WingedKatt here. I'm double posting this week, so if you're simply reading the last chapter I posted then you missed the first half of the date and you need to go back and read ch69. =)

Here's the song list for the karaoke portion of the date: I'm Coming After You by Owl City, I'm Gonna Getcha Good by Shania Twain, Accidently In Love by Counting Crows, Kissin U by Miranda Cosgrove, Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift (sung by The Endless Summer), Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding, Heartbeat by Stereo Skyline, Boomclap by Charli XCX, Any Kind of Guy by Big Time Rush, Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain, Just Can't Let Her Go by Rajiv Dhall, I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift, I Do by Colbie Caillat, Wrapped Around by Brad Paisley, Holding Out For A Hero, the Jennifer Saunders version, Angel With a Shotgun by The Cab, Intoxicated by The Cab, It's You by Hollywood Ending, Better Dig Two by The Band Perry, Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, and Good Time by Owl City.

FYI: There is more fluff in this part of the date than in the last one, so just a warning, you might want to keep some insulin shots handy. And be sure to brush your teeth afterwards to prevent cavities.


At Nick's question about dinner, Judy turned from the romantic scenery—there were aspen trees, pines, oaks, flowering shrubs, grasses, and a small lake at the base of the hill they were sitting on—to meet Nick's warm gaze. Smiling brightly, she replied, "Mmm, yes. I'm starving."

Leaning over long enough to give her a quick kiss, Nick then jumped out of the gyro and started pulling out the stuff he brought for their dinner. He started with a small table and chairs, a tablecloth, a battery-operated candle (with them sitting outside at the top of a hill, Nick didn't want the wind blowing a real one out), and then he went for Judy, who was sitting with the door of the gyro open to catch the light, evening breeze.

Picking her up princess style, Nick nuzzled her head between her ears and carried her over to one of the chairs, then went back for the food.

Judy watched Nick with avid fascination as he prepared everything. His movements were quick and efficient yet relaxed as he kept turning around to grin at her. Judy giggled at his antics, then licked her lips as Nick shook his bushy tail at her. She couldn't help drooling over her hot, handsome fiancé and thoroughly looked forward to snuggling with him later tonight.

As Nick dished out dinner and placed her plate down in front of her, Judy excitedly looked it over. The potato salad looked delicious with the little chunks of pickles, celery, and cheese mixed in with potatoes. She had even agreed to let Nick add a few boiled eggs to the mix. If she was going to be married to a fox, she figured it wouldn't hurt her to try a few of his pred food. Who knows, she might actually like some of it? Try everything, right?

Next, she leaned over and breathed in the rich scent of hot broccoli and melted cheese. It looked as good as it smelled and Judy couldn't wait to taste it. There were even a few rolls Nick had dug out of the freezer which he had made and frozen the last time he had been home. When taken together, Nick had prepared a well-rounded meal and Judy began salivating while waiting for Nick to dish up his own food. But once he sat down, Judy dug into her potato salad. The food was even better than she expected and it made her close her eyes as the food hit her taste buds in a symphony of flavors. She didn't even mind Nick's light chuckle at her blissful expression. "Hmmm," she murmured. Opening her eyes to meet Nick's happy emeralds, she added, "Nick, this is so good! It's even better than my moms!"

Nick chuckled again as he pointed his fork at her. "I told you, it's all about the eggs and the mustard. Potato salad isn't potato salad without those two ingredients." Judy simply nodded as she took another bite. She was sure the paprika Nick added also helped create the heavenly flavor.

As the two ate, they enjoyed the warmth and companionship of one another while chatting back and forth and discussing their plans for the future. Nick expressed his desire to take a trip to Rándýrabær and visit his sister and asked if a trip to Bunnyburrow would be a good idea or a suicidal one? Judy said they would have to see how it went Sunday and then decide from there.

As much as she wanted to show Nick her hometown and introduce him to her family, she didn't want a select few family members turning their disgust at their relationship into something violent. And then there was her dad, who was against them even being roomies. Frowning at the thought, Judy knew they would have to wait and see if he softened up on Sunday before making a definitive decision to go or not.

Once dinner was finished, Nick put the leftover food away and pulled out the portable karaoke machine. Turning to his curious honeybun, he said, "You ready for some entertainment, Sweetheart?"

With a laugh (she hadn't heard that nickname in a long while), Judy replied, "Of course." Looking at the machine he pulled out, Judy said, "I take it we're doing karaoke tonight?"

With a wag of his tail, Nick replied, "That we are!" He then went back to the gyro to grab the box of costume accessories. Bringing it to the table, he set it on his chair and rummaged through it, even as Judy leaned over the table to see what it was that he had.

"What you got there, Slick?" she asked with her nose twitching and her ears perked forward.

With a chuckle, Nick answered, "Some accessories to make our songs more fun."

"Oh," Judy said with a bright smile, "So we're singing fun songs tonight? None of those sappy love songs to make me cry?"

Nick chuckled as he pulled several hats out and a few other accessories and set them on the table so they would be available for whichever song they wanted to sing. "I thought tonight we could keep the songs more upbeat to avoid getting overly emotional." Setting the box on the ground behind the table, Nick grinned at his honeybun.

With a nod and flick of her tail, Judy added, "Well, I'm all for it." With a twitch of her nose, she added, "I've cried enough the last few days."

Nick nodded with a warm smile, then pulled out his phone and pulled up his music app. Finding the song he wanted, he slid his phone into the docking station on the machine, then took the wireless microphone. After hitting play, he grabbed a cop hat off the table and plopped it on his head, then stepped back and waited for the music to start.

