January 1st, 2021

Judy had not paid any kind of attention to the clocks throughout the day to be able to figure out how much time had passed since chasing Robby down that morning. She had barely even taken notice of the motors that had been running outside of the barn while the doe did her best to comfort Nick. A couple of hours had to have passed after there were no more tears to cry. Nick's paws had simply unclasped her body from around his head and shoulders so that he could drag her onto his lap: hugging her closely and carefully while staring through the gap in the long side of the threshold towards the opposite workbench.

Her paw brushed and smoothed the fur across the todd's face: swiping away at the moist tracks of sadness that had been released. And, each of her tender strokes were met with the softest of appreciative nuzzles as he pressed back against her welcomed paws. Judy could not imagine where Nick would have been if he had ended up having to go through this alone. The unfortunate thing about the todd running out of emotion to the situation was that it made the doe's mind spiral with the what-ifs. He had no more tears, and that made her cry harder as she clung to his dress shirt. Again, her mind wandered to the thought of the inevitability of her parents passing away. Even Pop-Pop. The loss of her grandmother had struck Judy hard when she was a kit... And, then, there was the thought of where Nick might have been if they had never met. He had been so guarded back when they had run into each other that Judy feared he probably would not have even reached out to Finnick or Flash.

Even in that moment, Nick did not neglect to brush her ears and hug her tight even as she looked up towards his muzzle – with tears pouring out of her eyes – while she bawled like she was seven years-old all over again. The two mammals were so emotionally intertwined with one another that they were holding a conversation without even speaking a single word. He knew exactly what was bothering her and she knew that all those years of wearing the Mask has drained any effort to put it on again.

Nick was a tired todd and he was clinging to the only thing that he truly had left in life. As if he was a shipwreck survivor clinging to a life-preserver on a roiling sea.

It must have been the waning of the sun outside of the office window, the deepening of the orange hues as the sun was being smothered by the clouds just above the outbound horizon, that brought Nick's lips down to her cheek several times before he was able to find her own. Judy's eyes were welded shut even though she could feel how thankful he was for her presence in his life. The kiss was caring and thankful: not tender, but also not rough. The conveyance of emotion behind the gentle, but firm nature of it, was understood completely. He was just as concerned with where he might have been without the amethyst-eyed doe that had literally interjected herself into his life, one random day, several years back.

Judy had not paid much attention to the fact that she was essentially cradled by Nick until he began pushing his hindpaws against the floor, utilizing the desk behind him, to work his body upright. Her paws snaked up so that her fuzzy digits gripped tightly on his collar while he growled from the exertion. The todd would not be stayed nor would he be swayed from the commitment to his movements. There was no care for the potential consequences that her brother, Thomas, might end up unleashing on the todd in the end. As soon as Nick had managed to wriggle his way onto his hindpaws, he leaned down just enough to offer Judy the ability to stand of her own accord. The suddenness of his placement of her hindpaws on the wooden floor was almost startling. The duo had been lashed together, in their little world, for quite some time. It had made a literal and physical place, which she had known for quite a long time, in her life seem so foreign.

From off the desk, Nick grabbed his suit jacket and draped it over his right arm: stepping away so that he could open the outer door for Judy. With night steadily creeping in on the warren, it was clearly time to get inside. There was no central heat in the barn's office and the doe's nice pants were soddened. As soon as the door was fully open, the winds swept through and stole all of the little heat that they had managed to generate for the room. A new chill got her paws moving and she found that all of the noise from earlier had been some of the family plowing the snow away from the barn and the defacto driveway up to the front of the barn. The whole area was completely plowed to the gravel or grass, in fact.

The sudden warmth and pressure that wrapped itself around her paw was what made her look up at the todd. He had shut the door behind them and was looking at her with a soft smile. The fatigue that the todd was clearly suffering from prevented the kindness on his muzzle from reaching his eyes.

"C'mon, Carrots." Nick said quietly. "We should go warm up and make sure your parents are alright."

"This isn't the time to worry about them, Nick." She said quickly, trying to tamp down any further concern.

The todd's paw released hers only long enough to vigorously rub against the top of her head as they walked down the hill towards the county road.

"Don't say that." He warned. The tone was caring, but also serious. It did not seem to her as being heavy-pawed. "Your father looked like he was going to have an aneurysm because of how pissed-off he was. And, your mother… She doesn't need this kind of stress right now."

"What are you talking about?" Judy asked in confusion. "Don't worry about any of that!"

