Chapter Three: Four Weddings and A Barbecue

A/N: These chapters aren't coming as fast as planned. Turns out taking care of my mother is a full time job with little time for my other activies unless she's napping. Oh well.

PizzaSteve3902 guessed the plot point. I kinda wanted to have Nick and Judy married in case I don't get around to the "after-Purge" stories and Judy had a very good excuse.

Yax's little bit in the chapter is based on a recent true story. His little joke kinda makes him out to be gay, but I decided Yax is mainly into "free love" and is pansexual.

You'll be happy to know that this isn't another story where I split Nick and Judy up into their own subplots. They stay together through almost the whole thing.

12:05pm At Nick's Restaurant/Preds for Peace Headquarters

Bogo felt a little nervous. He knew tonight would be an important night and he wanted to lead these people well. But he knew he wasn't dealing with his fellow officers, he was dealing with civilians. Asking them to protect themselves while possibly putting them in the line of fire. He also wondered if they'd accept him. The predators around the restaurant were already talking and murmuring to themselves on why Nick wasn't there. And why the man who forced his paw and made him quit the force was there to take his place.

Bogo began his speech. "Ahem! I'm sorry I'm not the person you were expecting to be here today. Especially since I dismissed this organization as a Militia. But rest assured, even though we have different views on this matter, I have given Wilde my full support. Here's a video explaining his absence for today and why I'm here."

Bogo turned on the computer and played the video Nick sent him. "Hello everyone! Nick Wilde here. Sorry I can't be there in person today. For my children's safety, I'm taking them out of the city to my fiance's farm out in Bunnyburrow. Ol' buffalo-butt Bogo here will be taking my place today."

The crowd chuckled and Bogo was a bit embarrassed. "I should've reviewed the video first."

"I'm the boss now Bill! Ha-Ha! Anyway, you're probably wondering why I would let the man who made me give up my badge have the reigns today. Well yes, I gave up my badge because I believe so greatly in this movement, BUT...I also admire and respect Bogo greatly. Even if we have our differences, he's someone I know I can trust with you guys one hundred percent. So take it away Bogo!"

Bogo was touched by Nick's words, but stayed professional as he spoke. "AHEM! Thank you Wilde. Gentlemammals, I only have one order for today. Don't..."

Before he could finish, he was surprised to see Simmons and Snarlov walk in with Grizoli coming in behind them. "What on earth on you doing here?!" He asked. "Get back on patrol!"

"We darn done quit dangit!" Simmons said.

Snarlov followed suit. "Da! That Swinton is a no-goodnick! We will not follow her orders. We will only follow yours!"

Bogo argued with them. "We have to do what's best for the city. I'm not the chief right now. She is! And can't afford to have two of our best bears off the force."

Grizoli interrupted. "Mama-Mia! That Swinton! She's a-gone crazy! She's a-got 'da senior cadets paired up with a-da other cops! Not only 'dat, she's a-giving everyone guns with live ammo! I took-a my racist, stereotype accent and-a left!"

Bogo's eyes just about bulged out of his skull. "WHAT?!"

"It's true!" Simmons replied. "That dang-ol' witch has got the force currently taking live weapons trainin' but she wants us out on the streets with these things! No thank you!"

Bogo clenched his hooved fists and punhed at the table. "That stupid!...Idiotic!" He relaxed and unclenched his hooves. "What's the use? Even if I yell at her, she's in charge and nothing I say will stop her. But rest assured, I'll give her hell on the phone after this meeting! Now, with that said, I only have one order for y-"

Bogo was interrupted as officer Wolford came in with his wife Auburn and his son James.

"Officer Wolford reportin' for duty chief!"

"I'm not your chief any more and YOU are on a leave of absence due to your concussion!"

"C'MON! I-I can help! I'm not 'dat..." A sharp pain went into Tim's skull. He yiped as Auburn and James helped sit him down. The wolf started to cry. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Gotta remember not 'ta yell so loud. Ouch! It's not fair dammit! I c-can't just sit on 'da sidelines while my city goes 'ta hell!"

"You can't do it dad!" James said. "But I can. I'll follow any orders you give me Bogo!"

Bogo chuckled. "Well that's very admirable of you son, but my orders for you are to stay home and keep your mother and father safe!"

Bogo then addressed the rest of the crowd. "That goes for all of you as well! My one order for tonight that you MUST follow is to not die! I want no dead heroes on my watch! If a small mammal is being attacked and you think you are large and strong enough to stop it from happening, then fine. Otherwise, go home and lock your doors! Border your windows if you have to! That weasel may have been a hero yesterday, but I don't want you to do what he did! Don't go into a situation where you know you're going to be over your head! Be sensible! Be safe! Be..."

He was shocked beyond measure as tons of the ZPD force came through the door. "You...I..."

Delgato spoke up. "When we're on lunch, she can't tell us where to go. We don't want to follow her orders. We want to follow YOURS! Please Bogo. Tell us what to do."

A smile came upon Bogo's face as he wiped a tear from his eye. "SNIFF! Thank you. Thank you all. Now listen up! We need to come up with a plan, because Swinton's is complete garbage. I'm willing to listen to some ideas."

12:20pm at the parking lot of Uncle Jim-Bob's BBQ

While Bogo was coming up with a plan, Nick was surprised at Judy's. "You want to get married HERE?! Why?"

"Nick, I have to go back into the city tonight. It's going to be chaos. I might die. I...I've never been afraid of getting hurt or killed on the job, but I am now. Michael has grown close to our family. If I die..."

