Judy wasn't sure what time it was when she finally rode back into the yard. The night had been dark and peaceful, with the moonlight lighting a bright path for her. While lost in thought, she had ridden out further than she had intended and so it took longer to return home.

After guiding Billy-bob to the barn, she dropped from the saddle and led him inside, then stowed the saddle in the tack room. After rubbing the large, docile bird down, she led the Island emu back to the large stall with the rest of the males. Removing the bridle after leading him inside, she patted Billy-bob's back, then slipped back out and latched the door. Hanging the bridle back on the wall with the others, she left the barn and made her way towards the house.

Jumping up onto the back porch, Judy stopped and glanced at the pastel-yellow porch swing she was passing. After a moment of deliberation, she turned and sat down. Pushing the porch's wooden floor with her foot, she made the swing sway.

During her ride, she had finally come to terms with the fact she'd fallen in love with Nick. She also came to the realization that he was the only one she could ever see herself with. No one else would do for her. She would have him or no one (which meant she would probably end up with no one).

But even though it was almost certain she would never see Nick again (she had hunted all over Zootopia for him and questioned who knows how many mammals—but to no avail) she wasn't one to give up. It might take her several years to find him and properly apologize, but if she found him once, she could find him again—it was just a matter of time. Which meant she had to pull herself together. There was no way she would have a chance to meet him again if she remained in her family's burrow moping around all day. Nor would he want to be with her if she was an empty shell of herself. She needed to find a new purpose, one she could be proud of, and that he could be proud of, too.

Sitting and swinging while thinking, she finally decided to start working with the birds again. She always enjoyed it when she was younger, and they would help center her. Perhaps she could get her own personal emu to train and then sign up with Search and Rescue. There were always kits and hikers wandering off and getting lost out in the woods and fields. That way she could still make the world a better place but wouldn't have to deal with a lot of mammals. She still wasn't ready for that, not after all the predators she'd hurt and the riots she'd caused. She still couldn't believe Bogo and Bellwether wanted to make her the 'poster kit' of the ZPD. What bravery and loyalty? To say terrified prey were looking up to her was the worst kind of joke said in the worst of taste.

Yes, some of the prey (mostly smaller) did look up to her and stopped her on the street to thank her (For what? Tearing the city apart?), but most of them thought she had just gotten lucky. Most larger prey didn't treat her any differently, and the few who were close to predators openly glared at her and some even went out their way to 'bump' into her—then would grin darkly when she had to jump out of their way. And the predators—thinking about them always hurt the most.

Although most preds were smart enough not to say anything bad to her face (she was a cop after all), listening to their snide comments and hurtful slurs after walking past them or while riding on the subway was like a slap in the face. It wasn't so bad the first couple of months, but as more and more predators went savage and prey started turning against them (kicking them out of their apartment buildings, firing them from their jobs, refusing them surface at restaurants or stores, taunting them on the streets) everything just sort of snowballed into an angry, hurt-filled, putrid mass of misunderstanding and violence. Although the mobs hadn't yet turned to breaking into store fronts, looting, and setting fire to buildings and cars, she didn't think it would be long before they did if things continued as they were. She had even heard some mammals whispering about Zootopia being a dismal Dystopia now.

With a snort, Judy thought, Some hero I turned out to be. More like a super villain. With just one word I brought the whole city to its knees! She chuckled darkly to herself, but on the inside, she felt like crying. But she had cried enough the last few months. She had to pick herself up and start over. She knew she'd never be a cop again, but her arms and legs weren't broken which meant she could still make the world a better place…just in a different way. "Search and Rescue, here I come," she stated with determination.

After finally coming to a decision on what to do with her life, she stood up and went inside. Passing through the kitchen and into the hallway, she saw a lamp on in the sitting room. She didn't need to enter to know she would find her mom sitting there in the rocker, waiting for her, as she knitted away at all the little booties, mittens, scarfs, hats, and tiny jackets for all the little ones. Even though Judy and all her siblings were either grown or at least in high school, Bonnie had hundreds of little grandnieces, grandnephews, and grandkits to knit for, especially if she wanted the hats, scarfs, mittens, and jackets ready for winter time.

While nearing the doorway and listening to the soft, rhythmic click of knitting needles, Judy heard her mom call out to her.

"Judy, is that you?" Bonnie's hopeful, and slightly worried, voice rang out softly even as the soft clack of her knitting needles paused.

Stepping through the door, Judy gave her mom a small smile and answered, "Yes, Mom, it's me. I made it back home, safe and sound." Just like always, she thought to herself.

Setting her current project aside (she was making a pair of pink and orange mittens to go with the scarf and hat she'd just finished earlier), a crease formed between Bonnie's brows as she stood and asked, "Do you know what time it is, young lady?"

