Here we are in Chapter 3 of my story. This was the chapter I was ready to work on. After the last one, I ready needed to do a chapter that turns everything around. So, at the end of the last chapter, we saw Judy's mom, Bonnie shows up. Seems that she really wants to talk with her daughter. She's gonna tell Judy and Nick something that she kept secret for a long time. Now, this isn't really based on my headcanon. It's based on a comic called "Hopps Family Ties", also by Borba. The comic actually works perfectly for this story. If you read the comic, then you can already tell where this is going. But I will say things will get... very emotional. VERY emotional. So, how about we started?
There Bonnie Hopps stood. Bonnie looked at both Nick and Judy with a disappointed look on her face. Nick then let go of Judy's arms.
"Mrs. Hopps, I told you to stay out of this," Nick said to Bonnie.
"And do nothing while you two bicker like little children?" Bonnie asked looking mad. "It's hard to ever believe that you two used to be partners. You should both be ashamed that you let things get this far."
"..." Both Nick and Judy were silent.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Judy asked.
"You didn't think I just went to you, did you?" Nick asked Judy. "I went to Bunnyburrow to talk with your family about everything. Your mother wanted me to take her to you. She was the only one who wanted to come. Everyone else didn't even want to bother with you. Nice work, by the way."
"Hmph!" Judy said turning away from Nick.
"She said she wanted to talk to you about something," Nick said to Judy.
"I think we said enough last time," Judy said looking angry.
"Come on, Judith. Even with everything that has happened, I'm still your mother." Bonnie said.
"After our last conversation, I don't think you or dad see me as much of a daughter," Judy said still looking angry.
"Hey! Ease up, will you?" Nick said peeved with Judy's behavior.
"Enough, Nicholas! I'll talk with her now." Bonnie said wanting Nick to back off.
Nick had his paws up and slowly backed away, deciding to leave everything to Bonnie. Bonnie walked up to her daughter. Judy still looked as hostile as she was with Nick.
"So what now? Are you gonna tell me how disappointed you are with me? That I shouldn't have kept so many secrets? That my choices were wrong?" Judy asked as her temper and volume went up. "Well, I've heard it all before. So what else? What else can you tell me that I haven't heard already?"
Bonnie waited a few seconds before responding with a sad expression. "I'm sorry."
Judy's eyes widen as she heard those words.
"You're... sorry?" Judy said surprised to hear that.
"Somehow, in some way, all that has happened to you... it's all my fault. Because of my sin." Bonnie said sadly.
"Your... sin?" Judy asked looking a bit confused.
"You kept saying that during the whole train ride back here. But I don't see how all of your daughter's poor choices is your fault?" Nick asked Bonnie.
"Because... I too have kept a secret." Bonnie said looking like she had regret.
"Just tell us what it is already. It can't be that big of a secret, can it?" Nick asked Bonnie.
"Yeah mom, what's this sin you are talking about?" Judy asked Bonnie.
Bonnie took a deep breath before responding. She looked very nervous and her nose twitched. A good sign of fear. Yet, Bonnie still needed to tell them.
"Years ago... when I found out I was pregnant with you, I..." Bonnie said sadly as she looked down at the ground and twittered her paws. She then faced Judy and Nick with a serious expression on her face. "... I try to the same thing that you did. I tried to have you aborted."
The second Judy and Nick heard those words, both their hearts sunk. Nick felt this way before when Judy told him she didn't want their baby. Now, both of them feel that way.
"Wh... what?" Judy uttered in total shock.
"Are... are you serious?" Nick asked just as shocked as Judy.
"I am," Bonnie told them.
Judy then changed from a shocked expression to an angry one as she grabbed her mom's shirt.
"Are you really just gonna tell me lies just to get me to..." Judy asked as she grits her teeth.
"IT'S THE TRUTH!" Bonnie shouted out. "I really did try to have you aborted."
"No... no way..." Judy said as she let goes of her anger and Bonnie's shirt.
"So when I said what would have happened if Judy's mother decided to interrupt her pregnancy, there was a chance of that actually happening?" Nick thought.
"Okay, so let's say you were trying to abort me. You have hundreds of other kids that say otherwise. So, why me? Why was I different from everyone else?" Judy asked.
"Why were you the only one not born in a litter? Why were you the only trier? Judy, the reason why was because you were different." Bonnie told her.
"Different how?" Judy asked.
"Yeah. Even with Judy being different from all your other kits, there was no real way to tell she would be that different from everyone else." Nick stated.
It seemed that Bonnie needs to be more specific with her words.