Nick looked down at her as his features began to morph between confusion to surprise. This time, though. Humor did reach his eyes this time around. Just before her sight was blocked by a paw, that she had been holding, onto the top of her head to ruffle her ears gently.

"You really don't know, huh." Nick even chuckled a little.

"Know what?" Judy fired back incredulously, slapping the rogue paw away quickly.

The todd caught her paw again before resuming their walk across the county road and past the large Hopps mailbox. There was no clarity in whether it was the warm happiness or the cold neutrality that had been the original feeling set behind his irises. Judy wanted to believe that it was the upbeat nature, that she had realized that the todd held underneath his old exterior – underneath the Mask, while she considered the eyes that were looking down into her own. Despite all of the honesty that the doe had seen from Nick throughout his time in the warren, the todd still managed to detonate her whole base of emotions with a single statement. That long orange and black-tipped tail was wiggling. His whiskers did not move in the slightest comparatively. But, his ears flicked occasionally as the steadying overcast began to drop little snowflakes over them both.

"Your mother's pregnant, sweetheart." Nick explained quietly, looking down at their striding hindpaws as he grinned compassionately. "Neither of us can justify being emotionally intrusive anymore."

Never having physically felt such a sensation, Judy could only surmise that the revelation was akin to that of being backslapped. "What?!" She shouted.

To his credit, Nick was making a determined effort in not looking far too pleased by her reaction. It was the nature of a conceited todd, of course… even though it was clear that he did not want to seem like a douchebag. But, there was something about knowing something, of this magnitude - the doe had not, that made the fox smile ever so slightly.

"How do you even know that?" Judy asked breathlessly.

Nick smiled widely and tapped his nose with a digit of his right paw. "You have to keep it a secret, though. I'm not completely certain that she knows yet. If she does, I don't know if Stu knows, so... shhh..."

Concern was what painted her face as she looked down a bit: watching the snow and ice encrusted gravel underneath her paws as they ventured closer to the warren.

"How can you be so upbeat right now, Nick?" She asked quietly.

"You have to grieve in stages…" His words were a little quick as they closed the distance to the door. "You take five- or ten-minutes for yourself… When times get tough, or the walls start closing in… you let it all out and then go back to work."

"That's what you do."

"I had a close call after I went to the streets, Judy. I ended up having to take some time to reflect on my father's death after that."

"Before Mister Big?"

"Yes."

"And, it's got something to do with the Mask you wear." Judy looked up in time to find Nick placing a paw on the doorknob.

The todd tipped his head sideways with a sheepish smile. It meant that it was something to that effect. "We need to get cleaned up before we can eat. Arabella is going to be extremely upset if I miss dinner again." Was all that Nick actually replied.

After their clothes were changed, Judy quietly followed Nick through the sober members of the Hopps clan who had also ended up showing up late for dinner. Mostly because they were already back to work on their individual projects. He was smart enough to have grabbed his cane from the room on their way back out. Everybody offered some form of condolence for him, as they had not been able to do it during the service, and Nick was kind enough to shake paws and return the hugs that were offered. Despite the hour, he made a beeline towards Derek and Vera's table as soon as he spotted the couple with Marcy.

Sentimentality was something that Judy quickly grasped about Nick. During some of their harder cases after his graduation, the todd tended to seek out things that he could cherish. Judy had been shown and told how much Nick loved her over the past nights, but if there was one thing that could rival her, it was the sweet and innocent little doe that had just began to nibble on his ear again. It would be several years down the road most likely, but they were both no doubt curious to hear exactly what Marcy had originally thought when she first saw Nick.

They all were sitting at the table, in relative silence, watching how happy the bunny kit and the todd fox were around each other. And, when it was time to go to bed, he made sure to tell Marcy that he loved her and wished her sweet dreams with a soft kiss on the doe's head. After the duo took care of cleaning up the table and taking the plates to the sink, Nick took her paw. He still felt tense, but Judy enjoyed the feeling of his hip as he brushed up against her side during the walk back downstairs.

Once they were comfortably clothed for bed, she made sure to wrap herself around his chest as she laid next to him. The emotionally toll meant that the depths of internal darkness could not be held at bay and Judy fell asleep just after hearing Nick's voice whisper his "I love you" for her.

...

Judy had originally planned on keeping an eye on Nick for several days, even after they returned to work, but the plan was disrupted the next morning when she again woke up later than usual. There was a fleeting moment, while she was flying around her room to get dressed, where she thought about how screwed up her sleeping schedule was going to be by the time she returned to work. Another morning had passed her by only for her to find that it was a quarter after noon already.