Judy shook her head, saying, "No, not really. I just know it's really late." With a shrug at her mom's raised eyebrow, she explained, "I rode out further than I thought I had and so it took me longer to ride back."

Bonnie stepped forward to hug her daughter and asked, "And what kept you riding for so long?" She knew her daughter only got lost on a ride (timewise) when she was in deep thought. Her daughter's obvious depression had been weighing on her heart, but nothing she tried seemed to work in lifting Judy's spirits. Stepping back from the hug, Bonnie noticed her bun-bun's ears weren't quite as droopy as they were this morning when she'd seen her. Was this start of a positive change?

Judy shrugged again. "Just thinking."

Bonnie guided Judy over to the couch and sat down with her. "About what?"

"The future." Judy was still thinking about Nick, but wasn't ready to tell her mom about him, or that he was the reason she'd been riding so long.

Leaning against her mom, Judy sighed while looking across the dim room to the old fireplace and stone mantle with its carvings of cutesy rabbit heads and carrots. She could just imagine what Nick would say if he saw them. 'Rabbit heads and carrots? Really? And yet I'm not allowed to call you Carrots? Or cute?' He would find some way to call her cute, just to get rile out of her. With a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth while thinking of the smug todd who'd stolen her heart, her mom interrupted her.

"Bun-bun? Are you still with me?" Turning her head to look at her daughter with concern, Bonnie wondered what kind of future she had been thinking about. After fulfilling her very dangerous dream of being a big city cop, even if it was short lived, what could her bun-bun want to do with her life now? Judy still showed no interest in settling down with a good buck, so what could her daughter want if not to start a family? Nothing as dangerous as being a cop, Bonnie hoped.

Judy sighed again and closed her eyes while letting her head tilt to lean against her mom's shoulder. "I had to clear my head and figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life."

Bonnie wrapped her arm around Judy as they sat in silence for a moment, then she asked, "And did you figure it out?" Please say you're ready to settle down and start a family, Bonnie thought with a thread of hope reigniting in her heart.

A small smile returned to Judy's lips as she replied, "Yes, I think I did." Looking up to meet her mom's curious, amethyst gaze that was a mirror of her own, Judy explained, "I want to start working with the birds again and maybe get my own emu to train, and then join the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol."

"Oh. Well, that sounds exciting." This wasn't what Bonnie was hoping for, but it was way better than being a big city cop or the depression Judy had been suffering with after hurting so many predators with her press conference speech. And they did have several family members and friends who were already with Search and Rescue, so she knew Judy would be in safe paws.

With an encouraging smile, Bonnie continued, "They're always looking for new members to help them when someone gets lost or hurt up in the mountains." And it's way safer than being a cop in the city, Bonnie thought to herself. Of course, if Judy became a sheriff's deputy out here in Bunnyburrow, that wouldn't be too bad, either.

There really weren't any violent crimes around here and with half the population being related to them in some way, shape, or form, it would make it even safer for Judy to live her dream. But if her bun-bun wanted to work with Search and Rescue, Bonnie had no complaints. So long as she wasn't out in a storm looking for some lost soul—that would terrify her. But most mammals had enough sense to come down from the mountains when a storm blew in.

With a smile, Bonnie added, "And you would still be able to make the world a better place, one lost mammal at a time." And maybe meet a nice buck to marry while you're out patrolling, Bonnie added to herself. She wasn't about to suggest it to Judy's face, knowing it might just make her change her mind about the whole thing—What did Bun-bun have against finding a mate and starting a family!?—but it was a hope she had been praying for.

"Yes, yes, I would," Judy agreed. Looking back at the fireplace, she thought of Nick again, with his bright emerald gaze and goofy grin when cracking one of his stupid jokes. She still needed to get him back for wasting a whole day at the DMV. Who knew that sloths thought they needed to pass a lame joke around the whole office! Pushing the irritation down (at this point, she didn't really care about the past—all she wanted was to see his smug face again) and thought of Nick being here in her family's sitting room.

While trying to picture how Nick would take being in a rabbit burrow—with his height he could easily touch the ceiling as there wouldn't be more than a few inches between the tips of his ears and the cream-colored pine-wood ceiling—a small smile teased her lips. With that ghost of a truly happy smile showing for the first time in months, Judy turned back to her mom and asked, "So, do you know of anyone with emu's ready to sell that are of riding age?"

Bonnie sat quietly for a moment in thought, then answered, "I believe I do." Glancing at her daughter's eager gaze and rapt attention, she continued, "You know your Uncle Ray?" At Judy's quick nod, Bonnie said, "Well, his neighbor, Tommy Hopsen mentioned recently that his son's best friend's cousin's family—you know, the Hoppersans—they have some birds to sell."

