Nick stared at his sister's contact picture for a minute, then dropped his paw onto his leg and leaned his head back against the hammock. With eyes closed, he swiped a paw down his face then rested his arm across his eyes. When he told Anya he was looking for a distraction, he hadn't expected it to come in the form of an epic guilt trip. A guilt trip that was long overdue. He truly was the worst son and brother on the planet, making them worry these last three months. And looking even further back, he hadn't really been there for them in years. That was something he needed to rectify. Since he would be going to the academy in three and half months, now would be the time to spend as much time with them as he could. Once Judy went back to work, it would be harder to take the week or weekend off to run up to Rándýrabær, but maybe he could invite them down for a week or so. His mom was retired, so she could definitely make the trip. He wasn't sure Anya could take that much time off, but he'd like to at least offer.
Dropping his arm, he looked at the phone again, but he didn't call his mom. As much as he wanted to, he knew he didn't have time right now. A 10-15 minute call wouldn't suffice for all the time he'd missed out on. Just like he didn't want to rush his first time with Judy, he didn't want to feel rushed with his call to his mom. He wanted to give her as much time to talk as she wanted, with nothing else to demand his attention.
Lucky for him, his mom had returned to the normal fox sleeping habits when she retired. She was up most of the night and slept through the morning—which meant he could call her tonight after he put Judy to bed. He might have to sing her to sleep again to make sure she actually slept and didn't get any ideas about finishing what they'd started earlier. As much as he wanted to, he knew it wasn't the right time. He might have to avoid any more emotional conversations for the next several days to give them time to settle into their new relationship.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his phone back on and looked up Bonnie and Stu's number Judy had texted him. He really, really hoped Bonnie was the one who answered. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his mask on if he had to see Stu's accusing gaze. In the older rabbit's eyes, he had nearly defiled his daughter . . . and there goes his train of thought again, switching tracks, as his mind replayed his time with Judy—the taste of her on his tongue and the feel of her beneath his paws. Shaking his head, he thought back over his conversation with his sister and the conversation he still needed to have with his mother. He wasn't looking forward to the pain and heartache he was sure to hear in her voice.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose, then slowly let his breath out. Opening his eyes, he punched the number in and settled back more comfortably into the hammock before his thoughts could switch tracks again.
The phone rang several times, and then Bonnie's smiling face appeared as the call connected. "Hello," she said curiously. She didn't recognize the number, but figured she better answer it since it was a MuzzleTime call.
"Good afternoon, Bonnie," Nick said with a matching smile (he felt immense relief at seeing Bonnie and not Stu on the phone).
"Why hello, Nick. This is a surprise." Although surprised, Bonnie was glad to see the red todd. She was very interested in getting to know Judy's friend better and was impressed that he took the initiative to call.
"Yes, but I have a good reason for calling," Nick replied with an easy grin. "I have several reasons in fact. First, off—your son Henry is a complete jerk." Bonnie's eyes widened in shock, but Nick didn't give her a chance to speak. "And if he comes home complaining about how much of a jerk I was, I admit it, I was a complete jerk, 100 percent." Raising his pointer finger, Nick explained, "But he was a jerk first and since Judy also thought I was being funny, I feel absolutely no remorse for my actions." Taking a deep breath, he said, "I just wanted to be honest with you: Yes, I was a jerk, and no, I'm not sorry about it."
This was quite the surprise confession from the fox, one that took several moments for Bonnie to grasp the implications of. But once she did, the edges of her mouth twitched up a couple of times, and then she began laughing (with her expression and laughter making Nick think strongly of Judy). "Oh, what I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall during that exchange," Bonnie said with another chuckle. Covering her mouth while trying to get her laughter under control, she looked off to the side for a minute, then looked back at Nick to see his raised eyebrow and curious expression. Dropping her paw, she added, "It's about time someone put that boy in his place."
Nick's smug grin spread across his face as Bonnie's expression and the twinkle in her eye reminded him so much of Judy. It was obvious where his adorable girlfriend got her sense of humor.
With a touch of exasperation entering her amethyst eyes, Bonnie added, "Of course, if Rachelle or Lily hadn't done something they didn't want me hearing about, I'm sure Henry wouldn't have had anything to bully them with, so it's partly their own fault they were forced to stay home."
Nick chuckled and had to nod in agreement. Waving a paw, he said, "Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to one of the other reasons I called. Since Judy is living with me, I figured you'd want to have my cell number, so you now you have it."
