Chapter 21

Nick and Judy where going to spend Christmas at Judy's parents' place. When they arrived, Bonnie hugged Nick first, which startled Nick. Stu hugged Judy first, but he shook Nick's paw. They took Judy and Nick to their house and all the little bunnies pounced on Nick as soon as he walked in. Nick picked one of them up and swung him around. "Wee!" yelled the little bunny. When Nick set him down, the bunny looked at Nick. "Why does that paw feel a little different than the other one?" the little bunny asked. Nick pulled the cover off and all the little bunnies, Stu and Bonnie gasped. "Oh my gosh, Nick! What happened?" Bonnie said rushing over to him. Nick placed his paw in Bon's paw and let her feel it. "There was a little fugitive crisis about nine months ago." Stu walked up. "You mean you had that robot on your arm during your wedding?" Stu asked, surprised. "Yup," Nick said, putting the cover back on. "I like you without that weird glove!" one little bunny said. Nick looked at Stu. "Ok. You can take it off. Just don't let me see it. It looks weird!" Stu said. Nick took the cover off and put it in his pocket. The bunnies started grouping around Nick. "You think this is cool, watch this!" Nick said, pulling his multi-tool out of his pocket. He opened the tweezers and turned the paw off, then opened the screwdriver and unscrewed the paw. He took the paw and handed it to one little bunny. Nick walked over to the guest bedroom and set his bag down. Nick walked back into the living room to see the bunnies playing with his paw. Nick sat next to Judy on the couch. Judy kissed Nic. "Did we ever tell you about what happened with Gideon Grey and Judy?" Bonnie asked Nick. "No." "When Judy was nine, she confronted Gideon after he stole some of her friend's carnival tickets. Gideon scratched her left cheek pretty bad, but she got the tickets back. That was why Stu and me where against foxes, but Judy opened our minds when she joined the police force and we heard she got help from you." Nick looked at Judy, then reached out and touched her left cheek. He felt three small grooves down her cheek. "Huh. What do you know?" Nick said to himself as he rubbed them with his finger. "Ah ha!" one little bunny yelled as he pointed Nick's paw at Nick as he jumped onto the coffee table. Nick grabbed the paw out of the little bunny's paws and put it back on. He screwed it back in and turned it on. He put the cover on and went back to talking with Judy's parents. Nick wrapped his arm around Judy and continued talking. While he was talking, a little bunny grabbed the cover and pulled it off and ran off screaming. Nick sighed. "They really like my new paw, don't they?" Nick wondered out loud. Bon and Judy laughed and Stu turned away. "That paw is creeping me out!" Stu exclaimed. Nick sighed and went into the guest bedroom and opened his backpack and got his cold weather gloves and put them on. "How about that, Mr. H?" Nick said, holding up both paws. "Better." Nick sat back down and continued talking. One bunny ran into the living room with Nick's cover on his ear. "I'm a zombie!" he yelled, walking stiffly. Nick grabbed the cover off his head and stuffed it in his pocket. "Aww!" the bunny said, then he jumped on Nick's lap. Nick smiled at him. He stared at Nick's left paw. "Are you cold?" the bunny asked. "No. Why?" "Cause you have warm gloves on." "Your dad doesn't like my new paw, so I have to cover it." "It won't matter! Just make him weirded out!" Nick smirked at the bunny and stuck his paw at him. The bunny took the glove off and threw it on the coffee table. Nick took the other one off and laid it down next to the other one. Stu sighed and walked off. "I can't bear to see that weird paw!" he said as he walked out. "I'm going to go check on the equipment. I'll be back in an hour," Stu said, going out the door. Nick laughed a little. Nick stood up and went to go take a shower in the guest bathroom. When Nick came out, Judy was in the bedroom. "What are you doing in here?" Nick asked. "I've got Dad and Mom in the living room. I was going to tell them we were going to adopt, but I wanted you in there too." Nick sighed and got dressed. Nick was combing his fur when he came into the living room. "Mom, Dad? We have decided, to adopt two children this coming spring!" Judy announced when Nick sat down. "Judy! That's so great!" Bonnie said, getting up and hugging Judy around the neck. "I hope you raise them well," Stu said, smiling. Just then, Nick's phone rang. "I've got to take this. It's from the adoption agency!" Nick said. Nick answered the phone and walked out onto the porch. "Hello. Nick Wilde here." "Mister Wilde. You have requested information on our young vixen and buck, correct?" came a female voice on the phone. "Yes." "The two will be ready for adoption within four months, but before we can guarantee anything, you will need to fill out some documents and meet the children at our office." "Yes. I understand. When should we come over?" "Next week on Tuesday will be fine. Will that work for you?" "Yes. We could come over around 6:00." "That will work. See you next week." Nick hung up and walked back inside. "The agency has set up an appointment next week to fill out some paperwork and meet the kits," Nick said as he sat down. "That's wonderful!" Judy said, hugging Nick and kissing him. "She said they could be adopted in four months," Nick said. Nick started stroking Judy's ears and closed his eyes.