Judy raised an eyebrow, asking, "Which ones? The Hoppersans have a lot of members." Could her mom be any more vague about who had emus for sale? The Hoppersans, although not nearly as abundant as the Hopps clan, were still up in the high hundreds when you counted all the rabbits from each generation and extended family who had married into the clan.

"Oh, right," Bonnie murmured. "George and Leslie. You went to school with some of their older kits."

Judy had to think a moment, then said, "Oh, right. I was in the same class as Steve and Sandy. I usually sat with them during lunchtime in eleventh grade since our teacher always put us together for class projects—that way she knew they'd actually participate in them."

Bonnie nodded with proud smile on her face. "Yes. You made sure everyone pulled their weight whenever you were put into those group projects." Bonnie had many kits and was proud of each one, but Judy was one of the ones that Bonnie knew she could trust the most to get her work done and done right. Not that she couldn't trust many of her other kits, but Judy always put in extra effort to accomplish whatever she put her mind to—and making sure others were doing what they were supposed to, too.

Judy nodded. "Of course. I wasn't about to let them get an 'A' off all my hard work. Nor was I going to let them drag my grade down for slacking off." While remembering her high school years, Judy sat up a little straighter as she was very proud of her high school accomplishments—she graduated at the top 1 % of her class and had even aced several college classes her high school had offered. "If they wanted the grade, they were going to earn it."

Bonnie nodded as Judy always hated slackers. With a smile tugging at her lips, she thought of all the times Judy had 'encouraged' her siblings to do their work or talked them out doing something they would get in trouble for. Even though she was frequently called 'bossy' or a 'goody-tushoo', Judy could usually talk her siblings into doing things or avoiding trouble by explaining the consequences of their current actions. This didn't always work, but 7 out 10 times she could make her brothers and sisters see reason.

After a moment of traipsing down memory lane, Bonnie waved her paw in the air, saying, "Anyways, George has a brood of emus that are green-broke and ready to sell. They live over there on the outskirts of town, about five miles past the train tracks and about three miles from the new bug farm that family of hoary foxes started up."

Judy had to stop and think a moment about where in Bunnyburrow her mom was talking about. There were a lot of train tracks and the hoary foxes hadn't been here long. They had moved in while she had been away at college and then at the ZPA. After orienting the place in her head, she said, "Oh, right, okay. I think I know where you're talking about."

"Good," Bonnie said. Giving her daughter a light squeeze around the shoulders in a small side-hug, Bonnie smiled. Her and Stu had been so worried about Bun-bun since she returned home from the city. She claimed she broke the city somehow, but they both knew that she broke herself in the process. They had tried so many things to get her up and moving, to find a purpose again, but to no avail. Bonnie knew that if Judy could just find a mate and start a family, that she would have a lifetime purpose—many 'lifetime' purposes with each litter she gave birth to.

She knew this from experience. Bonnie had a lot of hopes and dreams growing up, but she settled—hard—when she married Stu. His father had died young from a farming accident and Stu, being the oldest, had to drop out of college early to go home and run the farm. They had been dating for several months at that point, but when Stu had to take over the farm, they went ahead and got married (it was the fastest bunny wedding ever, taking only a month and a half to plan).

And even though Stu had to drop out of college, he still encouraged her to continue with her own degree. She was taking an Accounting course as she loved numbers and wanted a career using math, but that first litter derailed her goal a bit. She thought she could still make it work, but then the next litter came, and the one after that (her and Stu just couldn't keep their paws to themselves!) and she dropped out herself before that first year was over.

But she couldn't complain. She had found her purpose raising her kits and each litter brought more joy into her life. And even though she wasn't able to finish her degree, she was still able to use what she'd learned to help keep their farm finances straight, and her love of numbers really helped when it came to raising so many kits and running such a large farm. So, even though Bonnie knew that others thought she had settled (and settled hard!) she was happy. And she hoped her Bun-bun could find the same joy and pleasure in raising her own kits someday (the sooner the better) and stop looking to the next horizon for some excitement in her life. If she wanted excitement, all she had to do was chase a dozen or more toddlers around all day. Now that's entertainment.

Oblivious to her mother's thoughts about her (if her mom mentioned her need to settle down and start popping out kits one more time, she was going to scream!), Judy nodded her head and said, "Well, I guess I'll be checking out some new emus in the morning." Patting her mom's leg, she said, "It's late so I should get to bed. Thanks for listening to me, Mom."

