AN: Shorter chapters then the main story of Distilled Dreams to help fill in the AU around the OCs that will be reoccurring. Much like some side quests while they add to the main story they are not necessary to the main plot so feel free to skip them if you wish. I hope you enjoy.

Distilled Dreams: Side Stories

A Bandit to Steal a Bunny's Heart

Chapter Two

The Carrot Shack diner was packed the third day Rocky went in for breakfast and climbed into a stool at the counter. Quite a few of his crew had heard him talking about the food and tried it out. When they found out the food was just as good as Rocky claimed it had swiftly became the go to spot for the mammals from Zootopia. There was even a couple of option for the omnivores to get some extra protein in the form of eggs and turkey sausage. Rocky had passed on taking any crew with him into a primary herbivore community that where entirely carnivore not trusting there would be enough food for them to eat without having to bring it themselves.

"Well now if it isn't Rocky. Didn't see you in the dinner rush yesterday. I was afraid you decided to eat somewhere else and leave me all alone with only the rest of your crew for company," Audrey greeted him with a smile while poring him a cup of coffee without asking, "If you had waited any longer this morning there might not have been any coffee left for you." The sun was only just starting to crest the horizon. A farming community woke early though. Even now the burrows around town where sitting down for their own breakfasts before a long day of work.

A long yawn escaped from Rocky before he could take a sip from his cup. "Dinner was just whatever I snacks I could cram into my face last night. Ran into a bit of trouble when we where updating the piping. Some of those pipes where more rust then metal. How are you so cheery this early?" Rocky asked sleep still clouding his mind. He had been up late the night making sure everything was progressing according to the scheduled.

"Easy hon years of practice getting up this early," Audrey said as one of her sisters rushed by with a handful of plates from the kitchen, "Plus its been nice having the extra customers for my last few days working here."

"Take his order or give him some time to decide Audrey," another sister said walking by to get a fresh coffee pot. "Stop flirting for tips. Shake your tail and get a move on there are more mammals waiting then just that 'coon."

Rocky looked away to the menu and didn't see the red creep into Audrey's ears. "Hush sis!" Audrey hissed quietly at her sister, "I am not flirting for tips!"

"I know flirting when I see it," her sister said walking away with the coffee pot.

"Enough bickering in front of the customers," Mrs. Thumperson said carrying a tray from the kitchen dressed as her daughters where in a waitress outfit. "Here Audrey take this to booth four. Ill take care of getting Mr. Rodger's order. The rest of you scoot! Orders to take and drinks to refill. Lets take advantage of the extra business while we have it and make sure they leave happy and come back hunger." A chorus of 'Yes Ma!' echoed around the diner. Mrs. Thumperson eyed the raccoon in front of her once her daughter had went back to work. "So had a chance to decide?"

"Uh yes Ma'am," Rocky said trying his best not to wilt under the older woman's gaze. "The omnivore's omelet please with extra onion, peppers, and sausage. Wheat toast with butter and jam on the side."

Mrs. Thumperson jotted down the order and put it in line with the other orders still coming out of the kitchen before returning to refresh Rocky's coffee. "So you plan to keep coming by for your meals?" she asked a bit too casually.

"I haven't had a good home cooked meal like these in a long time Ma'am. Not much of a cook myself and there always seems to be another job waiting that doesn't leave me much time to cook anyway," Rocky said cautiously, "If my crew and I are causing problems though we can always find somewhere else to..."

"The extra business has been a blessing young man. Your crew keeps their paws to themselves better then some of the young bucks that are regulars," a grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she tried to keep her face stern and her voice low, "Though your eyes tend to wander nearly as much as theirs. Haven't seen you paw try and steal any liberties yet though." Rocky's eyes opened wide as he fumbled for something to say. "Hush young man and close your mouth you look like a fish caught on land. I don't know what city folk say about us country rabbits besides how good we are at multiplying but if you are just looking to...sample the local cuisine shall we say you should look elsewhere then Aubrey. She has had plenty of men try and she is as good as her brothers at keeping unwanted paws away from her tail."

"I came here to do a job Ma'am not to...to see how my multiplication compares," Rocky said his tone low but firm with a bit of fire in his eyes, "I don't know what you country rabbits think about city folk but I have my own sisters and know a thing or two about keeping wandering paws from their tails. I would shave myself bald and jump naked in a construction garbage pile before taking liberties."

"Hmmmm...I've have heard that before but most bucks don't have that convection in their eyes when they say it," Mrs. Thumperson said eyeing Rocky in a different light. "You seem young to be a fore-mammal."

