I guess there was some confusion over the backdrop of this story. I suppose I forgot to clarify that this story is not necessarily contiguous with Something Stinks, meaning that how things stand here may or may not reflect the ending of my other story. That said, I'll be taking feedback on this story into account when I continue with Something Stinks in 2017. Call it an experiment.

Speaking of things that need clearing up, you'll need to know that in my own headcanon, polymorphs are the Zootopia world's answer to werewolves, and are basically like the shapeshifters of Native American legend. Some are evil, some just mischievous, and some are even good.

Speaking of things that change, I've decided I'll appease a request I keep getting from certain readers (I'm looking at you, Anglo and Cimar), Wilde will kiss Hopps in this chapter. Just don't blink, or you'll miss it. I would also like to thank them both for their feedback and inspiring collaboration.

Also, please check out my other Christmas bit: chapter four of "What's Love Anyway?" It could use some attention.

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heaveny host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward me.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Linus, A Charlie Brown Christmas

Nick found a secluded back pantry and sat there – not exactly sulking, but just... waiting. His mood was best described as a 'shrugging' mood; not depressed, but resigned. Part of him knew he wasn't being rational. Judy would be upset, and he supposed her parents would be too. If he was going to make anyone happy, it would be the ones who wanted him gone because he was a fox.

He stayed put anyway. Guess I should have gone to the party with Taelia, he thought. Her whole family had seemed to like him when he had Thanksgiving dinner with them the previous month – especially her niece, Rose, who had already made so bold as to ask if Taelia planned to "keep this one." With them, he had nothing to prove.

At least Judy tried, he thought to himself. He had to give her credit for that. At least she, Alex, and their parents proved that rabbits could tolerate and even enjoy having a fox in their midst. Maybe one day the other three hundred or so would catch up.

Under better circumstances, Judy might have noticed Nick's departure sooner. After his disappearing act the day she found out he was a hustler, she'd learned to keep an eye or an ear trained on him whenever he was around. This time, however, it was her father who noticed the fox's absence.

"Jordy, you apologize right now to... oh, cheese and crackers, where'd he go?"

Judy looked around. So did Bonnie. No sign of Nick.

"Okay, now you did it," snapped Judy.

"Well, I guess the apology will have to wait," Stu said, taking Jordy firmly by the paw. "But the paint stick should be right where it always is."

Jordy winced. In the Hopps house, any misdeed incurred a telling-off and giving an apology. Pranking a visitor was punishable by a half-hour of menial labor. Physical attacks rated ten whacks on the bottom with a paint stirrer (twenty if injury resulted). Under the circumstances, he was looking at all of the above – and while a few minutes ago he had thought of it as chasing off a creep trying to mess with his sister, now he wasn't so confident.

Bonnie put a paw on her husband's arm. "I think we'd better focus on finding Nick. One of us can explain to Jordy why he was wrong while we look."

There was a brief discussion, but though the Hopps parents weren't fond of delegating disciplinary action to their young, it wasn't hard to see that Judy was the best qualified in this instance.

"Alright," she said, hauling her brother off. "Let me start with telling you exactly who you tased."

For a good half-hour or so, they searched and Judy lectured. Without getting into specifics, she told Jordy the highlights of Nick's rougher background; the distrust as a youngster, the flling-out with those who had trusted him before, the confidence issues, and especially her own personal failure on the matter at the press conference. She also outlined everything he'd done since then: helping her, saving her life more than once, trying to become a police officer... she pulled no punches.

"That was part of why I insisted – and let me repeat, I insisted – on his coming here this time," she went on. "I wanted everyone here to see what a good friend he was, and I wanted him to see that he'd be accepted." Looking hard at her younger brother, she added, "Isn't that kind of the point of Christmas – opening doors to people we may not even like?"

It was becoming pretty clear by the look on Jordy's face that he got the picture. He wasn't crying (as far as Judy knew he hadn't been seen to spring a tear since he was three), but he was looking at the floor and his ears were hanging low.

"I'm... I'm sorry," he said haltingly. "I didn't know."

As irate as she was on her friend's behalf, Judy deflated just a little. If there was one thing she had learned from her parents, it was that discipline was always more effective when the one being punished knew they had earned it. She had the feeling her work was done – at least on Jordy's account. "Well, help me find Nick, and we'll call it even – at least for me."