"Yes," Bonnie agreed as she helped her daughter up from the couch. "I need to get to bed, too. Tomorrow will be another long day, but at least we got all the lights and speakers working today. But we're still a long way off from getting all the extra bleachers and port-a-potties set up." With a heavy sigh, she added, "We need more of the larger, stronger mammals to help out. With a shake of her head, Bonnie set her worries for tomorrow aside and hugged Judy, saying, "Goodnight, Bun-bun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, dear." Bonnie followed Judy into the hall, then watched her make her way downstairs towards her room. A smile formed across her small muzzle as she knew Judy would be okay now. She had a goal to work towards, and Judy was never happier than when she was working towards a goal. Taking a deep breath, she made her way down to her own room, where she snuggled up close to Stu. Listening to his steady heartbeat, she let the worries and anxiety of the day slip away as the calming sound soothed her to sleep.

As Judy reached her room after a quick stop in the bathroom, she stripped down and pulled on her nightgown, then burrowed under her thick blankets. She'd had a long day and a longer night and felt exhausted. Pulling her pillow around to hug the bottom portion while resting her cheek on the top half, she burrowed deeper into her covers and wished it was Nick she was snuggling into and it was his arms she felt nestled around her. This was a new thought for her, a result of her sister pointing out her true feelings for the sly todd, but she was too tired to realize the significance of the thought as her mind was pulled into peaceful slumber (for the first time in months) as visions of orange and cream danced in her head.

….….

A heavenly smell tickled Nick's nose which disrupted his deep, restful sleep. After several huffs, he cracked an emerald eye for a moment and stared at the headboard as he was lying on his stomach. As his eye slid shut again, he rolled over and yawned. After another moment, he brought his arm up to rest over his eyes. Although the curtains in this room were thick, they couldn't keep the bright morning sunlight from streaming in from the sides where there was a gap between the wall and curtain. The bright sunlight lit up the whole room and highlighted the antique furniture, patchwork quilt, and the brightly colored rag-rug on the floor, but Nick saw none of it as he kept his sensitive eyes covered.

Normally when blinded by the early morning light upon waking, Nick's first response was to roll over and bury his head under the pillow or the covers—but not this morning. He awoke with a mission and rolling over and going back to sleep wasn't part of it. Last night had been the best sleep he'd had in a very long time. And it was all thanks to Judy. After learning more about her from Gideon yesterday, he felt closer to her than ever before.

And after having several warm, fuzzy dreams about her last night (he couldn't rightly remember any particular part of them, but they made him feel warm and safe—happy), Nick was determined not only to find Judy and apologize, but to do whatever it took—become whatever he needed to be—to stay by her side. If that meant mucking stalls, hoeing a field, or pulling weeds he'd do that (farming was the last thing he ever saw himself doing—but he'd do it for Judy), or if she had another job or career she wanted to do, he'd sign up to work alongside her—if they let him. And if not, he would find another way to work with her off the job.

But that was for the future. Right now, he was going to learn how to bake. His dad always told him (when he was younger and they were still a family), that a female always appreciated a male more if he knew how to cook. His dad always said this whenever he made Mom breakfast in bed for her birthday or their anniversary, usually strawberry pancakes and eggs or biscuits and sausage gravy.

Nick never took the saying to heart until now. And although he knew how to cook actual meals, desserts were a different matter (Judy hadn't been impressed with his pawpsicles), so he had to try something different if he wanted to make it up to her for all the trouble he had caused her: dragging her to the Oasis with no warning of what she was walking into, wasting her time with Flash and his sloth coworkers that first day working with her, and then scaring her at the press conference before storming off and then avoiding her like the plague when she was looking for him (yes, he'd heard how she was trying to find him). Which meant he had a lot to make up for.

Dropping his paw, Nick rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom before digging his clothes out of the dryer. Carrying the basket into his room, Nick sorted and folded his clothes, then picked out one of the green cowboy shirts and a pair of dark blue jeans. Once he was presentable, he reached for his tie, then paused. It didn't really go with his current outfit (not that it went with any of his outfits, but it was the last present his dad had given him just before losing the tailor shop).

Setting the tie back in his suitcase with the rest of his city clothes, Nick wondered if there was a cowboy's equivalent to a tie that he could buy here in Bunnyburrow. Surely, there had to be something.

Making his way into the kitchen from which a heavenly smell had been tantalizing his nose ever since he woke up, Nick saw a plate of waffles sitting on the counter with a note on top written in Gideon's chicken-scratch handwriting. Picking it up, Nick had to turn it this way and that to make out what it said.

Mornin Nick, I hope you slept well. Here's some breakfast. I'll be in the bakery when you're done. ~Gideon

Nick grinned. Picking up his plate, he grabbed the syrup sitting next to it, then took them to the dining room table. Sitting down, he ate quickly (they were as good as they smelled), then made his way down to the bakery where Gideon was making some type of pastry. He wasn't sure what kind, but it had raspberries in it and what smelled like cream cheese. Was it a Danish pastry?

"Morning, Gid," Nick said as he entered the room.