On Christmas day, all the little bunnies had opened their presents, and Judy handed Nick a present. "Open it!" Judy said as Nick looked at it. "But then the mystery is gone," Nick said. "Just open it!" Judy said as she nudged Nick. Nick tore open the paper and there was a plain brown box. Nick opened the box, and there was a pair of wireless headphones, and a picture frame with their wedding picture in it. Nick picked them up. Nick hugged Judy. "Thank you, Carrots," Nick said. Judy pulled away and kissed Nick. "Ewww!" several little bunnies exclaimed. "Shush now!" Bon yelled at them. Nick got up and went into the bedroom and got Judy's gift. "I got you a gift too, Carrots," Nick said, handing her the gift. Judy smiled as she opened it. When she saw the contents, her eyes lit up and she hugged it, then Nick "Thank you so much!" Judy said while hugging Nick. "I love you," Nick said. "I love you too, Nick" Judy replied. Judy spent the rest of the morning getting her new tablet set up. Nick sat on the couch listening to his music with his new headphones and looking at the picture. A bunch of little bunnies surrounded Nick while he was sitting on the couch. "Can you play with us?" asked one bunny. Nick chuckled. "Shure." Nick got up, put the picture on the side table, put his headphones next to it and went outside with the bunnies. They played all kinds of games with their new toys they just got. Nick was exhausted by an hour later, but the bunnies were still running. "Come on, Nick! Keep playing!" one little girl bunny pleaded. "Sorry, but I don't have any more strength to run. I've got to go back inside." Another bunny ran over. "Can you show us your paw again before you go inside?" he asked. "Shure." Nick took the cover off and wiggled his fingers around. Nick walked back inside and sat on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. He set the cover on the counter and put his head in his paws. "They have a lot of energy, don't they?" Judy said, startling Nick. Nick looked at his wife. "More than I do." Nick said. Judy saw he was tired. "Why don't you go take a nap?" Judy suggested. "That's a good idea. I will." Nick got up and went to the guest bedroom and went to bed. Stu walked into the kitchen a few minutes later. He saw Nick's paw cover still on the kitchen counter. "Who does that fox think he is? Leaving his fur and skin on my kitchen counter!" Stu said as he walked up to the counter. "Dad, Nick's taking a nap. He probably just forgot to put it back on," Judy said. Stu grabbed some tongs and picked up the cover and carried it to Nick's coat, which was hanging on the coat rack by the door, and put the cover in its pocket. Stu went back to the kitchen and put the tongs back. "Dad. It's not that big a deal. He has two paws. That's what matters. If it wasn't for this program for amputee officers, he would look even weirder to you without a paw at all!" Judy said. Stu looked a little embarrassed. "I guess I never thought about it like that before." Judy rolled her eyes. "Of course you didn't," Judy thought to herself. Later that day, Nick and Judy were packing their bags to go back home. Nick shut the back door to his car. "That's everything," Nick announced. "Bye! It was so good to see you again!" Bonnie said, hugging Nick. "Bye. We'll visit again soon," Nick said. Stu reached out to shake Nick's paw, but Nick stuck out his left paw. It still didn't have the cover, Stu didn't tell Nick where he put it. Stu laughed a little and shook Nick's prosthetic. "I could get used to this!" Stu said, still shaking Nick's paw. "Oh, and I put your glove thing in your pocket," Stu said, pointing to Nick's coat pocket. Nick pulled it out. "That's where it went!" Nick said, putting it back on. Nick got in the driver's seat and shut the door. Nick waved to all the little bunnies, who were crowding the porch. Nick drove off and Judy sat looking at her new tablet in the passenger seat. Nick drove all the way back to Zootopia in three hours.