"I was already married to your father at the time," Bonnie said. "Stu was the ideal husband for a bunny from the country. A stable job, supporting, the usual things a doe wants in a mate."
Nick and Judy didn't know what any of this had to do with the chance of Judy being aborted, but they continued to listen.
"One day, your father introduced me to someone. His traveling cousin, Tom. He was half-rabbit, half-hare. So he was a bit on the tall side." Bonnie stated. "Now Tom, he was different from other bunnies. In fact, he was the opposite of your father. He was a rebel, a biker and traveled in and out of the burrows for many years. He was the kind of person that fathers would warn you not to go near. Yet... there was something about Tom I found... intriguing."
Intriguing. That one word and everything else was enough to make Nick and Judy get the whole picture. Which made both of their hearts sunk deeper.
"No..." Judy said stunned beyond to say any other word.
"You're kidding..." Nick said stunned as well.
"I couldn't help how I felt around someone like Tom. It was like I was in some spell. I was a married doe and I shouldn't be interested in him. But oddly enough, he was interested in me." Bonnie said. "I don't know... I don't know what got into me. But Stu was away at the time and..."
"STOP!" Judy shouted out. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE!"
Bonnie didn't stop. She kept talking.
"... he wasn't. He spends the weekend at our home. I... tried to resist my temptations. But I couldn't. He asked me if we could spend some alone time, I didn't say no." Bonnie said.
"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE!" Judy shouted out as she held her ears down.
Bonnie still went on.
"It was one time. I thought... if I just got it over with, there wouldn't be any repercussions." Bonnie said about to cry.
"PLEASE! NO MORE!" Judy pleaded.
"A few months later, you were born," Bonnie said with tears coming down her eyes. "It was my greatest shame. My darkest secret. I didn't want to tell you or anyone about this. But with the way things are... I... I felt it was time for you to know."
Once Bonnie was finished Judy let go of her ears as there was no point in keeping them covered. Both Judy and Nick both froze with shocked looks on their faces. They were silent for 7 seconds until Nick broke the silence.
"You mean... you mean to tell us... YOU HAD AN AFFAIR WITH THIS TOM GUY... AND JUDY IS THE RESULT OF IT?!" Nick shouted out in shock.
"Yes," Bonnie admitted while nodding.
So, that was Bonnie's secret. She had an affair which is what caused her to get pregnant and later led to Judy's birth. With Judy not being Stu's biological child, it was enough of a reason for Bonnie to abort Judy. Yet she didn't.
"Wa... wait. You mean to tell us... if any of those things did or didn't happened, then... Judy would have never..." Nick said as he shook.
Judy was not only frozen by this new information, but she had a totally blank expression on her face. She was still taking time to process everything.
"You mean to tell me I was only born out of a whim?" Judy asked her mother.
"I'm sorry, Judy," Bonnie said looking upset.
"I thought... I thought I was born to be alive. But now you are telling me I wasn't meant to be born at all?" Judy asked with a blank expression. "You cheated on dad? Stu isn't even my real father? You tried to abort me?"
"I know. I didn't go through with it because I thought I would regret it. And I don't." Bonnie said to Judy still crying. "Stu is still your father and we both still love you even after everything."
"Your greatest sin led to me being born. I'm... your greatest sin." Judy said still with a blank expression.
"Don't think that. You've done a lot for the city. I'm still proud of you." Bonnie told Judy. As she said that, Judy didn't seem to respond. "Judy?"
Judy was in deep thought as she started to hyperventilate. She then felt like she was in this completely black space. She had many thoughts going through her head. Some were angry thoughts, some were sad thoughts, some thoughts of disbelief. So much all at once. Then, one thought came to mind. Something that Nick said to her long ago.
"Judy... what would've happened if your mother, while pregnant with you had decided to interrupt her pregnancy? I'll tell you what would have happened. If you hadn't been born Judy, this world would be as bleak as ever and without your light, I'd still be on the streets, living a meaningless life."
"Judy, listen... there are people who do make a difference in the world and you are one of them. Even being a little bunny, you stopped an absurdly nasty conspiracy and helped change the minds and hearts of millions. To me, things like these could never ever have happened without you."
"FOR GOD'S SAKE, JUDY! GIVE THIS UNBORN CHILD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE SAME! I BEG YOU... PLEASE LET YOUR LIGHT CONTINUE TO SHINE THROUGH HIM OR HER!"
"If what mom said is true about me... and if Nick was right... then I... I... I..." Judy thought.
