"The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences. Now, through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time." Steven Spielberg
About two weeks after Evelin's visit Judy and Nick took a few long overdue vacation days at work and were now sitting on the Zootopia Express in the direction of Bunnyburrow. It was Wednesday at the end of October and the wedding was occurring on Sunday. So Judy and Nick had enough time to spend a few nice days with her family and help them with all the arrangements.
"Oh, I am so excited!" Judy grinned stupidly, clapping her paws together.
"It will surely be great". Nick smiled softly, but Judy's ears twitched slightly.
"Huh? Something wrong, Nick?" The last week she had phoned a lot with Evelin, her mother and other siblings, and whenever she was spending some time with Nick, Judy just talked about the upcoming wedding and how happy she was for her sis. Nick always seemed to share her enthusiasm and to be delighted for Evelin and Sven. But it also didn't slip her attention that her boyfriend was getting more and more reserved since their visit in Bunnyburrow was closing in.
"I just thought about all those guests at the wedding. Your family is okay with me, but what if all others are uncomfortable with a fox among them?"
"You are not going to that wedding as a fox, but as my significant other. Nobody will object to it and I'm sure Evelin has told one or two stories about us to her and her fiancé's friends. But maybe I should walk you on a leash…" she considered this for a moment.
"Hey, that was a unique experiment!" Nick winked. "But apropos embarrassments, have you already planned something for Evelin's bachelorette party?"
"Oh, we will go out with some siblings and a few from Sven's family, too, on Friday night, painting the town red!" she giggled.
"Is there even some place to party at in Bunnyburrow?" Nick asked curiously; they had visited the town two times a month for over a half year now, but most of the time they just stayed at the Hopps' farm, not really exploring Bunnyburrow itself.
"Of course! We have a few pubs and bars in Bunnyburrow and we already had some wild parties there in times past". Nick raised a brow and Judy grinned. "My eighteenth and twenty first birthdays were quite a jamboree". She winked.
"No wonder, you are drunk even after only two glasses of beer or wine". Nick laughed quietly but Judy just shrugged.
"Going out never got too expensive at least and this time even less, Evelin cannot drink any alcoholic beverages because of her pregnancy, so we will all cut it off".
"What a bummer! I was already looking forward to seducing the drunken maid of honor", Nick slyly grinned at her.
"We'll wait and see what happens". She winked back at him.
A soft gong could be heard through the loudspeakers of their compartment, then the voice of the train conductor: "Dear passengers, we'll arrive at Bunnyburrow station in about five minutes. The exit is on the left side, regarding our travel direction. Please don't forget any luggage when leaving the train and thank you for traveling with the Zootopia Express".
"Hi sweetheart!" Bonnie Hopps waved her paw when she saw Judy and Nick walking over the path from the bus stop to the house. Judy waved back with a smile and started to run the last few meters to hug her mother. Nick carried a backpack and with each paw a traveling bag, so Bonnie just gave him a quick hug. "Hi Nick, you can go straight into the house. We've already prepared the guest room for you two. But on Sunday we will have to use it to store all the presents, too".
"That's no problem, Bonnie". Nick replied her smile and carried their luggage to the house. But he did not even reach the front door when he was surrounded by a dozen little rabbits that stormed out of the house to welcome their sister and favourite fox. While a few rabbits were shouting and dancing around him, the others were hopping on his arms and the bags; Amie was pulling herself onto Nick's head, holding his ears as a grip. "Argh…!"
Judy and Bonnie bubbled over with laughter, watching how Nick was stumbling and trying to hold his balance with all those bags and little bunnies on top of him.
"Judy? Please?!" Nick sounded desperate for help and still laughing Judy walked over to him and took Amie and two other siblings from him.
"You can play with Nick later, let him first bring our baggage to the room". Judy still giggled and wiped a tear from her eyes.
"I think there are still some pancakes in the kitchen, first come first serve!" Evelin stepped out of the house and her offer convinced the other kits to let Nick go and rush back into the house.
"Thank you!" Nick groaned. "Just a minute, I will bring the bags away before those alpinists come back".
"No rush". Evelin grinned and hugged Judy salutatory. "Hey, Juju! Great that you could spend some time here!"
"Are you joking?" Judy laughed and kissed her sister on each cheek. "I'm not going to miss this for the life of me!" Then she took a step back and gazed at Evelin's slightly bigger stomach. "You look beautiful, Eve! How are you feeling?"
"Great so far. Doctor Greenwood said that everything looks fine. It's about the third week now, so mid-way done". Evelin beamed with joy and put her paws on her pregnant belly.
"Do you already know how big your litter will be?"
"Just an average one with four kits".
"Oh, this is just so great, I'm really happy for you!" Judy hugged Evelin again when Nick left the house with three little bunnies on his arm. Judy snickered quietly, every time it was an odd picture to see her big red fox with a few of her little sisters in his arms or on his shoulders and head. But it also gave her a warm sensation every time, Nick would be a great father. While she was still staring with a smile to Nick, the fox hugged Evelin and greeted her.
"You are really beautiful; this beam in your eyes… the pregnancy is very becoming of you!"
Evelin snickered with a smile. "Thank you, I'm feeling great, too". Then with a look to Judy: "You two can come with me and meet Sven. I think he is in the small kitchen and tasting Gideon's cakes".
"Gideon is here, too?" Nick asked curiously. He met the fox a few times on his weekend visits and having another fox around for the wedding means that he would not stick out as much.
"Yepp, he brought us quite a big variety of cake pieces to taste so we can select what to order for Sunday. I have already chosen my favorites, but Sven is really indecisive today". Evelin laughed and they walked around the house to the back entrance, that was leading directly to the aforementioned kitchen.
"Where is Dad?" Judy asked and Evelin answered.
"Oh, he is in town with John, Sam, Ralph and Joshua. They should be back in a few hours".
Nick didn't say anything, but Judy heard his heartbeat accelerating slightly. Joshua never made his opinion against foxes a secret and Nick still remembered his first encounter with him, that didn't go well. Since then a lot of time had passed, but Joshua still always left shortly after Nick entered a room and they never bandy words. Judy just hoped that it wouldn't lead to another argument during their stay.
Evelin seemed to guess what Judy was thinking and smiled at her. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad already made it clear that they will not tolerate any dispute this weekend and he should finally settle for the fact that Nick is a part of our family now". She spoke really quiet to not disconcert Nick who was walking a few steps ahead and talking with Bonnie.