"I've been putting in an hard honest days work since I was old enough to push a broom around at the end of a construction shift," Rocky said beginning to feel like he was being interviewed for a new job. "As I got older I kept getting more jobs to do and more hours to help out my folks with the bills. A few years back on a big project a supervisor assigned a crew to me and gave me a list of projects. Didn't know that was my interview until after we got the list done faster then they expected."

'Order up!' A bell my the kitchen window rang out with the words.

Aubrey slid the plate before Rocky while glancing between him and her mother. "Everything alright here? Anything else I can get you?" she asked nervously.

"Don't worry Aubrey I'll take care of Mr. Rodgers here. Looks like table six wants their check," Mrs. Thumperson said seeing the group of young bucks gesture. She watched him as Rocky's eyes followed Aubrey. She saw how his paw clinched as she absentmindedly swatted a bucks paw away as it reached out at tail level. "Those bucks never learn," Mrs. Thumperson sighed bringing Rocky's attention back to her, "They seem to think the extra wiggle in her step these last couple of days is for them. Even when she finally sold those properties and had enough money to head to the city and was happier then I've seen her in a while she didn't have that wiggle. Strange how that started just as you arrived Mr. Rodgers." Rocky just took a bite from his food instead of responding. "It would been good if she had someone to look out for her while she was in the city. Someone I trust not to be looking to take advantage of a naive county bunny. We don't have any family in those parts to check in on her or show her around. Someone like you who knows the city could be helpful for her to have around."

Rocky swallowed his bite of omelet. "She doesn't strike me as a naive county bunny Ma'am and I would like to think she could look after herself if it came down to it. If she wanted someone looking out for her...well seems to me it would need to be someone she trusts. Trust like that takes time. She doesn't have anyone she knows in the city to help?"

"Not that I know of young man," Mrs. Thumperson said noting how Rocky didn't immediately volunteer to be her daughters 'trusted' city guide. Her option of him went up when he had said it should be up to Aubrey on who she trusted. "I have her working too many shifts when she should be getting ready to move," she said in an off-hand manner as if thinking out loud, "Need to keep her on the breakfast shift but I have enough kits for the dinner rush so she can have the afternoons free." Slowly she walked away to where Aubrey was wiping down a vacant table.

Rocky sat mechanically eating his breakfast. He replayed the conversation he just had over again. How did Mrs. Thumperson steer the conversation from his wondering eyes to suggesting he be some sort of guide or protector in the city while implying the wonderfully distracting wiggle he had seen in Aubrey's walk was for him?

"So you and my Mom have a talk and suddenly my afternoon shifts are going to my sisters," Aubrey's voice behind him pulled Rocky's attention out of his own thoughts. "Anything you want to say to that mister?" Aubrey stood his her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face. Her mom was meddling somehow but wasn't quite sure how yet. "I was counting on those shifts to get a little extra money. The commission I am getting is good but I don't know how long it will last in the city..."

"I...ah...I don't know..." Rocky stammered. "We talked about how the crew has been behaving since they seemed to pick this as their go to restaurant, she asked about me being a fore-mammal, and some other stuff then said how she was worried she wasn't giving you enough time to get ready to move."

Aubrey uncrossed her arms with a sigh and walked to the empty space next to Rocky to lean against the counter. "Yeah I haven't even packed half of my stuff yet and am still hunting for a place to stay. I don't know the city well enough to know where the bad neighborhoods are and what is reasonably priced anywhere."

"Well I can help with that if you want," Rocky said trying to keep his voice nonchalant. At Aubrey's raised eye brow and slight blush he clarified, "The stuff about the city I mean. I...uh...well offering to help you pack when we barely know each other would be odd I suppose."

"Umm...thanks I would love the help figuring out where to live," Aubrey said. The blush had been at the mental image of him helping her pack some of her more intimate items. "Would you be able to come over to my place tonight? The sooner I can contact a landlord and arrange something the better."

"Sure. Not much being worked on today that would likely run over," Rocky said thinking about the schedule for the day. "I could be over around...seven? That should give me enough time to grab a bite and get cleaned up."

"How about I cook you dinner instead of you grabbing a bite...," Aubrey said before quickly adding, "As thanks for your help!"

"I would like that. I haven't had someone cook for me that didn't give me a bill after in a while," Rocky said somewhat quietly.

With a blush at setting up a dinner date, No not a date Aubrey! It's just paying him back for his help! She thought, with Rocky she joked, "Well if it gets too awkward I can always write one up to make you feel more comfortable."