Authors Note: Hey! So we're back and I do apologize for taking so long. Once again I had some health issues and life issues that interrupted both these chapters, but I still hope it's enjoyable never the less!
Chapter 12: Sweet Home, Sweet Burrow.
"Stu, are you sure this is gonna work?" Bonnie asked as she looked at her husband. They were both standing outside the train station and were currently waiting for the Weaselton-family. Stu gave her an assuring smile.
"Oh, c'mon dear you agreed to this idea as well. Besides, it's the least we can do for Judy" the middle-aged bunny replied and gave his wife a little kiss on the cheek, just when they spotted a large taxicab pull over. Stu's brows lifted at this. "Oh, I think it's them."
As the door opened, at least a dozen brownish figures climbed out of the cab and hurried up to the train station. Duke, who was the tallest, spotted the waving Stu and Bonnie a few meters away. Speaking a few words to his family and pointing at the married couple, the whole group then approached and stopped in front of them.
Duke himself looked kind of nervous and sort of flustered.
"H - Hey, nice to see you guys. Sorry that it took me a while, just had to get them all together and make sure we had the bare essentials with us." Duke explained.
"It's all fine Mr. Weaselton," Bonnie said softly, and then looked down at Duke's numerous siblings. "So, maybe you should introduce us?"
"Oh, r-r-right! I almost forgot!" Duke said, as he looked at his siblings "Okay, all get in line, c'mon now!"
After some scurrying and quite a bit of grumbling, all the siblings stood in a row as Duke cleared his throat and looked back at Stu and Bonnie, gesturing at the first weasel.
"Alright, this here is Franky," Duke murmured.
Franky looked like he was somewhere in his early twenties, wearing a cheap and chewed up business-suit. His fur was fairly kept, with the hair on his head combed back. He had a somewhat haggard appearance, with a pair of blue eyes that had noticeable dark circles under, and seemed to have a stressed disposition, as he made repeated attempts to light up a cigarette in his mouth with a tiny lighter. He gave the Hopps a casual wave as he finally managing to light his cigarette, getting a look of relief as he exhaled some smoke through his nostrils before giving Duke a venomous glare.
Duke didn't seem to notice this though and moved his gaze over to the next weasel, who was a girl who seemed to be roughly seventeen.
"And this is Evangeline," he said, as the girl gave the bunnies a sweet smile and made a small curtsy. She had long hair that was of a darker shade than her fur and was tied together in a ponytail. She was dressed in a dark blue jacket, a black skirt and a pair of reading glasses that rested on her muzzle and obscured a pair of green eyes, while her hands held what seemed to be a violin case.
"Greetings, it's nice to meet you both," she greeted the Hopps, who both liked her instantly.
Smiling at her, Duke's eyes then traveled over to another girl. This weasel looked like she was about sixteen, and her overall appearance practically screaming "typical teenager", as she wearing gray hoodie with the hood lifted up, was busy texting someone at a rapid pace, and her jaw moving back and forth as she chewed what Stu assumed was gum.
"This is Doris… Who I, guessing by the fact that she hasn't torn her eyes away from her phone all day, doesn't even know she has left her room."
Doris paused from her texting to stick her tongue out at her older brother, before returning to her phone and not even bothering to lift her head as she gave Stu and Bonnie a little wave.
"And this is-" Duke said as he turned to face the next sibling, but before he could continue, this weasel, which was a boy, quickly shot out a hand and grabbed a surprised Stu's hand and shook rapidly.
"Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit! Pleasure to meet ya, thanks for taking us in!" He said in an upbeat and energetic voice. The boy, which seemed to be at least fifteen, was pretty much a mini version of Duke, down to his clothing style and facial features. As he was done shaking Stu's paw, he then moved over to Bonnie and did the same, talking non-stop as he did. "The name's Corey, but people just call me Mouth or Would-you-please-shut-up, feel free to choose whichever. I gotta tell ya, here I thought were have to change our names and addresses and stuff. Heck, I recall one time we had to pretend to be Asians to - mhhp!" He was suddenly silenced as Doris grabbed him around the mouth and pulled him back, still texting with her free hand.