"What about Granddad?" Judy replied as quietly as Evelin. "Neither Otto nor Alfred are big fans of Nick, too".
"Oh, don't mind Pop-Pop and Al-Grumpy, I already had a talk with them. If they want to spend even the slightest moment with their great grandchildren they'd better behave".
"Don't let Nick hear that, he seems to be really nervous, even when he tries not to show it. You would think he is going to marry on Sunday, not you and Sven". Judy snickered and Evelin joined in, but the younger siblings nose was twitching slightly.
When Judy and Evelin entered the backdoor, they saw Sven sitting at the big table with over twenty different pieces of cake in front of him. But to Judy's surprise there was no sign of Nick or her mother; she would have bet that they were right ahead of them, but obviously they weren't.
"Hey sweetheart!" Evelin jolted Sven out of deep-thinking with her greeting and her fiancé smiled.
"Hey whiskers!" He stood up from his chair, walked up to Evelin and hugged her with a big kiss. "Hey, Judy! Great to see you! You have to help us with those cakes…" he looked pleadingly at her and the two girls laughed.
"Okay, let's see what you got there". Judy put her arm around Sven's shoulders and they walked over to the table with the cake pieces.
As the day progressed Judy helped Evelin together with her other siblings prepare all kinds of different things: planning the seating arrangements, choosing between different folding techniques for the napkins, discussing the cakes with Gideon, picking the flower arrangements for the decorations and lots of other things. But she didn't see Nick for the rest of the day and all the siblings she asked, if they had saw him, denied or ran away giggling. It was not until supper when they all sat together in one of the three kitchens when Nick suddenly stood behind her and gave her a kiss on her shoulders.
"Hey, carrots. How was your day?" Nick smiled a bit tired.
"Exhausting, we had a lot of things to do. What about you? You suddenly vanished and I didn't see you all day". Judy turned around, embracing him with her arms and giving him a soft kiss, sounding a bit worried.
"Oh, the same as you! I worked together with your Dad, Ralph and Sam on some preparations".
"Then let's have a cozy evening together on the couch after dinner, what do you think?" Judy sat down at the table and Nick picked the seat beside her.
"Good idea, I just have to finish a pinprick before. But that should not take more than half an hour, an hour tops".
"I will help you to speed things up", Judy smiled but Nick just shook his head.
"Don't bother, Judy. You had enough to do today and you can choose a DVD in the meantime".
"Mh, if you think so". Judy was a bit puzzled; Nick never refused an offer to share work and nine times out of ten he didn't let her pick the movie to watch. But after thinking about it she blamed the whole situation for it. He was probably entrusted with something he hadn't finished yet and didn't want to lose face in front of her family. She shrugged and took the bowl with salad from Miriam.
Judy talked quite enthusiastically with some of her siblings during dinner she only see rarely. When most of the others were leaving and the older ones started to clear the table, her eyes travelled over the remaining faces. Nick was already gone, she had no idea when or where. But she also couldn't find Evelin or Ralph who were sitting across the table a short while ago. Curiously she walked through the first floor; in all the common rooms were quite a lot of rabbits, but she couldn't see Nick's red-furred head in any of them. She walked to Evelin and her litter sister's room, but only Mia was sitting on her bed playing with her phone.
"Hey, Mia". Judy waved to her sister and Mia put down her phone immediately with a huge grin, her nose twitching madly.
"Huhu Juju. Are you looking for something?" she asked canting.
"Yeah, indeed. I cannot find Evelin or Valentina and even Nick seems to have dissolved; you would think that a fox in a burrow would be easy to find". She insinuated a short laugh, but Mia just shrugged.
"Sorry, Ju. Last time I saw them was during dinner. Didn't Nick sit beside you?"
"Yes, but while talking with Caroline and Jessy I didn't notice when he left".
"Mh, maybe he went for a walk outside because he was surrounded by rabbits all day", Mia winked and Judy nodded with a smile.
"That's quite possible". Judy sounded a bit sad because Nick just muzzled, but had to agree with Mia and tilted her head. "If you see any of them, I'm going to shower and then sit in the main living room." She waved to her sister, who grabbed her phone again with a grin, and left the room.
Judy waited nearly two and a half hours until Nick finally showed up in the living room. Only very few other siblings still resided and Judy sat on a smaller couch – directly under the pictures of her and Nick her parents had hung up – reading a book.
"Hey, carrots", Nick smiled but Judy didn't react. "Judy?" he tilted his head and squatted in front of her. "Is everything okay?" Finally, she lay the book down and pouted at him frustrated.
"Where for carrots sake were you? I searched nearly the whole burrow for you! I thought we were going to have a nice evening, perhaps watching a bit of TV or something similar. But you just skipped out on me the whole evening!".
Nick sighed and his ears went limp. "Sorry, Judy. I really lost track of the time when I talked with a few of your siblings".
Judy smiled softly and patted on the couch beside her. "Come here, dumb fox. I was worried that all those rabbits are too much for you and you were deliberately hiding".
Nick raised his eyebrows and sat down beside Judy. "I would never hide from you".
"Who knows what you'll do when you're panicking". She winked and leaned her head against his shoulders. Nick put his arm and tail around her and she snuggled against him. Even if she would not admit it, preparing Evelin's wedding was making her a bit jealous, especially since Nick didn't seem to notice it: In the beginning of their relationship they were occasionally joking about getting married themselves, but Nick still didn't talk about that topic seriously. And when Judy considered it, he was acting altered for a few weeks now, taking some time out for himself more often. Letting her stay alone all evening today was just the latest incident. "I'm really glad that you are okay" she whispered a bit sadly.
"I'm touched that you were worried about me". He put his chin on her head between the ears, and after he smelled the shower gel, he subconsciously scented her again.
It only took a few minutes for Judy to doze off. Nick smiled and caressed her arms with his paw and his gaze swept over all those pictures on the wall. In the meantime, he learned how they were arranged: On the left side of the big chimney were photos of all the children when they were kits. Above them, were photos of their parents, grandparents and other relatives. On the right side of the chimney were pictures of all adult children, together with corresponding pictures of their graduation or other life goals. Also, there were prominent photos of them together with their partners – a normal wooden frame for those in a relationship, a silver frame for those engaged and a golden frame for those married and of course there were photos of their own kits surrounding those pictures. All four walls of this really big living room was basically a gigantic family tree showing their bloodline including all important steps in their perspective lives.
