanted. While thinking of his honeybun's demands yesterday afternoon, a dopy (and lustful) grin spread across his face. It was a good thing Anya wasn't paying attention to him or there would have been no way for him to hide his relationship from his sister—he wanted to surprise her when he came down in a week.

"But . . . it's . . . I don't want to break his heart," Anya stammered as she turned around and leaned against the counter while rubbing her paw down her thigh and feeling a bit guilty. Deep down, she knew Nick was right, and yet she found it hard to admit out loud, least of all to Brad, who'd been nothing but sweet and kind to her.

Pushing the heated memories back down, Nick focused on his sister and said, "Anya, stringing him along for so long with nothing to show for his time and attention is what's hurting him. Brad needs a definitive answer—yes or no. He needs to know so he can move on with his life—either marrying you and starting that family I'm sure he's dying to have, or moving on and finding a vixen who will give him kits."

Anya ran her claws through her neck fur, then replied, "I know you're right, Nick, but Brad has done nothing wrong. He's been so nice and patient with me. It's hard to tell him no after all this time."

Nick nodded in thought, then said, "Maybe that's the problem—he's too nice." At Anya's narrowed eyes, he amended, "Not that being nice is problem, it's just that Brad is too, I don't know, safe . . . normal . . ." Nick swiped his paw through the air. "Too . . . tame." Anya was surprised at her brother's apt description, but Nick didn't give her a chance to reply as he continued, "You're a Wilde, Anya, you need someone who excites you. Someone who can get your blood pumping and your heart throbbing—someone you want to touch and who you want to be touched by. Someone who makes it easy to get up each morning because you'll get to see him that day. And someone who makes it hard to fall asleep at night because you can't get thoughts of him out of your head."

Anya's jaw dropped. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my little brother?"

Nick laughed. "I'm serious, Anya. You need someone a little—wild." With a wide grin while remembering how 'wild' Judy could get (both while on a case, as well as in the bedroom), he asked, "Have you ever thought of looking outside our species? It's a big world out there, and there's no telling where you'll find that special someone to get excited about as he steals your heart."

Raising an eyebrow, Anya asked, "Okay, mister 'I'm not interested' and 'Leave me alone', how and when did you become such a love expert? And seriously? An inter-species relationship?"

Nick raised his paw and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, all I'm saying is keep an open mind. If all other avenues have failed, maybe you're yipping up the wrong tree."

Anya really wasn't sure what to say. Nick's advice was sound, and it almost sounded like he was speaking from experience, but how could he be when he never dated and wasn't interested in any vixens? And what was with that inter-species mumbo-jumbo? Why would he even bring it up?

Seeing his sister's confusion and bewilderment, Nick chuckled, then said, "How about this, when I visit next weekend, we'll sit down and discuss both our love lives and then I'll listen to anything you have to say if you listen to what I have to say. Deal?"

Anya straightened up in surprise. This was one topic she thought to never have with her brother. With his complete lack of dating experience (she didn't count the dates he went on while working for Mr. Big), it wasn't a subject Nick was ever willing to discuss. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she amended, "You mean your lack of a love-life." Nick merely chuckled again, and Anya continued, "But you'll really talk about it and will seriously listen?"

Nick raised his paw and said, "Scout's honor."

Anya beamed, saying, "You promised and I'll hold you to it."

Nick nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll let you get back to work while I call mom. Oh, but don't tell her I'm coming. I want it to be a surprise."

Anya's eyes narrowed again. "You're not going to tell mom?"

Nick flicked his ear. "I will call and let her know I'm alive and well." He paused in thought, then added, "I'll tell her I'm sending her a package next weekend and to keep an eye out for it." With a wide grin, he continued, "I simply won't tell her that I'll be delivering it in person."

Anya's whole expression changed as her eyes sparkled with humor. "You sly fox, you." With a chuckle she said excitedly, "It's perfect! Mom will love it."

"Okay, then I'm going to call mom and you can go back to whatever you were doing."

"Yeah, my break is about up." With a bright, relieved smile, Anya added, "It really is good to hear from you, Nick." With sniffle, she said, "I really miss you."

Nick's smile softened. "I miss you, too, Anya, and I'll see you next weekend."

