Continued from Chapter 27
The front door to the Hopps Compound slammed, causing a small forest of bunny ears to perk and turn in that direction.
"It's mom!" A younger Hopps kit declared.
"Ooh, she looks angry..." A teenager said with trepidation in his voice.
"I heard she went to Zootopia today," another teenager offered.
"I think it was about Judy," a young twenty-something explained.
"Is it about her and that fox...?" Another inquisitive voice.
As Bonnie stormed toward the living area, she shot an intense glare at all of the gossiping bunnies in the entry hall, which caused their ears to wilt. She walked with her head tilted forward a few degrees and frowned even further when she caught sight of Stu relaxing in his favorite chair.
"STUART!" Bonnie roared out.
"Oh, hey Bon!" Stu gave a nervous smile, his ears drooping as well. "Back so soon?"
"Don't you 'hey Bon' me," Bonnie shook her finger at him.
"So um, I guess this means things didn't go so well in Zootopia?" Stu asked meekly.
"What do you think!?" Bonnie shoved her fists into her hips.
"Ah, darn, I was hoping you could break those two misguided lovers up," Stu released a nervous chuckle.
"Don't you give me that!" Bonnie sneered. "I heard you giving Judy your approval in your very own voice!"
"Ah, nuts," Stu's smile was guilty, and he bit down on his lip.
"Stuart, this isn't a game!" Bonnie gestured wildly, throwing a hand into the air. "I want you to tell me why you think this is just something we can brush off!"
Stu's nervous expression vanished and a look of eerie calm, and then maybe almost anger passed over him. "Well, we have other daughters."
"What!?" Bonnie's jaw dropped. "How can you-!?"
"Listen, Bon," Stu frowned. "You know at first I didn't like the thought of a fox being with our daughter any more than you do. But you've met him; you know he's a good guy. I don't think there's anything to worry about."
"Wait, wait," Bonnie shook her head, waving her hands near her face. "What's this about 'other daughters'?"
"Well I can only imagine that's where your concern lies," Stu stood up, folding his arms. "The fact that Judy, despite our best efforts and worries, isn't gonna be a 'normal' bunny after all."
"So what, it makes it okay just because most of our other daughters are normal?" Bonnie put one hand on her hip and swept the other hand out widely.
"Bon, you know we only started giving Judy special attention when we began to get worried about her," Stu made a 'calm down' gesture with both hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Is it unnatural to be concerned about our daughter wanting to move over two hundred miles away and take a job in a city filled with giant mammals?" Bonnie shot back. "Let alone shack up with a predator!"
Stu stayed quiet for a moment. "Like I said, we've got a lot of daughters following the 'normal' course of bunny life. Some we can't even afford to give the time of day because they're just doing what we're expecting them to do." Stu sighed. "But Judy, you know she's always been different. And we thought of her like- like what? A project that we had to fix?"
"Well that sure didn't work," Bonnie huffed, folding her arms tightly.
"Absolutely," Stu waggled his finger to himself, looking down. "But, I think we're coming from two different places here. I was terrified of Judy's life in Zootopia. The kind of trouble she got into almost immediately after she got there, it was too much to believe!"
"Exactly!" Bonnie held up both of her hands palm-up. "So you understand my viewpoint after all!"
"But..." Stu shook his head. "Judy proved to me she had what it took to survive in that type of environment. Heck, she's still thriving in it today. And that fox... well, he makes her happy, and he's a nice guy. What more can I really ask for?"
"So you're alright with them..." Bonnies face scrunched up in disgust. "Being... intimate? Because that's what they're doing, Stuart!" Bonnie threw up her hands again. "That fox was telling me all sort of sordid things he was doing with our daughter!"
Stu blinked and stood there, hands to his sides. Really, despite the proclivities bunnies were known for, Stu never much liked to think of any of his progeny actually performing them. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Well... ah. ...I'm going to guess that revelation wasn't unprovoked."
"Ooh!" Bonnie stamped her foot and thrust her hands downward. "You're deflecting the issue!"
"Listen, Bon, what two consenting mammals do isn't any of our business-" Stu held up his hands near his face.
"Even when one of those mammals is our daughter!?" Bonnie shot back.
"I'd say especially so, in that case," Stu let out a nervous laugh. "Anyway, I think I know what's got you so upset. Whereas I'm just happy Judy is okay, you feel like we've failed as parents because we couldn't 'straighten' Judy out."
Bonnie's jaw dropped and she pointed at Stu, but then she was struck with a face of confusion for a moment.