Giving off a frustrated sigh, Duke gave Doris an appreciative nod and then pointed at two twelve-year-olds, who were busy having an argument about something as they seemed to be having a tug of war with a thick comic-book.
"And those two little hell-raisers are the twins, Jake and Lily," he muttered and then glanced at the two remaining ones in the lineup.
"And those two are Mike and Lucy and… Where's Tim?" Duke asked, looking around for someone.
"Probably hiding in the car," Lucy replied, her words somewhat slurred because a big, glittering pair of braces that covered her teeth. Her hair was done in a pair of pigtails, while her clothes were composed of a somewhat torn up T-shirt and a pair of simple jeans-shorts with crossed braces. This, plus a big plaster on her nose, gave an impression of a tomboy-like nature.
"Naaaah, he's standing behind Eva," Mike added, being around six years old and wearing possibly one of the strangest mixes of colorful clothes that the Hopps had ever seen on a child, with an over-sized t-shirt, an adult sweater with its sleeves tied around his shoulders like a cape, a couple of sweatpants, a headband wit a lighting-bolt and a striped sock on his right hand. Even his hair, which was spiky and bleached in blonde and green, added to his odd appearance.
Hearing this, Evangeline's brows rose and she looked over her shoulder. Sighing, she stepped aside, showing a very small and meek-looking weasel with a green, knitted sweater that was way too big for him, with the sleeves going past his hands the collar of covering the lower half of his face like a scarf. He looked like he was just nine years old, and seemed to tremble a little as he gave Bonnie and Stu a faint wave before quickly moving behind Evangeline again.
"That would be Tim. He's… A little timid around strangers," Duke said while rubbing the back of his head.
Bonnie chuckled softly, as she couldn't help finding the shy little weasel adorable. She stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Oh little one, there's no need to be shy, me and Stu won't hurt you." She said as Tim peeked out from behind Evangeline. He looked at her with a pair of big and insecure eyes, before giving a little nod and taking Bonnie's hand and shaking it carefully, before slowly stepping out fully. Bonnie detected a little smile creeping up his underneath the collar of his shirt.
The train-ride was peaceful, if one didn't count Jake and Lily's continuous fighting and Corey's constant talking, which didn't just extend to his family and the Hopps but also random passengers, some of which probably most likely considered jumping out of the speeding train as they suffered through his endless barrage of bad jokes. But, before anyone had given in to the impulse of throttling the chatty 15-year old, the train reached its destination.
After having being driven by Bonnie's sister July (a heavy little rabbit who repeatedly threw nervous glances in the rearview mirror to keep an eye on the unfamiliar weasels), the middle-aged bunnies and the family of weasels walked up towards the farm. As they reached the Hopps family building, which resembled a pink barn that had been built inside a large hill, the younger weasels became increasingly eager, save for Tim who was walking beside Evangeline and looking down while holding her hand, and Doris who was still texting. Taking a deep breath of the fresh country air, Evangeline then exhaled softly and smiled.
"Well, this looks very nice, can't remember the last time we were in the country~" She murmured.
"Last year, when we nearly got buried in that mine in Mexico," Franky muttered while pulling out a fresh cigarette, his ninth since the trip started. "Or how about that one time in Nantucket-"
"That's enough, Franky." Evangeline quickly silenced her brother, while Duke gave Franky an angry look. As Stu and Bonnie looked at each other, Evangeline leaned and talked to them in an apologetic tone. "Don't mind him, he's just joking."
"Well, um, alright then, how about we go and introduce you to the others and help you settle in?" Stu suggested as Evangeline nodded.
"That sounds great, c'mon everyone~" Evangeline said and the kids quickly ran towards the farm at Mach five speed (again, except for Tim).
"Yeah, you do that sis, I need to have a little talk with Franky," Duke muttered, as Evangeline nodded and went ahead with the rest of her siblings.
Raising his eyebrow and lighting his latest cigarette, Franky turned and gave his brother a feigned look of interest.
