Noots

by she-dies-at-the-end

Following his discovery that he may be in love with Judy, Nick gets talked into visiting her family during a fall festival. He struggles with exposing his feelings to her while adjusting to her crazy family and meeting the locals. Will he confess and potentially destroy his friendship or does Judy feel the same way about him?

5. Chapter 5: The Fox in the Burrow

Chapter Five "The Fox in the Burrow"

The first night in the Hopps burrow was rough.

As expected, the bed was far too small in length for me to rest comfortably on. I dozed in and out of sleep, insomnia being something I was accustomed to since my crush with Judy.

It certainly didn't help that I could hear everything move around the house, from the kits bouncing on their beds to Stu waking up at 3 AM to use the bathroom. All the while I kept thinking about how much easier it would be to sleep if I had a certain rabbit by my side. I could hear Judy snoring in the room next to mine.

Somewhere around 5 AM, exhaustion hit me hard and I didn't wake up until 9 to Judy knocking at my door.

"Nick, up and at em. We're already running late."

My spine felt like a broken accordion as I rose from the bed. Off to a bad start for the day, and we already had a full plate ahead of us with the offered chores around the faire.

I desperately needed some coffee.

Emerging from my bedroom, I heard Judy stop in the bathroom. She was probably brushing her teeth.

I was still wearing my undershirt and jeans. Good enough for grunt work outside. A shower could wait until later. Another swipe of Musk-Away was more than enough. Especially if the Hopps expected me to be doing heavy lifting.

The burrow was mostly abandoned as I shuffled out into the living room. A handful of kits were watching the television playing a kiddie cartoon. Mr. Penguin, I believe it was called. Pop-Pop was passed out on the couch next to them, looking questionably alive as always. There was no sign of Bonnie or Stu, which allowed me a quick sigh of relief.

In fact, the only awake adult was Judy's big sister, Jenny, sitting in the kitchen and eating cereal.

"You look as bad as I feel," Jenny said as I approached her table.

"That's one way to put it. Safe to say your folks didn't accommodate the place for a fox."

I could recognize a forced laugh anywhere. Underneath the pleasant smile, I could see the strain in Jenny's eyes. It wasn't much different from my own whenever I looked in a mirror recently.

"So," I said, pouring myself some coffee. "Your parents mentioned your impending marriage. Congrats."

Jenny had the same sigh of frustration Judy did whenever she got stumped in one of our police cases. Jen leaned over the table and pulled at her ears, banging her head several times on the counter.

"Dad's not so bad about this kind of stuff," she said after hitting her head twelve consecutive times. "He's a big, old pushover about confrontations. But I knew mom was going to be trouble with Rocky."

"Yeah, she was pretty brutal last night."

"You didn't get caught up in it, did you?"

I cringed, giving Jenny her answer.

"Ugh, she's unbelievable. This happened every single time I brought home a guy that wasn't a rabbit. That's why I didn't want to tell them about Rocky. I knew they would overreact. Again. And then he just dropped his proposal on me the other night…"

I let her vent for a moment, sipping on coffee black as midnight. It was just what I needed to perk me up and snap me back into the real world. Probably a habit I would have to kick eventually.

"I'm sorry," said Jenny. "You only get one first impression, and I feel like I ruined it for you."

I wanted to tell her I was used to stuff like that. Bonnie wasn't the first rabbit I've had a hard time with.

But Bonnie was the only one who had genuinely stung me with her refusal to accept me. I hadn't felt so rejected since I got muzzled by the scouts. It was probably because, like back then, I desperately wanted something only for it to be shoved right in my face. I'd deal with it though. The years had done well to help me handle disappointment, especially when it came to predator hate.

"It is what it is," I shrugged. "Can't be helped. I'll just need to up my charm a bit. Don't worry about it."

"Did you take my advice from yesterday?"

"Yes," I lied.

"Well, I can't speak from your side of things. But there is one fox who's managed to get on my parent's good side."

"That Gideon fellow? Mister bunny butt cake?"

"I'm not saying I think he's brilliant, but something has worked for him. It might be worth talking to him, if only so you have a brother in arms down here in the burrows."

"We'll be a regular bunch of Merry Mammals, eh?

I stared deep into my dark coffee.

Gideon did strike as a bit curious, with his ability to win over the Hopps like he did. The way Judy had described him, he was as thick as a bag of rocks and probably just as heavy. But he was a rare thing, to be a fox living in a burrow of potentially eighty million bunnies.