"Yeah." With one last smile, Anya terminated the call. As the picture returned to the home screen, all the anxiety and fear she'd felt for her brother finally drained away and she slumped against the counter with a heavy sigh. With a sniffle, she wiped her eyes again, then laughed as relief washed through her. Nick is alive, he's safe, and I'll get to see him next weekend!

Who would have thought that when she woke this morning, that her fears and worries over her frustrating brother would finally be put to rest? Anya laughed softly with relief and happiness.

After a moment, though, a slight frown creased her forehead. Of course, if he hadn't needed a distraction, he wouldn't have called at all. The jerk. So, what was with him needing a distraction? From the excited look in his eyes, she would have sworn it was passion, but how was that possible if he wasn't with a vixen (it was obvious that the thought of a vixen didn't thrill him). Could it be that he was in an interspecies relationship? Perhaps with a pretty coyote. Or possibly an African wild dog? A Dingo, maybe? Jackal? Was that why he brought up the idea of looking outside their species? But that didn't make any sense. Nick never looked at any females. He just never had time for them—or rather—he never made time for them. And why was he so angry and depressed for the last 3 months?

Anya probably would have sat there for another 20 minutes trying to analyze her brother's confusing behavior and cryptic words, but her friend wouldn't let her sit and stew for long.

"Um, Anya," Carol spoke softly, "are you okay?"

Giving a slight chuckle, Anya said, "Yeah. I've actually never been better." With a bright smile, she explained, "That was my dumb brother who lives in Zootopia."

Carol had moved to the other room while her friend talked on the phone, and only came back in when Anya had finished her call. So, when she heard Nick was Anya's brother from Zootopia, her paws shot to her mouth as scenes from the news flashed through her mind. "Is he alright? He wasn't attacked, was he?" The fact he was calling told Carol he hadn't turned savage, but the thought of her friend's brother being trapped in that city was nerve wracking—even if they finally did figure out the cause of the savage attacks. Who would have ever considered a tiny ewe could cause such widespread panic, pain, and misery—all because she couldn't stand predators? How many countless prey, alongside the predators, had to die until she was satisfied? It was so sick and twisted that it made her doubly glad she wasn't living in Zootopia

Anya chuckled again as she wiped the last of her relieved tears from her face. "He's fine. I don't think he was out in the public much." If he'd been so depressed and angry that he ignored their calls, then Anya knew he'd been holed up in their family's warehouse while he wallowed in self-pity.

Now her curiosity was truly peaked. Ever since Honey died and her brother had been sent packing by Big (her brother refused to explain why he'd been sent packing), Nick had basically checked out emotionally and mentally. His sails had been brutally ripped from his ship and he'd been left to drift listlessly on the vast ocean of life. At first, he'd still been there emotionally for her and mom, but as the years went by, he got more and more distant. When they did see him, he was there for them and enjoyed their time together, but the times he called and visited became less and less, until he just stopped visiting altogether and hardly ever called. Which was her biggest reason for writing to her brother. He always had a gift for the written word and she always got a much better response from him if he could leisurely write down his thoughts and then send her a reply. And she really did enjoy having a hard copy of his thoughts that she could pull out and reread whenever she was missing him.

They had visited Zootopia a few times after Honey died, but Nick seemed to be more distant when he was in the big city and he always seemed distracted, as if he couldn't fully relax. They tried talking to Finnick about it but was only given part of an answer. Finn said it had to do with the fact that Nick was never given a chance to really grieve over Honey's loss. That someone had used Honey's death to set Nick up against Big and the shrew had sent her brother packing. The double blow had sent Nick's world crashing down around him and he never found the motivation or desire to climb back up, to pick up the pieces and start over again. The falling out between Big and her brother was shocking, as they had known Silvano from a young age and had always been treated like family by the tiny shrew.

Nick's distance made more sense after hearing how the shrew turned on him, for it must have felt like losing his father all over again. First, he lost his mother (Honey had taken Nick in and raised him like her own son), and then he'd lost Silvano (who had become a father-figure to Nick). No wonder Nick's whole world had shattered. The world had been repeatedly beating her brother down for years, and with this last blow, Nick had lost the strength or will to get back up.

It broke her and their mother's heart to see him so . . . so . . . apathetic. He'd been so full of life and joy, always having something exciting going on or to look forward to—and now—nothing. One day simply flowed into the next for her brother. He'd gone from living the highlife to merely existing. It was a tragedy he never overcame. Which made his visit next weekend all that more shocking. When pushing for him to make it up to them, Anya expected him to promise to come down for the holidays at the most (if he even did that)—not him coming down in a week's time.

