High above the skies of Zootopia, Finnick and Amy continued talking. Some of their talk was obviously about their mechanic exploits, but whenever they flew over any interesting landmark or a place that had some sort of significance to it, Finnick would point it out and tell Amy all about it. Even after spending time Thursday afternoon with Cottontail, Finnick could never have imagined how much fun it was talking and spending time with a rabbit doe. After a while, he even forgot he was talking to a rabbit doe. He was talking to Amy—just Amy.

As they were flying over Savannah Central, Finnick spied the elephant ice cream shop where he and Nick first met Cottontail. Glancing at her sister, he pointed the shop out and then launched into the tale of how he and Nick first met Amy's sister which led to her blackmailing Nick into helping her find all those missing mammals.

Laughing hysterically, Amy asked, "Everyone actually believed you were a little kit!"

"Oh, yes," Finnick replied. "They believed I was Nick's kit—hook, line, and sinker!" Wagging his finger at her, he added, "Your sister believed it most of all. Even told me that if I wanted to be an elephant when I grow up, then I should be an elephant. Can you believe that!"

Laughing again, Amy said, "Oh, yes, I can believe it. Judy could be quite gullible at times." Shaking her head and wiping tears from her eyes, Amy laughed some more. "Oh boy, I'm going to have fun teasing Judy over that one." Glancing at Finnick, Amy added, "Of course, I'll have to tease Nick about Judy's blackmail, too. I wish I could have seen his face." With a bright smile, she said, "The way you describe it is just too funny."

"Oh, it was, trust me. If a bumblebee flew by right then, he would have swallowed it with how low his jaw had dropped."

Shaking her head again, Amy glanced at the clock and cried, "Holy crow! Is that what time it is!?" She had arrived in the early afternoon and now it was already dinnertime. Where had the time gone?

Finnick glanced at the time and was stumped. He was sure they had only been flying for about forty-five minutes, an hour tops—but not no three hours! While he was still trying to figure out the time, Amy pointed to the gas gauge. "Look, we're at half a tank. Should we get more gas before we head back?"

With a nod, Finnick said, "Yeah, we better. I don't like letting my vehicles get below half a tank." As he turned the gyrocopter around to head to the nearest airfield for refueling (there were several small air strips dotted around Zootopia), Finn glanced back at the clock. Shaking his head, he muttered, "I'm sure Nick already picked up his mom and has started dinner. I had a salmon steak I wanted him to cook up tonight."

Amy's ears immediately perked up. "Really? You have salmon to cook up?"

Finnick nodded. "Yeah, Nick's a master chef when it comes to the barbeque grill and he cooks up the tastiest salmon you've ever had." Realizing he was talking to a bunny, his ears flicked back as he quickly amended, "Well, if you're a predator, anyways."

Amy reached over and put her paw on Finnick's shoulder (much to his surprise), saying, "I want to try some."

Finn's jaw dropped as he stared at Cottontail's sister. "Say what!?"

"If you guys are cooking salmon, I want to have some." Laughing softly at Finn's shocked expression, Amy decided she better explain. Dropping her paw, she said, "When I was first trying to get into the automotive field, some of my predator coworkers dared me to eat some salmon one of them had brought in their lunch." With a shrug, she added, "They figured if I couldn't eat the meat then I wasn't tough enough to work with them under the hood of a car, so I tried it."

With a bright smile spreading across her face, Amy said, "I couldn't believe how good it tasted!" Humming at the memory, she continued her story. "They had this lemon garlic sauce that was to die for and it blended well with the salmon flavor." Tilting her head as she met Finnick's awestruck gaze, she added, "Since then I've tried several other kinds of seafood and discovered I like shrimp scampi and breaded shrimp with tartar sauce." Grabbing his shoulder again, she said, "But my all-time favorite is catfish. Breaded and fried or cooked on the grill, it doesn't matter—I love it!"

Turning to look out the window, Amy asked, "Do you know where we can go fishing and catch some catfish? It's been so long since I last had some that I've almost forgotten what it tastes like."

Finnick just stared at the back of Amy's head as if she had grown a second set of ears or something. As she turned around to look at him with a raised eyebrow, he stammered, "Uh, yeah…yeah, I know some places we could fish." Cocking his head, he asked, "Are you sure you're not a predator in disguise? Or were you a predator in a past life?"