"I'll consider it. When are we leaving?"

"Right now," said Judy as she entered behind me. "Jen."

I could hear a bit of Bonnie in Judy's greeting.

Like her mother, Judy didn't seem to approval of Jenny's choice in a future husband, though perhaps for different reasons. Judy's bad feelings typically held merit and she almost described this raccoon as worse than Gideon Grey.

Jenny seemed to sense her sister's ire but huffed it off.

"Jude."

"We'll be taking the other pickup truck, in case you want to join us."

"That's alright. I can walk or ask Rocky to pick me up. You two go ahead."

A much different tone was shared between the sisters compared to yesterday. Neither of them sounded pleased with each other. They were acting as polite as possible while glaring daggers at each other when their backs were turned.

I wished I had finished my coffee as we hurried out the door.

"You two have been chummy," said Judy when we reached the porch, far enough so Jenny couldn't hear.

My mouth got the better of me again. "Jealous, Fluff?"

"Oh, please. I've never been jealous of anyone in my life. I'm just worried for her, is all. Jenny has always been headstrong when it comes to stuff like this. She's never willing to admit she's wrong, even if she's in deep trouble."

"Isn't that the kettle calling the pot black?"

"Careful, Nick. Or you're going to find yourself walking to the faire."

"I don't even know where this place is, Carrots. You're going to find me later being chased by a liquored up moonshine peddler with a shotgun if you let me wander alone."

Some friendly ribbing was just what I needed to perk myself up. And it was nice to hear a genuine laugh from Judy, for once.

We piled into the truck like we were going on patrol back in Zootopia. Judy pulled out onto the dirt road as we delved into small talk.

Judy hadn't slept the best either.

"I've been away from home too long," she said with a smile. "It's too quiet. I'm used to loud music, loud cars, and loud neighbors."

"Speak for yourself, Carrots. I can hear every little thing from my room. Even you showering."

"Just because you never shower yourself, Nick."

"I have an excuse! It's like using a toilet that's not your own. Home is where you can poop the most comfortably."

Her face contorted into disgust before slowly morphing into a pouted lip and droopy ears.

"You're not comfortable here then?"

After stretching the truth with Bonnie the previous night, honesty sounded like the best option.

"The bed is a little small. And I'd be lying if I said your parents have given me the warmest welcome I've ever had."

It hurt me to see Judy bummed, but it was the truth. Her nose twitched slightly, though her eyes remained glued to the road.

"I'm sorry...I was really hoping that I could give you a relaxing weekend, Nick. It looked like you needed it. Now, it's like I'm pulling you into family drama. If it hadn't been for this thing with Jenny, mom would have been less icy to you."

"Is it fair to blame matters of the heart, Carrots?"

"Jen's decision sounds reckless to me," Judy shrugged. "But I wouldn't know. Never had a boyfriend. I was always the one more focused on work and my career. I can't really remember any crushes I've had and the idea of marriage doesn't appeal to me either. I even turned down every buck that asked me out in high school."

"This is why the guys at work call you the Rabbot. More machine than mammal."

"They can think what they want. Do I sound like the type of bunny to be swooning and swept up off my feet?"

I chuckled. That was what made Judy so challenging compared to all the other girls I had come across. She was truly unique. And that steadfast determination was what drove me crazy about about her.

"Nope. Not at all. You don't even have the accent for a southern belle."

Judy laughed again. "Thanks…"

We took a sharp turn down the road, following a more populated stretch of the burrows where I could see houses. I felt like we were approaching someplace significantly more populated than out in the farmlands.

"Seriously though, Nick," said Judy as she slowed the truck near a large lot. "If you're uncomfortable here, let me know. Call it southern hospitality, but I want to make sure you're happy. It's not fair for you to sacrifice your weekend off if you're just going to get shafted by my parents. I want to make it up to you."

"Really, Carrots," I looked her straight into her purple eyes. "There's no place I would rather be than here."

She shifted in her seat before clearing her throat and looking out the window.

"We're, uh, we're here, by the way."

I was expecting to look out and find an empty acre of grasslands dotted with the occasional autumn tree. Perhaps I was more focused on Judy, but I had neglected to see the trailers and heavy vehicles parked beyond the fence in front of us.

It was by no means the most impressive set up I had ever seen, even for a small-town country faire. But the fact that the Hopps could afford a dozen small-time carnival rides and almost twenty booths every year gave me a huge insight to just how much money her parents made. Maybe there was more to farming than I first considered.