Gideon glanced up and smiled. "Mornin, Nick. Did ya sleep well?"

With a nod, Nick said, "Actually, yes, I did. Best sleep I've had in months." Of course, he didn't mention that his dreams of Judy were a large part of that 'best' sleep. The hyper ball of fluff had been haunting his thoughts for the last four months, but they had finally settled and were now giving him positive energy instead of negative emotions.

"Glad to hear that." Nodding towards the pastry he was working on, Gideon asked, "Want to help?"

"Sure, just tell me what you need." Nick spent the next couple of hours helping Gideon make his pastries for the morning deliveries, and in 'helping' he mostly watched a master work his art while lending a paw when needed. This had been the best morning following the best night he'd had in so long, it wasn't funny—and he had Judy to thank for both (he was learning to bake to impress her, after all). And watching a master work his trade was always interesting, especially since Nick found Gideon really easy to talk to and they spent most of their time talking, laughing, and baking, with the occasional interruption when a customer came in to buy one of Gideon's masterpieces.

They were just pulling the last of the pies from the oven when the back door opened and a ferret walked in. Nick's ears immediately perked up as the newcomer slipped in through the metal door at the back of the kitchen, then turned and closed it behind him.

"Sorry, Gid, for being late. Tiffany was up all night with our new litter and I needed to give her a chance to catch a few ZZZ's before coming in." Looking up from closing the door, the newcomer froze upon seeing another red fox in the bakery's kitchen. Red foxes were rare in this part and this one didn't look like he was related to Gideon. So who was he? And why was he here?

"Oh, hey, Travis. I got your message and it's no problem at all. Nick, here, 'as been helpin' me out this mornin'."

Nick wiped his paws off, then walked over and shook Travis's paw, even as the still surprised ferret did little more than nod as his paw was shook. With a grin, Nick said, "It's nice meeting you, Travis, I'm Nick, Nick Wilde."

"Uh, yeah," Travis stumbled over his words as he hadn't expected to meet another red todd when he came to work today. "I'm Travis, uh, Travis Sablesen."

With a grin, Gideon, explained, "Nick's going to be helping us out here for a while."

Travis's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "He is!?" He and Gideon had been friends for as long as he could remember, but they lost contact the end of their junior year in high school. He'd been caught stealing and had gone to Juvie for several months. By the time he got out, he had learned Gideon's parents had packed him up and sent down to live with his grandparents in Badger Grove. It wasn't until Gideon moved back to Bunnyburrow and opened his bakery that they reconnected.

And the timing couldn't have been better. He met the love of his life almost a year ago and they had now been married almost six months, with their first litter having been born nearly a month ago. He didn't have the best reputation in town, so finding a steady job was difficult. But when Gideon moved back, he offered to give Travis a job if he kept his nose clean and worked hard—which he had. He refused to be a dead-beat dad who sat around the house drinking the family funds away like his pa had, so he desperately needed this job.

But seeing another fox here in the bakery made him question how long he might have this job. Gideon wasn't thinking of replacing him . . . was he?

Seeing the uncertainty on the ferret's face, Nick could easily guess the direction his thoughts were headed and hastily held up his paws, saying, "It's only part-time and probably won't last more than a week."

Travis noticeably relaxed as he muttered, "Oh." Although Nick claimed to be only working part-time for a short while, Travis wasn't sure Nick would actually move on after the week was up. Gideon was a really easy-going boss and his bakery was doing really good now that Stu had a signed a partnership with his red friend. So, what reason would Nick have for moving on? With a slightly twitching nose, he looked the strange todd over while wondering why he had shown up here. There were a lot of jobless predators traveling through Bunnyburrow looking for a better life outside the city. Was he one of them? And had he pegged Gideon as some sort of an easy job opportunity seeing as they were both red foxes?

Slapping Nick on the back, Gid explained, "Nick's from the city and he's here lookin' for Judy Hopps. He needs ta talk to her and I've agreed to help him."

"You lookin' for Judy Hopps?" Travis asked as his suspicions took a dark turn. "I thought all the predators in Zootopia hated Judy." Travis hadn't been the nicest to Judy Hopps when they were younger, but like Gideon, he'd grown to regret his actions. Not about most of the other mammals here in Bunnyburrow who he had picked on as a kit—most of them were real jerks themselves, including a fair number of Judy's siblings—but Judy had never been a jerk and Travis now regretted how he treated her, though at the time, her gun-ho attitude and big dreams just rubbed him the wrong way. When you live in a rundown home with a dead-beat, alcoholic dad you learn really fast not to dream and not to try—you got fewer beatings that way.