As the music began playing Nick began bobbing his head and shifting his shoulders in time to the music, then began singing, "I saw your face in a criminal sketch. Don't be alarmed because you don't know me yet. I'm on the prowl now, sniffing around this town for you." Twisting around while swishing his bushy tail, he continued singing, "Calling all cars, there's an officer down. Shot through the heart on the night on the town." Nick patted his heart. "Yeah! The evidence of your fingerprints was found, and now," Nick jumped up and pointed to Judy while he sang, "you've got the right to remain right here with me. I'm on your tail in a hot pursuit." Dancing around to the beat of the music, Nick continued singing, "Love is a high-speed chase racing down the street. Woowoowoo. I'm coming after you. Woowoowoo. I'm coming after you. Woowoowoo. I'm coming after…"

As Nick continued singing I'm Coming After You by Owl City, Judy giggled and bobbed her own head as she watched Nick dance around and sing for her. It was definitely an upbeat song that kept her toes tapping and her tail twitching to the hum and thrum of the music. And for Nick to be singing this song about her being a criminal he was in pursuit of made her laugh all the more.

As Nick finished the first song and sat, he took a deep breath and then handed her the microphone, saying, "Okay, it's your turn now."

Judy took the microphone from him, then pulled out her phone and began scrolling through her songs, trying to find a good one to follow up with. Seeing one she enjoyed listening to in high school (Gonna Getcha Good by Shania Twain), she leaned over and put her phone in the docking station, then pressed play. Swaying to the music as it began playing, Judy started singing, "Don't want you for the weekend. Don't want you for the night. . . I'm only interested if I can have you for life. . . Yeah. . . I know I sound serious. . . Well, baby, I am."

Clapping her paws together above her head as she swayed to the music, Judy continued, "You're a fine piece of real-estate and I'm gonna get me some land." Pointing to Nick, she then tapped her chest. "Ohh, yeah. So don't try to run," shaking her finger at Nick, she sang, "Honey, love can be fun. There's no need to be alone when you find that someone." Waving her paws up in the air, she shimmied her shoulders back and forth to the beat of the music. "I'm gonna getcha while I got you in sight. I'm gonna getcha even if it takes all night. You can betcha by the time I say go, you'll never say no. I'm gonna getcha, it's a matter of time. I'm gonna getcha, don't you worry about that. You can bet your bottom dollar, in time, you're gonna be mine. Just like I should, I'll get you good."

Nick was intrigued by the song Judy picked as he hadn't heard it before, surprising enough. But it definitely fit the mood they were in and was a good follow up of his own song. Furthermore, Judy was the first female he met that he didn't mind getting caught by. In fact, he couldn't possibly be any happier for having been caught by her. With a happy grin while watching Judy bop around on her chair to the fast beat of the music, Nick was glad he had decided on karaoke tonight. As romantic as last night's date was, this one tonight was much more fun. And he was able to involve Judy a lot more, too. It was just a shame her bum leg kept her confined to the chair. Once her leg healed, they would definitely be doing karaoke again.

As Judy finished the song, her cheeks, ears, and nose were a rosy pink from her excitement as she was having the time of her life, which was a far cry to what her life had been like the last three months. With a stunning smile, she handed the microphone back to Nick, saying, "Okay, Slick, let's see what else you got."

Nick accepted the challenge and put on Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows. Judy loved the song as it described their crazy love perfectly. Who knew that after Nick hustled 20 bucks from her and then after she blackmailed him that they would be engaged a short three months later? But now, they were 'accidently in love' and there was no escaping it. Nor did she want to. Falling for Nick was the best mistake she ever made. (She was sure her dad would call their relationship a mistake, along with a lot of other specist jerks out there.)

Wanting to jump as the song said, Judy laughed instead while watching Nick's antics while he danced to the music, shaking his tail at her before spinning around to point at her. Once he finished, she picked Kissin U by Miranda Cosgrove. This song perfectly portrayed how Nick made her feel. As the song said, '…I promised I wouldn't do this till I knew it was right for me. But no one, no guy that I met before could make me feel so right and secure. And have you noticed I loose my focus and the world around me disappears...'Cause when I'm kissin you, my senses come alive. Almost like the puzzle piece I've been trying to find falls right into place, you're all that it takes, my doubts fade away when I'm kissin you.'

As Judy swayed on the chair as she sang, Nick flashed her his hungry predatory grin, and once the song finished, he reached over and stole a heated kiss from her. As his follow up, Nick picked Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift, the version sung by The Endless Summer. 'The way you move is a full-on rainstorm and I'm a house of cards. You're the kind of reckless that should send me running, but I kinda know that I won't get far… And she stood there in front of me, just close enough to touch, close enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking…'

Judy loved this song, especially when Nick sang it to her. After he handed her the mike and sat down, there was only one song Judy could think of to follow up with. It was a song her sisters were crazy about, but one she never thought she'd have a guy she would ever sing it to. But now, she couldn't help singing it to Nick, her one-in-a-million, incredible fox fiancé. With a bright smile, she started singing Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding.

This song had Nick's eyes darkening with desire, especially when she sang, 'You're the cure, the pain, the only thing I want to touch.' Standing up, he moved over and picked Judy up. Cupping her firm butt with both paws as he held her close, Nick danced around the clearing in front of the table and the gyrocopter as she continued to sing, 'Love me like you do. Lo-lo-love me like you do…Touch me like you do. Tou-tou-touch me like you do…What are you waiting for?'