It had to have been a record time for any Hopps to make it up the stairs as quickly as she had. And, she had practice back when she was in her teens for the Academy, no less. It was only seven more seconds added on to make it to the kitchen where she found a mass of rabbits piled in front of the window while Arabella furiously barked orders across the thoroughfare.

There had been just enough of a gap, looking through the tall windows of the entryway door, to see that Pop-Pop was sitting at a table outside with Nick. Both males had determined looks on their muzzles, from what she could see from that distance. It immediately made her anger skyrocket. And, a moment later, the emotion was punted away.

"Judith Hopps!" Arabella shouted from the sink, not even pausing to stop the scrubbing of the plate in her paws. "Come here! Andrew, bring me a plate!"

It was not the first time that she had been scolded by one of her older siblings and Judy knew by the older sister's tone that it was serious. That tone made her creep over to her sister even as she saw, for a split second before she lost sight of him, a smile on Nick's muzzle. As soon as she got to her sister, her older brother immediately rushed over to offer the gray doe a plate before disappearing, so that his work could resume, without so much as a word. Entirely indifferent about the issue at paw.

"I'm here to inform you that you are only allowed to eat out on the porch if you're going to be quiet, behave, and eat your food. Nicholas had to mediate between our parents and Thomas already. Uncle Bradley and Robby are out there, as well. But, it was made clear enough to them that he was going to have a discussion with Pops if everyone else, who apparently had to be in their presence, was on their best behavior." Her older sister informed her firmly. "To be honest, it seemed like an inconvenience for Nicholas to have had to agree to those terms, though I do not know why."

"But! He—" Judy popped off immediately.

"But, nothing!" Arabella said, turning with a dish rag in her paws, drying them quickly as her eyes found the disruptive younger sister. "No matter how close you are to Nicholas… This is between him and our grandfather! Now, you can either go out there and keep your voice silent or you are not allowed to go out at all!"

It must have been the indignant look that was written on all over Judy's face that brought out Arabella's own anger, at that point, even though the younger doe could not tell exactly who her sister was really angry at.

"I'm this close, Judith…" Arabella hissed angrily. The slightly taller doe leaned in close to show the barest of space between two of her fuzzy, and slightly wet, digits. "I'm this close to cracking someone with a frying pan due to all of the disruptions and unruliness in this warren, and I have already gone ahead and put in for a month's vacation, so that I can visit a beach a long way from here in the spring. Mom and dad had to promise Nicholas not to intervene unless there was a physical altercation. So, you go out there and you show your support for your todd… silently!"

If it was not as clear as sunny day about who the more aggrieved party was – between the two sisters. And, she had been dismissed. Arabella turned right around, leaving the younger sister to her decision, so that the rest of the pots and pans could be given all the care that Arabella had always given them since she had been old enough to participate in the kitchens. All that was left was for her hindpaws to slowly begin the trudge out of the kitchen, through the door, and out to the table where the others were sitting by. There was a moment where she was able to return a smile to Nick when he looked up to find her arrival. The todd did not look concerned at all, but he did quickly return his gaze to her grandfather as the buck had still been speaking.

On the table, between the males' relatively empty plates, was a bottle of Tri-County's Waldron Whiskey, two shot glasses – of which Nick's was still full, and an ashtray that held nothing by ashes. Both Nick and Pop-Pop were holding cigars in two different fashions, respectively. The buck was far more enthusiastic about puffing on the tobacco product while both of them had apparently been talking about college baseball teams within the Greater Territory. Both of the males traded barbs, in consideration of their favored teams, but her arrival had clearly struck down the deflection that they had both been making headway in. Robby was at his own table, as was Tom, and her parents were sitting at another directly across from the young doe and the central table where Nick and Pop-Pop sat.

"Are we waiting for anybody else, boy?"

If Judy had been attached to Richter scale, she would have looked like something far greater than any 9.0-magnitude earthquake, emotionally, as she listened to the back-and-forth.

"What? Are you waiting on the Grim Reaper or something?"

Nick did nothing to hide his fangs in the grin that he offered.

And, Pop-Pop did nothing to stifle the morbid depth of his laughter before downing and pouring shots of whiskey.

The desire to eat was not in her, but Judy made sure to slowly take in the delicious lunchtime meal that had been provided.

There was a fear that her stomach would void the food at some point during this conversation, she assumed.

"I understand that you don't drink?" The buck began with a suave tone.

Nick shook his head. "I'm not institutionalized with a coin; to explain the why crudely. Back when I was drinking, I would tumble harshly and that was never something that I wanted for myself. Periodically, I'll have a drink when I think the company has deserved to share it with me." The todd explained.