Nick had left the door ajar, knowing that one should never shut themselves up in a closet. So it only creaked a little when one head poked in, then vanished before he could get a good look. He wondered if it was Judy, and considered getting up. Before he did so, though, someone else walked in.

Jordy.

"Are you... okay?" asked the kit.

Nick looked away. "Did you bring the fox taser?"

Jordy backed away a step or two. His ears were down, and he dropped his gaze toward the floor. "I'm... I'm sorry about that."

There was something in his tone that gave Nick pause. "Are you saying that because you are, or because it's Christmas Eve?"

"Well, Judy told me some things – about you, and... well, she said it better. Anyway, I was stupid, and mean, and... I'm sorry.

Nick tried to process this. It sounded like Judy had been discreet, keeping everything about him on a need-to-know basis, but told her brother enough to prod his conscience.

"I thought you were messing with Judy, and I didn't like it. Dad says we've got to look out for each other, but, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings – and your arm too. Will you come out now? Judy's got everyone looking for you, and..."

"Okay, you talked me into it," Nick chuckled, getting up.

Judy was thrilled to see Nick, and the Hopps parents were – of course – overflowing with apologies.

"As for you," Stu added firmly to Jordy, "I think we have a few things to take care of."

Nick cringed a little on the young buck's behalf. He opened his mouth to say something on his behalf. Judy hip-checked him and shook her head just a little.

Jordy seemed to be thinking along similar lines. "Does it help that Nick and I are friends now?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Rules are rules," she reminded. "We start relaxing them and then it's nothing but work, work, work."

"Well," said Bonnie with a glance at her husband, "before anything else goes wrong, I think it's time we pulled out the ultimatum."

"Ultimatum?" echoed Nick.

Stu nodded. "You'll like this," he whispered, pulling out something that looked like a pager. Keying the device, he said, "Attention. This is Dad speaking." His voice was carried throughout the house via a system of speakers. "Yes, Judy has brought a fox to visit. Yes, he is invited, no, he is not her boyfriend..."

You didn't have to ound so relieved on that last part, thought Nick.

"... and he's been the target of more than his share of stunts for one day – so if anyone gives him any more trouble, we will be spending New Year's off the grid."

A wail of protest rose up all over the house.

Stu put away the device. "That should do it."

Nick was puzzled. "Off the grid?" he echoed.

Judy smirked. "Mom and Dad can have our TV and internet disconnected pretty much anytime they want."

"One of the perks of having a brother who works for the cable company," Bonnie added.

The fox winced. "And they say bunnies can't go savage."

Fortunately, the ultimatum worked like a charm. Everyone was extra nice to Nick, and for an hour or two things went just as one would think. Then Jordy tracked them down, this time dressed in a black and red snowsuit (and, Nick noticed, not so much worse for the wear).

"Hey, Nick? Is it true you're an artist?"

Nick raised an eyebrow at this. "An artist?" he queried.

Judy coughed. "Oh, uh, I sort of bragged on you ahead of time. You know..."

The fox answered with a half-annoyed, half-bored look.

Jordy persisted, missing Judy's hemming and hawing. "Yeah, word is you're the best – and we've got this snow rabbit out front we've been having some trouble with..."

Judy tried to stop him with a cough. "Uh, Jordy, snow's not really Nick's medium, and he-"

"Nonsense," Nick argued, seeing a prime opportunity to turn this to his advantage. "I'd love to lend a paw. Just let me get my coat. Coming, Carrots?"

The sculpture in question stood out by the snow castle, and Jordy had been right – they were having trouble. The head was off-center, and the ears wouldn't stay on. The biggest problem, though, were the two groups of kits – about half a dozen each – arguing over what to do about the offending extensions. One side wanted to keep trying for floppy ears, while the other was saying they should just have the ears standing upright.

"Hey, hey," Judy broke in, waving her paws as if to part the squabbling crowd. "Aren't we supposed to be having fun out here?"

While Judy did her best to quell the fuss, Nick calmly walked around the sculpture. It was about Judy's height with carefully sculpted, folded arms. "So you guys want the ears to hang down?"

"If we could manage it, sure," one of the older does in the bunch agreed, "but it won't work. We've been trying for hours."

Nick smiled. "I'll bet you a mug of peppermint hot chocolate that it'll work – and I can make this so life-like people will think there's a real rabbit standing out here."

