Friday morning at the theme park. As the Wilde siblings sat at their table one of the park employees walked up to Alex and handed him a package.

To: Alexander Wilde, Esq.

From: Eerbare Mol, Esq.

Good day, Mr. Wilde. I hope this package of mine finds you in good health and jovial mood. Please accept this little gift as a token of my appreciation for your invaluable help. Without your wise advice, I wouldn't have had studied the case you so helpfully pointed out and doubtlessly would have had failed to present my own case so flawlessly. It goes without saying that I`ve been admitted to the bar, and I have you to thank for that.

This scotch has been produced by distant relatives of mine for over two hundred years, and I can be certain it's every bit as quality as your advice has been.

Respectfully yours, Eerbare Mol, Esq.

Alex didn't know what to do with the bottle. Indeed, he could tell by the label it was quite an expensive brand.

"Well, I'm not really a scotch drinker," he lamented, "Not sure I could handle more than maybe one shot at a time of it."

Nick seemed eager to join but a sharp elbow and stern look from his fiancee told him that she thought it a bad idea.

"Com'n honey-bunny," he pleaded.

"No," she argued, "Remember the last time you had scotch?"

"That wasn't scotch, it was vodka. And we had just solved a huge case, we were supposed to be celebrating but you were being a grumpy bun," he replied.

"Like I care, I'm not dealing with a sloshed or hung-over Nick all over again," she griped.

"How about you, Jack?" quipped lawyer glibly, "Fancy getting shitfaced tonight? Just us boys and all the trouble you can scare up. You can make up with Deborah for weeks on."

"Huh… wha? Oh. Yeah, we made up, thanks for asking," replied the aforementioned haphazardly, his distracted look well-matched by goofy grin he tended to sport this day a lot.

"So… are you in?" asked Daniel, knowing better than to presume from his somewhat… unexpected experiences with such goofy expressions and their wielders back in army. Lovestruck soldiers tended to do the damndest things.

"Whuh… what… Oh, drinking? No, sorry, count me out. I`ve… things planned. Yeah, thighs. I mean thongs. I think," Jack wandered off, still smiling as he plotted the evening in his mind. Dan and Alex exchanged looks."He's out," summed up Daniel laconically.

"And I think I`d be out too if I were in his place. Let him have his fun," confirmed the other conspirator, "But it's looking like it's just you and me so far… Jack`s got better things to do, Nick`s too whipped, dad is gonna be busy, I already know that..."

"Well, we also have a cousin," reminded Daniel helpfully.

"Right! What about you, Gideon?" Alex asked.

"Sorry ya'll, t'day's m' last day here. I gotta' get home 'n get back t'work. Bread ain' gonna' make itself an' sommun's gotta' keep th' folks in Bunnyburrows in a fresh stock of it," he replied.

"Sorry to hear that, maybe next time huh?" Daniel replied, patting Gideon on the back.

"Aw Giddy, do you really have to?" Cherry asked in a whimper.

"Cherry, 'ere's nothin' I'd love more'n spendin' time with you an' m' cousins but I gotta' get back t'work," he replied.

"I am not very fond of ze hard liquors. I zink I vill pass on zis, mon amour," Lucielle stated.

"Alright hon, if that's what you want," Alex relented.

"Since i'm not using my hotel room, you can stay in there," Daniel offered.

"Merci," she replied, "But I vould like to invite ozers to join me, perhaps ze Madmouiselle Foxgloves?"

"Sounds like it might be fun, right Cherry?" Angel replied, making an honest effort to get Cherry to stop moping.

Upon being nudged by her sister to respond, Cherry snapped to attention.

"Uh yeah sure," she replied. Quickly trying to cover up what she might've been thinking with her usual bubbly tone.

"If I'm going to spend that entire night with you three I think I'll need some liquor. So, I'll have a few shots with Alex and Danny before spending the night with the girls," Nilla sighed.

"I don't have a problem with that," Alex stated, "How 'bout you hon?"

" Je suis au taquet." Lucielle replied

"Tonight's shaping up to look like a 'foxes-only' kinda' thing. I really don't wanna' give that idea. Sure you won't reconsider, Judy?" he asked.

"Maybe we can get Danny to smile for once in his life," Angel teased.

"Sorry, but me and Mr. Foxy here are planning to have a whole evening together, lots of fun, cuddles, and sweets" Judy stated while hugging Nick's waist.

"Candy sweets or the other kind of sweets?" Angel asked with a grin.

"Sorry, not the kind you're expecting, right now I'm dying for some carrot cotton candy, candy carrots, and maybe some ice cream," with that she turned to Nick, "It's nice of your dad to have a lot of carrot-related food."

"That's dad for ya', always a good host." Nick laughed nuzzling one of Judy's ears.

"Hehe, stop that!" she giggled, "But you know, I really want to try one of those candy crickets too."

"Since when do you eat bugs? I thought you hated them," he asked incredulously looking at her.

"I dunno', maybe it's all the emotions," she replied with a shrug. "Also, maybe you can give me a paw massage while we're at it, my feet have been killing me lately."