"Your parents bought all this?"

"Rented," Judy corrected. "It's not as expensive as you might think. Several thousand for the rides. And we grow our own food, so that cost is out. Plus, you make money back. The neighbors are more than happy to chip in too, because it's free advertising and business for them if they set up a stall. It's actually pretty cheap if you take all of that into consideration. All it needs is someone willing to coordinate it all."

All the faire talk brought up an old interest of mine.

"What kind of rides do you have?"

"You'll get to see for yourself. We're in charge of setting them up."

Stepping past the gate, it was clear to me that this festival was meant to be mostly for rabbits.

I had to duck under the entrance as the path led to what would amount to the central hub of the faire.

It was a very typical design with having a central area to host the main attractions. Side stalls jutted off like rays of the sun, offering foods and restrooms. By how the road was lined with barriers, I could tell that it was Stu's intention to funnel people in a circle. That would give them a chance to see everything and keep the lines flowing.

"Very nice," I said out loud, almost forgetting Judy was next to me. "You can tell your dad has done this for awhile. The layout keeps the crowd moving, with stops in between for breaks."

Judy stared up at me blankly.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing...I just didn't expect you to sound so...Knowledgeable about faire stuff."

I briefly debated revealing my secret pet project to open an amusement park before deciding to wait on that for another time.

"Eh. It's mostly just common sense."

Looking around, there weren't many mammals out on the scene.

Twenty rabbits were hopping about, going from stall to stall. There was the distinct scent of cotton candy and funnel cake in the air. Someone was helping themselves to the sweets early. While the food stalls were being prepared, the rides—or what would eventually be the rides—were left covered and disassembled in their respective squares.

But what really caught my eye was the centerpiece of the circle.

"What's this?" I chuckled at the pedestal left at the middle platform, between all the trailers. "A golden carrot? Really?"

I trod up to the colorful bauble as it shone in the morning sun. It looked like one of those cheap gold paint trinkets you could get for twenty dollars at a garage sale, then leave in your garden to forget about until the rain ruined it. The carrot itself was the width of a baseball and the length of my forearm.

I had the mind to reach up and flick it, but Judy grabbed my paw.

"Hey," she warned. "No touching."

"Why not? It looks incredibly fake."

"Nick, that's four hundred ounces of real twenty karat gold. What's there is probably worth half a million dollars."

"Come on, Carrots. You're pulling my tail. Who would just leave that much gold out in the open like that?"

But the glare in her eyes suggested that there was no punchline to follow her claim. My ears drooped.

"Cripes. You're serious?"

"Yes. It's the symbol of the Hopps Harvest and dad only ever brings it out for this one occasion. Everyone knows not to touch it and we trust all our neighbors."

I rubbed the bridge of my snout. The idea that the country was so trusting that you could just leave that kind of cash out in the open was baffling to me.

"So, let me get this straight. You're telling me that your parents have a real golden carrot that they just leave lying out in the middle of a faire? Aren't you worried someone would steal it?"

"Of course I am, Nick. I work as a cop in Zootopia, I see that kind of stuff all the time. But never once have I been able to convince dad to put it away. He's too proud to hide his glory."

"Proud? Carrots, that's literally leaving more money than I could ever know what to do with in one sitting out for someone just to walk up and take."

"Every time I bring it up, he always gives me the same story about how he met mom and how the principal of the gold matters more to him than the financial value. He also claims it's perfectly safe. There's folks with eyes on it all the time."

"That's a lot of faith to put in neighbors. No one's tried to steal it?"

"Most out-of-towners, like you, just assume it's fake. Our neighbors all know to respect it. Dad locks it up every night after closing. Plus, even if someone tried it, the thing isn't exactly easy to make a quick getaway with. It's bulky and hard to hide, with how it shines in the sun. You'd need to pull some clever shenanigans to get away with it without anyone noticing."

A loud noise behind to me caused me to jump. I narrowly avoided getting hit by a large eight-wheeler truck as it skidded on the dirt road. A quick glance at the lettering on the side of the vehicle told me what the driver was doing there.

"Bonko's Batting Cages," Judy read the truck's logo out loud. "Good, looks like that's the last thing to set up."

"What? Time to go to work already? I'm allergic to work on my holiday, Carrots."

She pulled at my paw to drag me along. I could see her smile, even though she tried to hide it.

"Then you shouldn't have agreed to it with dad last night. Now come on. I promise it will be fun."

And so it was.