"So, just the one, then." Her grandfather stated.

"Just the one. It's been a rough couple of days physically." Nick explained, reaching down to take a sip of what would have been equated to a medium-framed double by the size of the glass. "I especially don't like mixing it with medication."

It was clear that he was attempting to diminish the strength of the taste by setting the glass down and taking a bit of flavor from the cigar. Nick had a preference between alcohol and tobacco, by the look of things. Possibly that he found the taste of the smoke more pleasant than the heft of the liquor.

Robby already had two empty beer bottles in front of him and he immediately drew from a full one.

Thomas looked perturbed throughout this portion of the conversation overall. The look on his muzzle made it clear that he believed, within his professional opinion, that Nick should have been on something heavier than ibuprofen despite Nick's clearly stated feelings of the heavier painkillers.

Her father had even taken to tipping back a local brew so that any vocalized anger would be stifled.

Her mother, Bonnie, was silently seething next to him.

This show was entirely of Nick's orchestration and the only other rabbit there that knew it was Judy herself. Or, so she could only assume.

"Tell me about your parents." Pop-Pop said casually.

"My father ran a tailoring business and my mother worked at several different small-time jobs throughout her life after he was killed. They both had taught me about instruments and music."

"John did not die recently. How did that happen?" The buck squinted his eyes with intrigue.

An orchestra, she had assumed. But, it was an interrogation that Judy felt. There was nothing equitable – in this meeting – compared to the psychological evaluation that he had undergone before his induction to the Zootopian Police Department.

"He ran across a female being robbed at knifepoint and did not survive the encounter with the undetermined medium-sized suspect. He just… closed up shop one evening and was gone." Nick's voice had been just as even and simple as it had been in the Precinct-One's interrogation cell several years back.

Judy had never verbally promised to stay silent… But, it was a request that had seemingly come from Nick, himself, and the internal force required to honor that made her eyes well-up with tears as she listened. Any further intake of food would have resulted in its unsightly expulsion.

"Was she a customer?"

"No."

Through her blurry eyesight, Judy could see that Robby was so hot under the collar that the buck had stuck a bottle under his shirt before loudly popping the top on his fourth. The third had disappeared prior to the attempt to cool himself.

"They're upset, Alex." Nick said quietly.

The todd had not even looked around. His ears had not moved away from the buck. And, his tail had not changed from its slow, territorial, back-and-forth swing at hip-height.

"They are." Pop-Pop said with an unconcerned nod. "And, you know, as I do, that there are things that they need to learn or be reminded of."

The red fox sighed and rolled his neck a little before taking another sip. Based on the expressions on his muzzle, he was happy enough to let that one burn on his tongue and throat. It was a display which showed that Nick agreed with everything that was being implied, by her grandfather, without any sort of reservation aside from the silence.

"Even without all of my bluster and bullshit, you know that there's going to be issues with being attached to someone outside of your species." Her grandfather finally cut into the issues.

"That'll be a county road for us to traverse." Nick replied curtly.

"What do you think your parents would have thought of your relationship?"

"Before John died? They would have been extremely wary; fearful of some sort of trap or persecution. And, before Vivian passed? She knew that there was someone in my life even before I did. She had to have. I mean, with all of the events and incidents after my graduation… All those pictures and the footage of us together at work… I mean, mothers always know." The todd articulated, tapping out some ash off the end of his cigar into the tray. "I never told anybody that I went to see her three times after I graduated. Looking back on it now… There was something about that second time – after the shock of the fact that I was sworn. And, the third time… She never said a word, but I saw it."

"And, what about your grandparents? Where do you think they would have stood on it?" Pop-Pop continued.

"Both sets of grandparents would have disowned their respective kit, and then me, for being conceived from them." Nick responded with a shrug. "Think back to when you were the most speciest that you have ever been in your life, Mister Pederson. From what few stories that I had heard about my grandparents, they went to their graves like that. Unlike you, yourself, there was no leeway shown from those four foxes."

"They hated rabbits. And, you're a smart fella…" Pop-Pop complemented the todd. "I think it's time that you gave everybody the history lesson."

Judy had watched Nick take a hefty puff off of his cigar while his eyes looked around the table, in front of him, while he had listened to the statement. The todd ended up canting his head sideways before expelling the smoke at the rear-left of his lips – through the molars in his jaw. This, just before his took up the glass of whiskey and drained it with a concise set of movements in his opposite wrist. Her grandfather matched the move and was politely enough to not inquire if the todd wanted another. He was considering Nick while the todd drew from the cigar again.