Travis's time at Juvie gave him a chance to reevaluate his life as he was given a really good councilor—a rabbit buck, strangely enough—but it wasn't until after he met Tiffany that he really got his life together. And life couldn't be better, and he partly had Judy Hopps to thank for it. Although he hadn't been close to her, when he'd heard she had finally made it into the police academy he started seeing her as role model instead a dumb bunny with stupid dreams. If she could fulfill her dream of being a big city cop, then maybe he could make something of his life, too.

That's when he decided to clean up his act and actively pursue Tiffany. It took him several weeks to convince her to give him a chance, but once they started dating, he put into practice all the little, considerate things his mom had tried for years to teach him about how to treat a female (in essence, the exact opposite of how his dad had treated his mom all his life), and to show Tiffany he was worth her time and affection. After several months of dating, he popped the question and she readily accepted. It was still a struggle making ends meet, but once Gideon opened his shop and partnered with Stu Hopps (Travis knew Judy was to thank for her dad's change in attitude towards foxes), then Travis had been working his tail off to provide for his mate and his first litter.

So, seeing this strange city todd and hearing how he was looking for Judy put him on edge as most predators from the city weren't happy with her right now, and many wished to hurt her.

Seeing Travis's suspicious look, Nick held his paws up again. "Look, I'm not here to hurt Judy—far from it. She's a friend I met in Zootopia, but we had a fight after her press conference. I need to find her and apologize and see if we can't mend our broken friendship."

Travis studied Nick for a moment, then glanced at Gideon. At his friend's nod, Travis relaxed. If Gid said Nick was okay, then he would believe him. With a nod, he asked, "So, how did you meet Judy, if you don't mind me askin'?"

Nick leaned against the table, then crossed his arm over his chest while raising the other one to cough into his paw while saying, "I, uh," cough, "hustled 20 bucks from her."

Travis's jaw dropped even as his small ears perked forward in shock. "You . . . hustled . . . 20 bucks from her!?" Judy was one of the smartest rabbits he knew, so Travis had a hard time believing a slick city fox had hustled any money from her, let alone 20 dollars.

Nick flicked his ears back a moment and said, "Oh, yes, but she caught me in the hustle later that day, tried to arrest, but couldn't since 'technically' I wasn't breaking any laws." With a shrug, he added, "Of course, she got me good the next day by blackmailing me into helping her find all those missing mammals. At the time, I hated it, but it wasn't long before I started to see it as the best thing that ever happened to me."

Travis's jaw went slack again and his eyes widened. "Judy blackmailed you!" he exclaimed while pointing at Nick. "By-the-Book Judy blackmailed you!?" Having watched Judy in elementary and middle school, and how she always followed the rules, turned her assignments in on time (usually receiving the highest marks), aced most of her tests, and was always currying favor with the teachers (a lot of students called her a teacher's pet behind her back), Travis had an even harder time believing Judy could blackmail anyone. Blackmail was against the law and Judy's whole career was about upholding the law!

"That's what I said." Titling his head slightly and rubbing his chin while remembering it (and not forgetting how hard Finnick laughed at him), he said, "From the way she was acting and how well she played the part, I'd say it wasn't the first time she blackmailed someone." With a grin at how well she fooled him, he added, "She was really devious and had every angle accounted for." Meeting Travis's shocked expression, Nick said with a grin, "She is truly a bunny after my own heart."

Shaking the stupor from his mind, Travis scratched the back of his head while looking off towards the sink where several dishes were now piled up. He had a hard time imagining Judy Hopps as a blackmailer, but then again, he hadn't seen her much since his time in Juvie. Mostly from a distance when they both happened to be in town at the same time.

Turning his attention back to the other todd, he studied Nick for a moment. If Judy had really been friends with the city fox and he was here to fix what he broke, then he wanted to help. He had heard (and seen) that Judy was having a rough time since coming back and he hoped Nick could help her get better.

After taking a deep breath, Travis said, "Well, if I can help in any way, let me know."

Nick nodded, but Gideon was the one to speak. "Nick's going with me this morning to make my deliveries, so if you can run the shop while we're gone, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course," Travis said, "I'll wash the dishes, too."

Gideon beamed at this since he and Nick had used a lot of dishes this morning. They had washed some as they went along, but they had continued using them and now had a sizeable stack again.

Gideon had been struggling to run the shop, bake, and clean up after himself when he first opened the bakery, so when Travis came around asking for work, he jumped at the chance. He and Travis had been the best of friends when they were younger and he wanted to give his friend a chance, especially after hearing he'd gone and gotten himself married and needed a job to support his wife and their kits on the way.

Gideon knew how bad Travis's family life had been with him having an abusive drunk for a dad, so he was proud of his friend for wanting to break the cycle of abuse and neglect and step up to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and soon-to-be father. And now he was a father, and Travis worked extra hard to be the loving dad and husband his own father had never been. Like this morning, with Travis choosing to stay home and take care of his kits so Tiffany could get a few hours of sleep before starting her busy day taking care of their home and demanding infants (they had four who never seemed to want to sleep at the same time).