Giggling, Amy replied, "Sorry, but no. I'm a bunny through and through, I just happen to like meat with my salads every now and then."

Finnick shook his head. "A meat-eating rabbit! What is this world coming to!?"

Giggling again, Amy asked, "So, when can we go fishing?"

Finnick looked sharply at Amy, but seeing her sincere, expectant gaze, he asked, "That depends on how long you're staying."

"I was hoping to stay till Thursday morning and catch the 10 O'clock train back home. I got some parts coming in that I need to finish restoring a classic car I'm working on."

With perked ears and a wagging tail, Finnick asked, "Nick and Cottontail are eating dinner with a friend tomorrow night, so if you want, we could go fishing tomorrow afternoon and cook up whatever we catch for dinner tomorrow night."

With a clap of her paws, Amy said, "Splendid! I can't wait to go fishing." With a large, buck toothed grin, she added, "Mmm-mm, I can already smell those catfish cooking."

Finnick was shaking his head as they landed long enough to refuel, but as they took off, he asked Amy about the car she was working on. Learning it was a '56 corvette convertible, Finn started asking all kinds of questions about the shape it was in, what she had already replaced on it, the parts she was waiting on, as well as any problems she'd come across while restoring it. Amy readily welcomed his advice and suggestions and before either realized it, Nick's house came into view.

As Finnick came in for a landing, Amy asked, "Do you think Nick will have a problem with me staying till Thursday?" Rubbing her arm, she explained, "I didn't exactly ask. I just showed up with the hope they'd let me stay."

Meeting her uncertain gaze, Finnick laughed. "He shouldn't have a problem, but if Nick tries to put up a fuss, you tell him I said you could stay." With a shake of his head, Finn pointed to himself and said, "If you ask me, those two are spending way too much time alone together. So having another bunny in the house will do them both a world of good."

Amy's smile returned as she said, "Yeah, Judy mentioned how she and Nick were getting married soon."

Finnick's ear flicked. "She told you that?"

With a shrug, Amy answered, "I'm the oldest daughter so all my younger sisters came to me when they hooked up with a buck and always asked for my advice." With a wave of her paw, she added, "Well, Judy didn't call for advice, she just wanted to tell me the good news." With a bright smile, she added, "I'm really happy for Judy and Nick, and I hope the best for them."

Finnick nodded as he drove the gyro around to the garage. Stopping at the top of the ramp, he scurried down to the garage door and opened it up before coming back. Pulling the rotor strap out, he showed Amy how to secure the blade, and then he drove the gyrocopter back into the garage. He then walked Amy through the checklist on making sure everything was working right and shared his knowledge with her on what to look and listen for that would indicate a problem. After looking the gyro over and finding it in good working order (as it should be), Amy grabbed her backpack out of the gyrocopter.

"Oh, my duffle bag!" Turning towards Finnick, Amy explained, "I dropped it on the lawn earlier when I saw you sitting in the gyrocopter." Slipping the backpack on, she asked, "Do you think it's still there?"

Finnick shrugged. "It should be." Waving towards the garage door, he motioned for her to go first. As she darted outside, he followed, stopping only long enough to lock the doors behind him. Reaching the top of the ramp, he looked over to see Amy bend down to pick up a bag laying in the grass. As he started walking towards her, Amy turned around and grinned at him. "It's just as I left it."

With a nod, Finn watched Amy as she skipped back to his side, then turned to look at the large 2-story house. "Well," she said, "do we just walk in or should we knock?"

Finnick chuckled. "Come on, we can go in through the back door. Nick and Judy were in the garage when you arrived earlier, so I'm sure they know you're here."

Nodding, Amy took a deep breath, then followed Finnick up the porch steps. The back porch was large and had a nice porch swing she wouldn't mind trying out. But that was for later. Finnick had just opened the back door and was holding it open for her to enter first—just like a gentlefox should.

Stepping into the large dining room, Amy saw the dining table was covered in a light-blue tablecloth with five plates of fine china set in front of six crystal goblets. There was also a large glass vase filled with an assortment of flowers—pink and red roses, white daisies, and red and white lilies—sitting in the middle. Then her eyes widened as she met Nick's emerald gaze as he sat a couple of different salad dressings on the table.