"Back in the day. Foxes hunted rabbits for sustenance. They weren't the only species to fall, but they likely suffered from the highest rate of attrition. As time went on, rabbits began to evolve. Clothing, speech, weaponry, and the like became common across the warrens. It did well to level the playing field. It probably tipped the scales more in favor of the rabbits. But, we don't have the perspective of the foxes – from back then – because it took time for us to catch up. There were probably hundreds upon hundreds of dens that laid empty as more and more foxes were cut down. Until whoever was left caught up with the times, whenever those had come to pass. It had to have leveled out again. Probably ended tipping back to the favor of the foxes. Strife could have been recorded better, but if it was, time stole it away from us all. The hatred, and the fear, was what was shared throughout time. It was taught by word of mouth. Because of that… villages and homesteads continued to burn. Back and forth like a pendulum. Then, there were kingdoms and empires. And, then, nations followed. Purposefully orchestrated skirmishes were specifically fought in the World Wars, by all accounts. Still to this day, in some countries, it's not uncommon to see reports of rabbits being eaten and foxes being killed for their pelts. All because of the hatred and the fear. Your generation and my grandparents' – all of those stories are, still to this day, deeply ingrained with those that live on."

Nick paused long enough to open a bottle of water after setting the cigar in the ashtray. He took a couple of drinks. Judy watched his eyes and the way his shoulders and digits moved. The todd was internally working through his thought-process while staring down at the bottle. Each and every one of them, with the grand exception of Pop-Pop Hopps, was having a careful internal debate on the issue that had been presented. Tom was probably the only one that remained as neutral as either his grandfather or the fox.

"The hard truth is realizing that we are all, to some degree, bigots and that we've all been speciest at some point in our lives. There isn't a soul on this planet that is holds some kind of exemption. Wolves and sheep tend to loathe one another. Most species of deer resent the large-framed felines. A multitude of different species hate foxes and racoons and the like. Etcetera, etcetera…" Nick's explanation of things was told in a slow, droning tone before he reached out to collect his cigar again. "It's not something that we're proud of. But, we are all guilty of it. Every mammal has done it. Fortunately, a lot come to realize it and end up sitting here like this: coming to reconcile the issue so that things can change. Unfortunately, some are so arrogant that they aren't even aware that they do it and never come around at all." The todd took enough smoke this time to puff out his cheeks a bit: essentially signaling that he was finished.

Pop-Pop cocked a brow with an affirming nod. "What do you think your parents would have thought if they had been able to visit?" The buck asked.

The humid, white smoke released into the air as Nick grinned, slowly beginning to laugh as he looked up into the sky.

"Dad would've been able to take a bit of the heat off my ass. You two would have butted heads while feeling each other out. He was a business-mammal through and through, though. So, the suspicions and whatnot would have been tame. He would've ended up being all over the work, though. And, he would've probably ended up card-sharking and drinking with the best of the fellas." Nick admitted happily. "Mom would have been a bit reserved until the kits had gotten used to her. She loved the little ones and would have smelled more like a hundred baby bunnies than her own vixen self by the time the two of them crawled into bed together at night."

There was not a single muzzle – at any of the tables – that did not hold a smile at the admission. Nick had just admitted to all of them that his fox parents would have felt just as home in the warren as he did. Judy saw it while the todd was busy reminiscing on his memories. There were things that he could see beyond the hills and the trees that none of the rest of them could. It was obvious to the doe that he could see them, as clear as day, back against the sky behind all of the rabbits.

He was most likely reminiscing on memories that he had lived.

Judy's grandfather grinned a little before downing another shot and standing up. The movement broke Nick from his daydream and brought the todd to his own hindpaws. She was extremely surprised to find that both the fox and the elder rabbit were smiling as they rounded the end of the table. Nick caught Pop-Pop's paw for a shake.

"I know you've got to head back soon." The buck said warmly. "Make sure to come home sometime, Nicholas."

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried, Pops." The todd grinned widely.

"Bring more cigars next time." The elder said.

Nick shook his head with a grin. "Yeah, I got it."

There was the barest of pauses as the todd considered something.

"Hey!"

Pop-Pop turned a bit on his hindpaw to survey the todd.

"Make sure to do your own dirty work next time." Nick grinned. There was an honest darkness behind the notification. "Though, I don't suggest you try it again. The next fox might kill you, Alex."

"Foxes have been trying to kill me for decades, Nicholas!"