"That's it, huh?" Stu let a grimace form. "You think we're awful parents because we couldn't keep Judy from doing what she wanted to do."
"It's not- it's not safe," Bonnie frowned. "It's not safe! Despite everything she's done, one accident and she could be shipped back to us in a wooden box!"
"Bon, you know that statistically, it's far more likely that a bunny will die in an accident on a farm than in the big city," Stu shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes well, 'statistically' there are also far more bunnies that live in the country," Bonnie snapped back. The two sighed at each other, feeling at an impasse. Stu's mouth twisted this way and that as he tried to find something to say.
"Bonnie..." Stu sighed. "Let's get down to the main issue. Do we want Judy to be in our lives, or not?" Bonnie blinked in surprise at the blunt question.
"Yes, of course!" Bonnie held out her hands. "Isn't that what I've been saying? I don't want her to be taken from us!"
"Then..." Stu looked away briefly. "Maybe even if we can't fully accept her way of life... maybe we shouldn't be too hard on her about it."
"Wha...?" Bonnie blinked. "Oh."
"Yes, you're focused on all of the physical dangers she faces," Stu said, but then placed a hand to his chest. "But I'm concerned about her emotions toward us. I'm worried that if we're too irritating to her, she won't want to even talk to us anymore."
"We've- we haven't been completely unsupportive, have we?" The lower parts of Bonnie's eyelids came up.
"No, but..." Stu frowned, pausing to think. "There's only so much badgering a person can take before they don't want any of that in their lives anymore, you know?"
"Tch..." Bonnie looked away, but her angry frown morphed into one of sadness. "You think so, huh?"
"I'll say it one more time, Bon," Stu sighed. "We have other daughters. You want to make sure the rest of them are on the 'bunny way' and just cut Judy out completely? Wash our paws of her?"
Bonnie looked toward the ground and then slowly looked at Stu. Her eyes were a bit glassy, her expression indistinct.
Judy laughed merrily, reclined on the couch of Nick's apartment. "That's the monster? I think I can see the zipper in the costume."
"You specifically said you wanted a bad movie tonight, sweetheart," Nick grinned, his arm around her shoulders. "I hope this doesn't disappoint."
"'Course not, I love bad movies," Judy chuckled. "So much fun to riff on them."
"Ah, a bunny after my own heart," Nick drew her a bit closer in a sideways hug. "Your snarking will soon be worthy of the greatest of foxes."
"Like you?" Judy raised an eyebrow, pushing him away.
"I am but a mere follower in the pawprints of sarcasm," Nick grinned, holding up a finger. "One can only attain true snarkitude once they digest a complete and utter disdain for the world."
"Ooh, I hope I don't get there," Judy half-frowned. Nick brushed a hand through his head fur.
The fox chuckled, feeling a twinge of nervousness. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that. C'mon, let's just enjoy a crappy movie."
"Let's," Judy nodded, grinning and kissing Nick's nose.
Only a few minutes later, Judy's phone started to ring. The ringtone was one of a rather dire, dramatic sounding song. Judy's ears instantly drooped back.
"Ugh! Really?" Judy looked over at her phone.
"Your parents?" Nick asked, pausing the movie.
"Who else?" Judy rolled her eyes. She flung her phone across the couch, it landing precariously on the arm.
"I can go hide if you want to talk to them," Nick smirked.
"I'm not 'hiding' you, Nicholas!" Judy sneered, then scrambled over and picked up the phone. "In fact...!" She tossed the phone over to Nick. "You answer it! Make them squirm!"
Nick chuckled nervously, but shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish." He touched the MuzzleTime button, and Bonnie's face appeared on the other end. She appeared surprised.
"Ah... Nick?" Bonnie said. "You two, uh... get your phones mixed up?"
"Not exactly," Nick shrugged. "To what does she owe this call, Mrs. Hopps?"
"...Is she there?" Bonnie noticed that the background was that of Nick's less-than-ideal apartment.
"Are you here, Judy?" Nick smirked over at her. Judy folded her arms tightly and sneered. "Oof, I think that might be a 'no', Mrs. Hopps."
Bonnie's eyes seemed pained. "Please, may I speak with her?"
Judy rolled her eyes and sighed. With her eyes still rolled back, she held her paw out dramatically.
"Thanks for not making me play 'fox between two does' any longer," Nick grinned.
"Yes, mother?" Judy said, looking at her phone.
"I'd like to apologize, Judy," Bonnie said, looking remorseful.