As if her words weren't tempting enough, Judy was playing with the fur around his ears and back of his neck the whole time she was singing. 'Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise, every inch of your skin is a holy grail I got to find. Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire…' Meeting her brilliant, burning amethysts as she sang, Nick spun her around as he continued listening. 'I'll let you set the pace, 'cause I'm not thinking straight. My head is spinning around, I can't see clear no more. What are you waiting for? Love me like you do...' Waiting till the song ended, and Judy's last strain of 'What are you waiting for?' faded, Nick then locked lips with her as he dropped her cute tush on the table so his paws were free to roam over her hot body.

Judy's tail was twitching excitedly to feel one of Nick's large paws sliding up and down her back as his thumb caressed her sides, while his other paw rested on the back of her head, with his fingers caressing her scalp and base of her ears, even as his claws left tracks of fire across her skin. Of course, her own fingers and paws were not idle, as they ran through every inch of his fur that wasn't covered by his clothes, which left her own trail of burning desire across his skin.

Finally coming up for air, they both took a large gulp of oxygen, then Nick softly booped her nose, saying, "Carrots, the whole point of doing karaoke was to keep the date upbeat and fun, while at the same time keeping our desire at a low smolder—not picking songs that will make us want to jump each other."

Judy gave him a very unrepentant gaze that smoldered as she replied, "Nick, you can't expect me to go on a date with you and not get my fill of my hot foxy fiancé." Rubbing her small, pink, nose lightly across his large, black one, she added, "Especially since we're miles from anywhere and no other soul is in sight."

Nick growled, then stole another heated kiss that had Judy moaning into his mouth as his talented tongue teased her own smaller one relentlessly. It didn't help that he had also slipped his paws under her dress to run his claws through the fur of her thighs. Finally breaking the kiss off for another gulp of life-giving air, Nick rested his forehead against hers and said, "Seriously, Fluff, parents first, remember?"

Judy met his gaze for several heartbeats, then gave a slight nod. "Right. Parents first." Taking another deep breath, she added, "I promise, that's the last song with such vivid demands."

With a nod, Nick set Judy back in her seat, then flipped through his playlist for the next song. He finally settled on Heartbeat by Stereo Skyline (his heart was still pounding from her last song), after which Judy then picked Boomclap by Charli XCX for her follow up song. Nick grinned as Judy continuously picked songs to match his own. It made the evening so much more fun that she was able to easily keep up with him.

As Judy's song ended, Nick then picked the song he had brought all the accessories for. Selecting Any Kind of Guy by Big Time Rush, Nick stepped away from the table and waited for the intro music to finish, and then he began singing, 'Here I am, there you are. Why does it seem so far? Next to you is where I should be…' Dancing to the music as the words rolled off his tongue, Nick then sang, 'Open your eyes, I can be what you need.' Moving on to the next part of the song, 'Any kind of guy you want, girl, that's the guy I'll be. Turn myself upside down. Yes, I will. Yes, I will. Any kind of guy you want, girl, you know I'll agree. Turn your whole world around. Yes, I will. Yes, I will. Any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want. You decide, change your mind, I Will Be There…'

As he moved onto the rest song, Nick proceeded to switch between all the costume accessories that were on the table. There was a small football with a football helmet, geek glasses, a toy hockey stick, a baseball and baseball cap, a top hat, a cowboy hat, a farmer's white straw hat, and, of course, the officer's hat that he finished the song with. 'Any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want. You decide. I. Will. Be. There.' Nick was pointing to Judy as he finished, with his paw holding the microphone resting over his heart.

Judy was laughing through the whole song and was glad Nick picked a funny song to help her finish calming down from the emotional high her earlier song had caused. As he walked back over to hand her the microphone, Judy was on cloud nine knowing Nick had already turned his life upside down for her and had already changed to be the guy she wanted and needed.

Shaking her head, Judy amended her thought. Nick hadn't changed to be the guy she wanted him to be, he had changed to be the todd he had always wanted to be—the real Nick Wilde who had been hiding under a wall of sarcasm, anger, and pain for so many years.

Judy felt grateful and happy that she was able to give Nick the hope and courage to let go of the pain and anger and become someone he could be proud of. Not wanting to break the mood, though, by saying something sappy and sentimental, Judy took the microphone and then chose her next song. Since Nick had just sang a song asking about what kind of guy she wanted him to be, Judy decided to answer his question with a song of her own. So, she picked Shania Twain's song, Any Man of Mine, and to complete her 'costume' for the song, she plopped the cowboy hat atop her head. The hat was a little big on her, but neither of them minded as she sang and rocked side-to-side on the chair.

'Any man of mine better be proud of me, even when I'm ugly he still better love me. And I can be late for a date, that's fine, but he better be on time…' With her arms up above her head as she rocked back and forth, Judy continued singing, 'Well any man of my better disagree when I say another doe's looking better than me. And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black, he better say, Yep, mmm, I like it like that… And if I change my mind a million times, I wanna hear him say, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I like it that way…' As Judy shimmied her shoulders and bobbed her head back and forth, she finished singing, 'I need a man who knows how the story goes, he's gotta be a heart-beatin', fine-treatin', breath-takin', earthquakin' kind—Any man of mine…'

Nick rocked to the fast beat of the song, and grinned whenever she pointed to him as she sang. But when the song ended, he reached over and booped her cute, little nose with his claw, saying, "I see. I picked a high-maintenance doe to marry." Judy merely laughed, and Nick said, "Well, if that's how you want to play, how about this song." He then turned on Just Can't Let Her Go by Rajiv Dhall.