Looking up as the backdoor opened, Nick watched Judy's sister enter with Finnick hot on her tail. Keeping the smirk off his face, Nick returned his gaze to Amy. Stepping around the table, he extended his paw, saying, "Hello, Amy, I'm Judy's friend, Nick. It's nice to meet you."

With a happy smile, Amy took Nick's paw as she said, "Yeah, I know who you are. I must have watched all the videos of your rallies. It's truly an honor to be on your team." Being able to meet and shake Nick's paw had her tail twitching furiously.

Taking his paw back, Nick said, "It's a pleasure. Judy has spoken highly of you." At Amy's nod, Nick stepped aside and motioned through the room, saying, "Dinner's just about ready, but I know Judy's excited to see you so why don't you two catch up while dinner finishes cooking."

With another nod, Amy sniffed the air and caught the delicious scent of Italian food. "Dinner smells wonderful," she murmured as she made her way through the impressive kitchen with its shiny black appliances, black walnut cupboards and black granite countertops with flecks of blue, green, and purple scattered throughout it.

"It's lasagna with garlic bread and a side of salad." Nick couldn't wait to serve his guests his signature lasagna. He'd spent a good chunk of the afternoon making it, so he was more than ready to dish it up for his guests.

Glancing back at Nick, Amy said, "I can't wait." Knowing Nick could and did cook put more points in his favor. A lot of bucks back in Bunnyburrow expected their wives to do the cooking, even if they did know how to cook which a lot of them didn't.

As Amy walked into the leaving room to greet her sister, Finnick hung back and motioned for Nick to bend down. As the large red todd lent his russet ear, Finnick whispered behind his paw while pointing at Amy's disappearing tail, "That rabbit doe likes fish!"

Nick moved his head to look at his smaller friend with a raised brow.

"No, I'm serious!" Finnick hissed behind his paw. "Amy has me taking her fishing tomorrow afternoon so we can have catfish for dinner while you and Judy are at Davyd's."

Nick's jaw dropped. With his ears flicking back, he exclaimed, "Are you serious!?"

"Shhh!" Finnick waved his paws to shush Nick. Returning to his rough whisper, he replied, "And yes, I'm completely serious! She loves salmon and shrimp, but her absolute favorite is catfish!" Finn's favorite fish was also catfish, but he didn't like to buy it from the store. He liked to catch it fresh and cook it the same day. Which, apparently, Amy did too.

Nick just stood in a dumb stupor. Finding out Judy had a pred kink for his claws, teeth, and growl was shocking enough, but hearing how her sister had a pred kink for fish was even more shocking. Prey, especially bunnies, always got uncomfortable when seeing predators eat real meat (bug products didn't seem to bother them too much, though they often found it disgusting). But for prey, a bunny, actually wanting to eat meat herself—and fish at that! It felt like someone just pulled the rug out from under his feet.

Ignoring Nick's shocked stupor, Finnick replayed his conversation with Amy in his head. Remembering what else she was up to, he grabbed Nick's arm and hissed, "Nick, she's restoring a '67 Chevy corvette! Can you believe that!? She wants to stay till Thursday 'cause that's when her parts for it come in." With stars in his eyes and his tail wagging furiously behind him, he added, "Do you know what I'd give to restore a car like that!?"

Nick stared at his mechanic geek friend. Finnick was practically glowing with excitement while imagining himself working on Amy's car. With a sly grin crossing his muzzle, Nick bent down and whispered, "Well then, why don't you ask her? You know she won't turn you down."

Finnick's eyes widened. "I can't ask her! It would be like muscling in on her territory!"

Nick shrugged. "I doubt that." At Finnick's doubtful look, Nick explained, "Finn, Amy didn't even remember mine or Carrot's existence once she saw you!" He jabbed his friend in the shoulder. "She's your number one fan and you're her number one idol! Of course, she'd welcome your help and advice!"

Finnick stood stunned at Nick's revelation. He had spent so many years with mammals overlooking his skills and ignoring his accomplishments that it took him for a spin when someone actually acknowledged his worth. "Are you sure? She's really nice for a rabbit and I don't want to intrude."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Are you blind, Finn!? Did you not see the way she was beaming as she asked you to autograph her photo of you?" Pointing to himself, he added, "She hasn't asked for my autograph yet." Finnick still seemed a little doubtful, so Nick added, "Look, I know mammals and that doe in there," he pointed towards the living room, "thinks the world of you." Pointing at his friend again, he said, "So if you offered your help in restoring her car, she would be over the moon!"