Her grandfather gave a wave as he walked back inside the house: laughing the honest admission off openly. He had taken the bottle of whiskey and decided to unceremoniously leave the family at their tables on the patio.

"Nick?" Robby said.

The todd looked over and smiled softly. It was a tired one, at best.

Judy gasped as Nick pointed a digit towards the buck's paws. "Take it easy on those, Robby." He instructed.

And, just like that, Nick's head turned to carry him away. It was only Judy who saw the smile slip away from the todd's muzzle as he disappeared into the house. The sight confused the doe immensely. Nick had told her, flat out, that there was no way his Mask could be worn within the warren. Judy resolutely picked up her plate and walked it over to the central table, deciding that it was simply an issue of mammalian appearances and physical or mental exhaustion, so that she could sit and have a discussion with her family. Robby was the only one to keep to his own table next to theirs. The buck was simply staring at the latest bottle of beer as opposed to drinking it.

Judy knew that he was devastated for betraying the todd, his friend, by taking the urn from Nick's room. And, now, he had no clue what to do or where he stood in the scheme of things.

The situation broke Bonnie all over again. She was clearly still hearing the last words that had been spoken to her, amongst the group in kitchen, prior to the funeral. There was nothing that was going to get the matriarch to share the conversation that had occurred after Nick had let her off of the hook one day prior. Judy did not feel as if she would ever be curious enough to ask about it anytime soon either.

Bradley was silent and pensive, but it was Thomas who was outright angry now.

The son walked over and grabbed his older brother, Robby, by the back of his shirt to lift him off of the bench that he was sitting at.

"Your job, right now, isn't to lament over your fuck-up!" The doctor spat. "Get your ass in there and make sure that Nick doesn't accidently get hurt!"

Robby was literally hauled around the table before being shoved towards the front door soundly. His hindpaws were not entirely ready for such maneuvers, but he managed to avoid falling flat on his face as he released a surprised shout. Nobody expected Thomas to go as far as rushing over to shove his own brother violently after seeing the look that Robby had shot in his direction.

"I told you all not to physically stress Nick out after that attack!" Tom shouted authoritatively: openly challenging his brother to a fight. "You want to test me? Or, do you want to go watch over your friend?!"

Judy met her uncle's eyes long enough to find that they were both wincing while Robby turned to quietly enter the Main Hill. It was apparent that none of them had ever seen the M.D. lose his temper as badly as this before. The outburst had even silenced his own mother. He reached for a bottle of beer and took a long, slow drink from the glass before sitting down at the table with the rest of his family.

"For as smart as my brother is, he can be a complete fool sometimes." Thomas muttered into the open air.

"Robby realizes what he did wasn't necessarily the right call: no matter where Nick and Pops stand on the issue." Bradley commented. "So, why go so hard on him?"

"The visible strain on Nick's leg far exceeded the acceptable limits that I had set for the todd. I found out how bad it was when he came in for a check-up this morning. So, yeah," The doctor explained evenly between sips of alcohol. "I'm pissed…"

Judy felt a tear track down her cheek as she looked towards her younger brother. "It's not permanent, right?" She asked.

"He has to stay relaxed, Jude." Thomas frowned with the explanation of the situation. "And, I still have to write my assessment in the official report for his doctor in Zootopia now. It must be guaranteed that he rests, with a minimal workload, for four- to six-weeks once you both get back. It's going to be a good thing, physically, to get him away from the warren so that that goal can be accomplished. But, you have to ensure that he rests while you're back home."

"I will!" The doe exclaimed.

"How bad was it, Tom?" Bonnie asked quietly.

"There was minor tearing. He popped a couple of stitches, and the swelling and inflammation was bad." Tom reported openly: emphasizing the depth of the issue. "Nick also said that his ribs were causing shortness of breath, fatigue, and more than moderate amounts of frequent pain."

"We need to get him in a bed then." Their father said firmly.

"He won't do it," Tom countered in exasperation. "He wants to spend time with the kits before they both have to go. So, I begged him to lay around and read or play video games: to do anything that doesn't involve roughhousing and being treated like a jungle gym. He wouldn't take no for an answer."

"He'll be near a fireplace, then…" Judy said with a knowing tone.

"What about the other wounds?" Her mother inquired.

"They're healing well. He'll have scars, but everything on his torso and head was superficial – as I said before. None of those wounds seem to be bother him." Tom explained with a roll of his paw.

"I'll go keep him company." Judy said, rising to collect her plate and leave the porch.

