Chapter 1: Ring the Bell

Written by Fox in the Hen House

Edited by Cimar

AN: Good evening and welcome to "What If..." Where everything is made up and the plots dont matter. I am your host, Fox in the Hen House. You may know me from several of my movies. You may not. Today we get to glimpse at Nick and Judy Wilde as an ordinary but extremely happy married couple. Driven towards very different careers but still with some underlying dreams.

Featuring several of the movie's cast as well as an OC of my own from ABCGS. Cue music. No dont write that part down. Wait! Stop it! Youre still writing this arent you? Sigh. Just press play already. Jackass. I WAS ONLY THINKING THAT! GAH!

Disclaimer: I was coerced, Disney! I blame Cimar! Oh and Bluelighthouse too.

"C'mon, Slick! I want to get to the good seats." Sometimes being small was a blessing to the gray rabbit, especially in large crowds. Her ability to weave in and out between the legs of larger mammals gave her quite an advantage over some of the even more slightly bigger ones. Much like the fox trailing behind her who was laden down with popcorn, veggie dogs and a couple of large sodas.

"Carrots! Wait up!" Pushing into the crowd, he constantly was apologizing to every mammal he had to squish past. Thankfully they had parted, realizing he was chasing after someone. His elbow accidentally catching the shoulder of a young buffalo calf, he glanced up at his mother mouthing that he was sorry before leaning down and offering him the brand new package of skittles he had just picked up. Judy was going to kill him, he thought, however making sure the calf felt better was more important. He looked up once more at the mom to reassure her. "At the front you can exchange those for a new box if you wish."

"That's alright. I can see that it's still sealed. Thank you for making him feel better. Although," she regretfully mused, "he's going to be hyper the entire show." Nick gave her a sympathetic look and hurried after his wife. Thankfully he was at the end of the crowd and was able to just make out the black tips of her ears waiting by the escalators that would take them to the other side of the Palm Hotel. While the side closest to them, most likely where the mother and young calf were headed, was showing Floatzen on Ice, the married couple was currently heading to one of their guilty pleasures.

"C'mon Nick! The fight starts in ten minutes!" The fox could only shake his head as the lagomorph nearly skipped down the escalator making him chase her down the stairs. He was tempted to slide down the railing but he figured he had a five percent chance of making it to the bottom, food intact. Thankfully she stopped at the bottom and waited for him. "We're not going to get the good seats if we don't hurry!"

"Carrots, we have tickets. Tickets means assigned seats. Which means the two chairs in the front row, where we will plop our butts down onto to watch mammals beat the snot out of each other, will still be there." He had a hard time not smirking at his beautiful bunny who seemed unable to keep herself calm, though he knew how she felt. It had been a long time since they had gone to a fight live, the tickets just being too expensive. However, due to a large order being filled as well as Judy getting a raise, they managed to scrape some cash together to get front row tickets to that night's event.

As he had predicted, their two seats remained empty until the usher had led them there and they occupied them before quickly diving into the popcorn. Turning to the doe, Nick gave her one of his genuine smiles, a rare treat for anyone else, but a common sight for her. "Happy 'When we first met' Anniversary, Fluff."

Judy seemed amused by the sentiment. "Hate to break it to you, Slick. But that anniversary isn't for another five weeks."

Nick could only shrug, his smile still firmly in place as well as a crinkling around his eyes when it grew slightly wider. "I know. But we met during an MMMA match, remember? And there isn't one in five weeks, so I'm doing it now."

Judy couldn't help herself, tears welling up in her eyes as two paws clasped over heart. "Aww. Nick, you are so swe-." Her words were interrupted when blaring music echoed over the loudspeaker, strobe lights flashing. "Shh! It's starting!" Nick could only roll his eyes and chuckle, finding it especially amusing as she had been the one talking, not him.