Finnick was quiet for a moment while thinking of how excited Amy was to get his autograph and how quickly she jumped in the gyrocopter with him. She never once asked about her sister or Nick. All she wanted to do was talk about him. As his tail began wagging again, a slight smile touched his mouth. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Nick rolled his eyes again. "Of course, I'm right. I'm always right." Finnick glared at his friend's bragging, but Nick didn't give him a chance to talk. Spinning his friend around to face the living room, he gave him a slight shove while whispering, "Now get in there. Rabbit does are a dime a dozen, but Amy is gold. You'd be a fool to let her slip away."

Finnick paused at Nick's comment and glanced over his shoulder, "If Amy is gold, then what's Cottontail?"

"She's platinum," Nick replied without a second thought.

Finnick's ear flicked. "Why can't Amy be platinum, too?"

Nick shook his head, his tail swaying behind him. "No one beats Judy which makes her platinum."

Finnick turned around and wagged his finger at Nick, saying, "Now wait a minute. How do you know Amy isn't platinum, too? If Judy's platinum, then so is Amy." Seeing the smug smirk cross Nick's face, Finnick realized what he was arguing about and had to backtrack. "Now wait just a minute, Nick, I said I didn't want any of your craziness!"

Nick held his paws up with a shrug. "Doesn't sound all that crazy to me. She's a female mechanic who loves fishing and who actually eats what she catches. You obviously like talking to her considering you spent over 3 hours talking after meeting her once. So, what's the problem? How is chasing a girl who likes and idolizes you crazy? Especially one you enjoy being with?"

Finnick stood in stunned silence. He really didn't have anything to argue with. Trying to find a way out of his dilemma, he finally said, "She's a bunny. Foxes used to eat bunnies."

"Exactly," Nick agreed. "Trust me, once you taste her, you'll never want another female." Holding his finger up, he added, "Bunnies are a one-shot addiction."

Finnick's jaw dropped at Nick's words, but then a scowl settled over his face. While glaring at his friend, he tried another angle. "I'm no prey-chaser."

Nick held his paws up, saying, "Neither am I." With a smirk, he clarified, "I'm a Judy chaser, and you my friend," he flicked Finnick's small, black nose, "are an Amy chaser." As Finn opened his mouth to argue further, Nick reached down and spun him around. "Stop arguing and get in there and impress your number one fan. The result may surprise you." And then Nick literally shoved his friend into the living room.

Finnick's arms waved wildly before he caught himself. Luckily, he was short enough that the couch hid his forceful entrance and the near-fall Nick had almost caused. Glancing over his shoulder, Finn bared his teeth and gave a silent snarl at his large, red friend. Nick simply gave him a thumbs up and mouthed, "Go get her, Big Guy." Finnick gave him the finger which Nick simply laughed at. With a shake of his head, Finn knew he wouldn't win this argument so instead he chose to ignore his nutsy friend.

-/-/-

As Amy walked through the elegant kitchen with its shiny cookware and marble countertops into the rustic cabin themed living room, her jaw dropped. "Wow," she murmured under breath. Nick had the best of both worlds, didn't he? An elegant kitchen and dining room and a rustic mountain cabin for a living room. Judy lucked out hooking up with Nick when it came to living space.

"Amy!" Judy spoke up excitedly from where she sat on the couch next to Vivian. "I'm so glad you're here! Why didn't you tell me you wanted to come today?"

With a shrug, Amy dropped her bags on the bottom step of the stairs, then walked toward her sister while saying, "I didn't think about it until after we got off the phone and then I wanted to surprise you." Bending down, Amy gave her younger sister a big hug while eyeing the large photo album sitting in Judy's lap.

With a laugh, Judy replied, "Well, it's certainly a surprise, but a welcome one." Turning to the vixen beside her, Judy introduced her. "Amy, this is Nick's mom, Vivian. Vivian, this is my older sister, Amy. She's going to be joining us in the jeep rallies as Finnick's assistant mechanic."