Nick's looks paused on the picture of Judy and himself and smiled again. It showed him sitting in the grass, Judy standing behind him with her arms embracing him and a few of Judy's youngest siblings were sitting or climbing on Nick's lap and chest while the fox was giving her youngest sister Violet the baby's bottle. The picture was made a few months ago when they visited the Hopps' farm after the birth of Stu and Bonnie's 48th litter with seven kits. Events like those made it very clear that Judy's family really had accepted him, and not only putting up a brave front for the sake of Judy.
His gaze went down to the rabbit in his arms, peacefully sleeping with a smile on her face. If someone had told him just one year ago that he would be sitting in a burrow with a lovely bunny in his arms he would do anything for, Nick would have adjudged them as absolutely crazy. Even now he sometimes thought that all of this had to be a big hustle and any moment someone would jump around the corner, taunting him for believing in it for so long. But it never happened and if there was one animal he could count on 100 percent, it was Judy.
Another rabbit sat down beside him and even before turning his head around he scented the gestation hormones of Evelin. "Is she asleep?" the soon-to-be bride asked quietly while bending over.
Nick nodded and stroked Judy's cheeks with his thumb. "Do you think you can occupy her tomorrow, too?" he asked and Evelin grinned slyly.
"Of course, that shouldn't be a problem. How much did you finish today?"
"I worked together with Ralph for most of the day, tomorrow we are going into town for the rest. Everything should be finished on time". Nick and Evelin talked very quietly. "Are you nervous? I mean for Sunday".
"Not much yet, but I'm getting more excited every day". Evelin snickered.
"I really owe you something for all your support during the last year, and especially now". Nick smiled softly but Evelin waved it aside.
"It's really funny and above all I'm honored". She poked him with her elbow and Nick gave her a short kiss on the cheek. "Okay, I'm going to bed now. Tomorrow will be a busy day". Evelin got up from the couch.
"Good night, Eve. Greetings to Mia and Valentina".
"Night, Nick". She waved and left the room. A few other siblings were talking in another corner of the room and Sam was reading a book in a wingback chair. He checked the pendulum clock: Nearly eleven o'clock. Carefully, he grabbed Judy with his arms and lifted her up while getting up from the couch himself. He slowly walked to the big door and when he wanted to try opening it with his elbow, Joshua stepped beside him. Nick hadn't saw the older rabbit the whole day, but now he opened the door for him. Nick looked a bit surprised, but nodded slowly and said 'Thank you, Joshua' before he went through the open door. Judy's older brother seemed to hesitate but finally spoke to the fox:
"Wait a second… Nick".
This caught Nick by surprise even more and he slowly turned around, carefully looking to not bang Judy's head against the door frame. Joshua had never spoke directly with him in the past and this encounter was somewhat awkward for Nick; but the oldest of Judy's siblings seems to have some difficulty with the situation, too. "Yes?"
"I… had a very long talk with Sven and Ralph a few days ago and… Ralph showed me…" Nick looked warningly at him with a nod to Judy, and Joshua nodded slowly. "Well, can we have a talk tomorrow?"
Nick hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied. "We should not quarrel; this is first and foremost Evelin's special weekend and…"
"I don't want to argue with you, promise". Joshua made a quick gesture and shook his head.
Nick nodded, looked down to Judy then back to Joshua. "Okay, we can talk tomorrow after breakfast. Let's meet at the barn behind the house?"
"Okay, thanks. Night".
"Good night". Nick turned around again and walked to the guest room he and Judy were staying in. This encounter was quite a surprise, but he would meet Joshua open-minded, hoping that it would not get out of hand. He opened their room door with his elbow; the room was dark, but his night vision allowed him to see the whole room in detail. Nick decided to not switch on the light so Judy wouldn't wake up from it and laid her on the big bed. While closing the door he undressed himself, then got in the bed, too, curling up and snuggling against his little rabbit. But it took him nearly two more hours to finally get to sleep, his thoughts revolving around the past few weeks and the upcoming days.
On Thursday Nick and Judy woke up quite early but most of the others were already awake and working in the house. Judy dressed up in fresh clothes and Nick also took a new shirt from their bag. Nevertheless, they were within the last group who had breakfast at eight o'clock. While drinking some hot tea, Judy asked:
"What are you going to do today?"
"I promised Ralph and Sam I'd accompany them into town today. We will see what I can help with", he winked. "What about you?"
"We are going to the community hall today for a trial run".
"You really have a trial run before the real wedding?" Nick's eyes grew wide and Judy snickered.
"Of course, the whole ceremony is like one big production. To make it perfect you have to practice it".
"And I thought that everything would be off-hand, but it is more of a rehearsed theater!"
Judy beat him on his shoulder and grinned.
After they finished breakfast, they said goodbye to each other with a kiss and left in opposite directions.
The rest of the day past really quickly with all of the Hopps family working in the house or preparing the tents on the adjacent meadow. Nearly four dozen rabbits were working together to pitch the large tent that was large enough to host tables and benches for at least 500 guests, the buffet, a small stage for a band and a wooden dance floor made out of pallets. Tomorrow the trucking company would come with dozens of collapsible tables and benches and a few big umbrella heaters and until then the tent had to be erected and secured completely.
During the trial run of the wedding ceremony everything worked instantly and in the afternoon the bride and bridesmaids retreated to make a last fitting of their dresses. While most of Evelin's sisters had had white bridal dresses, Evelin decided to make things different and bring a bit of color into it: Her bridal dress was made out of beige and pink clothes, with the main part made out of silk and a light purple. The ivory satin bodice was padded slightly at the hips and narrowed at the waist. The bodice incorporated floral motifs cut from machine-made lace, which were then appliquéd on to silk net. On the back were 27 buttons of gazar and organza, which fastened by means of Rouleau loops. The skirt, underskirt trim and bridal train – which measured about 170 centimeters – also incorporated lace appliquéd in a similar manner. The main body of the dress was made in white and pink satin gazar with a long, full skirt designed to echo an opening flower, with soft pleats which unfolded to the floor, forming a Victorian-style semi-bustle at the back, and finishing in a short train measuring just under two meters in length.