Not that she was complaining. She'd never complain about seeing her little brother again, but it did beg the question on what happened three months ago that finally shook him out of his emotional apathy. It had to be something drastic to get past his emotional walls and send him into a 'monumental pity party' as he called it. Something that allowed him to feel again (once he got over himself), for there was no denying the excitement in his emerald gaze when he said that something 'really, really good' had happened to him—something he needed to distract himself from. Ooh, stupid brother, teasing me like this. Now I'm going to be up all night trying to figure out what you needed distracted from.

"Um, Anya," Carol spoke again as she reached over to touch her friend's arm. "Are you alright? You seem kind of lost there."

Anya jumped slightly as her thoughts were over 300 miles away and the light touch startled her. "Oh, sorry, Carol, I'm was lost in thought there, thinking about my dumb brother." Thinking about the upcoming visit, she squealed in delight and hugged her shocked friend, saying, "He's coming down next weekend, Carol! Isn't it wonderful? I'll finally get to see him again after so long." She squealed again. "I'm so excited! This is going to be great. We have so much to talk about." With an excited laugh, she hugged Carol a little tighter as her friend returned the happy embrace. "I doubt I'll be able to sleep a wink tonight, I'm so excited."

Carol laughed softly as she felt extremely happy for her friend. Anya was such a hard worker, and her coworkers had noticed something seemed to be a little off the last few months, but Anya refused to talk about it, saying she wanted to focus on her patients. Carol just now realized Anya was probably using work to distract herself from her worries about her brother. But now those worries were laid to rest and Anya was back to her bubbly, happy self again.

As they hugged (with Anya crying a few more happy tears in her excitement), the door opened and another vixen walked in, this one a red fox, but with more blonde and black in her fur giving her a unique look. Many males (not just todds) found her stunning as her blonde, red, and black markings gave her a captivating look. "Hey, Anya are you—" she cocked her head slightly at the scene before her, and then asked, "Am I interrupting anything?"

Anya released Carol and quickly hugged this new vixen, whom she considered to be her best friend. "Loralee, I have such great news! My brother just called. He's safe and sound! And," Anya moved back enough to look her friend in the face, "he's coming down next weekend! Isn't that great!"

"You mean Nick? Your little brother who just happens to be a lawyer and is currently single? That little brother?"

Anya laughed. "Well, I don't think he's done much with his license in the last few years, but yes, he's a lawyer and is very much single. No vixen in his life right now."

A wide smile spread across Loralee's face as a bright light now twinkled in her deep brown eyes. "I hope you remember your promise to introduce us should he ever come down again." Anya had told her so much about her highly intelligent and skillful younger brother that she couldn't wait to meet him. If she played her cards right, her and Anya might just become sisters in the near future.

With a happy laugh, Anya said, "I haven't forgotten and yes, I will gladly introduce you. I can't promise you anything, but I will at least introduce the two of you."

With an answering laugh while her tail twitched excitedly, Loralee answered, "That's all I ask for. I'll do the rest."

They laughed together again, and Carol stood back feeling happy for the two of them. Although she was too shy to date anyone, she knew Loralee had been looking for a boyfriend for a while now. The fact she was still single surprised Carol as there was a large fox population in this town, with a fair number of handsome todds who had good jobs and were still single.

Before her thoughts could go any further, the door opened again, and an older red wolf with a lot of grey in her muzzle walked in wearing scrubs. Raising an eyebrow at the scene, she stated, "Are you ready for the next surgery, Anya? We're supposed to start in 10 minutes." She raised an eyebrow at the other two, too, as they were supposed to be helping during the surgery.

"Oh, right, sorry. My brother finally called and distracted me. Just give me a second." Spinning around, she grabbed some fresh scrubs and hastily put them on with Carol and Loralee's help, who then helped each other into their own scrubs before following the maternal wolf back down the hall to the waiting operating room.


WingedKatt here. So we finally met Anya! And some trouble is brewing for our lovey-dovey couple. Next chapter will see Nick make another phone call with shocking developments.

Chapter 51: Just Different, will post on Saturday, Feb. 15. I hope you have a great weekend and if you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them.

PS: For those who are interested, I have passed the 400 page mark for this story, making it novel length. =)