For the longest time, Judy had gone with her choices and her opinions with no real regrets. But... when her mother told her the truth about her birth, nearly all of her opinions changed. And the reality that she had set in her mind... it completely shattered before her. Leaving her with nothing but an ocean of pain, guilt, grief, and regret. All of those feelings hit Judy at once and cause her to fall on her knees, then have her paws to the ground. Seeing her like this troubled both Nick and Bonnie.
"JUDY!" Bonnie shouted out.
"J... Judy?" Nick said looking worried for Judy.
"Judy! Judy! Are you alright?" Bonnie asked looking worried as she looked down at her daughter. "Please, say something."
Tears from Judy's eyes then fell to the ground.
"Wh... What have I done?" Judy asked herself. She then lots out sadden yell. "OH GOD! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"
As Judy cried loudly, Nick could feel his heart hurting badly. At that moment, when Judy shouted out those words, whatever anger Nick had for Judy, it vanished at that instant. Regret. Judy had regret in her heart. After knowing this, Nick didn't care about what was said between them, he had to comfort her.
"JUDY!" Nick shouted out as we quickly dashed over to Judy. He then turned Judy around and held her head up with both his paws to face her. She was already crying a fountain of tears. "Judy! Judy! Look at me! It's okay! It's okay!"
"NO! NO, IT'S NOT OKAY!" Judy wept. She then grabbed on to Nick's shirt. "Don't you see, Nick? If my mom did abort me, then everything I ever did for the city would have never happened. You were right, Nick. You were right about everything!"
"I swear. I didn't... I didn't know. I didn't know how right I almost was." Nick said to Judy honestly.
"But you still were... and I didn't listen," Judy said crying some more. "And... if you were right about me... then why wouldn't it be the same for our baby?"
"Our... baby?" Nick said as his eyes widen from Judy's words. For the whole, Judy never referred to her being pregnant as having a baby. It was like she always denied it.
"I... only thought about the negatives. I never once thought about the positives." Judy said as she still cried. "What if... what if I was wrong? What if I was fine after the birth? What if the baby turned out beautiful? Oh god! What if it was actually a litter? What if our baby was able to break the boundaries that kept prey and predators away from each other just by being born? Any of those could have happened. But because of my choice... because what I did, none of those can ever happen. I never wanted to admit it, but what you said was true. I... I..." Judy's whole body shook before shouting out the words she was about to say. "I KILLED OUR BABY FOR MY CAREER!"
Those words echoed around the fields of the cemetery. It also shook Nick's heart. To say those words, to admit what she did, tears now started to come down Nick's eyes and sadness started to flow within his heart too.
"Judy..." Nick said as he cried.
"I thought... I thought it was the right choice. But look at what's happened." Judy said with a heavy heart. "I've broken apart my own family, lost the trust of all my friends and ZPD coworkers, ruined my own reputation, may have caused another situation between prey and predators... but worst of all, I hurt the person I cared about the most."
"Shay... probably didn't blame you for anything, Judy," Nick said still crying.
"No. I'm not talking about Shay. I'm talking about you." Judy told Nick. "You... you were so happy when I told you and... I took that happiness away. I knew what this city has done to you and how much pain you've been in. But even so, I still hurt you. Not once, not twice, but 3 times." More tears then started flowing from Judy's eyes. "HOW COULD I'VE DONE THAT?! HOW COULD I HAVE HURT YOU SO MANY TIMES AFTER ALL THAT YOU DID FOR ME?! I made you feel like what you wanted didn't matter. That I didn't need you and now..."
Judy... was sorry that she hurt Nick and regretted it more than ever. It really surprised Nick a bit. But still... if she really did regret everything...
"Wh... what was the point of it all?" Nick asked with his voice breaking. "What was the point in me leaving you if I was going to regret it? What was the point in you getting the abortion if you were going to regret it? What was the point in me coming back if you had found someone else? What was the point in you moving on if you were just going to lose her too? What was the point in all of it, Judy?"
"*sniff* There was no point," Judy told Nick still with a sad heart. "It was all for nothing. All we've done is caused ourselves nothing but pain, angst, loneliness, and heartbreak. And it's my fault. It's all my fault."
"No. It's not. I should have stayed. I should have been there for you when you needed me. Maybe it would have prevented things from getting this far." Nick said to Judy with a saddened heart.
"But it wasn't like I was giving you a reason to. I made you felt like it was either my way or the highway. I didn't even do any research. Maybe if I had just looked things up instead of being straight-forward... just like all of my decisions then maybe..." Judy said then let go of Nick's shirt and covered her eyes with her paws trying to hold her tears back. "Oh, Nick..."