Judy could have no idea that I was in my element amongst the simple carnival games.

Since I was a kit, I always had a working idea on a type of amusement park that predators could go to in Zootopia. Just a small place to call their own where they could run wild and rough house amongst themselves, if they wanted to. After living amongst prey who might be nervous if predators behaved that way in public, I imagine it would have high appeal. Wilde Times, I'd call it. I was probably the only fox in the city with the guts and charisma to not get the place shut down. But it was a pipe dream, maybe something to look forward to in retirement. Besides, I'm pretty sure someone had already taken the name.

From our arrival until noon, we went from stall to stall setting up the machines.

It wasn't terribly difficult to figure it out. Judy was quick on the instructions and I knew exactly what to look for. She raised her eyebrow a few times at my extensive knowledge of the games, but never questioned it if she suspected anything.

Most of it was very basic stuff anyway. There were the Batting Cages, Bottle Stacks, a Mini Merry-go-round, Water Pistol Racing, a Pumpkin Painting Station, a Ball Pit, and even the classic Balloon Darts. The stuff was very simple to setup and a few rabbits—older siblings and cousins of Judy's—stopped by to give us a hand or drop off prizes to distribute to potential winners.

We gathered the supplies, nailed up signs, and assembled any mechanical equipment necessary.

The work kept me distracted from my conversation with Jenny earlier that morning. But I hadn't forgotten my promise to her. All while we worked, I kept my eyes peeled for signs of the fox in the burrow. Gideon Grey.

It just so happened around lunch, before we could set up the Lover's Wagon for laps around the carnival, I laid eyes on him.

"Carrots, you mind holding the fort? I'm going to grab a bite to eat."

Judy agreed and I escaped work to follow where I had seen the big ball of red fur between the stalls.

I only had to follow my nose to find the pastries the Hopps so proudly boasted of. Gideon had set up his own pie stand at the very end of the line.

"Grey's Old Fashioned Pies, huh?"

Most of Gideon's goods were boxed and it was clear that the fox wasn't anywhere close to being set up yet if the missing signs and disheveled paper strewn across the counter were any clue.

I caught the sight of an orange head of fur digging around under the table as I made my approach.

Alright, Nick. Be smooth.

"Hey there," I called to the fox beneath the counter. "I hear you make a mean bunny butt cake."

The fox darted up from the table, as if my words were the cry of some predator out on the attack.

It wasn't a pudgy tod, as I expected, but a cute vixen who greeted me.

"S-Sorry! We're not quite set up yet…"

The poor girl had a hard time keeping eye contact with me.

She was a skinny thing, despite working around sweets all day. Her eyes were like a clear sky of blue with a short, stubby snout beneath them. She looked pretty ordinary for a country fox, with her overalls and pink T-shirt, except for her ears. Each lobe had been pierced three times and were fitted with earrings of red, blue, and green. It was almost like she had antennae sprouting up to contact some alien mothership.

"Actually," I corrected myself. "I was looking for Gideon Grey. Is he around?"

The vixen looked uncertain and awkwardly glanced from the counter to behind the stall, where it sounded like someone was rummaging around. From the back, a giant of a fox emerged with two pies in hand.

"Jean," spoke the giant fox. "Who's this fellow?"

The vixen just shook her head and cowered in the corner of the stall. The giant fox put on a protective scowl and dropped the pies on the counter before he addressed me. Arms crossed.

"Can I help you, sir?"

I didn't want to start any trouble and raised my paws.

"Just looking for someone. Are you Gideon Grey?"

"Yeah. Who wants to know?"

"I'm Nick Wilde, a friend of Judy Hopps."

The mention of Judy softened Gideon's eyes and he lowered his arms.

"Yeah, I heard about you from Stu. You're that city fox, ain't you?"

It troubled me slightly to be known as 'the city fox' but it was better than starting a brawl I had no chance of winning.

"That's the one. I was wondering if you had time to chat, though I can see you're still setting up. How about I scratch your back and you scratch mine?"

When it dawned on Gideon that I was there only for him, his personality warmed up, as did his voice.

"Jeanette, why don't you go over to Mrs. H? She could probably use your help baking for the pie eating contest."

The vixen nodded and stumbled out of the way. Poor girl. I almost felt bad for her. When she was out of sight, Gideon relaxed more.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Wilde. I thought you were hitting on my sister, so I got a little defensive."

"Your sister?"

I looked Gideon up and down. There were some similarities in their faces and eyes, but they had completely different body types. I shrugged. It took all kinds, I guess.

