A warm spring day, out on a date with his bunny girlfriend of now five weeks, Daniel Wilde felt his phone go off. A phonecall from a number he didn't recognize, he let out a sigh and decided to answer. Worst case, a telemarketer or scambot. He put a finger over his mouth and Jane winked at him.
"Hello?" he answered.

"Danny?" the voice replied.

"Junior?" Daniel asked.

"Yup! I need a favor Sarge, I'm movin' t' Bunnyburrows next week an' I'm gonna' need some extra paws to help move stuff inta th' new house. You gonna' be around t' help out?" the voice on the other end asked.

"I guess I could," Daniel replied, "But don't call me Sarge. I'm not a sergeant anymore."

"Sorry, force o' habit," the voice apologized.

"I'm kinda' busy right now, Junior, is there something else?" he asked.

"No sir, I'll leave ya' to it," the voice replied before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Jane asked.

"Lieutenant Donnel Yarne Jr., I suppose you could call him a friend of mine from my days in the Army. My unit just called him Junior, since Donnel was also his old man's name and since 'Donny' is a bit too close to 'Danny'," the fox explained, "This is actually because of him."

Daniel touched his eyepatch gingerly.

"Do you resent him for it?" she asked.

"Not really, a lot of stupid shit happened over there. It was in one of the trenches, a grenade landed next to us, Junior was frozen with fear, so I pushed him out of the way before it went off. The last thing I remember before blacking out was how much pain I was in. I woke up sometime later in the field clinic, when I couldn't see out my left eye that's when the field medics told me what they had to do. My left eye was gone and I got a medical discharge soon after," he regaled, "I got lucky and Junior saved my life by getting me to the medics before I bled out."

One look at her and he felt sheepish about recalling the event.

"Sorry… I really shouldn't talk about it…" he apologized.

To his surprise, a white paw reached across the table and rested on his arm comfortingly. He looked at her and she just smiled back at him. He let a chuckle escape and smiled himself.

"Why a sweet little bunny like you would go for a mean old fox like me is a mystery," he chuckled.

"You are neither mean nor old," she replied.

The beginning of next week Danny scoped out his friend's new house with said friend and his family. His elderly parents, younger brother, sister-in-law, and six nieces and nephews.

"I forgot that hares live in family groups like rabbits," he thought.

"Mr. Wilde," his friend's father interrupted his thoughts

"Oh, sorry I was spacing out," he replied.

"Are you gonna need a motel room too?" the old hare asked.

"No sir, my girlfriend's family lives here in Bunnyburrows," he answered, "And if not, I also have relatives and some old family friends."

"Ah, I see," the old man replied.

Not long after, they began moving into the new house for the Yarne family. Daniel helping to move large items by team-lifting with "Junior" or his younger brother or both. It wasn't long before they stopped for lunch, the family didn't have anything for Daniel, nor did he need them to. Jane had come around, bringing him a homemade lunch she packed for him.

"Working hard?" she asked playfully.

"Yeah, it's not so bad," he replied.

The fish tasted a bit off but seeing as Jane made it herself, he doubted she could tell. Probably her first time making fish. She piped up, almost as if she could sense what he was thinking.

"Sorry the fish isn't very good. I cooked it as the instructions your sister sent told me, but I can't tell how it came out. I'd've tried it myself but the smell is a bit of a turn-off for me," she explained, a bit nervously.

"It's fine, it tastes a bit weird but I think I like it," he replied.

That smile of hers brightened his mood significantly. Not like he was having a particularly hard day anyway though.

"You have a smile that could make the sun jealous," he chuckled.

"Lame!" she laughed back.

"You love it when I compliment you, besides it's true," he replied.

"It's still lame!" she shot back playfully.

"What's the matter? You don't like having an honest boyfriend?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"You? Honest? That'll be the day," she scoffed, keeping up her playful tone.

"Brat," he laughed.

"I'm not THAT much younger than you," she griped.

"Six years is a long time," he joked.

The two bantered for a while, unaware that another presence approached.

"Hey Danny, gonna' introduce me to yer lady friend?" Junior asked.

"Eh, why not," he shrugged, "Jane this is my friend from the Army, Donnel. Junior, this is Jane Hopps."

Before he could say anything more, Junior was already putting on his best Prince Charming act, including the "enchante" and kissing her paw. Daniel cocked an eyebrow at this but he could tell Jane was just as put-off by the obviously fake gentleman act. Nature called for the one-eyed former Army fox.

"I gotta find a throne. Nature is calling," he informed.

"Want me to come with?" Jane asked.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, I don't need someone to hold my paw," he replied.

As he was coming back, the two hadn't noticed him yet and he could hear them talking.

"So, Ms. Hopps, if ya' don' got plans next Tuesday, how's dinner an' dancin' sound t' ya'?" Junior asked.

If they could hear Daniel growling, they didn't seem to care.

"That sounds lovely…" she replied.

Time seemed to stop for the fox. He couldn't think, he could barely breathe. As he ran off, he could hear her call for him but he kept running. All he could think about was how horrible he felt at that moment. He finished helping for the day but he felt tired and sick. He decided to head to the Foxgloves' spa, he needed someone to talk to. He didn't expect Nilla to make time for a surprise therapy session but she obliged his request. They sat in her office in silence while he tried to find the words to convey his emotions. Finally, he broke the silence.

"I-I should never have fallen in love with her, Nilla. I feel sick and tired, nothing seems to help. There is one thing but for years I watched helplessly as it threatened to ruin my father and it actually did ruin my family. I don't have it in me to walk that road but it hurts so much, I have to do something," he explained.

"That wouldn't help anyway. And it's good that you can at least see that much. It would stop the pain but only for a while, you would need to drink more and more to keep the pain at bay but you would never actually recover from the emotional wounds. It hurts now but if you stay the course and endure it, you'll come out the better for it. Let me ask you this though, are you absolutely certain of this path? Be sure this is what you want before you cut your ties with her completely," Nilla advised.

He went home after that, his mind still a mess. By this point, it was a well-known fact that he had a favorite spot at the park to sit and sulk. And that's immediately where he went and what he did. Up on top of the park's center warehouse. He tried not to think but his mind refused to be silent. He didn't want to remember her scent or the taste of her kiss but part of him refused to forget her. His phone went off, her. Decline. She'd been trying for days but he didn't want to talk to her.

AN: Sorry for the small chapters, figuring out how to write the events I have planned has been tricky lately. I write largely on impulse so if a chapter ends up being short it's mostly because I feel like I can't write anymore on it.