The bridesmaids had a pink and white dress with a satin gazar, each one echoing a smaller version of the opening flower the bridal dress represented. Only the dress for the maid of honor was somewhat more extravagant, albeit not as much as the bridal dress. It was shoulder-free and had some more purple accents; it really emphasized Judy's eyes and would have made a great bridal dress for itself.
A few younger rabbits took some last measurements on all the dresses to adjust them to the individual wearer. Evelin's dress was left a bit wider at the waist regarding her pregnant belly. They were kidding around the whole afternoon only going back home when it was already dark outside.
At about seven o'clock they all sat together for dinner, talking about the wedding. The only one missing again was Nick. Judy thought at first that he was just sitting in one of the other two dining rooms, but she couldn't find him there, either. She asked a few of her brothers, with Ralph and Sam leading the way, but they just shrugged and said that they returned from town a few hours ago. Then she asked her mother, but Bonnie had also not noticed him; and now Judy was missing another one: Stu, her Dad, was missing from dinner, too! But what could be important enough to not defer it for an hour or so? She went outside and walked over to the big tent. It was mostly dark but for a few small lights near the corner. But someone just forgot to switch them off, nobody was outside with her and Judy sighed in low spirits. She slowly walked back into the house where most of their siblings were helping cleaning the tables, along some halls, towards the main living room she sat in yesterday. In that moment first Stu, then Nick walked around the corner, coming towards her.
"Hey, carrots!"
"Nick!" Judy sounded relieved, hopped towards him and then embraced him a bit jittery in a firm hug. "I missed you during dinner, where were you?"
"He helped me repair the chimney, the flap was stuck and Nick is lean and strong enough to reach and repair it". Stu answered, patting the fox on his back.
"No problem at all, Stu", Nick smiled, then looked to Judy. "Sorry that I missed you for dinner, it took a little more time than we thought to fix it".
"I was just wondering; I hardly catch sight of you these days", she smiled softly at him but neither Stu nor Nick missed the slightly sad look in her eyes. "Maybe we can still find something for you two to eat", Judy quickly turned around. "But don't expect too much, we were all quite hungry today!"
After having some dinner, Nick and Judy joined her parents and a few other siblings in one of the smaller living rooms. Evelin and Sven were sitting on a couch, too, and while playing 'Mau Mau' they chatted about the wedding and all kinds of preparations still to do.
"Don't worry about the tables and benches, we will arrange them tomorrow so you can start to decorate everything after lunch". Stu said to Evelin and Judy.
"And I made an appointment with the florist on Saturday, he will deliver the bouquets in the afternoon and will irrigate them on Sunday morning while we are at the community hall. Oh, and you have to take two extra-cards, Stu". She winked while playing the seven of diamonds and Stu snorted silently.
"You are all a great support!" Sven smiled and put the ace of diamonds on top of the other cards. "My siblings will come tomorrow morning to help with the tables and benches, too".
"Does your family also live in Bunnyburrow?" Nick asked curious, but he seemed to be absent-minded.
"No, they live in Vertiform City, about an hour away". He turned around to Stu and Bonnie. "Thank you again, that our wedding can take place at your home! Only a fraction of our guests would have fit on our own property".
"Don't worry, my son, it's a pleasure for us!" Stu said with a big smile and Judy wondered, if she would ever hear him say something similar regarding Nick. She was smiling on the thought of a fox being called 'son' by a rabbit, but at the same time it became clear to her that her own relationship was more and more going to the dogs, their marriage receding far into the distance. And she had no idea how on earth everything got to this point. Evelin jolted her out of her daydreams when she put down an eight and made Judy pause this turn.
"Ey!" Judy mumbled and poked her tongue out at her sister with a faint smile.
Evelin laughed and poked her own tongue out at Judy, too. Nick put his next-to-last card down and smiled slyly. "Mau…"
"Are your sisters coming tomorrow, too?" Judy asked Eve's fiancé, trying to distract herself. "We still have planned a little bachelorette party tomorrow".
"Yepp, but they will arrive with the train in the afternoon", Sven replied. "Just don't overdo it". He winked and Evelin snickered.
"Don't worry darling, there will be no alcohol, so it will be quite tame". She kissed him on his cheek.
Bonnie laid her last card on the table: "Mau Mau! I won again". She poked her elbow into Stu's ribs.
"Ouch…" he snorted and they all threw their cards together. "Another round?"
"Not for us, we have to discuss a few details regarding the wedding". Evelin smiled and got up from the couch with Sven supporting her arm. "Good night everyone, see you tomorrow!"
"Night all!" Sven added and while the others were wishing them a good night, too, he and Evelin left the room, talking and giggling silently.
"What about you?" Stu asked Nick and Judy but the fox shook his head.
"Sorry, Stu. But I want to take a shower and it's already pretty late. But maybe Judy…?"
Judy shook her head, too. "I think I will call it a day, too". She got off the couch, walked over to her parents and gave them a good-night-hug and kiss. "Sleep well, darling. You, too, Nick!" Bonnie smiled at them both and Judy linked her arms with her fox, leaving the room.
While they walked along the hall, Judy leaned her head against Nick's arm. "I'm so happy for Eve and Sven". She said quietly and smiled moony. "And her dress is stunning! I'm not a big fan of dresses, but this one is really awesome!"
"Well, it's just my two cents, but I think that you look really beautiful in a dress". Nick purred while stroking her neck with his paw.
"I just think that they are impractical".
"A dress should not be something practical, Judy", he snickered. "It's something to emphasize your own beauty!"
"Uh-hu" Judy smirked and they reached the bathroom near their room. "Would you mind if I join you for a shower?"
"Of course not, I can use you as a fluffy sponge to lather". He grinned and avoided being hit by her small fist. They entered the bathroom and Judy undressed rather quickly, turning on the water and stepping under the shower. Nick took off his clothes at his leisure and joined Judy. The shower was much smaller than theirs at home, originally being designed for small animals. Nick had to bend his head forward to rinse the fur on top of it. Judy snickered and offered to help him rub his back.
"Ohhh… that's really great!" Nick moaned satisfied.
"Just like your personal sponge, mh?" Judy snickered and Nick laughed quietly, turning around. He squatted and tickled his paws over her back and shoulders.