Turning his attention back to all his and Nick's hard work from this morning, Gideon grinned. With all the pies and pastries ready for delivery (in addition to the Hopps' booth, Gideon also made deliveries to a couple of other booths here in Bunnyburrow, along with several outlying families), Nick and Travis helped Gideon load them into his delivery truck.

Once everything was loaded up, Nick picked up one of the little message cards and envelopes that Gideon kept on hand for customers to use when ordering pies and pastries to be delivered to their friends and family. After writing a quick note to Judy, Nick grabbed his black Stetson hanging on a hook near the door (he didn't want to get it dirty while baking), then climbed into the passenger seat.

As Gideon climbed into the driver's seat, he turned to his fellow fox and asked, "Are you ready to meet some of Judy's siblings?"

Nick flicked his ears back while remembering how big Judy's family was and the fact they strongly disliked unfamiliar predators. "Yes, I guess." They wouldn't chase him up a flagpole or a streetlamp . . . would they? Wait, did they even have lamp poles near their stand? Or flagpoles? Nick reached up and tugged on his ear.

Gideon simply laughed at Nick's uncertain reply. "Don't worry. It'll only be one or two at the booth."

Nick nodded but didn't reply as they drove down the road. He was too busy wondering how her family would take his friendship with Judy. Would they actually pass a message along? He really hoped he didn't have to wait till the rodeo started before he could find her. If her siblings refused to pass a message along, maybe he could meet her parents at the rodeo grounds and help set up. If he left a good impression on them, maybe they would get a message to her—or better yet—take him home to meet her themselves.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't even realize they'd reached their destination until the truck stopped and Gideon said, "Okay, Nick, we're here at the Hopps' Family Booth."

Nick turned his attention back to the road and saw a roadside booth that was obviously built by rabbits as its large sign was very telling. The sign had a lavender cartoonish rabbit head painted at the top and two bright orange and green carrots painted at either side of the booth's name, Hopps Family Farm, written in bright yellow paint. The booth itself was built on a platform with open sides, a red roof and red awning that overshadowed the tilted counter that was covered with short-sided crates filled with various vegetables and fruit: romaine lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, carrots (of course), cucumbers, radishes, green onions, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and (he saved the best for last)—blueberries.

He licked his chops but couldn't see the rabbit manning the booth and wondered where he or she was. Looking around, Nick noticed a tall tree growing off to the right of the stand where a pale, clover-green, two-door jeep was parked under its shade. Seeing the jeep made Nick wonder what Judy would drive. Did she even have a vehicle? He didn't remember seeing her drive anything but that 3-wheeled joke-mobile back in Zootopia.

He turned his attention back to the booth to see a family of sheep had stepped up to block his view, but he did manage to catch a pair of long, black-tipped gray ears now. With his heart hammering in his chest at the sudden chance of meeting Judy, he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck.

Getting in line behind a couple of teenage rams who were waiting for their mother to get their order, Nick stood with his tail twitching with anxiety, both from anticipation and fear she might not want to see him. This last had his stomach twisting into knots as he felt closer to her now than he ever had with anyone else, including his family (he felt closest to them when he was really little, but those feelings and memories were a pretty fuzzy now).

As the sheep left, Nick stepped up to the booth to see the gray rabbit doe turned around as she was getting produce from the crates to restock the booth counter.

Taking a deep breath as a slight breeze blew behind him and ruffled his fur, Nick said softly, "Hey, Carrots, it's been a while."

The rabbit doe froze for a second as she suddenly smelled fox behind her, then spun around with her gray nose twitching in fear.

Nick's eyes widened and he took a hasty step back as his gaze met light-brown eyes in a gray face much younger than Judy's own gray and white face. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were Judy." With his ears back, Nick took a deep breath and (with a shift in the breeze) he caught the rabbit's scent that was definitely not Judy's. Similar, but distinctly different.

"How do you know Judy?" the doe asked with her nose still twitching. The fox in front of her was tall and lean, with a sleek red coat that had orange undertones and which his black Stetson set off nicely. It was a far contrast to Gideon's red coat and round belly and made her wonder which county he came from. Deerbrooke county, perhaps? Or more likely Wolf Creek County? She had heard a lot of red foxes lived in those two counties.

"I met Judy in Zootopia. We became friends when I helped her find the missing mammals." Nick concentrated hard to keep his tail relaxed and swaying gently behind him to hide his anxiety while waiting for the doe's response.

With her ears twitching slightly in thought, the doe then replied, "Judy never mentioned a fox helping her."