Giving Amy her paw, Vivian said, "It's nice to meet you, Amy." It was a pleasant surprise for her to meet another rabbit doe who showed no fear towards her or her son. Having two rabbit does in the same room as a bunch of foxes and seeing their happiness to be there gave Vivian hope for the future between predators and prey. This was something she could easily get used to.

"It's a pleasure," Amy replied with a wide, buck toothed grin. "You have no idea how long I've waited to meet Nicholas and Finnick in person." At Vivian's surprise, she explained, "I'm a huge jeep rally buff and I've always dreamed about entering one of the races. Team Honey was always my favorite team and I've collected just about everything I could about them. I've also watched all their videos and I have all the magazines that mentioned Team Honey."

Bouncing on her toes, Amy added, "When Judy called me up and invited me to join their new team, I thought I had died and gone to heaven or had slipped on some oil and fallen, cracked my head open, and was lying there in a coma." The joy and excitement in her voice shocked Vivian and she sat there in a stupor for several heartbeats, even as Amy continued talking. "Being able to join them in the rallies is truly a dream come true for me."

Meeting Nicholas's mom was almost as good as meeting Honey. Amy was sure Vivian had a large part to play in shaping the todd who had stolen her sister's heart and made him a mammal worth pursuing (for Judy, at least). With this thought in mind, Amy reached out and took Vivian's paw again, saying, "I just want to thank you for raising such an awesome son. If Honey was still alive, I'd thank her, too." With a bright, bucktooth smile, she added, "You and Honey were to the two most important females in Nicholas's life and I know you two had a huge influence on how well he turned out." Glancing at her sister, Amy said, "I'm sure my sister can attest to that."

Judy nodded her head vigorously. "Oh, yes, Nick is the best. He's a little rough around the edges, but I know he wouldn't be the kind, thoughtful, amazing todd he is today if you and Honey hadn't shown him how to love and be loved." Putting her paw on Vivian's arm she repeated Amy's sentiment, "So thank you, for being there for him and showing Nick at a young age that he could be more than just a fox—even if it did take him 2 decades to figure it out for himself."

Vivian was blown away by the two does' glowing praise of her son and sincere gratitude to her for being Nick's mom and for teaching and showing him what he could be. After sitting there in stunned silence for several heartbeats, she took a deep breath and smiled. Squeezing Amy's paw, she said, "Thank you."

Turning to Judy, Vivian enveloped her in a tight hug. With tears smarting in her eyes, she murmured, "I have you to thank for giving Nick the belief in himself that he could be the todd I always knew was."

Judy hugged Vivian back. "Once he dropped his indifferent jerk act, it was easy to see the wonderful, amazing fox he kept hidden from the world. After getting a glimpse of the real Nick, it wasn't hard to fall in love with him."

Vivian squeezed Judy again and sniffled as she whispered, "Thank you for giving my son back to me, for showing him the way home."

Judy sniffled too while thinking of the wonderful todd who'd saved her life and then her heart. "Thank you for sharing him with me. I was really worried you wouldn't approve of our relationship."

Vivian choked out a laugh and sat up, then dabbed at her eyes with a Kleenex Amy had swiped from a box on the end table and handed to her. Meeting Judy's warm gaze, Vivian said, "Well, it did take me a little bit of time to get used to the idea, but my son had nothing but glowing praise for you. And now that I've met you and seen how happy the two of you are together, I'm really happy he found you. That you found each other. I don't have to worry about my son anymore because I know he's not alone now. He found someone exceptional to entrust his heart to."

At Vivian's words, Amy handed Judy a Kleenex, too, as the tears were now spilling down her face, as well. Judy took the Kleenex with a laugh and wiped her eyes dry. She flashed Vivian a bright smile, then turned her attention to her older sister. Patting the seat on her other side, Judy flashed Amy a blinding smile as well, and then said, "Come sit down and look at these pictures." She had already looked through most of the pictures, but she had absolutely no complaints about looking through them again.

"Pictures?" Amy asked, though she didn't immediately sit down. It was obvious Judy was looking at Nick's pictures, but there was something she needed to take care of before she sat down.

With a grin, Judy explained, "Vivian brought down her photo album and has been showing me all of Nick's kithood pictures and telling me wild stories about his youth. There's even a few pictures in here of Finnick."