"Judith!" Tom said sharply, dragging her attention to her younger brother. "Nick won't do it, so you keep those kits in line."

"I've got it, Thomas!" The doe snapped loudly.

Judy heard the metal hangar portion of the holiday wreathe clatter against the wooden windowpane retainers when she shut the door a little harder than she had intended to. It caused the doe to take a bit more care about passing off the dirty dish at the sink. Arabella would have resolutely flipped her lid at the sound of clattering ceramic against the porcelain of the surrounding sink countertop – or worse, the shattering of it against the metal basin of the sink itself. There was only the metallic grinding of the fork handle as it slid around the rim of the ceramic plate with the tipping of the dish into the basin for placement. But, even that made her immediately feel the older sister's gaze bore into the back of her skull.

Judy resolutely, albeit quietly, ignored the feeling as she walked out of the kitchen, across the hall, and into the common area. Nick was easily found a few dozen yards deeper into the hall at one of the further fireplaces. Surrounding him were a couple dozen kits that barely pushed ten-years old. Robby quietly sat behind the kits and Judy found herself a seat on the floor next to her brother. Occasionally, Nick would look up from the book long enough to stare out towards the observatory's staircase as if he was contemplating a venture up to the telescope during a clear night. It was a frustrating thought because there were not many of those offered in the winter months. The weather would only worsen until the turn of March. But, it seemed as if the todd was firmly rooted in the idea of returning for another adventure in the future.

Maybe, next time, we'll be able to explore… Judy found herself thinking again as she watched Nick turn his attention back to the kit's book that was resting in his paws.

The doe's mind wouldn't let her focus on the story that was slipping off the todd's tongue for his audience. What sat at the forefront of Judy's mind now – from the metaphorical basement – was how their trips to Burrows were plagued with a rollercoaster, on an emotional level, that was better suited for a theme park. Presently, the emotions were winning in the scheme of things. The lowest of lows had befallen the love of her life between both trips… and, while they had both shared some of the highest of highs – for the doe – there was still a desire to share more of the life that she had be raised in with him. Thus far, that had been impossible to do. And, the todd had actually only been away from the warren a couple of times, no less.

Judy's thoughts turned to how different Nick seemed overall. The doe had been forced into a semi-secluded state-of-affairs whilst growing up. But, rabbits were not solitary in nature. Not like most predators. The thought caused her eyes to roam around the rabbits that were surrounding the todd before she looked Nick over once again. A pebble-sized lump formed in her throat as she recalled how hard Nick had made the attempt to fit in over Thanksgiving… compared to the present, where he was so relaxed with the situation that it was clear he felt at home.

He'll leave the warren if you ask him to, but he won't want to voluntarily, Reality spoke from her internal council. Not anymore. Not for a while, anyway.

The thought made her brow furrow deeply.

And, that was probably the truth if one considered the kind of background that Nick now had in the whole Tri-County area. If there was ever one fact, which had never been brought up in conversation, was how the todd did not want to be known. Recognized, might have been a better word for it. In his grifting days, being known for something was a bad thing. It was extremely detrimental for any scheme that he could possibly run. But, after joining the department, the recognition of actions was based on solid and good reasoning. The notoriety was still the problem. The only difference was that Nick sought to climb the ladder within the department: if only to keep up with the Wonder Bunny, as he sometimes teased Judy as being.

Both Judy and Nick knew that there would be restrictions to becoming detectives for them both. There wasn't a single other frontline officer who was either a rabbit or a fox. The first time that either of them went undercover on a successful operation could end up being their last: due to how closely the media was watching for heroic activities since the closure of the Nighthowler Case. Someone, somewhere, would recognize enough clues to give light to the fact that one of the most recognized members of the ZPD was a part of whatever operation was being held at the time. After an incident like that, the best-case scenario would be that they'd be assigned with another set of detectives who would do the undercover work for them while they retained the status of primary investigators.

There was a niggling in Judy's mind, though. Neither of them had spoken about the broader goal in quite a while. And, now they were on the fast-track to being paired off with each other.

Maybe after we see what Bogo has to say… the doe thought to herself.

They both needed to know what his determination was going to be first. Judy did not need the reminder that they were already benched as it was, and it made sense that they would undergo psychological evaluations: due to the discovery of the Beijars family murder scene. It was not ideal, but the time spent riding whatever logistical support assignment would be beneficial for them both.

There was a mental notation of rising noise that began to surround the doe. When Judy looked up, Nick had finished the moderately sized story book and was trying to talk over the gaggle of kits: who were all excitedly speaking to him. Robby stood up and began picking through the more enthusiastic of the kits, wrangling them up and setting them down, back a bit from the todd that they were all harassing.