She folded her arms, then waved one paw doubtfully. "Have at it."

"O-kay," Nick grinned, rubbing his paws. He pointed to one of the kits who had been arguing for floppy ears. "I need you to get me a couple of sticks the same shape as you want the ears." As the youngster ran off, he addressed the rest of the group. "Then I'll need some broom bristles – black if you have 'em – plus a spray bottle with water, red food dye, a few plastic bags, and some black powder."

"We're gonna use explosives?!" asked Jordy ecstatically.

Nick laughed. "Ha ha, no. Judy made me promise not to before we came here."

"I did not!" Judy argued. Then, putting a paw to her chin, she added, "but maybe I should have."

The fox just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I mean just what I said: black powder. Powder that's black. Something out of a vaccum cleaner, or..."

"Ashes?" asked someone. "Mom and Dad keep all the wood ashes for fertilizer."

"Perfect. Bring me that, a clean piece of pipe, and a root beer, and we'll have this bunny done in no time."

The whole pack scattered in all directions on their impromptu scavenger hunt. Judy watced them go, shaking her head. "This," she declared, "I have to see."

She turned around to find Nick scratching the sculpture like there was no tomorrow.

After Judy got over her initial dismay, it turned out there was a perfectly logical reason for the fox's actions. Short, rapid, strategically placed strokes quickly covered the rabbit's body with a surprisingly realistic furry texture. Based on his rather vague answers to Judy's questions, it seemed probable that he had once worked with (or maybe dated) an art forger. "She's in a different line of work these days," he added, "but she still takes requests."

Judy smiled. She had made it a point to keep on his back about training for the academy, but he had still managed to convince several of his former 'associates' to re-think their lives. The more dangerous ones – who might try to re-think his life instead – had become a pet project of hers. Officially Bogo wasn't sure how she kept bringing in so many hardened crooks. Unofficially, he was warming to the idea of Nick as a cop – which was as much as to say he was no longer dismissing it as lunacy every hour on the hour.

Come on, Judy, she told herself. Take a day off from thinking about police work for a change.

By the time the kits with the sticks returned, the rabbit was already looking considerably more life-like. "But it still doesn't take care of the ears," a girl said.

"Ah-ha, that's where these come in," Nick replied, taking the sticks. He examined them, sighted along them as if he were checking a pair of arrow shafts, rubbed them with his thumbs, and then stood back and examined the sculpture like an artist – first next to a raised thumb, then with his fingers forming a frame.

"Well?" someone asked.

Nick turned to them with an air of great solemnity. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Now, who wants to put them in?"

A sea of paws shot up.

Once the items were assembled, Judy began to see some logic to Nick's method. The sticks, of course, provided support for the ears and allowed them to stay put. They were actually a little shorter than would have been ideal, but when the ears were finished their shortness gave them a touch of added charm.

"They look like Mom's ears," said Marcie, who with the sisters Six had taken a break from terrorizing hapless victims to see what the fuss was about.

Judy stuied the effect. "I think you're right," she agreed with a laugh.

Nick mixed the water and food dye to achieve a solution which, when sprayed on the snow, turned it a lovely shade of pink. With several kits holding up the plastic bags (to keep the color's edges true, like masking tape when painting a wall), he colored the nose, coat, and the insides of the ears.

Then came the tricky part. Forming a totem pole, Nick and Jordy blew the dust onto the sculpture. That is, Jordy blew while Nick held up wood ashes by the pawful and coached him. "Easy, easy; not too much. Nice and slow, smooth sweeps to get the shading just right..."

When it was finished, everyone stood back to admire the result. True, the eyes were broken-off knobs from pot lids, and the color was off in one or two places, but from the road it looked exactly as if someone were standing out there watching cars go past.

"What about the root beer?" someone asked. "What's that for?"

Nick smiled, picking up the drink and taking a sip. "Nothing. I just like root beer."

Groans and indulgent chuckles rose up all around.

"So," asked Jordy, "Judy said you're training to be a cop?"

Nick shrugged. "Yeah, you might say that. She can be pretty persuasive sometimes." He shined his claws on his coat. "Hate to brag..."

"You?" snorted Judy.

"Ha ha. Anyway, I've already helped her on a couple of cases."

Jordy glanced at the others. By the way one or two of them were rolling their eyes, they knew what was coming. Jordy decided he didn't care. If Nick was willing to let go of the taser thing, he had to be cool about this. "Anything involving polymorphs?"