Judy was laughing while listening to Nick sing, 'I want her but I better run away. Oh-oh-oh. She's so mean, but I kinda love it, and I just can't let her go. I'm so whipped on her tiny little—she's a tempting animal…' Still laughing as Nick sang the rest of the song, she watched him wag his tail at her, then spin around and lean over the table. Running a single claw up her neck to rest on her chin, he sang the last words of the song, 'I just can't let her go.'

Laughing harder at Nick's finishing move while meeting his teasing, emerald gaze, Judy exclaimed, "Are you saying I'm mean!?" The temptation to reach over and kiss him was strong, but she wasn't going to reward him with a kiss when he was calling her mean.

Nick gave her a smug grin, then sat down and answered, "Of course." Counting on his fingers, he said, "You blackmailed me, dragged me around on your case, nearly got me iced by a notorious mob boss, nearly eaten by a savage jaguar, and then you flushed me down a megafauna toilet—and that's not counting everything that happened a few days ago." With a shrug, he spread his paws out while adding, "If that's not mean, I don't know what is." At her pout, he then leaned across the table so they were inches apart and said with a purr, "But you know, I kinda love it and I just can't let you go."

Judy giggled, then pushed his face away. "Fine, you got me there, but let's see how you like this song." Finding I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift, she started singing after the intro music finished. Pointing to Nick when the chorus started, she sang, "I knew you were trouble when you walked in, so shame on me. Now-ow you will lead me to places I've never been… Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground. Oh. Oh. Trouble. Trouble. Trouble.'

Shrugging as the song ended, Nick stated, "I admit it, this song has me pegged pretty good. For a cute, little bunny like you, I'm definitely trouble and I'll certainly take you places you've never been before." Reaching forward to run his fingers up one of her ears, he then added, "But unlike the song states, you can be sure I'm never going to leave you. I'm here to stay." Switching from his fingerpads to his claws, Nick ran his fingers up her ear again and smirked at her groan and shiver of pleasure while adding, "But yeah, I'm definitely trouble."

Judy sat back and took a deep calming breath as Nick released her ear. With another deep breath, she tried to ignore the heat Nick's claws had caused. Yep, Nick was trouble alright. Taking another deep breath while watching Nick scrolling through his music for another song (his smug grin never did quite leave his face), Judy thought of a popular song several of her sisters had been singing when she had been home recently.

She had been too depressed at the time to pay too much attention to it, but she did remember wondering if she would ever find someone like the song talked about. Looking across the table at Nick, she knew she had found her answer. Picking up her phone, it didn't take long to find the song as the title was really easy to remember. Glancing at her handsome fox, she said, "Hey, Nick, I got another song." He looked up and nodded, then watched as she put on I Do by Colbie Caillat.

Nick listened to the song and felt the song described both of them really well, as he hadn't cared about love or relationships before either, but now that he'd met Judy, she made him want to say, I do. As a follow up song, he picked, Wrapped Around by Brad Paisley. And as the song stated, it was definitely time to put a ring on her finger he was wrapped around.

Judy bopped around in her chair as she listened to the song, then picked Holding Out For A Hero, the Jennifer Saunders version. She had always loved this song and now she finally found her hero. A real hero who had saved both her career and her life, and now he was saving her heart.

Grinning while listening to Judy's next choice, Nick then picked Angel With a Shotgun by The Cab. When he finished, Judy was having a hard time choosing another song (there were too many she liked), so Nick took pity on her and sang the next song, too. It was another song by The Cab—Intoxicated. This is exactly how Judy made him feel—her scent, her taste, and her touch completely intoxicated him.

Judy remembered with crystal clarity how Nick became drunk on her scent and taste, so to show him how she felt about him, she sang It's You by Hollywood Ending. This song definitely described what Nick did for her—and to her. His look, his laugh, and his love made her think about him all the time, especially when he gave her those hungry, predatory eyes of his. And then all the little things he did for her. . . She just couldn't get enough of him!

As the song ended and while Nick was looking up another song to sing, she decided she'd sing one last song that expressed how deeply she felt about Nick, and then she'd sit back and listen to him sing anymore songs if he still wanted to sing. Sharing her thoughts with Nick, he readily agreed as the sun was finally starting to set (with it being the middle of summer, the sun set late).

Pulling up the song she wanted (Better Dig Two by The Band Perry), a song several of her sisters got her hooked on, Judy bobbed her head to the banjo intro music, then started singing, "I told you on the day we wed I was gonna love you till I's dead. Made you wait for our wedding night, that's the first and last time I'll wear white." Rocking her head back and forth to the music, she sang, "So if the ties that bind ever do come loose, tie them in a knot like a hangman's noose 'cause I'll go to heaven or I'll go to hell before I'll see you with someone else." Pointing to Nick as her tail flicked behind her, she said, "Put me in the ground. Put me six foot down." She pointed to the ground. "And let the stone say here lies a girl whose only crutch is loving one todd just a little too much. If you go before I do, I'm gonna tell the gravedigger he better dig two." She held up two fingers. "Well, it won't be whiskey, it won't be meth, it'll be your name on my last breath. If the force of death ever do us part, the coroner will call it a broken heart. So put me in the ground. Put me six foot down. . ."

As Nick listened to Judy sing, tears stung his eyes as this song perfectly portrayed a red fox's strong commitment to their mate. He knew for a fact that if not for him and his siblings, then when his dad had died, his mother would have curled up and died of a broken heart. So, hearing that Judy felt the same, life-binding commitment that he did brought his emotions bubbling up to the surface.

So when Judy finished the song, Nick reached over and took her paw. At Judy's curious gaze, Nick said, "I don't think you realize how much that song represents a red fox's commitment to their mate." Taking a deep breath while rubbing his thumb in slow circles on the back of her paw, he explained, "Dying of a broken heart is a very real thing for us."