For several hours, Judy watched on while Nick steadily tuckered out any kit that wanted to play in some form or fashion. He had to have read over two-dozen stories by the time dinner rolled around, but the todd made no concerted effort to do anything more than roll onto his back or stomach depending on what portion of his body was falling asleep or too sore for any continuing pressure. Eventually, the bulk of the kits and grandkits had dispersed to find their plates or because they had been called by their respective parents. Once they were gone, Robby quickly whispered word that he would collect some plates for them, so Nick would not have to get up at all.

The buck had not even been gone for ten-minutes before Nick's attention snapped directly to the doe. Judy's eyebrows immediately raised when the todd's ears pinned back and he softly began growling at her. His pupils were dilated, but that did not stop the alarm bells of her natural instincts from sounding. Her ears dropped behind her head…

But, it was too late. All of the sudden, Judy felt herself get bowled over, sideways, and immediately heard the lowered tones of squeaky growls as something soggy came in contact with her right ear. The weight was not heavy, so the doe sat back up.

"Cheese and crackers!" She exclaimed.

It was only then that she realized that Nick was cackling from his spot on the carpet: slapping it with an open paw while watching as she grabbed the kit who had attacked her.

Marcy was the culprit who was eating along the edge of her long ear.

"She got you good!" The todd wheezed loudly through his laughter.

Judy rolled her eyes with a huff, trying not to laugh as the bunny kit batted at her aunt's paws before she could even set the tiny doe down on the floor. As soon as she as released, Marcy shot the older doe one of her most intimidating of growls before spinning on the todd and redirecting her hostilities. Nick did not falter in the slightest as he raised up on all fours and growled back at the kit playfully.

There was no helping the titter of laughter that poured from her muzzle as she watched the two mammals and their bout of mock aggression. Every time that Marcy would lunge at the todd, he would release a loud and very vulpine bark before continuing to laugh through his playful growls. Judy had never seen the two play like this before, but it was clear that Marcy was not afraid of a single thing about the todd's demeanor. That's not to say that his first bark had not elicited a couple of nearby shrieks of surprise: which only made Judy laugh harder.

Nick eventually caught Marcy mid-hop. She had gone in for the kill and his forepaw had caught the rambunctious kit before pinning her to the floor gently. If there was a mistake made in the maneuver, Judy could not put a digit on it. But, Nick was still surprised.

"OWWW! You little piranha!" He exclaimed in shock. "Don't bite me— Bite her! Go for the prey!"

The doe had been wiping the tears from her eyes before seeing that Marcy was on the floor with her little incisors latched on to the blade of Nick's paw. Growling and gently shaking her head challengingly. That sight alone sent the doe into another fit of laughter while Nick leaned in and bumped the bunny kit with his nose to get her to pause their antics. Judy could see that Nick was plenty entertained and not actually hurt in the slightest. Marcy ended up releasing his paw before baring her teeth and growling again.

To which, like a kit himself, Nick simply blew a loud raspberry at her: sending his little friend into a fit of giggles.

Still trying to catch her breath, Judy looked over at Nick. "What was all that about?" She asked excitedly.

Nick sat up and used his paws to corral the little doe between the two friends.

"Little Marcy is going to be the designated Hopps Clan huntress when she gets older." Nick explained cheekily. "I have named myself as her mentor in this task."

"You are ridiculous, Mister Wilde." Judy said with another roll of her eyes. "How's your paw?"

"I'm not sure…" The todd grinned at the doe: very clearly about to become overly dramatic. "It feels like the most grievous of wounds that I have ever suffered!"

Judy shook her head and rubbed at her neck even though she was not able to wipe the grin off of her muzzle. He was such a dork sometimes. And, all the while, their conversation had the kit's head turning back and forth while Marcy attempted to keep up with what was being said between the two adults.

"Y'know… We could always get her back." Nick said conspiratorially from behind a paw. He was failing at trying to wipe his entertained state from his muzzle.

"How?" Judy wondered openly.

"Well, I don't think that she knows…" He whispered, grinning as he leaned in.

Without missing a beat, Nick stretched over the previously rambunctious kit while his lips were pursed tightly with a thoroughly entertained and adorned smirk on them. Judy's eyes went wide the moment before the todd kissed her warmly. There was a pause in the noise around them, just for a moment. Marcy ended up gasping scandalously and chittering after a few moments.

The fox and the rabbit broke apart while trying to smother their happy laughter a moment later.