"You know that I love you, Judy Hopps, right?". He smiled with a light gleam in his eyes, or was it a tear? Judy wasn't sure but then he kissed her. She put her arms around his neck and replied the kiss passionately. Nick turned off the water with one hand and opened the shower cubicle with the other. When he straightened up to get out of the shower, Judy held up to his neck, clinging with her legs around his hips. Nick smirked and put his paws around her bottom. The little rabbit was at the beginning of a heat cycle, and maybe that explained her all emotional thoughts the last few days, she thought. Nick must had noticed her altered scent, too, because his heartbeat was already accelerating somewhat. Judy whispered in his ears:
"I want you to shag me right now, Mister Wilde!" Nick's eyes grew wide, such plain-spoken words were rather uncommon for Judy, but it really turned him on. He hesitated for a moment, but then Judy nibbled on his neck and Nick moaned. He grabbed her butt and pulled her a little lower before putting one paw on her back. Judy moaned full of relish, her face buried in his shoulder, when he finally didn't try to fight the desire back any longer…
The next day was already Friday and it started rather bustling. The truck company arrived a bit early and most of the older Hopps children were busy assembling the tables and benches in the big tent. Stu and Nick constructed the platform for the band and the dance floor in the meantime. The tables were arranged in three rows with each one consisting of 18 tables with a bench on each long side. At one end six tables were placed side-by-side across all three rows; those were reserved for the bridal pair, their parents and the marriage witnesses.
With so many backers the work was done in just a few hours, and after a quick lunch the girls started to decorate the tables with white tablecloths, candles, flowers, glitter, bows, and a lot of other little accessories. Evelin and Bonnie were spreading the name tags and in the afternoon they were all folding the linen napkins into white, pink, green, blue and yellow flowers.
It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when Evelin approached Judy.
"Hey, Juju!" she smiled, Judy finished her napkin flower and put it on the next free table.
"Hey, Eve. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, but I have a small request for you", Evelin winked. "Do you think we can go to the cinema before we start to party?"
"To the cinema?!" Judy stared at her but Evelin shrugged.
"The last few days have been so fast-paced and I think I want to settle down a little bit and spend a few easy hours with my best friend before going to party and marry in two days".
"Well, of course". Judy smiled. "Should I call Mia and Valentina and…"
"No, no! Just the two of us!" Evelin smiled and gave Judy a quick kiss on her cheek. "I've seen my other sisters nearly every day in the last few years, but there are very few opportunities to have some fun with you!"
Judy laughed, then hugged Evelin firmly. "I really love you, sis! And your marriage is not going to change this".
"Okay, let's steal off before someone has more work for us to do". She winked, grabbed Judy's paw and dragged her older sister with her, leaving the tent.
"Does the little movie theater in the town still exist?" Judy asked while entering their parents old farming truck.
"Yes, and they still make great popcorn!" Evelin winked while starting the truck and drove off the farm. It took them about fifteen minutes to reach the old but cozy movie theater and immediately found a parking spot. Judy had tried to call Nick a few times to let him know where they went, but couldn't reach him. Frustrated she switched her phone off and threw it onto the dashboard.
"Everything okay, Juju?" Evelin asked a bit worried when they had left the car.
"I tried to call Nick but he didn't answer the phone. Again. He is really hard to reach since we arrived here".
"Maybe he really has a lot to do, trying to impress Dad".
"Yeah… or he is deliberately avoiding me. The thing is we spend so much time together in Zootopia in the past, it's just strange to not have him around all the time". Judy smiled, but her ears dropped a bit; Evelin put her arm around her shoulders and smiled cheery.
"You two are really something special". She nudged Judy with her hips.
"Yeah. Special", Judy smiled with a sad look.
"Huh? Is really everything okay between you two?" Evelin asked worried. "You don't seem to be too happy. What's eating you, Judy?"
The older rabbit shrugged with her shoulders and sighed. "Can you keep a secret, sis?"
"Of course! What is it, Juju?"
"Nick and I…" she started but paused for a moment. "I think we are still… happy together. But I have a feeling that he is getting unsure about his feelings".
"How did you get that idea?" Evelin frowned.
"He is more withdrawn lately, spending more time on his own. And whenever I tried to talk about our common future, he just laughed it off as a joke. And for the last few weeks he is even more distanced" Judy spoke quietly with sad eyes.
"Do you think he doesn't love you anymore?" Evelin put her arm around her sisters shoulders and snuggled sympathetic against her cheek.
"I'm quite sure that he still loves me, that makes things even more awkward because I cannot understand his behavior".
"And do you still love him?" she smiled softly and Judy returned her smile.
"You know the answer to that question, Eve. Of course, I'm still totally in love with this dumb fox."
They were standing in the lounge of the small cinema by now. "Well, let me get us some tickets for today's sneak-preview, and then we can continue our talk". Evelin smiled uncoupling from Judy.
"Okay, I will get us a big bag of popcorn in the meantime. Do you want some lemonade, too?"
"You betcha!" Evelin waved and went to the cashpoint. Judy walked over to the sales counter and was served immediately. It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday afternoon, only a few scattered Mammals lingered in the foyer. She bought a big bag of popcorn and a big carrot lemonade with two straws, walked to the entrance and waited for Evelin.
"We have two seats in row four in the middle, quite the best seats if you ask me". The younger sister beamed and hopped back to Judy.
"And what's the movie?"
"It's a sneak-preview, let's be surprised". She snickered and took a sip from the lemonade. "The movie will start in 15 minutes, let's go in".
"Right behind you, sis".
The hall was already darkened and some advertisements played on the big screen; both rabbits blinked a few times until they could read the small illuminated numbers beside the seat rows. The fourth row from above was theirs and it seemed nobody was sitting in it, yet. Evelin went first, searching for her seat numbers, and sat down, Judy followed and sat next to her.
"When was the last time you were in a movie theater?" Evelin asked, grabbing some popcorn.
"Oh, that must be at least four months ago". Judy thought about it. "When was that science fiction movie released where apes had those genetic mutations and became hairless superheroes?"
"Holy carrot, that was in January or February!" Evelin laughed. "You two have to do more fun things in your leisure time, you cannot always be working and saving the world, you know?" She winked at her older sister.
"Do you think the fact that we are working together is part of the problem?" Judy sighed, nibbling on some popcorn.
"I'm not even sure that there is a problem, Juju". Evelin smiled and put her arm around Judy's shoulders again. "I agree that it can be difficult to spend most of the day together, at home and also at work. But you two are really a great and dynamic duo at your job. Your relationship isn't a problem, quite the contrary: You are both complementing each other. And that's extending into your free time, too. When was the last time you two had a dispute and argued?"