"Thank you, Nick, it relieves some of my worries to know I'll have a second way to get a hold of my daughter."
Nick flashed her his happy grin, then remembering what Janette had interrupted and recalling how Bonnie and Stu had called and texted Judy over a hundred times the other night, his smile slipped and he said, "Just don't keep calling if you don't get through the first time. If the phone is charging or my paws are tied up with something, continuously calling doesn't help any, but is highly annoying. I promise, I will call back just as soon as I can."
Bonnie studied Nick for several heartbeats as she considered his request and promise. Several ideas came to mind, but she didn't want to jump to any conclusions. With a nod, she said, "Okay, I can do that. I can't promise anything if Stu has the phone, but I'll try to rein in his worrisome habit."
Nick ran a paw through his fur, saying, "Thanks."
Bonnie bit her lip, then asked, "Did someone else annoy you by repeatedly calling?"
"Yes," Nick moaned out. "Janette." Pinching the bridge of his nose again while closing his eyes, he elaborated, "Judy and I were having an emotional conversation, several actually, when she called . . . and kept calling. I mean, if Judy was in a position to answer the phone and felt inclined to do so, she would have—or at least called back immediately. So, if she doesn't, repeatedly calling is pointless—she either can't get to the phone, doesn't want to answer the phone, or she can't hear the phone."
Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose again, then froze as he realized he wasn't talking to Judy. Bonnie had the same stunning amethyst eyes as his honeybun, along with her open, non-judgmental personality—at least that's the feeling she was giving off right now. Opening his eyes, he met her patient gaze and said, "You remind me a lot of Judy. You have her eyes and same open personality and sense of humor." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I don't open up to people easily, but with Judy I find my mouth running away with me—like it's doing right now." Nick's ears flicked back as he met her surprised gaze.
"Wow, Nick, I'm flattered. It's not every day I'm told I remind someone of one of my younger daughters. Thank you." Nick nodded and Bonnie then asked, "Nick, where is your shirt?" As the todd had shifted the phone while he talked, Bonnie got a good glimpse of his creamy, fluffy chest.
Nick's expression took on the 'deer-in-the-headlights' look and he opened and closed his mouth several times before he was able to get anything out. "Um, during our meeting with Bogo this morning, I had to recount some tragedy from my past. To make it up to me, Judy promised to give me an ear scratching and a belly rub." Pulling on his ear while remembering his honeybun's attentions, Nick muttered, "Judy's idea of an ear scratching and tummy rub is a lot different than mine."
Bonnie's ears drooped. "Did . . . she . . . do something wrong?" Please tell me bun-bun isn't already scaring Nick off, she thought worriedly.
Nick's ears perked up as he answered, "Wrong? No, she didn't do anything wrong—just different." His gaze shifted towards one of the trees the hammock was attached to as his mind replayed the 'tummy rub' and 'ear scratching' Judy had given him. "She was a lot more enthusiastic than I was expecting, and very determined with her attention to me." There was a faint smile curving the corners of his muzzle as he spoke.
Bonnie watched Nick's expression, but he didn't seem to be bothered by her daughter's actions—which was a relief. "Judy's enthusiasm isn't a problem, is it?" Besides her abnormal bunny strength, her almost blind determination and enthusiasm for whatever she'd set her mind to scared away a lot of potential bucks. But seeing how happy Judy was with Nick, maybe it was a good thing she scared off all the good bucks with her relentless, over-achieving attitude.
Shifting his gaze back to the phone (Bonnie was sure she'd caught the hint of passion in his deep emerald eyes), Nick said, "I have absolutely no problem with Judy's enthusiasm. I mean, sometimes I think she's a bit crazy, but hey, that's what makes life interesting, right? Normal is soo overrated—aaand boring. And Judy is anything but boring." With a wide grin, he added, "She's reminding me that life is meant to be lived and not merely survived."
Bonnie's heart warmed to hear Nick's praise of Judy and how his life was better because she was in it. And yes, there was definitely desire lurking deep in his eyes. He hid it well, and if she was paying half the attention she was, she would have easily missed it. But seeing it put some of her worries to rest because it meant her bun-bun's feelings were being reciprocated. And from what Nick was saying about Judy's enthusiastic tummy rub, Bonnie figured it meant that Judy was already making her move on the sly todd.