"No worries. I'm getting used to folks thinking I'm up to no good since coming here."

Gideon guffawed. "Yeah, it comes with growing up in the burrows. Come on back. We can chat while I work."

I hopped over the counter and got a blast of blueberry pie. The aroma lingered in the air, sweet as cotton candy.

The back of the stall was in more disarray than it looked from the front. Gideon had his paws full cooking in time for the faire and assembling his failing stand. I lent my own paws by holding up one of the boards for him to nail.

"Thank you kindly," he said as he hammered away. "So, what can I do for you, Mr. Wilde?"

"Cutting right to the chase, eh?"

"I've found that the more blunt you are, the more honest a response you get from folks. Plus you're a friend of Judy's, so you can't be that bad of a fox. I figure I don't need to small talk with you to size you up."

I could tell Gideon had a straightforward way of approaching mammals. That was probably what made him so good with marketing, according to Stu.

"I can appreciate that. Actually, I wanted to ask you about the Hopps."

"Ah," he seemed to understand instantly by the way he smiled. "Trying to get on their good side?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Heh, yeah. Stu was a real piece of work when I approached him about my, uh, business venture. I was real nervous and all on account of what happened between me and Judy when we were kits. And when I saw he showed up with the fox spray round his belt, I thought he had come to assault me for revenge, or something."

"Hah. Would you laugh if I said my first encounter with Judy almost ended the same way?"

"Like father like daughter. But Stu is an easy enough fellow once he comes around to you. He liked what I had to say and we were in business together faster than a jackrabbit getting ready for a date."

"Stu isn't quite the bunny I'm having trouble with."

Gideon slipped and nicked his thumb with the hammer. "Ah. Bonnie, then?"

"Didn't help that she caught wind of Jenny's engagement, which set her on edge towards predators near her daughters."

"Sorry bout that. I get the feeling that was me and my big mouth."

"It is what it is," I sighed. "My own mouth dug me a deeper grave. So, now I'm trying to patch up what little remains."

"Well, Rocky is his own brand of trouble, but that's another story. As for Bonnie...You need to look at it this way, Mr. Wilde. She's the mother of almost three hundred children. She can remember each and every one of their names, their birthdays, and their favorite foods. I've seen that with my own two eyes. She loves her family and if you hurt any single one of them, you're in a load of trouble."

"All the more reason I asked you. You know with the, uh, thing with Judy." I clawed at my cheek to give a visual cue.

Gideon winced as he sucked at his bloodied thumb.

"Yeah. Bonnie gave me the cold shoulder for a while, even after we had gone to business. She only started to come around to me after I had been completely honest and opened up to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Judy doesn't know this, but you know the vixen you just met? My sister, Jeanette?"

"Yeah, she seems...Nice."

"And as jumpy as a kangaroo when it comes to most mammals. She's always been like that, ever since she was a kit. Folks called her a little shadow by how she'd hide away. Most didn't even know she existed."

I suddenly realized that Judy had never even mentioned that Gideon had a sister.

"The day I clawed Judy was...A bad day. I had just coaxed Jeanette to come out to the Carrot Day festival. You know, to try get her to mingle with the other mammals. Things didn't go bad until after Judy's stage play, which I didn't care for too much given how biased against preds. I had left Jeanette to go to the restroom with Travis. I guess some prey animals had ganged up on her when she was alone. I couldn't quite get a read on what happened exactly. She was in tears about it. Said they teased her for being one of the only foxes at the festival. Called her names. Said predators were supposed to eat prey."

Unconsciously, I reached for my mouth as if there were still a muzzle attached to it. I knew all too well just how cruel the world could be when you were outnumbered.

"That got me real angry. I didn't know who did it or how to comfort Jeanette. Poor girl hadn't done anything to anyone. The only thing I could think of was being a good older brother and try to take care of my little sister. So, I thought about winning her a prize from one of the games to cheer her up. It was stupid, but it was the only thing I could think of. Course, I wasn't any good at the games. So, I figured if prey were going to upset my sister, they could dang well afford to give me the tickets for a prize. I think Judy would know the rest."

It was interesting to hear the other side of the story.

From Judy's angle, she had been the hero who stood up to the bully, Gideon, as he was picking on a bunch of helpless mammals. Suddenly, the brave little rabbit was muddled in shades of grey. Things hadn't been so simple.

Not that Judy would have anyway of knowing the full story, of course.

"I take it you don't want to tell Judy everything?" I asked.

