Bonnie walked in and closed the door just as Gideon pulled his fist back and Nick drew his claws.
"If you boys start a fight under my roof, I'll show you where Judy got her skills."
"Sorry Mrs. Hopps" Both foxes said as they hung their heads in shame.
"So I see you've met." Bonnie looked from one to the other and then noticed Nick still had blood on his lips. she stared for a moment, and then looked at the tiny bunny now hiding behind Gideon's overalled leg "Mionette Vivian Hopper!" Bonnie said thumping her foot loudly.
"Um... I, Uh," Mina stammered "I think i hear my mama callin me!" she tried to make a beeline for the door, but was instead picked up by Gidion. "Uncle Gideon! You're supposed to be on my side!"
"Mina, we will talk about this later!" Bonnie said sternly "Right now, we have an oath to take"
"Uh Oh..." Gideon said, still holding the squirming bunny.
"What do you mean uhoh?" Nick asked in slight panic.
"It's nothing, Nick," Judy explained putting her paw on his shoulder "It's just, Mama only has us take the oath if it is important and this is very important"
"Come on, dears, we can't talk until we do this." Bonnie said.
Nick followed suit as he watched the other place their paws on their heart and cross their eyes.
With my paw on my heart,
and my eyes crossed
I swear not to speak of this,
for all could be lost.
Spiders, Snakes
And a Lizards head,
If I dare tell a soul
i'll die til i'm dead
they all recited it together, nick just half a word behind, then they put their paws down and gideon put mina down.
"Mina, go help your mother set the table for supper." bonnie said pushing her slightly toward the door.
"But Grandma!" mina protested
"Now young lady." bonnie said crossing her arms. "before i tell your mother you lost your temper again."Mina grumbled as she went out "Sorry, Mina has anger issues"
"Yeah," nick said still rubbing his sore jaw "Tell me about it."
"we need to discuss how to handle this." Bonnie said
"Well, Mina brought Gideon over, in hopes that he would let Nick stay at his place" Judy looked at the foxes who were glaring at eachother "But that may not be such a good idea"
"Don't you worry none, Judy" Gideon said with a smirk "I got a cellar he can stay in"
"Gideon!" Judy said standing protectively in front of Nick, becoming tall standing on her toes.
"How can you defend him?" Gideon asked "After all he put you through? how can you just turn his life around after all he's done to you?"
"The same way i did for you!" she yelled with her chest puffed out. Gideon immediately lost all the agression within him.
"Wait, What?" he asked as his shoulders sagged. he searched her eyes as she visibly deflated.
"It's nothing, Forget I said anything." Judy said as she went over and sat on the bed and curled her arms around herself.
"Sweetheart? what's wrong" Nick asked sitting next to Judy and pulling her into his arms.
"It was you?" Gideon whispered a flash of anger fluttered across gideons face "It was YOU? You signed me up for that stupid pastry contest?" Judy nodded as she cowered into nick.
"Don't you raise your voice to her!" Nick said pulling her closer.
"Gideon, think about it for a moment," Bonnie interupted "If she hadn't you, Stu and I wouldnt be partners now."
"Mama was right proud of that hideous mess," gideon said with a faint smile
"So were the judges" Bonnie said smiling at the memory of his Brown Sugar Carrot Cake Crepes with Cream Cheese Filling and Blueberry Sauce.
Nick sat there for a moment and imagined a little Judy sneaking Gideon's name onto the signup sheet. Judy had played gideon like a fiddle!
"So i wasn't your first hustle?" Nick whispered close to her ear with a smirk.
"He can stay in the star room," Gideon said after a moment. "Don't worry Jude. I won't hurt him, i promise." Judy bounced over to gideon and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You're the greatest Gideon!" she said as gideon caught her in a hug that forced him to spin around. Nick glared at the scene for barely a moment before he decided Gieon could be Judy's greatest, but he would be her lifemate. there was a knock at the door and Bonnie answered it to reviel Stu. Gideon let judy down gently as Stu entered the room.
"Hunny, you have to take the oath," Bonnie said letting Stu in and closed the door. stu recited the oath of his ancestors and then looked around the room.
"Evenin' Gideon" Stu said
"Evenin, Mr. Hopps" Gideon replied tipping his straw hat.
"Ok, so what is so important that I had to take Great Grandpa Skippy's oath?" stu asked turning to his wife.
"Stu, Hunny, do you remember my grandparents?" bonnie asked
"Well sure, they were quite a pair, Jenna and Jack Savage" stu said with a laugh "They were complete oposites but they were crazy about eachother." he looked over to Nick and Judy "You two are a lot like them, even down to their first names."
"Funny you should say that" bonnie said drawing stu's attention. "Their names aren't really Jack and Jenna" at this Judy took out the bright green color contacts she wore.
"What do you mean bon?" stu looked over at the rabbit he presumed was just a doe named Jenna, but as she looked at him, he gasped.
"Hi dad," she said, suddenly shy and selfconcious under her fathers gaze.