By the time the first fight had started, the popcorn was nearly half gone, though they didn't seem to care much as their attention was focused on the ring where the rhino heavyweight champion Don 'The Wall' Budour was currently grappling his longtime rival, the hippo Samuel 'Boulder' Hancock. Most of the crowd was chanting for Budour to retain his title, though they could see there might be an upset in the making. Hancock hit The Wall with a heavy uppercut that rocked the rhino back, however his countering left hook hit the hippo directly on the temple, causing his eyes to roll back and his legs to fall out from under him. Judy leapt out of her seat so violently the popcorn flew from her lap and spilled all over the floor. Well that's nine bucks gone, Nick thought sadly. Though as his gaze met the excited squealing bunny his face softened. So totally worth it.

Several more matches had passed, some of them being huge upsets including a tiger getting knocked out by his lion counterpart in just under eight seconds. Finally though, the moment had arrived. The headliner match between two of the smallest yet possibly most skilled and terrifying mammals in the MMMA. The announcer grabbed the microphone and tapped it, getting the audience's attention. "Finally, ladies and gentlemammals. The match you've all been waiting for. The Fluffweight Championship match between two of the greatest small mammals to ever grace the ring. First, the challenger, weighing in at thirty one pounds, Harley 'Thunder' Corday!" The crowd instantly was on their feet, stamping and roaring, cheers echoing off the steel walls so loud that Judy would have need to cover her ears if she were not screaming herself at the black rabbit doe that bounced into the ring.

"And the current champion, weighing in at thirty pounds, a mammal that needs no introduction but I'm doing one anyway... Jade Warren!" At this the stadium erupted, causing Judy to temporarily go deaf. It did not stop her from watching her favorite fighter stalk up to the cage, her heart pumping a mile a minute. Nick became so concerned she might rush the ring to tackle the other bunny in a hug that he wrapped an arm around her and hauled her fluffy self into his lap.

"Nick! This is amazing!" she shouted above the crowd. Nick could only give her a toothy smile in response, though he agreed wholeheartedly.

For months the two of them had been watching Jade's performances and while Nick was more of a fan of the canines, he could definitely see the appeal in watching two extremely fast rabbits landing blow after blow on their opponent. He had originally been a bit shocked at how close Jade and his wife appeared in looks, though the ripped abs and tight biceps of the fighter were much different than the cuddly and soft bunny in his lap.

"You ever think about that sort of thing, Carrots? Being a fighter again?" The doe gave him an amused stare, knowing exactly what he was referring to, something he teased her about every now and again.

"You know perfectly well I was never a fighter, Nick. I wanted to be in blue with a gold badge on my chest but we both know that kithood dream vanished at fourteen. I wouldn't last five seconds against one of these trained bunnies and the kits all have a pop quiz on Monday and the school already has the substitutes lined up for other classes so I can't afford the hospital stay. Now hush. They're about to ring the bell." Rolling his eyes playfully, the tod endured a light smack in response before they both turned towards the ring, waiting for the match to begin.

With a harsh ring of the bell, the two fighters were moving. Each one circling around, trying to gauge their opponent's weak spots, looking for any openings they might exploit. They both were very skilled however and neither could find an advantage. That's when it became a waiting game. Should one wait too long, they could find themselves in a defensive lock, pounded up against the steel cage repeatedly, subject to multiple unanswerable blows. If they struck too fast however, they left themselves open to counters and risked the same thing.

Almost simultaneously the two fighters rushed each other, each throwing strong jabs at their opponent, neither connecting knuckle to flesh. They were too fast to let themselves get hit which meant stamina would become the key. Judy, as an extreme fan of the sport, knew that in a match of distance, Corday was much more likely to last longer, with Jade's strength laying in fast attacks with strong combos. She would need to make something connect and soon to rock Corday and put her off balance.

No sooner had she thought it then a feint of Jade's worked, landing a devastating short uppercut to the dodging head of the black bunny. Reeling back, Harley found herself slightly dizzy as her ears rang. Shaking her head to clear the fog, she barely managed to dodge the hard straight punch coming at her head. The miss gave Harley her first opening and she swept her leg out to take Jade off her feet. Landing hard on the mat, the gray rabbit rolled quickly out of the way, barely being missed by the strong kick aimed downward at her torso. Sensing herself at a disadvantage while on the floor, Jade quickly sprang back up, using her front paws as a springboard to right herself.