"Alright, what do you want?" Franky asked as he blew out a ring of smoke.
"Yeah, I'd like to know what your fucking problem is," Duke said as he crossed his arms. "You've done nothing but complain and act like a whiny little bitch these last few hours. I mean, I'm used to it by now, but these people you ain't got no beef with. Would it kill ya to be nice to them?"
"You're asking me what my problem is? Well, golly Gee older brother lemme think about it… Oh, could it be…? YOU!" Franky suddenly yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Duke, who twitched and took a step back. "IT'S ALWAYS YOU! WE'RE BACK IN THE ASS OF A PROBLEM AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOUR BULLSHIT! SO DON'T TELL ME WHO I SHOULD BE NICE TO OR NOT!"
"H-Hey, don't say that! I brought you out here for your own safety. I did it all for you guys!" Duke exclaimed.
"Like hell you did! If you did anything for us, you wouldn't have gotten yourself involved in the first place! You did it for yourself because ya know once we get our shit together, we'll leave your sorry butt behind!" Franky said, as he stepped forward and poked Duke in the chest. "I was this close Duke, this fucking close to land a job with pay at the firm, but now the position'll go to someone else because of your illegal bullshit, and I'll have to stay in that filthy house with these rags and eat whatever you've probably picked out of someone's garbage can!"
Franky threw the cigarette at Duke, making his brother stare at him with a hurt expression on his face.
"Oh really?" He said in an unsteady voice, almost like he was about to cry. "I guess I'll have to remind that you wouldn't have even gotten a foot inside that firm if I hadn't risked life and limb in the gutter, scrounging up the necessary money to pay for your courses and that lousy suit…!"
Franky looked like he was about to give Duke another angry retort, but was cut off as his brother.
"You think you're better than I am, but I'll have you know that you picked your way and I picked mine, and unlike you, I had no choice in the matter," Duke continued, his voice getting an increasing edge by the second. He clenched his fists and glared at Franky, and it was now the younger weasel's turn to take a step back. "And guess what, my way is harder than yours! I might not be able to give ya guys the Ritz, but I'll let you know that even though I've dragged you all over the place, I still kept you out of danger! You didn't see what I've had to see, you didn't do the things I've had to do, and I'm especially glad you didn't Franky-boy because I know you wouldn't be able to handle it, cause you're too much of a coward!"
Having finished that sentence, Duke then received a slap from Franky, who with a pair of bitter eyes then turned around and made his way towards the farm, leaving Duke standing there with a stunned expression.
As Franky stepped inside the house, Evangeline, who gave him a disapproving look, met him in the hall.
"Don't start with me Ev, I'm too goddamn tired," he muttered and hurried past her.
A few moments later, Duke came in as well. He didn't say anything, mostly staring at the floor. He looked at his sister briefly, and then moved on, giving off a sad little sigh.
As three days passed, the Weaseltons began to truly settle in the Hopps household. Stu and Bonnie had explained to the family members that lived in their house (which included their parents, grandparents, their many children and even their more plentiful grandchildren) that the weasels were in hiding for the sake of one of Judy's cases. To his great gratitude, though, they left out the exact details of Duke's involvement.
Initially, not every member of the Hopps family was friendly to them, several of the older ones being highly suspicious and other seeming downright terrified of them.
Still, there were plenty of Hoppses who displayed the same kind of warmth hospitality that Stu and Bonnie had, so overall, it wasn't that bad.
Evangeline and Tim had volunteered to help around the house with everyday tasks, such as cooking and washing the dishes, which almost seemed like an industry of its own given the sheer size of it. Duke, who had always figured that it was hard with just nine siblings, had been blown away by the fact that Bonnie and Stu had at least 260 children and still counting.
He was especially glad to see that Tim had quickly formed a connection with Mrs. Hopps, who seemed to enjoy the extra help and the company of him and his sister. He still didn't talk very much but had at least stopped hiding behind people when seeing a new face, which was a big step in the right direction.