"Really!?" Amy said excitedly, which brought a chuckle from Vivian and a groan from Finnick, who had just walked up behind her.

Finn was trying really hard not to think about the argument he and Nick had just had and figured the photos might be a good way to get his mind on something else. Of course, he couldn't admit that out loud, so instead, he exclaimed, "You kept those pictures of me!? I told you to burn 'em!"

With a hearty chuckle, Vivian turned her attention to Nick's best friend and honorary brother as she explained, "You're my son's best friend and have been since high school so of course I didn't burn any of the pictures I took of you two. Who knows, I might be able to use one as blackmail someday."

Finn rolled his eyes, then grinned. "It's good to see you again, Viv. It's been too long."

Returning his grin, Vivian said, "It has been, but you can blame my son for that one."

Glancing over at his friend, Finnick glared at Nick who was standing in the kitchen doorway. Raising his paws in a 'I give up' sign, Nick then turned and disappeared back into the kitchen to finish getting dinner ready. With a shake of his paw, Finn glanced at Amy and pointed down the hall, saying, "I know you came in on the train and then went on that long flight with me, so if you need to use the restroom, it's down the hall there."

With a grateful smile, Amy said, "Thanks and yes, I need to use it." Turning to her sister, Amy pointed to the picture album and said, "Hold that thought, I'll be right back." Then she made a mad dash down the hall.

Shaking his head, Finnick glanced at the album and asked, "So what kind of blackmail pictures do you have in there? Anything good in there that I can blackmail Nick with?"

Vivian and Judy glanced at each other and laughed, then Judy said, "As soon as Amy gets back, I'll show you."

It didn't take long for Amy to return and after she climbed on the couch next to her sister, and with Finnick perched on the coffee table, Judy started going through the album again. There were Nick and Demetri's infant pictures. They were so cute! And then their toddler pictures. There were several pictures of both boys wearing their baby food and Judy could just imagine the pain it was to get it out of their fur. She had to help wash up quite a few of her younger siblings, but they all had really short, fine fur—not a fox's longer, fluffy fur.

There were also pictures of the boys playing with a few toys and with their older sister Anya (there were baby pictures of Anya, too, but Judy was just looking at Nick's pictures). As the boys got older, there were pictures of Nick wearing his chicken alfredo like a white wig as he'd turned his bowl upside down on his head while wearing a proud, 'Look what I did!' expression. Judy had to giggle at that picture.

Her favorite one, though, was a picture of Nick standing outside in front of his dad's car when he was about 2. He was dressed in a diaper, his dad's tie which was dragging on the ground, and his dad's felt hat. Vivian explained that Nick had dressed up all by himself with the intention of going to work with his daddy. John had opened the front door and then turned around to kiss her goodbye when Nick slipped out behind him and was waiting for him at the car door.

Judy thought this was such an endearing picture of Nick, though he probably found it extremely embarrassing considering he had been hiding out in the kitchen ever since Vivian brought out the photo album.

Nick's happiest times were when his dad was still alive. After John's death, there were far fewer pictures as there weren't many happy times for the family. But there were still a few times which brought a smile to Nick's face such as his birthdays and Christmases, though there were far fewer presents after John's death. Judy even saw the picture Vivian had taken of Nick in his Junior Ranger's outfit. He looked so sharp and handsome in it, but Judy couldn't forget what happened after he met with his troop. For such a young, bright kit with so much potential being viciously mistreated and then muzzled—Judy's heart broke all over again.

The only time Nick smiled after that was when he was goofing off with his brother, Demetri. But after Demetri's death, there were no pictures of Nick smiling, not really. His smiles were just half-hearted pasted on smiles—if he was smiling at all. It wasn't until a year or two after Honey took him in that Nick started smiling again.

Although Nick had kept the worse of his abuse and hardships from his mother, the scarcity of pictures and the lack of honest smiles in the few pictures she saw told Judy just how hard it had been for her loving todd. Even though she had it hard growing up for being a bunny who wanted to be a big city cop, she at least had her whole family to help lift her spirits when she was feeling down. She found a lot of things to smile about, but her poor, loveable, handsome, misunderstood fox was just ground down by society's bigotry and specism.