The crowd cheered loudly with the show of athleticism, Judy and Nick included. Snacks and drinks lay forgotten around them as the action and pace increased. The two does were out for blood and would only rest once the other lay on the mat. Looks of intense concentration lined their faces, though Corday had a small smirk on her lips, a result of the gray rabbit having been laid out on the floor.

Expecting her to be a little more defensive, Judy gasped as Corday rushed her still unsteady opponent, her arm stuck out like a clothes line ready to slam it into the back of her head. Somehow, though still slightly dazed, Jade sensed the oncoming attack ducked just in the nick of time letting the arm go wide. Before the black doe could regain her footing, her knee was struck by a hard fist the to the back of it, forcing the bunny to one knee momentarily. She didn't have time to climb back to her feet as a gray kneecap caught her directly under the chin sending her backwards onto the mat.

Jade moved in for the kill, however her overconfidence was her undoing. Landing a solid punch to the black rabbit's face, Jade was suddenly thrown backwards as two powerful legs had planted in her stomach and kicked hard. Nick could feel Judy tense as she watched her favorite sports rabbit tumble hard. Jade managed to roll with the kick, though she appeared hurt as her paw moved unconsciously towards her stomach before she stopped herself. Harley, sensing weakness, moved in for her own match ending blow. With a running leap, she brought her foot down upon Jade's head. Expecting her to keel over, she instead opened her eyes wide as the current champion held her ground and put a fist into her sternum.

Now gasping for air, Corday tried to back away but suddenly found herself being hit with multiple fists, almost a blur at the speed they were coming in to maliciously pound on her torso. Staggering back, she attempted one last blocking motion as her vision started to cloud, only to see a gray bunny in mid-air, her body twisting as she brought her foot to connect directly with Harley's chin. The last thing the black doe saw before she hit the mat was the lights overhead before her own lights dimmed completely.

"Ladies and gentlemammals! There you have it! Winner, by knock out, Jade!" With a roar louder than anything that had been heard all afternoon, the mammals in the stands rose and stomped their feet, cheering for the terrific match they had been treated too. If the din had been even an iota quieter, Nick was sure his wife would have been heard as she was cheering as loud as her small body was able to.

With a wave to her fans, Jade left the cage and headed back to the locker rooms for a well deserved rest, her belt hanging over one shoulder in triumph. Harley meanwhile was slow to rouse but was finally able to stand on her feet and walk with the help of her trainer. She seemed put out and rightfully so, as she would not get another chance at the belt for quite some time.

All around the married couple, mammals began to exit the arena. Small mammals were required to go last for safety reasons but as they stood Nick suddenly swore. Concerned, Judy turned quickly to see what had caused her tod to curse, only to roll her eyes at the small tear in his shirt that came from the jagged edge on the side of his seat. Seeing him reach into his pocket, she groaned heavily. "Seriously Nick? Here?"

Unrolling the packet of matching thread he had taken from his pocket, he gave his wife a look of overdramatic shock. "Dare you suggest I walk around with a damaged shirt? My reputation in this city would be ruined." Reaching into his other pocket, he found a small case filled with a small pair of scissors and several needles which he quickly set to work tying the thread through.

"Oh c'mon. You have a thousand machines back at the shop. We're gonna get stuck behind everyone in traffic! Please can we just go?" Clasping her paws together, she opened her eyes wide and gave him her sad pout. The fox tried to look away but found himself transfixed by the violet orbs that appeared to be tearing up in front of him.

"Gah! Alright fine! But you're driving. I need to fix this or I'm going to go mad." Intertwining paws, they headed for the double doors ready to leave. "That look would have been all you needed you know. To be a cop? Every perp in the city would be unable to resist that look."

"Hmm, maybe. But I'd much rather use it on you." Giving him a light tap, she grabbed his tie and brought him down for a kiss.

"Heh. Sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

AN: Yes, if you were slightly confused, this is in the PIXAR machine. Fox and I decided to be sneaky and not put an intro to see what would happen. Hope you're enjoying this and there is much more to where this came from! Also, the title will refer to each of the three characters in this, so lets see who can figure it out in the coming chapters. ;)