Nick would have never guess Judy had so much pain in her heart. The sadness she had might be even worse than the sadness that he has been through.
"Judy... please. You have to keep it together." Nick told her.
"I... I don't think I can." Judy said as she opened up her eyes and they started to get red from all the crying. "I bottled up so much that now... it's all coming out at once. I don't... I don't think I can take anymore."
Judy had felt these feelings she had before. Misery. Despair. This time, she felt that she had no one to blame, but herself. It was a pain that she wanted to get rid of, but she couldn't. Not on her own. Nick and Bonnie were very worried about Judy.
"Judy... please... come on," Nick said trying to get Judy to stop crying. No avail. Nick looked up at Bonnie. "Mrs. Hopps, can you do something?"
"I don't know what to do," Bonnie said as she covered her mouth crying. "This is all my fault. The pain she feels is because of me."
Nick didn't know what to do either. But he did know this. Judy was in deep mental pain. Judy wasn't like Nick. He's dealt with pain because he considers himself as a survivor. Judy wasn't. If this were to continue, Judy may never truly recover. Even if Judy wouldn't do the same for him, that didn't mean he wouldn't do it for Judy. Then... Nick thought of something. There wasn't a 100% chance of it working, but if it were to ease Judy's pain, it was worth it. Nick wiped off the tears from his eyes before speaking with her.
"Judy... look at me," Nick instructed her.
"Huh?" Judy said looking up at Judy.
"There's something that I need to tell you. You told me before that you didn't need it. But looking at you now, I can tell that you need it more than anything. So here goes." Nick said. "Judith Hopps..." Nick then leaned his forehead on Judy's before softly saying these words. "I forgive you."
Those three words. That was all it took to lift the weight off of Judy's heart.
"Wh... what?" Judy said with widening eyes.
Nick then took his forehead off of Judy and looked at her directly.
"Didn't you hear me, little bunny? I forgive you." Nick said.
Judy was a bit in disbelief. After everything, Nick was really going to forgive her?
"I don't... I don't understand. Nick, I hurt you. I hurt you more than anyone could. I chose to have the abortion no matter what you were going to say and even told you to stay out of my life forever. I should be beyond forgiveness. So how? How can you just forgive me?" Judy asked she cried some more.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Judy. For the longest time, you've really... really... have been a dumb bunny." Nick said starting to have a serious tone.
"Huh?" Judy said looking a bit scared. Maybe Nick didn't forgive her.
"You made it felt like I didn't matter and what I did to you was worst. Yet your actions are no different. But the worst part is that you hurt not just me, but your friends and family too." Nick stated firmly. "If it wasn't for your mother telling the truth about you, you probably wouldn't even care about your actions."
Judy then started whimpering.
"You still aborted our unborn child, ruined your own reputation, and once again cause a snafu with the mammals of the city," Nick stated. "So after all the things you said and all the things you caused..."
Judy's nose then twitched. Was Nick really lying to hear? Was Nick just saying that to hurt her the same way she did him? Either way, Judy felt that she deserved it. Yet, Nick held Judy's chin and looked at Judy.
"... did you honestly think I wouldn't forgive you?" Nick asked with a warm smile.
"Nick..." Judy said as she looks at Nick.
"The whole time, I thought you didn't care about me anymore or your abortion. But seeing you like this and regretting your decision, that's all I ever wanted." Nick said to Judy. "Even if your feelings for me changed, mine's for you never did. I guess what I'm trying to say is... even after everything..." Nick then looked into Judy's eyes with a starry look. "... I still love you, Judy. And you know what? I'll always will."
After Nick said that, whatever angry feelings Judy had for Nick had vanished. The feelings Judy tossed away for so long slowly started to come back. Tears once again started to flow from Judy's eyes.
"Niiiiiiiiiickkk..." Judy went feeling choked up.
Nick then opened his arms and hoped that Judy would willingly come to him. Like the first time Nick forgave Judy, Judy laid her face on Nick's chest.
"I'm sorry!" Judy said very apologetically as she cried. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"There there. I forgive you, Judy." Nick said as he hugged Judy. "You bunnies, so emotional." Nick then started to cry again. "Then again, I'm an emotional fox that's no different, am I?"
Nick and Judy had their moment. Their hearts that were broken for so long were finally mended together again. While Bonnie wasn't able to do much, she was thankful to Nick that he brought her daughter back to her senses. After a few minutes of crying, Judy was still holding on to Nick.
"Judy, do you feel better yet?" Nick asked thinking that Judy has cried enough.