Nick scrunched his face. "Polymorphs?"

"Yeah. I was watching this show where these police were after a serial killer, and it turned out the guy they thought was the killer was actually the next victim, and the serial killer was this lady who-"

"Hold it, hold it," Judy broke in. She stared at her brother like he'd grown a third ear. "Mom and Dad let you watch that?"

Jordy clasped his paws behind his back. "Well, before they knew I was watching it they let me watch it."

Judy rolled her eyes. "How did I get such a neurotic brother?"

Nick chuckled. "Well, with this many in the gene pool, you couldn't be the only one."

She stepped on his tail, driving it into the snow.

Nick just shook his head. "Okay, first off, you are a sore loser. Second, you need a harder surface for that to work. Now, where were we?"

"Polymorphs."

A doe only a little younger than Judy, who had pulled the short straw to maintain some semblance of order out by the castle, shook her head. "Jordy, I keep telling you those are made up."

Nick smirked, seeing a chance for some fun. "Are they?" he asked. "How do you know I'm not one?"

Jordy rolled his eyes. "How dumb do I look? You haven't tried to kill anyone."

Judy decided to play along. "No, but not all polymorphs are bad. Just look at Santa Claws." In Zootopia, it was generally accepted that althought he historic Saint Nick had been a badger, Santa could change his shape anytime he wanted to fit with different species' homes and neighborhoods.

Everyone said that Nick's story was silly, but a lot of them were looking at him pretty strangely as if even the older ones half-believed it.

Evidently someone in the snow castle – which was to Nick's back at the moment – didn't buy it enough to fear landing on the Naughty list. "Heads up!"

Nick ducked, anticipating a frigid spheroid. The thrower, however, had been one step ahead of him; an oversized snowball took him smack in the rear, caught him off-balance, and knocked him headfirst into the snow.

Judy was outraged. So was the doe in charge. "That did it. Who did that?!"

Nick, plastered with powder, pulled himself out of the snow. He shook hs head, sputtered, and then said in a low, threatening voice, "I am warning you..."

Everyone stepped back a little, and several faces poking from the snow castle hastily vanished.

Grinning, Nick rose up with an extra-large of his own. "You're messing with an old pro."

There was a great deal of shaking and stoming and general snow removal an hour or so later as a posse of rabbits – and one fox – trooped back into the Hopps' home. Anyone watching would never have guessed that Nick and Jordy had so recently been so at odds with one another from the way the two of them got along now. Judy watched from a short distanc, thinking it was too bad Taelia wasn't there. The two of them had enjoyed a number of girls' nights out, and by now she knew the vixen well enough to be confident in thinking, She'd give her right arm to see this.

"Well, it's about time," Bonnie remarked, rushing to get everyone dry. "Come on; it's almost time for the Christmas Eve service."

"Oh, right!" Judy had been so busy getting caught up in everything else that she'd lost track of time.

"Christmas Eve service?" echoed Nick.

"At church," Judy explained. "You know; songs, a skit, the usual." Inside she was wondering how it would be managed. She had talked Nick and even Taelia into tagging along to a Christmas service/party the previous week at a church she'd begun attending in the city, but the one in Bunnyburrow... well, as Jordy had proven earlier, it only took one bad wheel to upset the whole apple cart.

Nick apparently was thinking the same thing. "Uh, how are they with foxes?"

Judy bit her lip. "Well, Nick's pretty tired. Maybe he can just stay here?"

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "One crowd of unfamiliar faces is good enough for me."

"You're not coming?" asked Jordy, looking disappointed.

"Just as well," an older member of the Hopps brood remarked. "Between the two of you, you'd probably start a Christmas cookie fight."

Jordy was about to loudly object, but then rememberd what had happened when he'd been allowed to sit with his friends at the previous year's Christmas Eve event. "We might not," he finished rather lamely.

"Anyway," Bonnie went on, "I don't see why not. Stu would be glad for the company, I'm sure."

"Dad's not going?" Judy could hardly believe her ears. If there was one part of Christmas Stu loved, it was the pageant and carols (even though he himself was hopelessly off-key in every number).

"Didn't I tell you? Violet's in bed with the flu..."