Judy looked thoughtfully, then slowly replied. "I think, the last time we were spatting was with that Zuber driver making some snidely comment about us. He was frustrated about other mammals judging me because we were together in a relationship, and that he thought that I had a hard time because of him being a fox. I was really annoyed because…" Judy stopped midsentence, unsure what she should say. What was the reason she was annoyed back then?
"Wait a second, the last time you two were arguing is weeks ago and it was because he was worried about you?" Evelin raised her eyebrows. Judy nodded slowly and her sister smiled with a sigh. "That doesn't count as an argument, Juju. It just emphasized my impression of what a great couple you are".
"I'm at a loss what to do, Eve" Judy's ears were sadly hanging down. "I don't want to lose him, but I fear he slips away from me, even faster the more I struggle to keep him".
"Oh my dear, this wedding is starting to go right to your head". Evelin hugged her with a smile. "What's Nick's opinion about that?"
"That's the problem, I don't know!" Judy sighed. "He gives a hint from time to time about our collective future, but that's all. It is as if he always wants to have a loophole up his sleeves, just like the former hustler he was. Am I talking nonsense? I'm talking nonsense, right? Why can't you stop me from talking, Eve! We wanted to have some nice time together and now I'm crying my heart out in front of you. I'm so sorry…"
On the screen, another advertisement had started, an old-fashioned living room with a lot of wood paneling and 'Slow dancing in a burning room' was playing in the background. But Judy hardly noticed the screen and looked to Evelin with a slightly broken-hearted look.
"Oh, Juju…" Evelin tried to stay serious, but her nose was twitching furiously from excitement by now. Judy leaned again her sisters arm. "Well, we should talk about it after the movie…" She nodded with her face in the direction of the screen.
The scene was still showing the old living room, two armchairs were visible and someone was sitting in each one; but only their legs were visible, the rest was cut off by the camera. Judy turned her head around and paused. She thought that it was just another advertisement and didn't noticed that the movie had already begun. The living room seemed familiar; supposedly the movie was a sequel to a movie she already saw. Secondly, she noticed the song playing quietly in the background and she sighed moony; over half a year ago she and Nick danced together to exactly this song after the Gazelle concert in Zootopia – and they shared their very first kiss at the end. She let her mind wander for a moment and didn't listen to the dialogue at first. But there was something like a little itching in her head, that disturbed her from her daydreams.
"… was mistaken back then, and it's good to know that we can just sit together like this after all". A deep voice was talking, nothing too interesting so far. But now her daydream had vanished completely and with a quiet sigh she concentrated on the movie. Why did this scene seem so familiar? Was it an old movie and this was a retrospective? She took a paw full of popcorn, and reached for the lemonade.
"I'm so glad to hear you say that." A second voice, probably of the animal sitting on the other chair, was heard and Judy frowned a bit. This was as familiar to her as the first one. But wherefrom did she know this? Lost in thought she took a sip from the lemonade, but it would never reach her stomach…
"I have a big question in my head for you, but I'm not sure if I should ask". The second voice said a bit insecurely, but the first one replied easily.
"Just ask me straight, we are as close to each other as I am with any of my other children, so there is nothing you have to be ashamed of".
Judy nearly choked on the beverage; this voice… but this couldn't be…
"Well, it concerns your daughter". The second, still not visible actor said.
"So?"
"I'm…asking for your blessing to marry Judy".
"Mh… you really have some courage and honor to ask me for permission first, Nick".
Judy spat out the lemonade and coughed loudly, her eyes nearly poured out of her head and she gasped for air. Evelin sat grinning beside her, saying nothing but firmly patting her back. There was some amused mutter within the dark hall and it took a few moments for Judy's coughing fit to settle down; 'This has to be some kind of joke!' she thought and looked seeking help from Evelin who just snickered.
The camera view changed to a wide angle and both Nicholas Wilde and Stu Hopps now stood in front of their armchairs, shaking hands. Then Stu hugged Nick enthusiastically and patted him on his back:
"Good luck and a forehanded welcome to the family, my son".
Judy just stared at the screen, not realizing what was actually happening. Nick was now walking towards the camera, but it held its distance and walked in front of him, through the open door and the hallway – she now recognized their family's hallway! Nick looked to the left and right. The camera went around a few corners and finally entered the kitchen, immediately followed by Nick. It was an odd perspective to see Nick all the time from the front side. In the kitchen the scene slowly became a wide-angled view again, now showing her mother Bonnie and Nick walking towards her.
"Hello, Bonnie!" Nick said and waved with a smile.
"Hi darling, how can I help you?"
"Well, I hoped you could give me a hint where I can find Judy".
"Oh, she went to the cinema with Evelin half an hour ago!"
"Can you give me some directions to it?"
While Bonnie described the way from their home to the cinema in town, Judy still stared with a half-open mouth at the screen, unable to say or think anything right now. The whole situation was totally ridiculous, was she still at home in her bed and dreaming? She turned around to Evelin to ask her something but couldn't articulate herself at all. Evelin giggled with her paws clasped to her mouth to stay quiet; it was clear that she couldn't talk right now and had some great fun.
Judy turned her attention back to the screen. Nick now stood in front of the Hopps' house, looking down the road. Suddenly the screen went black and a second later a beep was heard, at the same time, it showed the current time in large numbers in the middle of the screen. Every second another beep was heard and then the camera view of Nick returned, this time in the left corner of the screen. He started to run and the camera panned with him, some music Judy couldn't recognize right now playing in the background. After another beep, another camera view appeared in the bottom left corner, showing Nick starting to run along the path and then past the camera. After another beep, Nick was now shown on the right half of the screen in portrait view, running towards the camera again, that held the distance. The whole cut scene reminded her of the famous TV series '24'. The two scenes on the left side faded into black and a new camera view was shown in the center, the one on the right side still showed Nick running along the road, Judy and Evelin drove along just half an hour ago. On the left side their main living room became visible with Bonnie and Stu sitting on the couch, facing the camera and talking to an interviewer behind the camera.
"The moment Judy stated, that Nick is her boyfriend and not just her partner, I was absolutely stunned and scared like hell!" Stu Hopps said, his wife nodded accordingly. "I mean, come on: A fox and a bunny? Back then, that was something I would never have imagined!"
"Oh, I noticed it the moment they entered our house", Bonnie said with a soft smile.
"You did?" Stu seemed to be really surprised.
