Hey everyone! I hope you've been enjoying the story so far. I didn't put any comments on the last chapter because when I finished I was just spent. I didn't really like that chapter. It felt to much like a James Bond novel and that's not really my thing. This one really touched home for me with most of the subject matter. Anyway, let me know what you think maybe even what you'd like to see happen in the future. Thanks for your support and enjoy!

After crossing the border into Canisia Jack drove for two more hours to a truck stop. He pulled in, found a secluded parking area and killed the engine. Reaching behind his seat, he tapped the wall once. Telling Skye to wait. He got out and walked inside.

Skye did the best she could to keep comfortable, but the cramp space was not giving her many options. Her left arm hard already gone numb from her weight resting on it. Her tail was beginning the cramp from having to be curled up between her legs for so long. She was also starting to get hungry. Although she could hold a couple of granola bars in the space with her, she had eaten those along the trip as her nerves and the boredom of riding for hours had slowly taken its toll on her. She started to dose as the now quiet truck sat still. She was awoken suddenly by a strange noise. A gurgling in her stomach so loud she thought if any one walked pass the truck they surely would have heard it. A second later she heard someone climbing into the back of the truck. She braced herself, ready to jump out of the small box if they found her.

'Tap, Tap'

The all clear. It was Jack, returned from the truck stop. He had climbed into the back of the truck and pulled the canvas over the back closed to keep any prying eyes out. He walked over to the hidden compartment and slowly opened the latches. Once the lid to the hidden box was open he stepped back and sat down on one of the small cargo boxes, filled with various items from all over Burrowland. Their cover story for passing into Canisia. He watched as Skye slowly stretched her way out of her hiding place.

"I hope it's not cramped in there." He said as Skye stretched causing several joints to pop at the relief of being able to move again. "It was designed with Rabbits in mind after all."

Skye looked at him for a moment. She was smaller than an average arctic Fox but not by much. And significantly bigger than he was even though he was the biggest bunny she had ever seen.

"And how many rabbits have you stuffed in here before?"

"Two at a time. Although, you could squeeze three in if need be."

"Ever been to Vulpesia?" She asked curiously. Knowing he would never give her any details. So, she asked in a casual way that wouldn't directly imply he had spied on her own country.

"Of course, we are neighbors after all." He stated as a matter of fact.

With that she sat on a box across from him turning so that if anyone tried to open the back canvas they couldn't see her directly.

"Here." Jack was holding a paper back in his paw outstretched towards her. "From what I heard earlier you need it."

She started to blush with embarrassment, taking the bag, she nodded her head in thanks. Opening the bag, she was surprised by what she found.

"Blackberries!? Where did you find these at a truck stop?"

"It's owned by a hare, a distant cousin of mine actually." Skye's chest suddenly tightened.

"Do they know?" was all she could mutter.

"No, they don't even recognize me. Their much older and have several litters themselves. Most rabbits can remember their first cousins that were around the same age. Beyond that, well, everyone else just gets lost in the crowd I'm afraid."

While his tone nor his expression never changed, what he said struck a chord in her heart. She grew up with 4 siblings, she being the youngest, and only had 3 cousins. She knew what they looked like as well as their children. She could pick them out in a crowd. Her family was one of the most important things to her. Hearing how someone in your family could just lose you or maybe even not know you exist was devastating to her.

"How sad." She finally muttered.

"Don't be. Most rabbit families have over 250 children. I don't expect anyone would be able to keep up with that kind of extended family. The only way I knew I was related to the store owner was by researching them when I started this assignment."

Jack heard a loud gulp and looked up to see Skye staring at him with eyes as wide as the full moon.

"D-did you say 250?" she half stuttered.

Jack only grinned as he leaned back against another box, pulling his hat down over his eyes.

Skye finished the bag of blackberries before moving into a comfortable position, whispering to herself as she closed her eyes "two hundred and fifty". She heard Jack chuckle under his breath at her. So, she did the only reasonable thing and threw the wadded-up paper bag at him. Causing him to chuckle again.

"Jack?" she asked in a muffled half sleeping voice.

"Yes?"

"Do you have children?"

Puzzled by the sudden and somewhat intimate question coming from a practical stranger. They had only talked about their shared mission up to this point. Never asking any personal questions, until now.