"Oh yeah, and Dad drew the short straw." Judy's ears drooped, but then she brightened a little. "Well, what if I stayed with Nick? I can make sure Violet gets her medicine."

Bonnie looked a little uncertain. "Well..."

"I'm up to date on my shots," Judy pressed. The ZPD covered all vaccinations as part of their benefits package. "And I've done it before lots of times. Besides, after all the excitement today, I could use a little down time." When her mother still hesitated, she folded her arms. "Look, the whole thing about Nick and me dating was a joke. Nothing's going to happen while you're out. I promise."

Bonnie nodded. "Well, if your father's okay with it then so am I. Just make sure she takes her medicine at 7, okay? And don't forget..."

Judy lifted a fist with one raised thumb. "Don't worry, Mom. I've been down this road, remember?"

Bonnie smiled. "Of course, dear."

"And I'll be back early to get Nick to the train station," promised Alex.

It wasn't long before, apart from one fluish sister on the third floor, Judy and Nick had the whole house to themselves – starting with the movie room, which had been arrayed with everything from sofas to camping mattresses and beanbag chairs. A very large screen and projector had been set up, and although the room was smaller than a good many others in the house, it still felt plenty roomy.

"So, what now?" asked Nick. "It's a couple of hours to medicine time."

Judy strolled to a DVD cabinet in the corner. "Well, it's Christmas Eve, and in this house you can't have Christmas Eve without... ah, here it is." She emerged with a box. "We missed it before during the fox hunt."

"Har har," Nick laughed sarcastically, coming over to examine Judy's selection. "'It's a Wonderful Life?'"

"Starring Jimmy Stewhare," Judy affirmed. "Ever seen it?"

Nick shook his head, frowning skeptically. "No, but isn't that the one where a dead guy convinces a living guy not to kill himself?"

Judy shook her head, trying to think if she had ever heard anyone give a worse summary of any movie. She couldn't think of one. "Okay, first of all, angels are not dead guys. Second, you are so badly oversimplifying it. It's a great movie." Catching his eyeroll, she added, "I'll bet you a favor you'll be crying by the end."

She sounded pretty confident, but Nick remembered the last time she had agreed to owe him a favor. "Play away," he said, sinking into a couch. If all else failed, he could use the old trick of keeping his eyes wide open so they wouldn't get tearey.

It failed. Spectacularly.

"Kleenex?"

"Please."

Judy sat patiently as Nick dabbed his eyes. Fortunately for her, his own blurred vision prevented him from noticing that her saffron spheres bore some redness of their own.

"Hey, uh, Carrots? I know I owe you a favor now, but would you mind not mentioning...?"

Despite her lack of composure, the bunny managed to fake thinking it over. "Well, I dunno. Taelia would probably..."

Nick looked ill. "Please..."

"But she'd like it. Girls like it when guys cry at movies; it's cute."

"I don't want to be cute," Nick pleaded. His dismay was only amplified by the lingering tears from the movie.

Judy decided she had tortured him enough. "Eh, it's Christmas. Deal."

The moment was rather spoild by Judy's phone buzzing. "Oh, and it's also time for Violet's medicine."

Nick finished rubbing his eyes. "You need any help?"

Judy shook her head. "No, I think I can handle my little sister – especially when she's bedridden with the flu. Why don't you call Taelia and wish her a Merry Christmas? She's probably bored silly without you around to roll her eyes at."

He gave a sarcastic laugh – but, with nothing better to do, he took out his phone and punched in Taelia's number.

Christmas songs, familiar and slow, played through the speakers of an old-model car as Taelia rode back to her parents' house with her parents. She, together with her brother, his wife, and their daughter, had gone the Christmas Eve service at their old church (only the grandparents still went there regularly, due to distance). It had been nice to see old friends – and nicer still that, in a more public setting, she'd been spared the odd teasing from her brother and sister-in-law over the mistletoe. Her purchase of the plants had been something of a dare, and as fond as she was of Nick, she wanted to bide her time. Considering her brother and sister-in-law had married within a yar of their first date, there was obviously a bit of a gap between their way of thinking and hers.

Maybe I should have told them the whole story about the incident with Derek, she thought to herself. She didn't like to recall the details herself, but that breakup had been enough to teach her that dating someone also meant dating their relatives and friends – and while she had no reason to doubt her standing with Nick's mom, she wanted just a little more certainty on that front before she pushed for any milestones in her relationship with Nick.