Judy's expression softened as she reached over and caressed Nick's cheek with her free paw. "Oh, Nick," she whispered. "I love you and nothing is going to change that. You're stuck with me till the day I die." Caressing his cheek again while returning his smile, she continued, "The reason my dad has such a problem with us dating—or possibly dating as far as he's concerned—is because he knows that if anything happened between us, if the ties that bind us ever do come loose, then I won't be able to get over the break up like my sisters do. My dad knows that when I commit it's 200 percent. And in a relationship like this, every fiber of my being is committed." With a small laugh, she added, "So, yeah, if the ties that bind ever do come loose, tie them in a knot like a hangman's noose. And if you go before I do, then I'll tell the gravedigger that he better did two." With a bright smile, Judy said, "I won't live without you, Nick."

Taking a deep breath, Nick held back his tears and said, "Judy, you have no idea what that means to me." Shaking his head, he explained, "As a red todd dating a bunny, hearing you say this . . ." Nick shook his head at a loss for words. "There's no words to describe how incredibly happy that makes me feel."

Judy could see the tears shimmering in Nick's eyes, and with a tender smile she said, "There might not be words, but I'm sure you could come up with a way to show me." With a lighthearted smile, she leaned over the table towards Nick and was happy to see Nick lean over to meet her. The kiss was tender, but after a moment, they deepened it, but it was still a slow kiss filled with love and appreciation. Pulling back from the kiss, they shared another warm smile before sitting back in their chairs.

Glancing at the slowly sinking sun, Nick turned back to Judy and said, "I think I have time for two more songs before the sun sets." Judy nodded and he then said, "The first one will be a follow up of your song and then the last song will be what I hope tonight has been for you."

The first song Nick sang was Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. The final song he picked was Good Time by Owl City. Judy even joined him for the female vocal on Good Time. Singing a duet with his honeybun was a good end to the incredible evening, and a good start to the amazing night that was just beginning.

As the song ended, they glanced over to see the sun inching towards the horizon. "Dessert time," Nick said with a wide grin.

Standing up, he quickly dumped the costume accessories back into their box, then pulled a container of brownies from the cooler, along with a small bottle of almond milk. Setting them on the table, Nick then moved his chair around to sit next to Judy so they could lean against each other while watching the sunset. As they picked up their dessert and started eating, the sun began sinking below the horizon as brilliant colors of gold, orange, and red spread across the sky and stained the clouds their vivid colors, which were reflected in the lake at the base of the hill.

Transferring his brownie to his left paw, Nick reached over with his right and took Judy's left paw and gave it a light squeeze. She returned the squeeze and flashed him a bright smile, then turned back to watching the sun disappear as she munched on her brownie. After taking a second one, she leaned against Nick and rested her head against his shoulder. Releasing her paw, he then put his arm around her and held her close. As the oranges and reds turned to various shades of pink and purple, then blue once more before darkening towards black, Nick nuzzled Judy between the ears and asked, "Well, are you ready for the night tour?"

Judy giggled and looked up, saying, "Yes. I'm ready whenever you are."

After stealing a quick kiss, Nick then started loading everything back up into the gyrocopter. After they were both comfortably sitting, Nick started the engine. With the breeze blowing, it didn't take long to get airborne and then Nick turned the gyro around to follow the way they'd come. He cut out some of the sights they saw earlier as they didn't have many, if any, lights to see, but where the nightlife was thick, and therefore bright lights—many of which were brightly colored neon lights—Nick didn't hesitate to fly over or by to show his honeybun the brilliantly colored city of Zootopia at night.

They flew by Tundratown first and the brightly colored lights bouncing off the low-lying clouds gave the impression of the Northern Lights. The Palm Springs Hotel was lit up like a Christmas tree, Downtown was a riot of colors and flashing lights, Precinct One and the nearby government buildings with their white security lights stood stately out from the dark, and the colored lights in the Rainforest District had a mystical effect as they danced among the fog and mist that permeated the area. The Meadowlands was mostly parks, open meadows (hence the name), forested areas and rolling hills so there weren't really any lights to see. The few large complexes that normally had the bright lights didn't have any scheduled events tonight, so they simply returned home once they reached the meadowlands.

After arriving at the house, Nick parked Suzy-Q at the top of the ramp that led down to the garage and turned to Judy, saying, "Well, did you have fun tonight?"

Judy beamed at him while leaning over to grab his tie. "You know I did," she stated just before pulling him down for hot a kiss. Nick happily complied to her wishes and it was several minutes before they parted. Rubbing noses, Judy giggled and said, "Are you ready to crawl in bed?" As fun and exciting as their date had been, Judy hadn't forgotten about Nick's claim to drag her to his bed tonight. Even if it was just snuggling together, she was more than ready to spend the whole night in his arms.

Nick chuckled and nodded. "Always." He pressed his lips to Judy's for a quick kiss, then he climbed out of the gyro and hurried around to pick Judy up. Carrying her towards the house, he said, "As strong as your scent is, you'll need a shower while I put everything away and de-scent the house of your intoxicating scent." Caressing her cheek, he added, "Then we can hunker down and snuggle for the night."

Lightly running her soft, pink nose up and down his hard, black nose, she whispered, "I can't wait."

With a grin, Nick carried her up the stairs and into his room. They stripped out of their expensive clothes with both enjoying the eye-candy that was revealed to their eyes, then Nick hung their clothes in his closet before wrapping Judy's leg in plastic and carrying her into the bathroom so she could finish undressing before climbing under the hot water.