"No." He waited for the next obvious question 'why'. But it never came. He lifted the hat from over his eyes only to see that she had finally fallen asleep. He checked the alarm on his watch one more time. Four hours until they would need to wake up. So, he pulled his hat back over his eyes and allowed himself to fall into a light sleep.

Beep-beep, beep-beep

Jack pressed the alarm button on his watch silencing the device. He lifted the hat off his head and looked around him. Skye appeared to be asleep but was beginning to stir. He reached over and shook her shoulder gently to wake her.

Skye woke to someone grabbing her shoulder. She forced her eye lids back to see who it was that was disturbing her. She immediately recognized Jack who was holding his other paw with a finger over his lips. Sending signals to her body to hold absolutely still.

"Something must be wrong!" She thought to herself, as Jack stood and walked to the back of the truck. Peeking out from the canvas cover checking every angle he could. Once satisfied that no one had parked next to them or was hanging around, he stepped back to where Skye was still sitting frozen in place.

"We're clear." He said. "I'm going to get us some breakfast. We have an hour and a half before we need to leave." He then turned and peeked out the canvas one more time before jumping out and was gone.

Skye allowed herself to relax once again. She sat up on the box she had been laying on and began stretching. Preparing herself to go back into the cramped compartment that had kept her safely hidden throughout their journey. She opened a hidden compartment on one of the cargo boxes in the back of the truck, revealing its contents to her. A rifle designed for long range accuracy. Forty rounds of lethal ammunition and two rounds made for tagging and tracking a vehicle. The outer shell of the round made of a special glass like material that can with stand the forces of being propelled from a rifle at high velocities. Then breaking when striking a hard object, such as tank armor, covering the target in a sticky substance that activated a tiny GPS tracker within the round. Reassured that everything was surviving the long journey Skye turned her attention to herself.

The suite she wore was a green color with splotches of different shades of green and brown to help her blend in with her surroundings once Jack dropped her off. The material was sturdy and to her delight breathed extremely well without compromising the scent proofing it was intended for. When she pulled the hood over her head the only exposed part of her body was her muzzle. Even her tail had a specially made sock that kept it covered without interfering with movement. After a moment, she heard two knocks at the back of the truck. Jack had returned and produced a to go plate stuff with pancakes and different flavored syrups in small cups.

"I hope this is satisfactory?" He said as he placed the plate between them.

"Oh wonderfully." As she sat at the makeshift table.

Jack took a plastic knife and began cutting a portion of the pancakes out. He then slid them onto the top portion of the to go plate and poured syrup on the top and sides. He looked up to see Skye with her arms cross and staring down at him with a scowl.

"Um, something wrong?" not sure what could have put the vixen into a foul mood so suddenly.

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "So you think I'm fat?"

Jack's ears fell behind his head, his eyes became wide and his mouth hung slack. He looked down at the portion he had separated for himself. He had only taken a quarter of the stack of pancakes. He could have eaten half, but he wasn't sure how much a fox could actually eat.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I didn't mean….I wasn't trying to presume….I just-" He looked up to see Skye holding her paws over her mouth to contain the giggles that were starting to take over.

Jack's face became stern as he watched the female fox shudder with every breath. Obviously taking great joy in making him stumble all over himself.

"Just for that, I'm taking half of everything."

"Please do." Having regained her composure again. "I can only eat about half anyway."

They sat in silence for a moment as they both ate. Both keeping their ears alert to their surroundings.

"So, Jack, I'm assuming your married because of the ring. Is that correct?"

"Actually, it's a part of my cover."

"So that's why you don't have kids."

"Partly, I've also never really considered having children. Much less settling down and marrying."

"Is it because of the life style?"

Knowing what she meant. Jack considered the constant danger and long time periods away from home.

"I think so. Most bunnies want to settle for an average or what they consider normal life. Husband and wife home together raising the children together. But me, I prefer doing something that might make a difference. How about you? Any children or a husband?"

"No, but I'm very close to my sister and she recently had her first litter. A boy and girl. Before this assignment I was with her, helping to take care of the new-borns. Are you close to any of your siblings?"

"No, not any more, after I started working with the agency I started distancing myself to avoid any unnecessary attachments."

"What about your parents? Surely you still keep in contact with them?"

"Well that's the thing about growing up with 307 siblings." Skye felt like her jaw dropped to the floor. "If you're not constantly competing for attention, often you can just be forgotten. Last time I went to my parent's house they didn't even recognize me. Thought I was a sales man or something with my suite on." Jack grinned at the memory but it was forced.