Evangeline had fit in pretty well too, which didn't surprise Duke given her nice manners and charm. She had even gotten a loyal little following of young rabbits that enjoyed listening to her whenever she practiced the violin.
Corey and Lucy had also turned out to be helpful, as they were out most of the day with Stu and some of his older sons, taking part in the heavy farm work. While Corey's mouth and it's ever-flowing content had been a bit grating at first, he did find common ground with Mr. Hopps, as they both enjoyed a plethora of bad jokes… To everyone else's great horror. Fortunately enough, Lucy did manage to keep them productive by once in a while effectively stating that if they didn't stop joking and get back to work, she would force-feed them with manure.
The Weaseltons who didn't feel quite as at home as the rest would be Franky and Doris. Franky hadn't talked with Duke since their argument, and Doris was pretty much being… Doris. She was a city girl pure and bred, so hard labor wasn't her kind of cookie, plus she missed fighting with her lousy boyfriend face to face, so she had pretty much resorted to doing so completely over the phone.
Duke himself was currently sitting on the porch of the main building, pouring himself a glass of chilled carrot juice as he stared off in the distance, watching Jake, Lily, and Mike play baseball with some bunnies that were around their own ages. This brought a faint smile on weasel's face as he took a sip from his glass, before instantly spitting it out.
"How do bunnies drink this stuff?!" He muttered under his breath, wiping his mouth with his arm.
"On the plus-side D, it must be healthier than that cheap beer you usually drink," Evangeline said as she came out and sat next to Duke. She was now wearing a pair of overalls, which she had borrowed from a bunny named Lucy, who was a younger cousin of officer Hopps.
"Healthier, but not as good," Duke muttered. Evangeline rolled her eyes and looked ahead at the baseball game as Jake hit the ball with the bat, and Mike began to run around the bases, kicking up a large cloud of dust as he went.
"… Franky is downtown applying for a job," Evangeline then said out of the blue. Duke's brows rose and he turned to look at his sister with interest.
"Is he now?"
"Yeah, apparently some local baking business needs an extra pair of hands."
Duke's brows rose even higher, and his mouth twisted into a scared grimace. Franky was infamously bad at any form of cooking.
"He's gonna bake?!" He asked, making Evangeline laugh.
"Good heavens no, he's applying for stockboy! The guy who owns it does business with the Hopps, so Mrs. Hopps quickly recommended him."
Duke exhaled in relief and gave a nod, before taking another sip of the revolting juice and sighing a little.
"Well, they should be happy to have him. He's a hard worker, that's for sure… Evie, do ya think Franky is right about me? Being a screw-up and all?"
"Oh no Duke, you're not a screw-up… I mean you do screw up occasionally, but it's not like you're doing it for a bad reason… Should I remind you how many times you risked your neck us?" She asked, smiling at him in an assuring manner. "And I don't think he really meant it, he's just sour because of the internship… You know, he doesn't want you to be the only one who provides for us."
"I suppose I can understand that…! But he could've been less of a dick about it."
"Heh, you know being nice isn't Franky's forte," Evangeline said, smiling to Duke who chuckled a little bit.
Some time later, after the baseball game, Jake and Lilly were playing with some of the bunny kids, teaching them the basics of poker on the outskirts of the farm.
The two knew this game well because there had been several occasions when their big brother Duke, lacking a proper babysitter to watch over them, had brought them with him for several games with his friends and business associates. During these games, they had come to understand the uses of reading your opponent, bluffing, properly understanding odds, and first and foremost, cheating without getting caught. While two didn't particularly care for the scary and rough-looking people that Duke played against, they did enjoy whenever their brother made a big win and would then go and treat them to cones of ice-cream at their favorite candy store.
Lily grinned, as she placed her cards on the surface on the big stump that they used as a table, and displayed another winning hand, making the bunnies around her groan and slap their cards, while the girl took their collective allowances and collection of gum for herself.
"See," Jake said in an educational tone and pointed at his sister. "There's the value of reading your opponents, the clearer the emotion, the easier they are to read. You guys, for instance, you wear all of your emotions in your ears; low ears means bad hand, standing up means good hand, which is why Lily wins so much. If you can learn to mask that, you've accomplished a proper poker-face."
