A/N: I can't believe 150 of you are following my story. You all must be a glutton for punishment. Hope you're enjoying it though!

Disclaimer: I now own Zootopia! On DVD/Blu-Ray. Suck it, Disney!

Chapter 21 - Revelations

Bonnie was worried. No, not just worried. Afraid. After waking up that morning she had decided to go check on Stu before making the kids towards the barn she debated whether to let him back in the house for that night, eventually deciding that if he could behave himself and sincerely apologize to Nick, Judy, and herself then he wouldn't be stuck in the hay for another night. Entering through the sliding doors, she immediately saw that the blankets and pillow she had left him were untouched, the sleeping back undisturbed. Her first thought was that maybe he had gone to a motel for the night but she had seen his wallet on the counter and the truck was still in the yard. Maybe he just went for a walk and stayed at a friend's house. I'm sure that's it. He'll be back to do his normal chores by the time the kids are up. Bonnie wrung her hands, hoping she was right.

But hours later, after the kids had eaten and the older ones had gone to school, Stu still hadn't returned. Judy and Nick entered the kitchen to see Bonnie pacing the floor, her eyes wide and whispering to herself frantically. Her eyes full of concern, her daughter asked what was wrong.

Bonnie steadied her voice. "Your father never came home last night. I don't know where he went, he's just gone! He didn't take his wallet, his phone, or his keys. I don't know what to do! We've been married 26 years and he's never done anything like this!" Bonnie's voice cracked as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

The two mates exchanged nervous glances before Nick spoke. "Bonnie, I may not be a wolf, but my nose should be good enough to track him, at least for a ways." Bonnie's head jerked upward before nodding frantically. "Okay. Bonnie? Judy? Let's go find us a Stu."

Heading out to the barn, Nick was pleased to find a very strong scent trail from Stu. His overalls had absorbed a decent amount of his scent during his normal days of work that he could follow it easily. He headed off through the fields, weaving occasionally, Bonnie and Judy raised their eyebrows. This wasn't normal behavior for Stu. He usually had a direct purpose. If he went somewhere he did so in the shortest way possible. After several miles, they reached the end of the fields where Nick paused and started circling the area. The wind was stronger here being on an open road but after a few seconds he caught the scent heading towards a small beaten path in the woods off the main road. Before they could head down, the two rabbits' ears began twitching, hearing a familiar sound about to round the bend. Nick paused as Stu came into view at the end of the path.

Raising his head, Stu was visibly surprised to see his wife, daughter, and his daughters mate staring at him. He was puzzled how they found him before something clicked in his head. "Scent tracking, huh?" he said gruffly. Nick nodded slowly, unsure of if he should explain or not. Stu sighed and walked up to them. Holding up his hand as Bonnie opened her mouth to yell at him, he squared his shoulders. "Bonnie, I know what you're going to say. I'm sorry I left without telling you. It's a deeply personal matter that I shouldn't have let interfere with our life but it did. I promise to explain it later when I can but for now, Nick? I want you to walk with me."

The shock on their faces was apparent. He had a bad night, walks away from his family, scaring them out of their minds, and he wants to talk to me? Out of everyone? Nick was so caught off guard that he couldn't even begin to establish his mask to hide his surprise. Judy and Bonnie both looked at Nick, not sure what he was going to say or do.

Stu noticed how Nick had froze and sighed again. "Nick, I promise you I will not try to hurt you. This is not a trick, it's something I need to do. I need to clear the air and I feel you deserve an explanation. Please. I give you my word."

Nick scrutinized the older rabbit in front of him. He saw dismay, a deep sense of sadness and humiliation, and a very small amount of fear, but no deception. Whatever this was, he truly meant it. He nodded, noticing Stu's face relax slightly.

Judy made to follow but Stu shook his head. "I need to do this with Nick alone. I'll explain at some point but right now, it can only be Nick." She didn't look convinced but Nick laid his paw on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Fluff. I'll be fine. It's just a father/daughter's mate talk I'm sure." He leaned down and gave her a kiss while Stu turned his head away. "Why don't you head back with your mom? This shouldn't take too long and then we can go to the lake for a swim, okay?"

Judy smiled softly and squeezed his paw. "I'll hold you to that, Slick."

Nick smiled back before turning to Stu. "Alright pops, lead the way."

Leading Nick down the same trail he had used the night before, they shortly found themselves outside the burrow. Nick's confusion warped his muzzle, unsure of what was going on. "Hey uh, Stu? What is this place?"

Stu paused outside the doorway, his head hung down to his chest. Barely above a whisper, he muttered "This was my parent's house. My family's house…My house." With that, he entered the burrow. Nick's eyebrows raised but followed Stu through the door.

The first thing he noticed was that it was designed much the same way his current house was. A very long table sat next to the door, kitchen was on the left instead of the right but was furnished the same. A huge collection of dust and cobwebs hung throughout the room, marking that nobody had been here for a very long time. Stu kept walking and Nick followed. Empty hallway after empty hallway as they passed faded wallpaper, peeled paint, and rotted doors. Nick's sense of unease grew as they went deeper into the ground. Eventually they found themselves in a larger room where some old furniture sat. Gesturing Nick towards one of the armchairs, he himself made his way to the darkened fireplace, spending a few minutes getting it started. With light and warmth filling the room, Stu took the chair across from Nick, staring into the fire.

After a few minutes, Nick shifted uncomfortable in the chair, the creak from the springs jogging Stu out of his thoughts. "Right, right. Nick. First off, I really am very sorry for the way I acted. It's inexcusable and unforgivable. What I'm about to tell you is only known to two people. Myself and one of my brothers. I swore 30 years ago that I would never tell this to anyone, but then again I never expected to be put in this position." He sighed heavily, looking down at his feet. "This is the story of my childhood friend, Caleb." He looked up and stared right into Nick's eyes. "The fox."