"Hey, I'm your boyfriend, not your slave!" he joshed.

"What's the difference?" Debbie asked with a laugh and the other girls laughed as well.

"Har har, yeah yeah now,why don't we get going before my sister gives you any more ideas to embarrass me?" Nick stated, taking one of Judy's paws.

"Aw, but I have some really good embarrassing ideas to subject you to," Debbie pouted.

"Trust me, she does" Jack sighed.

"All the more reason to run, see ya later," Nick replied.

"Besides all that, I haven't been feeling up to a night of drinking lately," Judy state, "Jane might want to though. She's been stuck on bunny-sitting duty for the whole week, I imagine she'll want some time away from her group of little brothers and sisters to relax."

"Actually, I`d like to, yes," interjected Jane at this opening, "Fancy scotch and fancy foxes? Sounds fun to me. So, if you don't mind, I`d like to join in on this little shebang of yours."

"Well, you're perfectly welcome to," Alex replied, "I imagine bunny-sitting your younger siblings is no walk in the park, knock on wood." As he stating this, he knocked his balled up paw on the table.

"Oh joy. All I need at this party is a bunny that messes with my head. Oh well, roll with it, Dan, ain`t nothing about it," Daniel thought irritably, "Gotta watch myself, no good blurting out something 'cause I drank too much." Out loud, however, he merely chuckled, "Sounds good to me. You rabbits are easier to manage when you conk out anyways."

"Oh, you`re so confident I`ll be the one conking out?" Jane quipped mellowly. "I haven't managed that one so far. Though I am not sure if it`s lack of trying or lack of available booze that is to blame."

"Please you two, don't try to make a competition out of this," Alex chimed in.

"Alright, we'll settle this another way. Poker?" Daniel replied.

Jane shook her head slowly. "You heard our gracious host. No contests," he quipped, wagging her finger, "If you're just burning with desire to match your gullets with this rabbit, we`ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. On a bar crawl. But that's for later."

"Keep it civil and I don't have any problems with card or board games, actually," Alex sighed, "I was referring to the drinking. I'm inviting you to try a fine bottle of scotch with me, not get completely wasted."

"Think I'll pass on drinking contests for now, actually." Daniel replied, "At least until I get my life together. Last thing I need right now is to wake up under the bridge tomorrow."

"Fair enough. But I`ll hold you to that. Later." concluded Jane with a little smirk. "A retired soldier like you? There is a law somewhere that says you simply must get blind drunk and wake up in unfamiliar bed after leaving the army, I think."

"Not today, though. Maybe when I get my life in order. I am trying to be smart about all this," he sighed.

"Daniel? Smart? That's a first," Nick joked.

"Shut up, Nick," Daniel replied flatly.

"Hey, I approve, actually. Doing smart is a thing this year. I mean, I did, so why not you as well?" younger todd tossed back defensively, "Jokes aside, Dan, we've got your back, all of us. That shit just ain't right."

Daniel shook his head lightly. "Thanks," he offered simply, "You know what's funny? Before the army, I wouldn't even think about getting help from any of you. I`d try to solve it all by myself. Funny that now I gotta take on the very thing that taught me better than that, but them's the breaks."

"So… When is this thing gonna happen?" quipped Jane to change the topic, "And more importantly, where? Or should I just hang by you two to make sure I don`t miss it?"

"My hotel room tonight?" Alex offered, "Best not to let this bottle linger lest my father find it. He's uh, recovering."

"You're afraid of nothing, Alex. Dad's an old todd, not a teenage kid. He's mature enough to walk away from it," Debbie sighed.

"Entirely possible. But why tease him with it? Forbidden fruits are sweet, you know," interdicted Jane suddenly, "It`s never a good idea to dandle something you can't have in front of your nose."

"Exactly, I don't wanna' take the chance of dad possibly regressing to that because he happens to find a bottle of liquor," Alex affirmed, "How many times when we were younger did he say he'd give up drinking only to be drinking again the next day?"

"That-that's a fair point," Deborah relented.

Vanilla clucked her tongue. "Alex… That`s pretty bleak. I dare say your father has much more insensitive not to slip up right now. Still, Jane is entirely right. Just because he has a lot of motivation does not mean he should be tempted pointlessly. Maybe it'd be best if you pass by your place and drop the bottle off before anything else," she suggested, "Minding little things like these is what keeps the family strong, you know."

"Right," he stated, getting up from the table and heading off to the elevator.

"So… what is there to do in the meanwhile?" inquired Jane curiously, "I've finally gotten a day off from all the babysitting, but I`ve still no clue what to do with all this time." She spun around sharply, poking her finger in Daniel`s direction, "Do you play billiards, per chance?"

"...Uh, yeah? Sort of. Haven't been to the table since last leave, but yeah. Why do you ask?" - he replied cautiously.

"Always wanted to. There`s only one pool table in whole Bunnyburrows, getting to it is a bother," she tossed back flatly, "So how about it? Show me the sights, sarge."