"Yes, of course. A mother always knows what is going on regarding her kits".
"But this was so extraordinary!"
"Just like Judy!" Bonnie smiled and put her paws on top of Stu's. "The moment she introduced him to us I knew what was going on between them".
"Why didn't you say anything? I was caught totally by surprise by it and made an idiot out of myself!"
"I tried to, several times! But there just wasn't the right moment for it and I also didn't know what to think about it for myself, Stu".
"Nick and Judy really didn't have an easy start with us when coming out", Stu agreed with a sigh. "But obviously we raised Judy right, because she recognized what a really great and open-hearted character Nick is, way before we did".
"Yes, she did and I'm so glad to see them both happy together. Nothing is as satisfying as seeing your daughter being as happy as she is when Nick is around".
"Oh yeah!" Stu nodded eagerly. "And there is always enough room for another son in our family, isn't there?"
"You are so right". Bonnie closed her eyes, leaning her head against Stu's shoulder and Stu looked into the camera with a big and proud smile.
"All the best wishes for you two, Judy!" he winked and the camera faded to black. At the same time, the view showing Nick still running along the road zoomed in to fill the whole screen. The current time was displayed again at the bottom border with a beep every second.
Judy sniveled quietly, sitting on the edge of her seat and nibbled on her paws. The picture slid to the left, narrowing the view of Nick running and on the right side of the screen another small movie faded in, showing Evelin and Ralph this time sitting on the couch in their living room.
"I liked Nick the moment I first saw him!" Evelin grinned but Ralph interrupted her.
"The first time you saw him, he was sleeping in a hospital bed!"
"Well, okay, I liked him the very first moment Judy sent me photo of him. Even when she only talked about him as her friend and partner on the force, I guessed that there could be more. Regarding Judy I never thought too much about Nick being a fox, that wouldn't be an impediment for her".
"You mean because of all the little heart emoticons she put under each picture?" Ralph laughed.
"Exactly!" Evelin winked. "But he was also really cute when I met him. I was always worried Judy would end up as a crazy old maid!"
"It looks like she was just waiting for her prince charming. But as far as I know, you still checked him out".
"Of course, I had to! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't because of his species. But I take no risks when it comes to my best friends. And back then Judy was just freshwater; this fox could just take advantage of that".
"Someone taking advantage of Judy?" Ralph raised his eyebrows.
"Well, you know what I mean. Love makes you see everything through rose-colored glasses, even Judy isn't immune to that! I had to make sure that Nick really loves her and that he would treat Juju the way she deserves".
"It seems he passed your tests". Ralph smiled and Evelin nodded.
"With distinction! I don't know a lot of foxes, but I know a lot of rabbits who could take a leaf out of Nick's book! He is funny, makes every effort to make Judy happy and he really is romantic and a gentleman".
"I don't know about all those romantic things, but you can really have a great talk with him and he is always being helpful. We are great friends now and even our little siblings simply love him!"
The picture moved to the top and another video clip started right under it, showing over a dozen of their youngest siblings, all cheering and laughing, climbing on Nick who was playing with them on the ground. After a few seconds the clip faded again and Evelin and Ralph became the focus.
"It's really funny to talk with Judy or Nick individually about the respective other", Evelin snickered. "Every time you can be sure they will start to make insecure remarks about their relationship".
"I know! You just stand there, thinking: 'What are you talking about? I've never seen a sweeter couple, you two are made for each other! Why are you so insecure about it?'" Ralph eagerly replied.
"Exactly! When Nick last talked to me and said that he will finally ask her to marry her, I cut a caper!" Then she looked directly into the camera, and the view zoomed in on her face. Now a fullscreen-Evelin was visible and talking directly to Judy: "Don't goof this, sis! And before you faint, just hold my paw". She pointed in the direction she was now sitting for real and winked. The camera zoomed out again, and Ralph started to talk again.
"A fox being in a relationship with a rabbit seems to be strange at first. But crazy is always something normal with our family. Nick proved to be a great bro and I'm proud to call him part of our family soon! Our best wishes for you two, Judy!"
The picture faded to black again and a few other siblings were shown sitting on the couch. They also talked about how they got to know Nick and really liked him now, some told funny stories and some just wished them the best. Judy sobbed, laughed and wept, all in close succession, hardly able to identify all her siblings because the tears blurred her vision. All along the way Nick was always visible on the screen in one or two of the corners, running his way along the road to the town. He had nearly reached the first houses, when a last clip became visible on the screen, showing Judy's brother Joshua sitting on the front-porch. Judy paused and was a bit afraid of what he would say. It was no secret that Joshua was against their relationship from the very first second. She even fought with him the day they came out as a couple on a visit, resulting in a horrible accident that nearly injured their little sister Amie, but Nick prevented the accident and was seriously injured himself. Joshua always left the house when she and Nick came for a visit and their relationship was quite frosty since then.
"I really was a dork when it came to Nick". Joshua talked calmly, his looks downcast onto his paws. "He is a fox, and I never even tried to see behind this; he never even gave me any reason to treat him like I did. But still I gave it my best to make him feel unwelcomed at our house and in our family". His voice sounded regretful and finally Joshua raised his head. "But nevertheless he always greeted me, was never bearish or argued with me, in spite of everything I did and said and it took me over half a year to recognize that this wasn't arrogance at all, but he still tried to just be friendly. It took me so long to recognize him as being generous, indulgent and forgiving, instead of being malicious or calculating. He really loves Judy, and who am I to object him for it? We all love Judy, she is so pure and endearing that she always spawns the very best from everyone and why should I doubt her judgment? I was a poor brother to her, causing her so much emotional pain. Nick would never do such a thing and I'm so thankful for that! So finally… all that is left for me to do now is… ask for your twos forgiveness; you are both part of my family and I wish you both the very best for your common future!"
Judy was so touched by this last statement, that Evelin had to put her arms around Judy's shoulders again to ease her. Sobbing and wiping the back of her paw over her eyes, Judy smiled widely. In the meantime, Nick was running through the streets of Bunnyburrow. When the tear-stained rabbit noticed that he was just a few streets away, she laughed and started to sob again. In front of a shop Nick suddenly stopped. A few other camera views with different perspectives faded in, all together with the well-known clock and the beep every second. It was a clothes shop and Nick entered it. While in one corner of the screen the front of the shop was still visible, waiting for Nick to reappear, another clip faded in. Judy clasped her paws over her mouth when she recognized the bullpen of district one in Zootopia.