Besides, she thought, if the signas I've got from him are half what I think they are, I'd rather make our first kiss about something more than a parasitic botanical.

Now all was quiet and restful. Her father was driving, and her mother and niece were in the back seat (Mrs. Stones had become prone to doze off at odd times in her old age, and found the back seat a more comfortable place for it). So Taelia was riding shotgun when her phone chimed out a windchime-ish rendition of 'I Bring You A Song.'

"Hi Nick," she said, picking up with a tired smile. Thank goodness you called when it was just us four, she thought. And with Rose asleep, too.

She had thought to soon. "Is that Uncle Nick?" asked Rose, who had taken an instant liking to the reynard when he joined the Stones family for Thanksgiving. She was hardly alone in her high view of him, though her expression of it could have stood some... subtlety. The kit had already asked – in Nick's hearing, no less – if Taelia thought Nick was 'a keeper.'

Taelia turned enough to hold a finger up to her muzzle, still keeping an ear to what Nick was saying. He had asked how her Christmas went.

"It was nice," she replied with a smile. "I wish you could have been here."

He smiled. "Me too." It was only half-true, since he had enjoyed his day despite the hassles, but he still felt a little guilty for changing plans on her the way he had. "Good party, though; you would have liked it." Most of it, anyway,he thought to himself.

"Hmm," she mused. "Let me think about that. Fox, who's a guest at a party of rabbits, brings another fox along as a guest to a party he's not hosting. Yeah, that's kind of awkward."

He shrugged. "Good point."

"So what are you up to now?" she wanted to know.

Nick did his best not to yawn. "Oh, not much. Judy talked me into watching a movie, and now she's checking on her sister. Poor kit's in bed with the flu."

"Ohhh." Judging by Taelia's tone, her main feeling at the moment was sympathy for Violet. "So, how was the party?"

Nick considered telling Taelia the sordid details – the fox taser, the Sisters Six, and so on. He decided not to. It had all ended well, and making it sound like a bad day would just make Taelia feel guilty for going along with it. "I guess it was alright – and I've gotta tell you, Judy has got the most rambunctious bunch of siblings you could imagine. Nocomparison to you, but..."

She giggled just a little; Nick seemed to feel a lot more awkward about spending so much time with Judy than either of the ladies felt about it, and it was kind of fun to see himtrip over himself about it. "Well, we have all of tomorrow," she pointed out.

"You should say you love him," whispered Rose from the back seat.

Taelia glanced back at her with a 'You're kidding, right?' look on her face. Then she returned her attention to the phone. "Sorry, what was that?" She thought Nick had said something, but Rose had distracted her. "I had some interference."

Nick was trying to bounce ideas off her for New Year's – whether to celebrate it with a friend or two at his place, her place, or a night club.

"Oh, I meant to tell you we're both invited to Xavier and Isabelle's place that night."

"New Year's?" pressed Rose. "Are you going to- mmp!"

Mrs Wilde had woken up, and came to her daughter's rescue with a mitten shoved firmly over the kit's muzzle. "Go ahead, dear," she whispered.

Taelia smiled thankfully. "Tell you what: why don't we talk about it tomorrow when we get together?"

On the other end, Nick shrugged. "Works for me. I guess this is goodnight?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Goodnight."

"Merry Christmas."

She blushed a little, wondering if it had been her imagination – with some help from Rose – or if there had been something in Nick's tone of voice. "Merry Christmas."

They ended the call, and Nick sank back into the velvet couch cover. He didn't stay that way long, though, when Judy walked in – with her ears drooping. "Trouble?" he asked, starting to get up.

She raised a paw. "It's okay. I just need something to pry Violet's mouth open."

Nick frowned. "She's that stubborn about it?"

"Yep. For a bunny with the flu, she's got a pretty strong jaw. I even tried pinching her nose, but she just pulls loose every time."

Nick got up, not sure what good he'd be at this sort of thing but feeling the need to do something. "Have you tried sweet-talking her into taking it?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure if even Santa Claws could charm... her into..." she trailed off and turned to him with a grin on her face.

"Okay," he told her before she could speak. "Just from the look on your face, I'm worried."

Her ears drooped down again. "You owe me," she pointed out, not bothering to inject any plaintiveness into her voice. The body language would do the job just fine.

He sighed. "What do you need?"