While she was doing that, Nick slipped a pair of gym shorts on over his briefs and then emptied Suzy-Q before driving it into the garage. Once he was back in the house, Nick got out the musk-mask spray and started de-scenting the house. Once he cleaned her scent out of the air and off the hard surfaces, he broke out the Furbreeze Fabric refresher—extra strength—and sprayed down the couches and Judy's bed, then carried all her clothes and other items into his room. Nick didn't intend for any of the predators arriving in the morning to enter the house (he'd let them use the bathroom in the loft apartment if anyone needed it), but he didn't want to leave anything to chance, either. The news still hadn't said Judy was the one who caught Bellwether, saying only that the officer involved was still recovering from injuries sustained from the takedown.

Lastly, Nick plugged in several musk-masking scented plugins that had the scent of violets. With everything taken care of, he walked back upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you about ready to get out?"

"Uh, yeah," Judy mumbled while trying to stem the tide of tears coursing down her face and mixing with the shower water.

While waiting for Nick to finish de-scenting the house, she had been enjoying the hot water running down her fur and had lots of time to think. At first, her thoughts were of the incredible date she had just experienced and the impending snuggle session she was sure to enjoy. But then her thoughts turned to the jobless predators arriving in the morning, along with the reason Nick needed to de-scent the house and keep her closeted in his room until the predators were gone. This brought up all the suppressed guilt she had been harboring the last several months that caused a whimper to escape her throat.

Although she knew she wasn't responsible for the hate and mistrust that had been simmering under the surface of society—she got it, the prejudices were centuries old—but it was her words which ignited the tender and set the city ablaze with fear and hatred. It was her own prejudices, her own small-minded thinking, and her own thoughtless words that shot through the city and split it apart, causing the subtle divide between predator and prey to rip apart into a gaping chasm wider than the Grand Canyon.

Although Dawn Bellwether and Doug Ramses kept fanning the flames of fear, hate, and unrest by darting predators and causing widespread panic, Judy knew it was her words that gave the psychopathic little ewe power to do as she pleased. It was her fault that the predators arriving in the morning had lost their jobs. It was her fault many had lost their homes. It was her fault there wasn't any food on their tables and their wives and kits were going hungry. It was all her fault.

Curling in on herself as she sat on her stool, silent tears began coursing down Judy's cheeks. Sitting in her own world of guilt and misery, with the hot water slowly turning to lukewarm, she lost all sense of time until Nick called out to her. And even after she answered him, it took her some time to pull herself together.

Nick's ear flicked at hearing Judy's mumbled response, and when she didn't immediately turn off the water, he began to get worried. "Judy?" he called again. He'd given her plenty of time in the shower and assumed she hadn't called him yet because she was waiting for him to finish so they could crawl in bed at the same time—while enjoying the hot water in the meantime. But it didn't sound like she had been enjoying the water while waiting for him to finish.

Hearing her muffled sniffle and near-silent sob, Nick's ears disappeared against his head as he opened the bathroom door and poked his head in. "Judy!?" Smelling the salty scent of tears mixed in with the steamy air that hung like a mist in the bathroom, Nick's eyes widened in alarm as he exclaimed, "Are you crying!?"

With another sniffle, Judy said, "No, I'm . . . I mean . . ." Taking a deep breath while trying to rein in her tears, she hurriedly said, "Just give me a second." Turning off the water, she stood up but forgot about her injured leg. With a cry, she stumbled back, trip over the stool, and went over backwards. The only thing that kept her from smacking her head on the bottom of the tub was a strong vulpine paw catching the back of her head and stopping her fall.

Looking up into the worried green gaze of her fiancé, Judy's mouth formed a perfect 'O' of shock. "Nick!?" she finally managed to exclaim.

Nick's worry turned to upset as he saw her red-rimmed eyes and fresh tear streaks. After setting her back up on her stool, he disappeared behind the shower curtain long enough to grab the thick, fox-sized towel off the rack. Pushing the shower curtain open to Judy's outraged cry, he merely draped the towel around her soaking-wet body and swept her up off the stool. "I'm going to see everything in a few days anyways, so what's the problem?" he asked.

Judy shut her mouth, both at the implication of how soon he planned to marry her, as well as the fact she was completely prepared to have him take her clothes off. She just hadn't been expecting him to see her in the shower tonight, so it surprised her.

Grabbing another towel from the linen closet in the bathroom, Nick carried Judy into his room and shut the door. Walking to the bed, he set her in the center. Ignoring Judy's feeble cry that she was going to get the bed wet, he crawled up and sat in front of her. Grabbing the end of the large towel, he began gently drying off her ears and face before proceeding to dry the rest of her. Once she was no longer sopping wet, Nick pulled the wet towel from around her shoulders and tossed it on the floor in front of the closet. Judy shivered as the cool air hit her damp fur and skin, and Nick quickly grabbed the extra towel and wrapped it around her.

As her slight shivers disappeared, Nick cut the plastic protecting her bandaged leg off, then covered her leg back up with the thick towel before asking, "Now, will you please tell me why you were crying? It has nothing to do with our date, does it?"

Judy's eyes widened as she quickly shook her head. "No, never." With one paw holding the towel closed in front of her (and keeping out the slight chill in the room), Judy reached the other paw out to caress Nick's cheek, then pull his muzzle down so she could press her lips to his. Breaking off the gentle kiss, she rested her forehead against his and held it for several heartbeats. Taking a deep breath, and with her eyes closed, she whined dejectedly, "Nick, it's my fault all those predators coming tomorrow are now jobless. It's my fault that they can't put food on their table. It's my faul—" Judy's words were cut off as she suddenly found Nick's highly talented tongue in her mouth which prevented her from speaking.