Judy would have to do something nice for Nick tonight. Maybe a really nice back massage and perhaps a belly rub, too. Of course, once she was married to Nick, there was a whole passel of other things she could do for him. Thinking of some of them had her ears turning a darker shade of pink.

Focusing back on the album, Judy tried to distract herself with the pictures and stories of Nick. Happy to see more pictures of Nick with a real smile on his face, along with some of Finnick after Honey took them both under her wings, Judy hoped to visit Honey's gravesite soon to properly give her respects to the big-hearted old badger. Before she could get too far into the pictures of Nick's and Finnick's escapades, Nick walked into the living room and announced dinner was ready.

Finnick led, with Amy and Vivian following behind him while Nick picked Judy up and carried her into the kitchen. As they sat down at the table, Nick pointed out that there was a vegetable lasagna for the bunnies and a meat lasagna made with turkey sausage for the foxes.

After everyone dished up their food, they sat around chatting and laughing. Nick and Judy, of course, launched into a retelling of their escapades in finding the missing mammals and catching Bellwether red-pawed. Vivian was not pleased to hear again how close her son came to being savage or dead, but it did show how much Nick and Judy relied on each other.

As dinner was coming to a close, Finnick remembered how Amy said she liked seafood. Turning to her (she was sitting beside him), he held his fork out with a large bite of turkey sausage on it. With a toothy grin, he waved the fork in front of her and said, "Since you like seafood, have you ever tried bird before?"

Amy looked at the large bite of sausage and then grinned mischievously at Finnick. Grabbing his paw, she pulled the fork closer and stuffed the sausage in her mouth. With a laugh at Finnick's comical expression, she said, "I have tried bird before, and depending on how its cooked, I like it." Pointing to the fork, she added, "That sausage isn't bad."

Finnick wasn't the only shocked one sitting at the table. Nick and Vivian were slack-jawed and big-eyed just as Finn was. They had never seen a rabbit eat meat before (Nick had been told Amy liked seafood, but hardly believed it). Most rabbits acted like eating meat was worse than catching the plague. Sitting beside them, Judy was just as shocked. Since they never served meat at the burrow, she had never seen Amy enjoying meat. To Judy, this was a huge revelation. But at the same time, it did open up some new options for her. She'd have to think about it later…and maybe do some taste testing.

Seeing everyone's shocked faces, Amy laughed again. "Oh, come on, you can't tell me I'm the only prey mammal you've ever seen eating meat!"

Nick shook his head and replied, "No, you're right. There's quite a few larger prey mammals who eat a bit of meat once in a while, but you are definitely the only rabbit we've ever seen eating meat."

Amy shrugged while grinning brightly. "Well, there's always a first for everything." Turning to Finnick, she said, "Don't forget, we're going catfishing tomorrow."

Waving his paw, fork still in hand, he answered, "Don't worry, I have the perfect spot where you can catch the biggest catfish."

Flashing Finn a blinding smile, Amy then asked, "So how are we going to cook them up? Are we frying them or grilling them?"

Finn flicked his ear. "We'll fry them. Nick's better at the grill."

Smiling brightly, Amy turned back to her meal, the whole time her tail was vibrating happily. Thanking her lucky stars for being dared to eat meat all those years ago, she knew it was winning her huge favors in gaining the todd's affection. If she continued showing Finnick that she wasn't your typical rabbit, then maybe he could see her as something much more than a bunny friend. After spending the afternoon with him, she was definitely hoping to make the small fennec her boyfriend…and perhaps it might lead to her own wedding bells.

As the shock of seeing a rabbit eat meat wore off, the group settled back into an easy conversation and Judy decided to fill Amy and Finnick in on the wedding plans she and Nick had made while the two were out touring Zootopia. Amy was ecstatic that she would be here for the wedding and asked if she could be a bride's maid. Judy of course agreed, even as Nick asked Finn to be his best man. Finnick agreed grudgingly, but there was no mistaking his happily wagging tail.

As dinner came to a close, the girls decided to move to the porch swing and further discuss wedding plans, even as Nick and Finnick wisely chose to remain inside and clean up after dinner. While sitting out on the swing, Vivian offered to take Judy and Amy shopping on Monday afternoon to buy wedding decorations and to pick out a bride's maid dress for Amy and a dress for herself. While talking about dresses, Judy couldn't wait to show her sister her wedding dress and suggested they go upstairs to look at it. Seeing the wedding dress would give them a better idea of what dresses might complement it.