Judy's eyebrows raised. "Well that was a quick change of heart." Judy looked over at Nick. "Isn't your cheek still stinging from that slap, Nick?"
"Nah, just my pride," Nick smirked. "If I'd seen it coming, I could have ducked."
"Judy, please," Bonnie sighed. "I'm attempting to be serious, here. I'll admit I don't understand what's..." Bonnie bit her lip as she was about to use the word "wrong". "What's... different about you."
"Mhm..." Judy's teeth grit inside of her mouth as she tried not to sneer.
"But I suppose ultimately it's none of my business," Bonnie sighed. "I just wanted you to be a safe and happy bunny."
"Will one of those suffice?" Judy slowly smirked. "I'm definitely happy."
"Can you at least appreciate my concerns, Judy?" Bonnie sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I look at the Zootopia papers every day and expect to see your name there in the obituaries..."
"Mom!" Judy's eyes widened in surprise. "It's not like we bunnies are dropping like flies in Zootopia!"
Bonnie sighed. "I know, but how many of them are cops?"
"I'm a beat cop, mom," Judy chuckled. "It's not like I'm a secret agent."
"Don't give me that, Judy!" Bonnie frowned. "I know on your first real adventure you nearly died about a half-dozen times!"
"It might have um... might have been a little less than that," Judy giggled meekly, holding up her forefinger and thumb close to each other.
"Judy..." Bonnie sighed. "I know you might not- well, you might not have kits of your own, but... I know you've had the fear of losing someone seared into you before. You've told your father as much."
Judy gave a blank look to Nick, who's expression was also unreadable. "I suppose I have..."
"That's all I'm concerned about- I just... I'm sorry, I'll leave you two be," Bonnie frowned, beginning to appear more and more upset.
"Mom, it's okay," Judy smiled tenderly. "It's okay, you don't have to go."
Bonnie gave a shuddering sigh. "All right."
"But you do have to apologize to Nick," Judy grinned, tossing the phone over to Nick again.
"Urh!" Nick started as he fumbled to catch the phone, failed, and picked it up off of the couch.
Bonnie formed a wobbly smile. "I'm sorry Nick, can you forgive me?"
"I mean, I can," Nick grinned. "Judy's still hit me more times than you have."
"Judy!" Bonnie looked appalled.
"It's all in good fun!" Judy winced. "Mostly...!"
"Anyway, I kind of know what it's like to be estranged from your parents over... you know... 'things'," Nick shrugged, his eyes wandering away from Bonnie briefly. "I'd rather it not happen to Judy as well."
"Oh no, you're welcome back here any time you'd want to visit," Bonnie said pleadingly. "What was it you said your favorite fruit was? Blueberries?"
"Oh my God, blueberries..." Nick said nearly dreamily, but then shook his head. "I mean, yeah, they're pretty good."
"I'm known to make a mean blueberry tart," Bonnie said with a touch of sauciness.
"Mean, huh? I can believe that," Nick grinned. Judy laughed.
Bonnie sighed, rolling her eyes. "I deserve that. I deserve that... anyway, I'm just... just going to say this one thing. Um... please keep my daughter safe, if you can."
Nick looked seriously over at Judy, who had an awkward smile. "Oh yeah. I've had to yank her back by the shirt collar more than a couple of times."
"Unsurprising," Bonnie smirked. Judy smirked and folded her arms up tightly again, huffing. "I'm... glad she has someone like you, Nick. Someone who can take care of her and support her. And you know, someone that recognizes all of her many faults." Nick chuckled.
"Faults!?" Judy burst out. "I can still hear you, you know!" Nick laughed harder.
"Don't worry ma'am," Nick smirked. "Your daughter is in safe paws with me. Safe, loving, wandering paws that-"
"Okay, okay!" Bonnie cringed. "I'm hanging up now!" She did.
Judy giggled and launched herself onto Nick, hugging him. "You sure know how to handle the does."
"Oh yeah," Nick pet over Judy's ears. "Especially the Hopps ones. And especially this one." The naughty edge in his voice wasn't lost on Judy and she chuckled, gently smacking him on the chest.
"Mmm..." Judy nodded, snuggling in. Nick hit the remote and the movie started up again. Judy opened her eyes and turned her head to the TV. The low-budget monster began to move again, and let out a roar. "Oh my gourd, it sounds like a drowning elephant."
"Hopefully not precisely true," Nick smirked. The two laughed as they settled in for the rest of their night.