If it was any of her other daughters, she'd be worried that they were moving too fast, but she knew how decisive Judy was once she made her decision, and she didn't do anything halfway—it was all or nothing, do or die (and yes, Judy had used that term many times when she was younger). So, if Judy had decided that Nick was the one for her (and Nick showed even a hint that he shared her feelings—which he apparently did), then she wouldn't stop until she had him. Bonnie just hoped Judy's determination didn't run away with her rational mind. Enthusiasm was good, but it still needed to be tempered with some moderation. Perhaps Nick could provide the moderation—he seemed thoughtful enough.
Going back to her original question, Bonnie asked, "So . . . after your tummy rub . . . you . . . forgot to put your shirt back on?"
Nick looked back down at his creamy chest, then up at Bonnie. "I told you Janette interrupted us in the middle of the tummy rub and our emotional discussion and when she pointed out the time, I realized I was running out of it and I needed to put a hold on our discussion. I left Judy on the phone with Janette." Shaking his head, Nick continued, "Which brings me back to the reason I'm calling. I want to surprise Judy tonight with a special dinner as. . . a kind of . . . thank you for believing in me and accepting me as her . . . friend. So, I need to know what her favorite dishes are so I can have them prepared. A friend of mine owns a restaurant and promised to cater the dinner if I provided a menu."
Bonnie had been listening and watching Nick closely as he spoke, and even then, she almost missed the slight pauses in his explanation for their dinner. But she didn't survive raising over 300 teenagers to not pick up on when they were being careful in their wording so as to avoid giving away troubling information—which made Bonnie believe there was much more to dinner than just a simple 'thank you.' Would it be too much to hope that it was a candlelight dinner and a date? After Judy's one failed date in high school, heaven knows her little bun-bun could certainly use a nice relaxing date with a male who appreciated her.
"Well," Bonnie answered, "Judy likes different dishes for different occasions. When she graduated high school and college, she had a huge pizza party. For the holidays, she likes mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole with fried onions on top, along with cranberry sauce, and candied yams. But if you were going for something more private, like a date," Bonnie took note of Nick's shocked expression, as well as the knowing gleam in his eyes, "I distinctly remember her 7-year-old self gushing about how the date between Lady and Tramp, from the movie, was so romantic and how she wished she could share a plate of spaghetti while on a date with a hot male. She still liked that movie when she entered high school."
Nick saw the humor dancing in Bonnie's bright, amethyst eyes once more and had to laugh. "Did Judy really say that?"
"Oh yes, every time she watched the movie, she'd get all starry-eyed and go on and on about how romantic it was."
Nick laughed again. "I admit that Judy is definitely a lady, but are you implying I'm a tramp?"
The humor continued to dance in Bonnie's eyes as the slick todd laughed. Nick was so easy to talk to. With trying to keep track of the kerfluffle (all her grandkits under the age of 10 whose parents still lived at home) while at the same time running such a large burrow, Bonnie sometimes missed being able to just talk and laugh with someone not needing her attention. Surprisingly enough, she found Nick filled that need for her. No wonder Judy was falling for the smart todd. "I don't know," she replied with a grin, "are you?" Nick grinned at her, but before he could comment, she asked, "So is the dinner tonight going to be a date by candlelight?"
Nick's grin vanished without a trace as his jaw dropped. After a moment of shock, he snapped it closed, but still said nothing. He found it as hard to lie to Bonnie as it was to lie to Judy—which meant impossible. Tweaking the truth, omitting information—this he could do—but not outright lying. Opening his mouth, he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, but for the second time in his life (the first time being when he was accused by Big of selling him the skunk butt rug) words failed him.
Bonnie watched Nick struggle to answer. The fact Nick didn't immediately deny the fact he was planning to surprise Judy with a candlelight dinner told Bonnie everything she needed to know. And with Nick choosing to remain silent rather than lie spoke volumes of his honesty. Remembering his fear of their reaction that first night Judy slept at his house told her what was keeping the sly todd from speaking now—he feared her reaction should he admit to the truth. But becoming a strain on their fledgling relationship was the last thing Bonnie wanted right now. She'd promised herself a long time ago that if Judy ever found a boy she wanted to be with, that she'd support her in that decision, regardless of who he was, and that hasn't changed just because the boy Judy liked happened to be a fox.
"You know Nick, if you're going to go for the romantic first date by sharing a plate of spaghetti by candlelight, I'd have your friend switch the noodles out for spaghetti squash. That's Judy's favorite, with lots of olives—both black and green—minced eggplant, shredded carrots, and cauliflower cooked into the thick tomato sauce, with seasoned veggieballs on top. Oh, and parmesan cheese. You can't forget the cheese."