"J-ju-jud-dy?" Stu began slowly as he walked toward her "But you're..." he trailed off as he looked from judy to bonnie and back "I took the call myself, we saw the photographs on the news," he reached up and touched her cheek "You were dead"
"No, She was only sedated" Nick said drawing attention to himself. "Ketamine and carrot juice taste terrible together, by the way." Noone laughed at the awkward halfhearted joke.
"Dad, i'm alright" Judy reasuringly took his paw, "I'm here, i'm okay"
"Oh Judy," her father took her into his arms hugging her. then he pulled away "JUDITH LEVERNE HOPPS! Don't you ever fake your own death again young lady! Do you have any idea how worried i was when you didn't call? and then we got that horrid call from Dr. White! and what about your brothers and sisters?!"
"Wait," Gideon interrupted "Did you say Dr. White?"
"Yeah, she's the one who called us with the news" Bonnie said
"Why, she's my cousin!"
"Dr. Miranda White is your cousin?" nick said skepticly
"Yeah Aunt Panda adopted Mira when she was 14, Jude, you remember Josh don't ya?"
"Oh yeah! that's his sister? awesome!" judy said with glee at the realization.
"Wait, i missed something." Nick said.
"Josh's family is filled with unique mammals," Bonnie began "After Mira's parents were in a car accident when she was young, gideon's aunt and uncle took her in along with her brother"
"He was so handsom," Judy said "with his pure white fur and his bright blue eyes!"
"wait, a fox and a bear had a child together?" Nick asked
"No! Josh is a fulf!" Gideon said "why would you think my aunt or uncle was a bear?"
"You just called your aunt Aunt Panda" Nick said
"Both their names are Miranda, so to tell them apart my aunt's nick name is Panda and my cousin is called Mira." Gideon said "Aunt Panda is a wolf, she has a greyish brown coat. she is actually really pretty. Uncle Jon didn't stand a chance." gideon laughed. "They'll all be here for the family reunion this weekend,"
a realization dawned on Nick.
"So then it is possible?" Nick mumbled with a quizical look. Judy returned his look then hit him.
"Of course it's possible!" Judy said
"Ow!" Nick rubbed his arm "I wasn't sure ok?" Gideons laugh got louder and judy's parents looked at eachother as Nicks goofy grin returned to his lips. Judy hit him on the back of the head. "You rabbits are really violent! what was that for?"
"Don't think about that while my parents are in the room!" she said in a low voice close to his ear so that her parents couldnt hear her.
"So what are we telling people?" stu said after clearing his throat.
"Nick's stayin over at my place" Gideon said with a smirk "that way there is no connection between them. What are ya callin your self?"
"Jack Savage" Nick said looking nervosly at judy. "Her's says Jenna Hopkins"
"Aunt Fru Fru certainly has a sense of humor" Bonnie said
"Who?" Judy asked
"Aunt Fru Fru Gruffmyer, she was one of my grandmothers best friends" Bonnie said "I presume she set this up, She's the only one who would have known my grandmothers maiden name"
"Yeah she did" Judy said with a small laugh.
"Well, comeon Jack let's get back to the farm so you can meet your long lost family!" Gideon said pulling nick out the door. Judy stared after them for a long moment.
"He'll be fine," Bonnie said "Gideon won't hurt him"
"He wasn't going to stay" Judy said as she watched Nick and Gideon cross the feild from her window
"What do you mean sweetie?" Bonnie asked putting her arms around judy
"He was gonna leave me here and then go back and work on the case, that's what we had a fight about" Judy said "Mina must have seen me running off and sent gideon after me."
"Knowing Mina she probably tried to knock some sense into nick while gideon was out there calming you down." Stu said with a laugh "The boys are right, for bunnies you girls can get pretty violent." he looked at his girl, just glad she was alive. "He asked me monday for my blessing,"
"I Know, Mom said" Judy tought aloud "I wouldn't know when though, we were together all day, i didn't even know he loved me until tuesday night when we were stuck in that damn elevator"
"Proposals are supposed to be spontaineous" Bonnie said "full of surprises too"
"Oh it was," Judy said mimicking her fathers small laugh "Right down to our doctor tossing Nick the ring. but he could have chosen a more romantic setting"
"Oh i don't know," Bonnie began, "the suspence, the danger, the sound of your own hearts beating as one? sounds pretty romantic to me."
"Especially for a couple of cops" her father said "And just look at that ring Bonnie!"
"I feel bad it took me so long to pick up on it," judy said as her mother inspected the ring on her paw "i'm supposed to be good at that"
"Oh don't let that get you down" Stu said "Bunnies aren't known for picking up on things"
"Took your father a year and a half" bonnie said
"In my defense you're really good at playing hard to get" stu said with a frown
"So is Nick" Judy sighed "I hope he'll be ok..."
"Sure he will, gideon is with him" bonnie said trying to comfort Judy
"That's what i'm afraid of" Judy said watching the foxes fade away in the distance behind the trees.