Daniel thought about refusing briefly. But… that would leave him with nothing to do as well. So… why the hell not. "...Oh, alright," he acquiesced, "So long as you keep in mind I haven't been around recently. No idea if any of the old haunts are still standing."

"Think there are a few tables in the park somewhere," Nick stated.

With that Daniel got up from the table to find John and a short time later, he and Jane stood at a billiards table in a diner that was all but deserted in the park. The hordes of siblings of varying ages simply weren't hungry so the two were left to their game in quiet peace.

"What made you decide to become a seamstress? Why not pursue an exciting career like your sisters?" he asked.

She sighed as she readied herself and broke the ball formation for their first game.

"Exciting careers aren't really my thing. I prefer quieter pastimes. I took an interest in textiles from a young age and thought it would make for an interesting career choice," she replied.

"Do you regret that decision?" he asked.

"There are a lot of things I regret, but my career choice is not one of them," she answered, "But it's certainly more taxing than I first gave it credit for and not for the impatient sort."

They went silent afterwards. Daniel caught himself staring at her as she leaned over the table lining up a shot and quickly turned away, berating himself in his head. Jane on the other hand, noticed but decided to pretend like she hadn't. All the while trying to figure out what else to talk about.

"So, if it's not too personal do you mind if I ask you about your favorite TV shows?" she asked nervously.

At this point, she knew that if she came across as directly flirtatious he'd be backing off rather angrily at that.

"To be honest? I don't know. I used to like Star Wars and Twilight Zone when I was a teen, but I haven't seen either for a while. And the less said about shows I watched as a kit, the better. I doubt they still show Transformers… Although, with my luck, they just might have made`em the biggest show around." he replied pensively..

He looked in her direction expectantly, she gave a slight sigh not anything to be curious about and started to think.

"I've always been more of a reader, but I did grow up watching some TV shows with my sisters from the same litter. Home Improvement mostly. As for the books I read, mostly stuff by Lewis and Tolkien. Oh and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Once in awhile I delved into something Lovecraftian but that wasn't until my late teenage years," she replied, "My sisters all thought I was weird for reading so much but for the most part Judy and Jackie left me alone about it."

After a few more minutes of silence with only the clacking of pool balls as they took turns at the green table, the silence was finally broken again. This time by the todd, as he actually seemed to be getting into the "getting to know each other" part of the "not-a-date".

"So, what kind of music do you listen to?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Gazelle and Jerry Vole mostly. I guess in that regard I'm not much different from my sisters," she answered, "How about you?"

"My family has very old tastes. It's something you acquire around my parents. Leopard Zeppelin, Van Lion, Cat Benatar, Guns and Rodents, that kinda' thing. We've never been those crazy possibly rabid fans who wear all black and dye their fur or shave themselves bald or shit like that. We like their music but we're perfectly sane people," he replied.

They sat in awkward silence for another pause. The sound of billiard cues knocking against the plastic balls being the only sound in the room.

"So, you do fabric-work huh? I uh, I guess I could try that out. I mean it's not something I ever thought I'd be interested in but I think it'd be interesting to try out," he stated, trying to cover up his stammering.

"I think I could teach you a few simple things to start out with," she suggested, "But there has to be something that interests you."

"Well, I've always been curious about woodworking and machinery, maybe I can make something of that," the todd replied noticeably more relaxed.

In fact, both were more relaxed by now. They continued talking at a more relaxed tone. Just idle chichat, they hardly noticed the hours roll by or how many games they'd played by now. When Jane got the idea to look at the clock she realized how late they were.

"Daniel! It's 9 o'clock!" she exclaimed, "Is Alex gonna' be mad?"

"We didn't really set an exact time to go over, so I don't think he will. Wanna' wrap up this game or just head up?" he asked.

"Let's just go, been too long since I had any scotch," she remarked.

"You've drank scotch? That I find hard to believe," he laughed.

"Once, on a dare. It wasn't that bad," she replied.

When they arrived at the hotel room, Alex was saying goodnight to Lucielle as she was coming out of the room they'd been sharing since they came to the park.

"Have you got everything you need, Hon? Enough bedding? Your toothbrush? Some movies to watch?" he asked.

"Oui, stop vorrying, mon amour. Ve vill be fine," she reassured.

"Y'know I worry because I care," he replied.

"Yes, I know but you vorry too much," she sighed.

Then reached up and tugged on his shirt. When he leaned over she kissed him.

"Have a good time and don't drink too much," she told him as she ran off to join the Foxgloves.

He turned to his guests and invited them in. Vanilla was already inside, waiting patiently. He didn't want to admit that he was a bit nervous, though Daniel could tell.

"You don't have to do this, Alex. I won't think less of you," he consoled.

"It's-it's alright, I'll be fine. I'm just a bit jittery," Alex replied.

The night seemed to pass by smoothly, much to Alex's surprise. He wondered what might've changed in his older brother that he didn't have to break up any arguments between Daniel and Jane. In fact, they seemed to be getting along quite well. Daniel left to head back to his loft apartment at around midnight and had been careful not to go over his limit. Although Jane was entirely sloshed and Alex worked to make her comfortable in his hotel room bed before retiring to the couch.