Nick's jaw dropped again. Snapping it shut as he shook his head, Nick's expression ran through a range of emotions: shock, disbelief, confusion, and then finally, a touch of hope. "So . . . you . . . you won't have a problem if I was to . . . to date your daughter?" Nick paused a moment, but at Bonnie's patient silence, he continued, "If . . . if I asked Judy to be my girlfriend . . . that wouldn't . . . upset you? I'm a fox, a predator, and Judy is a bunny, prey. It seriously won't bother you if we were to get . . . closer . . . to each other?" It was shocking enough to find out Judy wanted a physical relationship with him—but now to see that her mother was fine with it—Nick's brain about short-circuited.
Bonnie didn't answer right away as she studied Nick's hesitant expression. "Well, Nick, are you going to continue making my daughter smile?"
"Absolutely. 100 percent." This was an easy answer as Nick's greed for Judy's smile grew each time he saw it.
"And are you going to bite my daughter? Or rake your claws over her body?" Bonnie couldn't forget Stu's concerns, and although she didn't believe Nick would intentionally hurt Judy, she wanted to be sure her daughter was safe with the much larger todd.
Nick's ear's flicked back again and he ran his claws through the fur at the back of his neck as he looked over the phone at a honeybee buzzing around the yard. "Not . . . painfully so, no." Glancing back at the phone and seeing Bonnie's raised eyebrow, Nick hastily added, "But only because Judy likes it. My claws and teeth excite her." As Bonnie's eyes widened in understanding, Nick slapped a paw over his face as he murmured, "And there I go again, saying things I shouldn't."
"So that means . . . you and Judy have . . . um . . ." Although she hoped Judy and Nick would hit it off and become more than friends, they were moving a bit fast even for Judy, weren't they? But then again, Judy had been cuddling with her Nick plushy for the last several weeks.
Nick peaked out from between two of his fingers and said, "I told you that Judy's idea of an ear scratching and tummy rub was a lot different than mine, but no, we haven't . . ." Nick paused in thought (and never felt more grateful in his life to be able to honestly say no). After dropping his paw, he said, "It was more like an intense make-out session."
"Oh, dear, Judy really did go after you, didn't she?" Bonnie brought a paw up and rubbed her forehead. It was a wonder that Nick didn't turn tail and run from her over-enthusiastic daughter like so many others had before.
Nick's ears swiveled forward and he said, "To be fair, this afternoon only happened because of the emotionally compromising conversations we were having, and I was just as much to blame as Judy." With a cheeky grin, he added, "I was just as enthusiastic as she was."
Bonnie could see that Nick meant what he said, which was another point in his favor. The simple fact that Nick was willing to share the blame for what happened instead of pushing it all on Judy spoke well of the todd. She could think of several instances where a buck was caught with his pants down who tried to push all the blame on the doe, as if he didn't have any say in the situation or what was happening to him. Rubbing her forehead again, Bonnie asked, "So what were these emotional conversations you two were having that led to this 'intense make-out session'?"
Nick didn't immediately answer, then flicked his ear before saying, "Fear of my future and then fear for hers."
Bonnie dropped her paw and stared into the phone with worry now clouding her bright amethysts eyes. "Fear?"
Nick nodded, then asked, "Do you seriously have 316 kits? 138 are bucks?"
Bonnie felt pride in her accomplishments, but the expression on Nick's face didn't give her any warm fuzzies. "Yes," she said carefully while wondering where Nick was going with his questions.
Nick's jaw dropped, then he exclaimed, "How did you survive having that many kits!" Shaking his head, he hastily added, "Don't answer that. It was rhetorical." Taking a deep breath, Nick rubbed his eyes, then looked at Judy's mom, saying, "Bonnie, what happens to me when I come to Bunnyburrow and all 50 or more of your specist sons find out I'm putting my paws, claws, and teeth all over their hot sister? And that in the very near future, I will be taking Judy as my mate?"
Bonnie froze at Nick's candid words. He didn't sugar-coat anything, and his choice of words grabbed her attention. One, he found Judy highly attractive (most bucks considered her muscular body to be hard and unappealing). And two, he wasn't just planning to take her to his bed, or as his lover, but as his mate.
Meeting her shocked gaze with a firm one of his own, Nick asked, "Can you promise that their prejudice and disgust won't result in anything more than sneers and snide comments? Or will some of them want to get physical with their disgust at their sister being with a fox—a filthy predator?"