Nick's tail-tip twitched again as he ran a paw through his head-fur. "We had a bit of a fight after her press conference and I left. I haven't seen her since." Taking a deep breath, he added, "I came here to apologize." Shaking his head, he said, "I need to apologize to Judy."

The doe continued staring at the large fox as her nose twitched with uncertainty while trying to determine whether or not the red fox posed a threat. There were a lot of angry predators in the city who blamed Judy for their misfortune—predators with sharp teeth and killer claws.

There was also a large predator refugee camp outside Elk Meadow and the local predators from Bunnyburrow who had delivered relief supplies (food, blankets, tents, and hygiene kits) always came back with a warning to keep Judy away from the camp. Many of the predators staying there were cross with Judy and blamed her for their present sufferings, with several of the more irate ones promising a painful lesson to her if she ever came around (not that Judy ever would, but that didn't stop the angry predators from hoping).

Stepping around the back of the truck with several pies in his paw, Gideon walked up to the booth and said, "Mornin, Shaylee. I brought the day's shipment of pies."

Shaylee nodded, then asked, "You know this fox?"

With a nod, Gideon said, "This is Nick Wilde, and we, we met yesterday. He really needs to see Judy. Being able to meet with Nick might help Judy move past what happened in the city."

The twitching of Shaylee's nose slowed down a bit but didn't completely stop as she considered Gideon's words. "You think it would help Judy to talk to this fox?"

Gideon nodded. "Nick is one of the predators Judy hurt with her speech four months ago, so if'n she can fix things with him, maybe she could move past it. I, I know you don't like seein her all depressed." Gideon's ears drooped a bit and his tail-tip twitched while remembering Judy's downcast expression and listless eyes whenever she came to town.

Shaylee thought about it a moment, then nodded. With only an occasional twitch of her nose, she asked, "So, what did you want me to do?"

Nick's first thought was to ask if she'd escort him to her burrow so he could meet Judy, but remembering how large her family was, he figured it might be safer for him if Judy met him in town—or some other location of her choosing. Holding up the little envelope with his message in it, Nick said, "Can you give this note to Judy and let her know I'm in town? I'll be staying with Gideon while I'm here."

Shaylee gingerly reached over to take the envelope, then wrinkled her nose as it reeked of fox musk. She wasn't sure how her sister would take hearing that the fox was in town and looking for her, but if it helped Judy move on with her life, then Shaylee figured it couldn't hurt. And if Judy didn't want to talk to the fox, then she would be forewarned about him and wouldn't be surprised by his sudden appearance should she actually make it to town (she'd been avoiding town and large groups of mammals ever since she came home).

"Thanks, Shaylee. I appreciate it," Nick said while slipping his paws into his pocket (and hoping it made him look less threatening).

"Don't thank me yet. Judy hasn't yet agreed to see you."

Nick merely grinned. "She will."

Shaylee nodded while wondering about his cheeky confidence. Judy didn't have a lot of close male friends, and at the moment, she wasn't feeling up to spending time with them or any of her other friends, so why did this city fox think it would be different with him? Would talking to him really help her sister? Slipping the note into her back pocket, she said, "Well, I'll pass your message along but no guarantees she'll want to see you."

Tipping his hat, Nick took a step back and reiterated, "She will." Then he spun around and walked back to the delivery truck.

"Thanks again, Shaylee. I, I really think it'll help Judy a lot if she, she can meet Nick," Gideon said. At Shaylee's silent nod, Gideon returned to the truck where he and Nick finished unloading the goods for the Hopps' booth, then waved goodbye to the gray doe who looked so much like Judy and yet didn't.

"So," Nick said, as they started towards the next stop, "do you think she'll deliver the message?" Although he was looking confidently out the window, Nick didn't have much hope. Although Judy gave him the benefit of the doubt when they first met, she was still quick to assume the worst from him. And this was one of her obviously timid sisters with the way her nose was twitching the whole time they were talking.

Gideon shrugged. "That was Shaylee, so I think she will. She's not as specist as some of the others." Out of all of the Hopps' kits, Shaylee was one of the few (along with Judy) that he was most comfortable around as they never picked on him or tried to tear him down as so many others had, both predator and prey alike, but mostly the prey.

Nick raised his eyebrow while remembering Shaylee's fearful reaction to him (he was dressed in his country duds, after all, not his city fox clothes). Shaking his head and hoping against hope that Judy would call him tonight (he already had his hopes raised once today and just as quickly had them dashed, and he didn't really want a repeat), Nick turned his attention to the fields they were passing while wondering what Judy was up to right now.

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoy it. I'm tired and its late, so no notes tonight. Chapter 6: So Close, will post in 2 weeks. The chapter title says it all. Have a great weekend.