Judy did her best to hide her satisfaction as she led him to one of the house's many storage rooms. Works every time, she thought to herself.

Ten minutes later, Judy returned to Violet's room armed with a spoon and the bottle. "Violet," she said softly, pleadingly, "I know you're sick, and tired, but you need to take this."

"I don't want to," Violet insisted.

Judy knelt by the bed and filled the spoon. "Come on. If you pinch your nose you won't taste it so much."

"It's gross," Violet said before clamping her mouth firmly shut.

"Well..." Judy paused as if stifling a yawn. "Well, it's better..." Then she did yawn. "...better than... having... the... fluuuu..."

She dropped the bottle on the bed and slumped, then slid to the floor, breathing slowly.

"Judy?!" asked Violet, sitting up in bed. "What's wrong?"

The bunny's confusion turned to fright when the door slowly creaked open and a tall, fat figure walked in. In the dim light, Violet caught a glimpse of a long, tapered snout. Weak and fog-headed though she was, she snatched up her stuffed carrot and held it like a big, floppy baseball bat. "Get away!" she shouted.

The figure raised his paws. "Hey, hey, it's okay kid. Don't you know who I am? Here, let me fix that."

He pointed at the nightlight on the table, and almost at once it dimmed. "Oops," the stranger chuckled. "Wrong way."

The light brightened now, mystifying Violet. She couldn't see Judy's paw reaching out to manipulate the dimmer switch built into the cord. She stared gaping at the light, then turned to the visitor and gaped even wider, dropping the stuffed carrot.

"Santa?" she asked.

"Hey Violet," Nick grinned. He walked into the room and crouched next to the bed, gently moving Judy to one side. "Don't worry about Ca- uh, Judy," he reassured Violet, amending as Judy winced at the nickname, then went limp again lest Violet see her. "Grown-ups aren't supposed to see me, so she's sleeping for a bit. She'll be up and about soon."

Violet stared him up and down, shock turning to confusion. "Why are you a fox? This is Bunnyburrow."

"I know," he answered. "The thing is, I heard that your family was really, really nice, so I decided to come and check it out for myself. And I thought, 'Hey, any rabbit's going to be nice to another rabbit; let's see how nice they are to a fox.'"

"Ohhh." Violet saw the sense in that. "Were they nice to you?"

"Yes. Very, very nice. They're not so happy about you being sick, though, so because they were so nice, I wanted to do something nice for them – and for you."

Violet smiled. "Are you going to make me all better?"

Nick laughed. "I don't do miracles," he told her, picking up the bottle, "but it looks like you've got everything you need right here."

"But I hate that stuff," Violet protested. "It tastes awful."

"I know, I've had to take it myself," Nick admitted, his act slipping for a moment. Then he caught himself. "But you know, I'm sure I would take it if your sister asked me to."

"You would?"

"You bet I would. Judy's way up there on the Nice list, so I know she'd only ask me to do something if it was good. Will you take the medicine for her?"

Violet thought about that. "Mommy and Daddy told me never to take medicine from strangers."

Nick wanted to smack himself in the forehead, but he laughed it off. "You know what?" he asked. "You're a smart bunny. I'll tell you what: I'll walk out of here, and in a minute or two Judy will wake up with no idea what happened – and then she'll give you the medicine. Okay?"

Violet smiled. "Okay."

Nick picked up the carrot, handed it to Violet, and patted her head. "Be good now," he told her.

"Santa?" she asked as he left.

"Hm?" he paused, turning.

"Will you kiss me goodnight?"

Nick paused, then shrugged. "Sure." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Violet."

"Goodnight Santa."

Judy dimmed the light as Nick left, then lay feigning sleep for another minute or two before she sat up rubbing her eyes. "Ohhh," she yawned, "what happened?"

Violet thought about telling Judy that Santa had been there, then decided it would be more fun to make it a secret. "You were going to give me my medicine," she answered.

"Goodness," Judy said, feigning surprise, "you mean you want to take it?"

Violet shrugged. "Not really," she admitted, "but it's better than staying sick."

Judy had to stifle a laugh as she gave Violet the syrup, kissed her goodnight, and slipped out the door to where Nick sat at the top of the stairs. She hugged him. "You were great," she told him.

He yawned. "Thanks," he answered. Then, a little dismally, he added, "Glad working the late shift did something. I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow taking Taelia to Mom's."