"Officers Judith Hopps and Nicholas Wilde…" it was Chief Bogo speaking. "None of my other Officers are as obstreperous as them – and nearly none of them are as successful as them. That summarizes them quite well. Could you imagine a little rabbit as a cop? Or even a fox? I couldn't! And I'm mistaken very rarely. But this time I'm really glad that I was". He straightened and looked directly to the camera. "Hopps. Wilde. You are being put on paid leave for a full week. And I should warn you, that your colleagues are planning a big surprise party for you. So you'd better not show up early!"
When Chief Bogo finished, Nick left the clothes shop; he wore an expensive looking suite made of white silk, a white shirt and a black bow-tie; he straightened the tie, winking into the camera: "Bow ties are cool!"
Judy laughed quietly, Nick was hinting with that quote to her favorite TV series and the main actor she was always gushing for. Then he walked with large steps along the road, the camera following him again. When he stopped in front of a jewelry shop and entered it, another clip started playing on the other side of the screen, showing an elderly but really good looking vixen sitting on a sofa – Nicks mother!
"I always wanted only the best for Nick. We really had a hard time and not everything went as planned. Every day I prayed that nothing really bad would happen to him, and a guardian angel would watch him. Who'd have thought that such a cute little rabbit would be his angel!" Nick's mother smiled and Judy, half laughing and half sobbing shouted not very loud:
"Don't call me cute!"
Some quiet laughter was heard in the cinema; it was not until now that Judy again realized where they were and that they were not watching the movie alone. She immediately dropped her ears and sank into her seat, holding Evelin's paw while still weeping quietly, but with a smile.
"Judy, you are all a mother could wish for her only son. You are intelligent, quick-witted, funny, and even really beautiful. No mother could have a better daughter than you. It's always hard for a mother to let her son go, but you removed the burden for me. I wish you two all the best!"
The clip faded and Nick left the jewelry shop. When he walked around the corner a second camera view showed that he was just about twenty meters away from the cinema. Judy's heart was palpitating and she sniveled quietly, holding Evelin's paw with an even firmer grip. Nick jumped fleet-footed up the few stairs to the entrance, the camera walked in front of him again.
"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Judy whispered in a unnaturally high-pitched voice, her whole body trembled from excitement now. She watched how Nick walked past the cashier and past the popcorn counter; then stopped suddenly and walked slowly to the beaver behind the counter.
"One small popcorn, please". He said with a smile, just as if he were going to watch a movie. Some common elevator music played in the background, the beaver gave him the popcorn and he paid with a few coins. Turning around he flipped some popcorn into the air and caught it with his mouth, smiling satisfied.
"Dumb fox!" Judy snickered with tears in her eyes. When he started walking again, the song "Crazy something normal" started to play. The camera panned to the entrance door of their hall, Nick stepped in front of it and open it with a push; for a moment the screen turned all black because of the lack of light, then it adapted to the low-light condition and Nick was visible again, passing through the door and the same moment she saw it on the big screen, she could hear the door open in the back and someone entering the hall. The camera footage seems to be a bit more shaky now, obviously they had seen a pre-recorded movie-clip until now, but this was a live-footage. Judy whimpered from nervousness and didn't dare to turn her head around but starred at the screen. Nick walked slowly along the rows of seats and when he reached the fourth row he stopped, the camera panned and two small rabbits were visible in the middle of the row. Nick had a big smile on his face while walking along tier four, slowly approaching Judy from the left. She still couldn't do anything but stare at the screen, not risking to look to the side. When Nick was just a few steps away, she saw Ralph walking backward and holding a camera in his paws in the tier in front of them. On the screen Nick now stood right beside her, but she could also see him out of the corner of her eye. The light in the theatre hall slowly got brighter and while starring at the screen she saw how Nick got down on one knee in this gorgeous white suite. When he started to speak, his voice sounded warm and deep:
"Judith Laverne Hopps…"
Judy couldn't move, she had suddenly froze with panic. Evelin finally poked her with her elbow and Judy twitched. She slipped from her seat and turned around to Nick in slow-motion. His green eyes twinkled like emeralds and he was holding a small black box in his paw.
"Sweetcheeseandcarrots…" Judy squeaked in a high pitched voice again and put her paws in front of her mouth, barely able to control her tremble or even her palpitating heart, being giddy with excitement.
"I love you more than I could express with just words. You are the one who completes me and I want to spend the rest of my life with you". He slowly opened the small box in his paws. "Will you marry me?"
In Judy's head was a storm of emotions, preventing her to think straight. Thousands of pictures showed in front of her mind's eye: All those beautiful moments she shared with Nick, all the little surprises he made for her from time to time, the interviews and statements of her friends and family she saw just a few moments ago… Judy lowered her gaze and the second she looked into Nick's bright green eyes, all those voices and pictures in her head vanished. There was nothing left in her mind but the picture of Nick, kneeling in front of her and looking up to her with those eyes and a happy smile; a warm and intimate feeling of propinquity, faith and love. She slowly started to sob again and blinked some tears away, then she pulled her paws down a bit and whispered with her happiest smile: "Yes! Yes, I definitely want to marry you!"
The whole cinema started to cheer while Nick took the golden ring from the box and slowly put it onto Judy's finger. Judy started to laugh and sob again and finally her knees gave in and Nick caught her with both arms. She could hardly put her arms around his neck, her whole body was still trembling with excitement; Nick held her firmly and they shared a long and fierce kiss for everyone to see on the big screen. The refrain of "Crazy something normal" started again, and Judy just clenched him. The whole crowd applauded and cheered for several minutes, giving standing ovations.
When Judy finally released Nick and her eyes travelled over all those people sitting in the cinema, she started crying again: Her parents and most of her siblings were there, a few of their co-workers including Chief Bogo and Clawhauser, Gideon, the whole Croach family, Mister and Mrs. Otterton, Fru Fru and many more. She had no idea how they all managed to get into this theater and how she didn't recognize any of them. But this feeling was all just overwhelming; Ralph was still filming and Nick and Judy's face was in full screen-size on the big screen. Evelin grinned at her with an even bigger smile and winked slyly at her older sister.
"Sly fox", She whispered to Nick with a giggle.
"Oh, you rabbits are so emotional". He winked at her and Judy let herself fall into his arms.
"Uh-hu".