Groaning as he worked his magic on her mouth, Judy slipped her paw around the back of his head and gripped his fur. Since she much preferred kissing Nick to wallowing in guilt and self-pity, Judy fell backwards onto the bed and dragged Nick down with her.

Putting a paw out to catch himself, Nick hovered above Judy as he continued to kiss her. Pulling back to take a deep breath, Nick met Judy's dark amethysts and said, "Look, Fluff, what you said at the conference was wrong, there's no changing that, but you didn't cause this. If you hadn't said anything, Bellwether would have found someone else to use as her unwitting pawn."

"But it was my words! I was her pawn!" Judy cried out, even as she gripped Nick's neck fur painfully.

Ignoring the sting her grip caused, Nick reached up with his free paw and caressed her cheek while trying to think of a way to comfort and calm her. Seeing tears leaking from her eyes again, he flicked his tongue out to catch them. Pulling back, he said, "Look, Judy, as bad as it is right now, this needed to happen."

Judy's eyes went wide and her jaw slack. "What are you talking about!? How can—" Nick's thumb over her mouth silenced her cries.

"I'm not saying I'm glad it happened, and it's awful with what's happening to the predators in the city. I'm extremely lucky since I own my own home and wasn't working at a legitimate job." Rubbing his thumb across her lips, Nick continued, "But this issue between preds and prey and all these age-old stereotypes is something that needed to be addressed if any real change is going to take place. These century old fears that prey hold is completely ridiculous, especially as so many prey completely ignore their own violent past and tendencies—many of whom still have violent tendencies." With a flick of his ear, he added, "That's not to say there aren't predators out there that don't also need to give up some of their own stereotypes and prejudices. I know quite a few who think their predator bloodline makes them better than everyone else and so will throw their weight around, sometimes violently."

Judy studied Nick's handsome face as she thought of all the old prejudices and fears her family had tried to raise her with, nor could she forget the bag of fox-away stuff her dad had tried foisting on her when she first left for the city. And her guilt wouldn't let her forget how she carried fox-mace around with her the whole time she was with Nick, and how she thought of threatening him with it when she first saw him in the ice cream shop. And yet, she had absolutely nothing to fear from Nick, a predator and a fox, and everything to fear from a psychotic sheep hell-bent on destroying her and the wonderful fox she loved.

Nick was right, predators weren't the violent ones—it was specist prey using their status as 'weak' prey to bully and hurt 'bloody' predators and others they considered different than themselves, which were usually the predators, but sometimes 'lesser' prey such as rabbits. And even though she had been bullied as a kit by Gideon, a red fox, Judy knew that Gideon had been bullied himself by some of the older kits. That's one of the reasons she didn't hold it against Gideon for clawing her—she knew all too many rabbits who were jerks and bullies. Some of whom were her own siblings.

Releasing Nick's neck fur, Judy slid her paw across his cheek. Caressing his muzzle and cheek, she said, "You're right, Nick. These old stereotypes and fears are stupid." With a faint smile, she said, "Look at us, a fox and a bunny in love." Sliding her paw down across his muzzle, she then slid her fingers between his lips to feel his sharp teeth.

As Nick parted his maw for her, Judy ran her fingers up and down his long, pointed canines. "Pred and prey are just labels we use to segregate each other, to divide us and say, 'Hey, you're different from me so we can't play together.' Or we use the labels to segregate ourselves." At Nick's questioning look, Judy explained, "Do you know how many times I heard growing up that a rabbit can't do this, or rabbits can't do that. Or rabbits just don't do this or that." With a bitter laugh, Judy said, "Do you know how many of my siblings and friends gave up on their dream careers because everyone told them it couldn't be done because they were rabbits?" Tapping his chest, she added, "And this was coming from other rabbits! My own parents!"

Nick slid his paw up behind Judy's ear and lightly rubbed her head and the base of her ears. With a nod, he asked softly, "Like how everyone said you couldn't be a cop because you're a rabbit?"

Judy nodded, but then Nick went on. "I'm as guilty as your friends and siblings." Judy raised her eyebrow and Nick continued, "How many years did I hustle and swindle mammals because I was a fox and society said I was untrustworthy and a scoundrel? I took my status as a fox and segregated myself. I said that since I was a fox, I couldn't trust anyone but myself. I used it as an excuse to swindle money out of mammals, saying that since everyone else was out to get me, I should get them first. Junior Ranger Scouts taught me that, and so many other mammals I came across—prey and predator alike—reinforced that image."

Running a thumb back across Judy's lips, Nick added, "Honey helped me look above being a fox for a time, but there were still a lot of mammals, even then, that saw me as nothing more than a lying, cheating fox. The justice system was a prime example. No matter how many innocent people I defended with absolute proof of their innocence, only Judge Princeton, DA Bisiorn—our current Intern-mayor—and one other lawyer gave me the benefit of the doubt and Daphyd was the only one that actually took the time to become friends with me. All the others said I was a conniving fox who tampered with the evidence, no matter how much the truth stared them in the face." With a heavy breath and flick of his tail, Nick added, "I'm just lucky the jurors, for the most part, came with the intent to judge a crime and weren't too interested in my species."

As Judy slid her paws across his chest and up behind his ears, Nick gave a slight shake of his head to rid himself of the past and said, "Anyways, the point is, mammals segregated me because I was a fox, and then I went and further segregated myself for being a fox by giving into the stereotypes mammals labeled me with."