Judy smiled. "You've still got time to sleep, and I think she'll understand – especially after I send her this."

He looked at her, then at the iCarrot she was holding up. On the screen was a sound recording app. For a moment Nick balked at the thought, then shrugged. "You know, I'm okay with that."

She smiled and elbowed him. "Come on. You can zonk out on the sofa until everyone gets back." As she lead him down the stairs, she added, "By the way, just my opinion: you and Taelia need to have pups someday."

"What?!" The comment came so much out of left field that Nick didn't know how to process it.

She elbowed him again. "After what I saw tonight, I think you'd make a great dad."

Nick blushed, and Judy again stifled a laugh. "By the way," she added, "what's that on your forehead?"

"Oh, like I'm going to fall for that?"

"No, really. The fur on your forehead looks funny."

Nick touched the area in question and found that a small area of fuzz was caked with something sticky. It took him a moment to realize what it was. "Oh, it must be from walking into the – uh, I mean..."

Judy started to giggle again. "Let me guess. Mistletoe?"

Nick grew red under his fur. "Please don't tell me I've had mistletoe juice up there all this time and no one mentioned it."

"Actually it's more like sap than juice," Judy pointed out. "At least I think so. And I didn't want to embarrass you."

Nick was about to say that there wasn't much dignity in having a sticky forehead and not knowing it, but he caught a look on Judy's face. "Let the record show I paid up the favor I owed you," he warned.

She shook her head. "Relax. All I need for this one is a boost."

Nick had fallen asleep on a couch in a little side room by the time everyone got home. Judy had chosen the location to dodge the initial wave of those who were still bursting with energy, so it wasn't until the second wave – tired elders and siblings-in-law carting in even more fatigued kits – that Bonnie and Stu Hopps found them, courtesy of a text from Judy.

"I just checked in on Violet," Bonnie reported. "How did things go?"

Judy smiled. "Perfectly." She filled them in on Nick's little acting job, and even played back the recording – or most of it, anyway. They were in awe by the time it got around to her giving Violet the medicine.

"Gotta admit I was skeptical," said Stu, "but Judy, feel free to bring that fox back here anytime."

She smiled. "Will do." Then she yawned and stretched. "Well, I think I'll go turn in. Alex is staking Nick back to the train station, right?"

"Right."

"Okay. I'll get him the presents I picked out and then go to bed."

As Judy walked off, Stu remembered something. "Bonnie, did you take down the mistletoe we had hanging in the front hall?"

"No, I didn't do anything with it. Is it gone?"

"Well I wouldn't have asked if you took it down when it was still up there."

Bonnie shrugged. "Oh, it was probably one of the kits."

They later found it... tacked above the door to their room. Hanging from it was a note: 'Merry Christmas from Nick and Judy.'

"Like we need the excuse?" chuckled Stu, planting one on his wife's lips.

Snow drifted down around the car as Alex drove Nick back to the train station. "Couldn't help overhearing what you did for Violet," the buck remarked. "Thanks."

Nick chuckled. "Gotta admit, it was kind of fun."

There was a brief silence before Alex spoke again. "I was wondering if you'd be up to doing me – and Mom and Dad – a little favor."

The fox raised an eyebrow. "After all you put me through," he asked warily, "You expect me to help you?"

Alex smiled. "More or less. Look at it this way. You know how effective I can be working with Judy to put one over on you. Would you prefer that arrangement, or having me as an ally...?"

Nick paused to mull that over. "I'm listening."

Uh-oh. What are the guys plotting now? Well, one chapter left to go. Stay tuned!

In case anyone was wondering, Taelia's okay with Judy bringing Nick to her family's party with the understanding that it's not a date. I don't know if she knew about Judy's scheme to fake out her parents, but that's another story.

Special thanks to BeecroftA, who suggested "It's A Wonderful Life."

To Kyla: Wait no longer – and you probably got this one. "Sisters Six" is a play on "Sinister Six," from the Spider-Man franchise.

"Love Gives," the Christmas 2016 chapter of "What's Love Anyway?" is now posted – and if anyone out there thinks they're tough, I challenge them to read it out loud without crying.

Easter Eggs in this chapter reference:

Princess Bride

Lost Tapes

Balto

Ben 10

Calvin and Hobbes

Lilo and Stitch

See how many you can spot!

As always, please review, fave, and follow!