"Nah. Don't have the heart to. Like I said later to her, I was out of line and angry. As Jeanette and I got older, we learned to stop caring so much about what the other mammals thought. Jean got braver every year. Now she's getting her ears pierced and thinking about moving to Zootopia. Can you imagine? She still can't even speak to a new mammal without her knees buckling. Despite that though, she's gotten a lot stronger than the scared kit she once was. I asked her to keep quiet about that day around Judy. Bonnie knows to keep quiet about it too. But things got real different between me and Bon after I told her the full story and introduced her to Jeanette. I still don't think she fully approves of me yet. But she's been like a second mother around Jean."

"So, you're saying I need a tear-jerker to get on her good side."

Gideon laughed and finished sucking his thumb.

"If you have one, it certainly can't hurt to say it. My advice to you though, Mr. Wilde, is to be open and honest with Bonnie. She's a mammal, just like you or me, with her love spread out over all her children. It's like walking through a pumpkin patch, you gotta watch where you step or you're going to make a huge mess."

He paused.

"Alright. Bad analogy. Just tell her about you and where you're coming from. She'll understand."

I thought about what I could even say to Bonnie. There was only one thing that came to mind.

Judy hadn't become my friend until after I had told her all about my past with the scouts. If she was anything like her mother, and I was willing to bet she was, there was a chance the same story would work for Bonnie.

Plus, you know, being honest and open with her. Rare for a former con artist, I know.

"I might do that," I smiled at Gideon. "Thanks for the advice, Chief."

"Oh, and one more thing. The rabbits might not be able to smell you, but I could tell from the other side of the stall. You stink of fur-row-mones. You need a shower, Mr. Wilde."

I chuckled at his butchering of the word 'pheromones' but took his advice into consideration. I guess there was only so much Musk-Away could cover up. A shower would come as soon as I got back to the burrow.

"Mind if I take off?" I asked. "I want to approach Bonnie while I'm feeling brave and inspired."

"Good luck, Mr. Wilde."

He offered me his uninjured paw. It was nice to shake paws with someone my own size for a change.

"Thanks again. You're a good fox, Chief. I owe you a drink if this works."

And boy, did I hope it would work.

After asking directions to the pie eating contest, I stumbled around the faire a little bit, ignoring my stomach rumbling from the smell of greasy carnival food.

It wasn't hard to follow my nose when I detected more mouthwatering blueberry pie, which led me to a large tent off one of the side paths in the roundabout.

I opened the flap only to come face to face with Jeanette from earlier.

"Oh, hello again," I said, trying to ease my own nerves with some dumb humor. "We need to stop bumping into each other like this."

"Y-Yeah…"

She was carrying two trays of pies, the source of the tantalizing blueberry scent.

"I'm actually looking for Bonnie, now," I said. "I promise I'm not stalking you. Is she around?"

Jeanette looked to the back of the tent, where a particular grey rabbit was hopping to and fro, organizing the seats for the impending contest in a couple of days. I caught the plaid shirt and jeans of the dreaded mom bunny. As if sensing my gaze, Mrs. Hopps turned around.

Every instinct I had was screaming at me to run away in the other direction.

My ancestors would be laughing at me. A fox scared of a rabbit. But Bonnie's scowl was almost worse than Bogo's, and at least the chief had a sense of humor. She was like a stone wall of momliness. You don't mess with someone who's had almost three hundred children.

"Mr. Wilde," she spoke my name as if it was a curse word. "Something I can do for you?"

All the courage Gideon's story gave me faded in an instant. I began to wonder how the soft-spoken giant had ever managed to even get the first word in with Bonnie. I had to keep telling myself not to default to smarm and wit. That wasn't gonna save me.

"I, uh, I was hoping to speak to you after our talk last night."

"I thought I was quite clear where we stood, Mr. Wilde."

"You were."

"And yet you insist on this?"

I wanted nothing more than to shake Mrs. Hopps by the shoulder and scream at her "I'd never hurt your daughter." But that would probably only prove her point. She was warning me that she would not hold back this time.

I took a deep breath.

"Yes. I do."

"Jean, dear," Bonnie put on a sweet voice that I had never heard before. "Why don't you go pick up some more pies from your brother?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

I felt a passing sorrow for Jean, whom I had been sending from place to place. But the thought was quickly forgotten as I realized that, for the first time, it was just me and Bonnie.

"Well, Mr. Wilde. What did you want to discuss?"

Here we go...