Running her paw back down to caress Nick's lips, Judy murmured, "It shouldn't matter what the color of our fur is, the shape of our ears, or our size." Sliding her paws up to caress his wide, triangular ears, Judy added, "We're all mammals and if we would start looking at each other as individuals instead of some label, we'd all get along a whole lot better." Pulling his head down closer to her own, she whispered, "I am Judy and you are Nick, and nothing else matters."

With a wide grin, Nick nudged her nose with his, saying, "Nothing else," then he kissed her. There was no passion in the kiss, as they were both tired and Judy was emotionally drained. Instead, the kiss was full of love, warmth, and tenderness.

As the kiss deepened, Nick settled on the bed beside Judy with one paw holding his head up as he partly leaned over her. Sliding his other paw down her shoulder, Nick's fingers slid under the towel and down her side, effectively pushing the towel aside. As the towel crumpled to the bed, Nick slid his paw across her bare, fuzzy belly while rubbing his scent into her fur. Judy hummed in appreciation, and Nick's paw began roving over more of her body as he continued massaging his scent into her soft, downy fur. Anyone who smelled her after tonight would think she was another fox and not a cute, little bunny.

Judy relaxed under Nick's gentle massage, even as his heady scent permeated the room. As he finally broke the long, gentle kiss, she tilted her head back and exposed her neck to her vulpine fiancé. With little flicks of his tongue, Nick slowly licked his way down her throat which brought a contented churr from her. Being both physically and emotionally drained, his touch wasn't exciting her as it did the day before, or even earlier that day. No, tonight Nick's touch comforted and relaxed her as she could feel his worry and concern for her. Simply feeling his soft touch and gentle message was enough for tonight.

As Nick's roving paw massaged her belly, sides, thighs, and even slid under her back to massage the tight muscles there, Judy felt her body turn into a puddle of goo as all the tension in her tight muscles flowed out of her like water. Nick really did have talented paws. Whether he wanted to excite her or calm her down, he knew just the right touch to accomplish his desires.

Feeling sleep tugging at the edges of her mind, Judy lifted a limp paw and lightly caressed Nick's cheek. As he lifted his head to look at her, Judy murmured sleepily, "Will you hold me, Nick?"

With a soft smile, Nick replied, "Of course, my Love." Sitting up, Nick picked Judy up and stood long enough to throw the blankets back, then set Judy in the middle of the bed once more. Stepping away from the bed long enough to pick up the wet towel off the floor and drape it over the door handle so it could dry, Nick then picked up the towel still on the bed and tossed it in the chair sitting in the corner of the room. Returning to the bed, Nick saw that Judy had curled up, partly on her side and partly on her stomach as she watched him with avid fascination, despite her fatigue.

As Nick began to climb onto the bed, Judy spoke up, saying, "Aren't you forgetting something?" As Nick cocked his head and flicked his ear in question, Judy said, "If I'm sleeping in the fur, then so are you."

Nick gave her a sly grin as he replied, "I could get your underwear and nightshirt."

Judy gave a slight shake of her head, saying, "Too tired to dress." With a small yawn, she took a deep breath, then murmured, "Now drop them."

Nick gave a soft chuckle but complied with her wishes. As his shorts and briefs hit the floor, Judy gave him an appreciative look over. As Nick was no more in the mood tonight than she was, all she saw was his fluffy, furry sheath, but she was content. Being able to feel Nick's fur against her own while he held her tonight was the little slice of heaven she needed right now.

After Nick switched the lamp off and climbed into bed, Judy breathed a deep sigh of relief as he pulled her to his fluffy chest and nuzzled her head before running his paw down her long ears. His gentle petting turned her muscles and bones to putty, and Judy couldn't be more content. Burying her face in his long, thick chest fur, Judy took another deep breath as she felt the last bit of tension drain from her body. She was safe, she was warm, and everything was perfect. As sleep claimed her, a smile touched the corners of her mouth.

Nick didn't immediately fall asleep as he gently petted her ears with one paw while holding her close with the other. The fact Judy was still beating herself up over the repercussions of her speech had him worried. Feeling some guilt over mistakes was good as it kept you from making the same mistake twice—but wallowing in guilt was never good. Wallowing was a self-destructive tendency that led to nothing good. It consumed your energy, left you emotionally and mentally drained, and prevented you from moving forward and making changes for the better.

Nick knew he would need to keep an eye on his honeybun and make sure she didn't take on guilt that didn't belong to her. The fires of hate and fear had been decades in the making so to take all the blame upon herself was ludicrous. The city had heaped logs of fear, hate, prejudice, and intolerance on the backs of predators like him for decades, Bellwether had dowsed the whole thing in lighter fluid, and then she used Judy's naïve words as a match to set the fire ablaze—but without the wood or lighter fluid already in place, Judy's words would never of had the ability to light a single flame, let alone set fire to the whole city. Mammals would have simply called her a fool who didn't know what she was talking about and not given her words a second thought.

With a heavy sigh, Nick curled around his honeybun and pulled his tail up to cover her back beneath the blankets. Breathing in her sweet scent, Nick slowly relaxed. Tomorrow would be here all too soon and it was going to be a long day. Settling his muzzle between her ears, with his chin resting against the back of her head, Nick focused on the steady beat of her heart and after a few moments, he finally slipped into peaceful slumber.


So Nick and Judy have had their second date and we're now done with Friday. Yay! We get to start on Saturday in story with ch71. We'll be seeing predators showing up to do the yardwork, with some unexpected guests that will be called in to help. Nick will also be discussing more plans for the future in regards to his training for the ZPA. So lots to look forward to.

Next: Ch. 71: Yardwork & New Friends, will post in 2 weeks. Take care and have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.