"Jack, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, I'm not the first to be forgotten. Besides, it helps with this life style to not be attached."

They finished their meal in silence. When they were done Skye reluctantly squeezed back into the hidden compartment and Jack stepped out of the back of the truck. Casually glancing around to make sure no one was watching them. He climbed into the cab and started driving off.

From inside the store, behind the counter, an older hare with brown fur and slightly darker stripes on the sides of his face watched the younger hare drive off into the distance. Whispering under his breath.

"Good luck Jack."

Nick's apartment.

Nick eventually dragged himself out of bed. He hadn't slept since leaving the JFH. After seeing the thermal images of the truck drive off beyond the visual range of the drone, Nick, Van and Fin walked out without saying a word to each other. Once outside Van told the other two to take the day off. Nick returned to his apartment and went back to bed but couldn't sleep. He spent the time staring at his ceiling as his mind raced with the possibilities of what could happen next.

He stepped into the kitchen and got a glass of water. He started to consider going to get something to eat when his phone made a pinging sound. He pulled it out and saw a text message waiting for him from Van. "Join my family for dinner tonight. We'll talk afterwards."

Nick had visited the colonel's family on a couple of occasions. It usually started with his kids attacking Nick as soon as he walked in the door. Then they would have a nice home cooked meal, something he missed dearly since his mother passed away. Van's wife would ask him why he hasn't settled down yet and started a family of his own. After dinner, he and the Colonel would go into the back room that served as a makeshift office, as well as a storage room for seasonal decorations, and discuss pertinent events.

Visiting with their family always made Nick feel warm and fuzzy inside. Deep down he knew that's what he wanted. He just hadn't met the right vixen yet. At least, that's what he told himself.

"I'll be there. What time?"

"1600"

"o7" Nick chuckled as he typed the circle 7. While technically it was on the wrong side. It resembled someone offering a salute. Van never did like it. He sat his phone down, grabbed a pen and paper, then sat on his couch and started to jot down ideas of things the colonel might want to talk about.

When Nick first joined the military, and became a 2nd Lieutenant, Van took him under his wing and helped him along. As he advanced, Van kept him under his command, and the two formed a close bond. So much so that Van's wife Linda treated him like one of Van's brothers. Welcoming him into their family. Nick glanced up at a shelf on one side of the room with photos. One of his mother, beaming with pride, with Nick in his dress uniform after graduating from Officer Candidate School. The other, taken a few years later, showed Nick trying to walk while two fox kits, barely old enough to walk, hanging on to his legs and a third a couple of years older sitting on his shoulders. Van's kids treated him like an uncle, well more like an older cousin. Nick softly laughed at the photo, then turned his attention back to his notes.

Hopps Burrow

Judy had been up before anyone else in the burrow. Before breakfast she would either go for a run or do strength training to prepare herself for the police academy. She had taken one physical exam already to be able to submit her application. The letter she received for her acceptance a month ago gave a list of requirements that she would have to meet to graduate. She couldn't wait for the next 5 months to be over. After eating breakfast, it was her turn to help in the kitchen and wash dishes. As she started scrubbing plates, her mother came up beside her and began asking and making the usual mother statements.

"Judy dear, I just can't understand why you won't talk to that Skipson boy. He came by yesterday looking for you. Left his number and everything."

"Mom, I already told you. I'm trying to focus on becoming a police officer."

"Well that doesn't mean you have to give up on finding someone you like."

"Yeah well he used to tease me about wanting to be a cop when we were in grade school."

"Oh honey, that was a long time ago."

Judy only groaned in response.

"Besides, you never know, he may be the one that supports your dreams."

Judy stopped washing dishes. The only movement she made was quickly turning one ear towards her mother. She had never considered what Bonnie had just said. Everyone had always tried to talk her out of the idea or teased her for it. The thought that there might be someone out there that actually supported her never crossed her mind. She was very adamant and public about wanting to join the police force. Logan Skipson had to know that's what she wanted to do. It was the talk of the town when she got the acceptance letter to the academy. Maybe, just maybe, he wanted to see her succeed.

"Well, I guess I could talk to him."

Bonnie simply patted her on the shoulder and whispered.

"His number is on the fridge."