With Vivian carrying Judy, they made their way upstairs, with Judy pointing out to Amy where the bathroom was, her own bedroom, the piano/library room, and, of course, Nick's room. Amy had grabbed her bags on the way up and dropped them off on Judy's bed, then rejoined Judy and Vivian as they walked into Nick's bedroom where the dress was hanging in the closet. As soon as she entered the room, Amy immediately recognized Nick's headboard as the one Judy had been sitting up against earlier that morning. Glancing at her sister, Amy wondered if Judy would be sharing a bed with her tonight or sleeping with Nick. She had a suspicious feeling that her sister would be snuggling with the fox tonight.

Stepping further into the room, she grinned knowingly at her sister who was now sitting in a soft padded chair while Vivian opened the closet to pull out the wedding dress. The dress was beautiful with just the right amount of shimmer and sparkle to make it stunning, but not ostentatious. It was simple but elegant and Amy couldn't wait to see Judy in it. At hers and Vivian's insistence that she try it on to make sure it fit right, Judy agreed.

Judy had been dying to try it on herself ever since Nick brought it down earlier, and with Vivian's and Amy's help, she had no excuse not to. Standing in front of the mirror, with Vivian's arm as support, Judy couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. With the measurements Nick had given Fru-Fru, the dress fit perfectly—just as the others had. Turning this way and that on her good foot, Judy was awed at the fairy she saw in the mirror. Seeing herself dressed in white brought her imminent marriage crashing down on her. For the first time, it finally felt real and not just a dream.

With a quiet sob, Judy covered her mouth and hiccupped. Turning to her sister, she asked, "This is real, right? I'm not dreaming, am I? I'm really going to marry Nick in just a few short days, right?"

With a happy laugh, Amy hugged her sister, saying, "Yes, silly, you are going to be a beautiful blushing bride and Nick is going to be your drop-dead gorgeous groom." With her tail flicking with joy for her sister, Amy added, "And if your marriage was to be televised, you'd have every unmarried vixen in the city green with envy that you caught such an incredible todd for your husband."

Judy laughed again, then turned to Vivian. As the motherly vixen gathered Judy in her arms, Judy sobbed again, saying, "Thank you, again, Vivian, for being here to support us. I don't know what I'd do if you were against us."

Vivian rubbed Judy's back. "I just want to see my son happy and to know he's not alone anymore. You are what he wants and who he needs, so how can I not support you. I'll forever be grateful to you for being that guiding light my son has been searching a lifetime to find."

Judy laughed and sobbed at the same time, then stepped back. Amy handed her a Kleenex from the bedside table, and after Judy got her tears dried up, she and Vivian both took several pictures of Judy in her wedding dress. They would use the pictures as references Monday afternoon when they went shopping for their own dresses.

After the girls finished fussing over the wedding dress (and had sent Judy copies of the pictures), they hung the dress back up and then Judy just had to show Amy and Vivian the two date dresses she had already worn. Showing forth a monumental amount of self-control, Judy refrained from having Vivian dig out her last three dresses. Nick wanted them to be a surprise for her, and she wanted to see the joy on his face when he presented them to her for their next three dates.

Amy and Vivian were both impressed with the two dresses and insisted that Judy send them pictures of her and Nick on their dates. Amy simply wanted copies of the pictures while Vivian planned to print some of them out and add them to the family photo album. This made Judy extremely happy to see how much Vivian already considered her family.

With a sniffle Judy let Amy hang the dresses back up, and then Vivian suggested they move to the piano room and call Nick and Finnick up. It had been years since she last heard Nick play and Vivian was super excited to hear her son play now that he was happy and had a reason to play. The last few times Nick had played for her, his songs had been sad and melancholy, but now Vivian was truly looking forward to hearing color and excitement back in Nick's music.


WingedKatt here. I hope this chapter finds you well. We have a little more family fun before Saturday ends in our story and we can start in on Sunday morning. Yay!

Ch. 80 will post in two weeks.

Have a great weekend and stay safe. If you have any thoughts or comments, let me know.