This little educational episode was however played short, as the group suddenly heard a hard whistle. Turning their heads, they could see a trio composed of a pig and two wolfs around the ages of twelve and thirteen who looked at them over the wooden fence that surrounded the Hopps farm.
"Can we help you?" Lilly asked and tilted her head.
"Yeah, you can start by giving us all of that cash and candy you won from those bunnies." The pig said as he and the two wolves climbed over the fence and got near to the kids. Hopps-children's ears began to droop as looked at the trio in fear and began to back away from the stump. The pig flashed an unkind grin and then continued to talk. "Usually they give it to me, but since you won that, it means that you're the one who's gonna give it me."
"What are you? The sheriff of Notting-HAM?" Lily asked and poked the pig in his stomach. This comment earned a few chuckles and giggles from the bunnies; even the corners of the mouths of the wolves twitched at the wisecrack. The pig's ears grew red and his eyes squinted into dangerous black slits.
"What if we don't?" Jake asked and stood up, defiantly crossing his arms.
"Well, we're gonna beat the snot out of you and take it by force if you don't!" The pig said and moved towards Lily. He was at least twice her size, and the wolves were no midgets either as drew closer. Jake went over to his sister's side, but he too looked very small and pathetic when facing the three bullies.
"Like Hell you will!" A threatening growl was suddenly heard. Turning their heads, the group could see that Lucy had appeared out of nowhere, her overalls covered with dirt and her teeth bare. "Touch my brother and sister and I'll bite your head off!"
Looking at her with stunned expressions, the trio then began to laugh loudly, making Lucy roll her eyes before making her way towards the laughing pig and deliver a swift kicked in his shin. The pig stopped laughing, gave off a pained scream and then held his leg. As he bent over, the weasel gave him a hard push that made the hefty mammal fall down on his back.
The wolves, who were too surprised to do anything, watched in horror as the female weasel stepped onto their leader's chest, knelt down and pointed a claw at his nose.
"This is me being NICE buster! So unless you want your big fat oinker punched in, I suggest you get off your bacon, take your company of wolves, and PISS OFF before I feel like getting MEAN!" She said and stepped off the kid, who immediately got up, breathed furiously through his nostrils and began to back off.
"This isn't over!" He said, as he and his flunkies jumped over the fence and soon disappeared out of sight.
Lucy meanwhile adjusted her clothes, rubbing off some of the dirt they had collected from pulling carrots out of the field all day. She then looked at Lilly and Jake with a grin and extended her paw.
Looking at each other with a pair dreading eyes, the twins then began to put a section of their collected winnings in their sister's open palm. The Hopps-children looked at this in confusion, as they had no idea that this was their routine since early school days, with their sister getting a cut of their earnings as protection money.
Stu sighed softly, having just returned from the fields. He had dirt on his hands and knees, his neck felt hot and he was dying for a cup of coffee. Seeing his wife in the kitchen as she was cleaning a couple of pie dishes, he smiled at her and turned on a free tap at the broad sink in order to wash his paws.
"Well, it would seem like our guests are getting along pretty well." He said.
"Tell me about it, little Timmy and Evangeline has been a great help all day… You know, they're not bad people, just very unfortunate in a way." Bonnie murmured softly, with Stu nodding in agreement. "Poor Duke, having to raise his family all by himself… I mean we have a big family too, but we've always had each other. That man could really use a good woman."
"Don't we all?" Stu said while giving Bonnie a loving look and wiping his paws with a kitchen towel.
Just then the phone began to ring. Blinking, Stu went and answered it. "Yes, this is Stu Hopps speaking…?"
Listening to whoever was talking and nodding a few times, Stu's carefree face started to go pale and ears began to drop. Then, all of a sudden, he dropped the phone and looked at his wife with an expression that made her realize in an instant that something was wrong.
"Stu, what's the matter? Who was that?"
Stu began to answer her with a shaky voice.
"That was the ZPD… J-J-J-Judy's g-gone…"