The next week, Nick and Judy were headed to the adoption agency to meet the two little kits. When they got there, there was a panda behind the desk. "May I help you?" she asked. "Yes. We are Mister and Missus Wilde, and we are here to look at these two," Nick said, handing the panda two pictures, one for each kit. The panda looked at the pictures, then at Nick, then at Judy. "You don't have any idea how many inter-species couples come here, but never a predator-prey couple," the panda said. "You'll need to fill this paperwork out before you can see them. One for you," she said, handing Nick a clipboard. "And one for you," she said, handing Judy a clipboard. "Thank you," Judy said as she took the clipboard. Nick and Judy sat on the couch they had and filled out the papers. It asked for things such as name, age, species, occupation, parents' names, address, and for a background check. Nick filled his out and gave it back to the panda. Judy finished hers and handed it to the panda too. "They are down the hall, to your left. Look for the toddler room." "Thank you," Nick said as they walked down the hall. Nick opened the toddler room door, and saw a nursery with all kinds of cubs, of all different species. There was a female rabbit sitting on the floor playing with a baby elephant. When Nick and Judy walked in, she stood up. "Hello. You must be the Wildes, yes?" she asked. "Yes. I'm Nick Wilde, and my wife, Judy." Judy shook the rabbit's paw. Nick did likewise. "I'm Nancy Thump. I'm a volunteer in the nursery. You're here for our little vixen and buck, right?" "Just to meet them. We don't plan to adopt until the spring," Judy said. "That's all good and fine. Let me go get them," Nancy said, walking off. She came back with a little baby bunny in her arms, and a little fox, trying to walk, holding Nancy's paw. "Aww!" Judy exclaimed and ran up to see the fox. "Hi there little girl! I'm Judy. Do you want to be my daughter?" Nick laughed a little when he saw Judy. Nancy walked over to Nick and put the bunny in his arms. The bunny opened his eyes and looked at Nick. "Hi. I'm Nick," Nick said softly to the bunny. The bunny cooed and gurgled as he squirmed around in Nick's arms. "Do they have names?" Judy asked. "We don't officially name them until they are three, so the parents can give them names. I've just been calling her Vixie, and I call him Bucky," Nancy replied. "We thought about naming them Nicole and Ken," Nick said. "Those are wonderful names!" Nancy said. Judy picked Nicole up and held her. Nicole was chewing on her paw and was grabbing at Judy's ears. "Her fangs are almost fully grown out, so she likes to chew on things," Nancy said. Nick started tickling Ken and he was giggling like he was dying of laughter. Judy walked over to Nick. "I want to hold him," Judy said. Nick handed Ken to Judy and went over to Nicole. She was chewing on a teething toy and sitting on the floor. Nick sat down in front of her. Nicole got up and walked over to Nick and sat in his lap. She looked up at Nick and laughed. "I think she likes you, Mr. Wilde," Nancy said, watching. "I think she would love to have you as a dad," Judy said. "And you as a mom," Nick said, looking at Judy. Judy smiled and Nick smirked. Nick stood up, holding Nicole. "We would love to stay and spent more time with them, but we need to get home," Nick said, handing Nicole to Nancy. Nicole pointed down and Nancy set her down. Nicole waddled over to Nick and wrapped around his leg. "Dada!" she exclaimed, and it broke everyone in the room's heart. "I think she knows more than she lets on," Nick said, picking Nicole back up. Judy handed Ken back to Nancy. Nick looked into Nicole's eyes. "Nicole. Me and Mommy need to leave, but we'll be back soon. I promise!" Nick said to her. Nicole looked sad, but she hugged Nick's neck and Nick set her down. Nicole walked over to Nancy and took her paw. She waved to Nick and Judy as they left. "You can come and visit them anytime!" Nancy told them as they left. "We will!" Judy said as they closed the door. "I think they made an instant connection to both of us," Judy said as they drove back home. "I think this was the right choice. Making a little child's life complete," Nick said.

Author's Note:

I don't know how adoption goes, so I did what seemed logical. On a side note, not related to the story in any way, if you listen to movie soundtracks that were composed by the same person, you can notice little things that sound exactly the same. For instance, Michael Giacchino, who composed the soundtrack for Zootopia, The Incredibles, Inside Out, Cars 2, Ratatouille, Star Trek: Beyond, Jurassic World, and several other movies, they all have parts in them that sound almost exactly the same. But the music of John Williams is easy to spot. Star Wars and Indiana Jones sound almost the same, but the notes are different. I don't know why I wanted to put this here, but I did.