"A little. Not a lot. But better." Judy said starting to smile again.
"Come on, Judy. Up we go." Nick said as he helped Judy get up on her feet. Once both of them were back on their feet, Nick looked at Bonnie. "Judy, I think there's something you and your mother need to talk about."
Judy looked up at Nick and nodded. She then walked over to her mom. Bonnie already looked like she was ready to apologize again.
"Judy, I'm so sorry for telling you the truth about you and your birth," Bonnie said about to cry again.
"Mom..." Judy said.
"I know what I did was wrong and I know you may never forgive..." Bonnie said looking sad.
"Mom!" Judy said wanting her mom to stop. She then held her mother's paws. "It's okay. You... made a mistake, but... I can't be too mad about it. After all, it led to me."
"Judy..." Bonnie said.
"Even with this, you've been nothing but a good mother. I... just haven't been that good of a daughter." Judy admitted. "I forgive you, mom. I just hope you can forgive me."
"Oh, Judy," Bonnie said before happily hugging Judy. "Of course I can."
Just like that, the mother and daughter forgave each other. But still, there was still one more thing they needed to discuss.
"It's good that you two patched things up. But... what are you gonna do about your secret?" Nick asked.
Judy and Bonnie then broke up their hug. What were they gonna do? Finding out Bonnie had an affair, Judy not really being Stu's biological daughter, and Bonnie considering aborting her. It was a big secret and after trying to keep the last secret, was it really good to keep this one in the dark?
"I... think it's best that we keep this between the three of us," Judy said after thinking about it. "I've already done enough. I don't want to put another wedge into my family."
"If that's what you think is best," Nick said.
"It is," Judy said.
"Alright," Bonnie said fine with it. "You should know, even after what I did, I still love your father very dearly."
"I know. He may not be my real father, but he's still my father." Judy said to Bonnie with a smile.
"You should know, that he was still pretty upset with how things went. If you call him and apologize, I'm sure he'll forgive you right away. That's just the kind of guy he is." Bonnie stated.
"I will, mom. Promise." Judy to her mom with a smile.
"Alright. If that's all, I should take the train back home." Bonnie stated. "But before I go..." Bonnie then looked at Nick. "Nick, can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Ummm... sure, Mrs. Hopps," Nick said willing to talk.
Bonnie took Nick a little farther out to speak with him more privately.
"What is it, Mrs. Hopps?" Nick asked.
"Bonnie, dear," Bonnie said not wanting Nick to be so formal. "I want to thank you so much for what you did for my daughter."
"It's no problem. It was the least I could do." Nick said with a light smile. "I wasn't there for her when she needed me and I didn't want to make that same mistake again."
"You... are a really good mammal," Bonnie said with a warm smile.
Bonnie then went to hug Nick. Nick accepted the hug and hugged her back. Bonnie then whispered something to Nick.
"If there is a chance that you two can work things out, take it. Judy still needs you." Bonnie whispered to Nick.
"That's only if she wants to." Nick thought sadly.
After finishing the hug, Bonnie said her goodbyes to Judy and Nick and was on her way out and exiting the cemetery. Now it was just Nick and Judy. There was still some awkwardness in the air.
"So... Judy, are you good?" Nick asked.
"Still processing everything, but I'll be okay," Judy replied.
"Listen, Judy, I want you to know, even after everything, I'm glad that your mother decided to have you," Nick said to Judy.
"Thank you," Judy said to Nick with a smile.
"Alright. Time to go. I'll walk you back home." Nick said to Judy.
"Okay," Judy said allowing it. "But before we go..." Judy then pointed at Shannon's grave. "Mind if I say one more thing to her?"
"Of course not," Nick said being understanding.
Judy then walked over to Shannon's grave and lean down to it.
"Shay, thank you for being there for me when I needed someone," Judy said. "And... if I did, I'm sorry for making you handle all my baggage. I should have never put you on the spot with all of my problems. Goodbye, Shay. I'll visit you again soon."
After that, Judy stood back up and did her best to stay strong as she takes a deep breath. She turns to Nick and then walks over to him. The two then took their leave.
Nick and Judy took the bus to get to Judy's apartment. The two sat together, but they didn't speak. So much has happened. So much was said. Judy looked at Nick's paw and wanted to hold it for comfort, but felt it wasn't a good idea. Nick, however, he held Judy's paw and gripped it tightly Judy didn't seem to mind it. Judy then leans her head on Nick's side.
"I'm sorry," Judy said softly.
"I know. I'm sorry too." Nick said back to Judy.
End of Chapter 3