At Bonnie's stunned gaze and twitching nose, Nick took a deep breath and tried to remain calm as he continued, "Do you know what it feels like to be beat to death, Bonnie? Do you have any idea what that feels like?" Glancing off to the side briefly as the memories washed over him, he turned back to Bonnie and said softly (while trying to keep his emotions locked down where they belong), " I. Do. I know exactly what it feels like. My bones still bear the scars of a beating I took when I was twelve." Taking a deep breath and rubbing the heal of his palm over his face, he then dropped his paw and added, "I'm not going to let any specist rabbit, or group of rabbits, repeat the experience, no matter who they are, nor will Judy let me." As Nick thought of Judy, a grin touched the edge of his muzzle and he said, "Judy has made it very clear that I am to defend myself should an incident occur, and then she will be waiting with pawcuffs and a cruiser to haul their specist butts to jail on assault charges—whether she's related to them or not."
With a wide grin and his tail wagging, Nick continued, "Judy is truly amazing. For a fox, meeting someone like Judy is a once in a lifetime experience—if we're lucky. And I'd say that I am extremely lucky in meeting Judy. If I were to hunt the world over, I know I'd never find another rabbit quite like her. She's one in a billion."
Bonnie nodded, but was too stunned to come up with a response. Her mind swirled with the implication of what he was saying. She'd thought the three cuts on Judy's cheek was bad enough when it came to an incident between predator and prey, but Nick had it so much worse. She couldn't even imagine what a beating like that would feel like—especially for a kit. And although Nick never specifically said it was prey who had beat him, it was certainly implied. If it was a bunch of predators, then claws would have been used along with the fists, but for prey, it was always fists and hooves, or some other blunt object they could get their paws on.
Seeing as Bonnie was too shocked to respond, Nick decided to move onto the other reason he called before Bonnie thought to question him about his fear for Judy's future. Bonnie was worried enough about Judy's safety without adding a possible rapist to the mix. "Okay, moving on. So, the other reason I called you was to see if you had a menu yet for Sunday. I need to know what it is, so I know what I'm providing. Foxes are omnivores, so I'm good with just about anything."
Bonnie shook herself out her stupor, then nodded while saying, "Um, yes, that's a good point. I'll need to discuss it with Stu." Taking a deep breath while trying to collect her thoughts, she asked, "Can I call you back after talking to him?"
"Yeah, that will be fine. I still need to call Willie about our dinner and then I need to finish getting everything ready for our date. How about you call back sometime tomorrow?"
Bonnie nodded with a small smile curving her short muzzle, then said, "If you want a date idea for Halloween, Judy's all-time favorite Disney movie was Beauty and the Beast, and bun-bun always wanted to dress up as Belle, but never had anyone she liked enough, or was tall enough, to join her as Beast."
Nick's ears perked up and his tail began wagging harder. "Really? Well, I guess I know who I'll be for Halloween this year. Thanks, Bonnie, for everything. For accepting me and . . . and trusting me with your daughter, with Judy. It means the world to me to know that at least one of her parents doesn't hate us for loving each other."
Bonnie's expression softened. "Thank you, for taking such good care of Judy and helping her find her smile again. As long as she keeps her smile, I'll have nothing to complain about."
Nick nodded. "I'll do my utmost best to keep her smiling. She's become the world to me and I'm only happy if she's happy."
With a warm smile, Bonnie said, "Goodbye, Nick. Take care of yourself and I can't wait to hear how the date goes tonight."
Chuckling warmly, Nick said, "I'm sure Judy will be more than happy to tell you all about it tomorrow. Goodbye, Bonnie."
Bonnie smiled back, then hit the end call button. With a heavy sigh, her smile faded. Nick had left her with much to think about. About the present, the future, and . . . the past. Taking a deep breath, she considered everything she'd been taught growing up about foxes, and what she and Stu had taught their own kits. Much of what she'd been taught she now realized was probably based on lies. Lies and misconceptions about a past so far distant that it wasn't even worth remembering. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but something she needed to think about, some things she needed to change—especially if Nick and Judy had any hope of making it with their huge family.
So what did you think of the conversation? Not what you were expecting? Next chapter, we'll return to Judy and her phone call with her sisters, who will be joined by another family member.
Chapter 52: Don't Deny It, will post on Saturday, Feb. 29. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them.
PS. With the hours I'm putting in at work, I don't have as much time to write as I did before, so I'll be uploading the chapters every two weeks from now on. =(
PSS. For those of you who didn't get the email notification, I started a separate Wildehopps story, so if you're interested, you can check it out.