"Which is not going to happen." Nick replied.

"It's a possibility. And if it does, I want Michael to stay with our family. I know you made a will and that Spots gets the kids if something happens to us. They love each other. They need to stay together!"

"Have you gone over this with Michael? And what about the wedding? Our parents being there?"

"We can still have the ceremony. That wouldn't change. And no, I haven't talked to Michael yet. It would be too hard for him."

"Carrots. He needs to be in on this. He's forgiven his blood father and mother. How do we know he wouldn't be better off with his blood family? I'm still having doubts over whether I should have taken away Petey from his blood siblings. He needs to be involved in this choice. If he says yes, then hell yea I'll marry you right now. Without a doubt."

Judy smiled. "Okay then. It needs to be his choice."

"Y'know fluff? This is actually a good idea. If something happens to us when we go back, Spots will have the kids and our family will still be together."

" 'To US?!' Nick, only I'm going back. You're way too injured! You could be easily killed!"

"I HAVE too Judy. I made Rusev a promise that if he ever broke out of prison, I'd come for him."

Judy was getting upset. "So...what? You're going to abandon your family over revenge?!"

"It's not about vengeance, it's about protecting Spots. Rusev already killed her parents and he threatened to go after her and I'll be DAMNED if I let that son of a roach kill another Rigson!" Tears started to flow down Nick's cheeks. "She's my girl now and I'll protect her with my life!" Nick then shuffled his feet. "Besides, I might have some backup."

"Oh? Who."

"Sorry Fluff, I can't tell you right now. You'd be real upset. I just need you to trust me on this one."

Judy saw the determination in the fox's eyes. "Alright. I don't like you keeping a secret from me, but I'd trust you with my life. I can't argue with you to stay with the kids, can I?"

"No. I need to do this."

"...Then we do it together. Me and you. One last time as partners on the force. You have my back and I'll have yours. Deal?"

Nick smiled. "Deal."

The two hugged each other close. Fear in their heart and tears in their eyes. "We'll get through this." Nick said. "I promise."

"We better!" Judy sniffled. "Or I'll come back from the dead and haunt you!" The two had a chuckle as they went back to the van.

Judy opened the van and took the ear buds off of Michael. "Michael dear, we need to have a talk."

"Did I do something bad?" the boy asked."

Nick smiled. "Ha! Probably something we don't know about I'm sure, but you're not in trouble. Your mom has a question to ask you."

Judy got back into the van, unbuckled Michael and sat him on her lap. "Me and Nick were thinking of going in that chapel and getting married right now."

The family got excited while Michael's ears shot straight up. "Really?! Cool!"

"Now, if this happens, you'll be part of this family for good. Even if something happens to me."

"I know!"

"Now this is important. Both me and Nick are heading back to the city tonight and you guys are staying at the farm until we pick you up tomorrow. I don't want to scare you kids, but it's going to be very dangerous. Something bad could happen and if, God forbid, we die, we want you kids to stay together."

Cotton started becoming scared. "I-Is something bad gonna happen to you?!"

"To my mom?" Michael questioned. "Nah! She's too tough!"

Thanks for your confidence in me, but no Cotton, we should be fine. This...this is a precaution. I'm a cop. I put my life on the line every day. Now Nick, he put it in his will that the kids would go to Spots in case something happened to him, so no matter what, once we're married we stay together as a family."

Judy looked over at her son. "That's what I'm trying to get across to YOU Michael. If me and Nick get married, you're in this family for good. I know you forgave your blood father, but he would no longer be your legal guardian in any form. You'd still have about 300 siblings of course, but you'd be staying with us and only visiting the farm. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah mommy!" Michael said. "I don't wanna go back. I love Cotton, Spots and Petey! This is my family now!"

Judy hugged and kissed the boy. "Good! Now let's have lunch and get married!"

"At the same time no less!" Nick added.

They all got out of the car. As they headed to the chapel, Spots asked a question. "So since you guys insist on going back to the city and dumping the kids on me, where do I go with them if you two kick the bucket?"

Nick thought about it. "Well...you kids would be inheriting my money and the hotel. Although you're too young to run the place. I guess you'd have the choice of living on the farm or with your grandma and Bobby."

Spots thought about it. "Hunh...a small family tends to be closer, but...I'd be closer with Rose and have a lot of support on the farm. I dunno. Can't I just stay in the city?"

"You're underage. You legally couldn't live on your own until you're 18."

"I guess with the farm then. I'd have a lot of help and Michael should be with his siblings."

"Alright."

They walked up to the chapel. Judy read the sign. "Hmmmm... 'Uncle Larry's discreet wedding chapel. We'll marry anyone to anything. No fuss. No muss. Your secret's safe with us."

"Classy." Nick replied. "Not the wedding I imagined. You SURE you want to do this?"

"Positive." Judy replied. "Let's go."

Once they entered the chapel, they knew they were in for an experience. There was a line in front to get married and they had to pull a number off like they were in a fish deli. There were three couples ahead of them and families of the brides and grooms were sitting in the pews in dirty t-shirts and ripped up jeans.

"What in the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" Nick asked.

"Let's just get this over with." Judy said.

"Just what I wanted to hear on my wedding day."

"I'm sorry."

"As long as you don't say it on our honeymoon, we're good." Nick then looked over at Spots. "This could take us awhile, why don't I give you some money and you get the kids something to eat?"

"Alright." Spots said.

Nick handed her two twenties. "And get something for me and Judy while you're at it. We may be here awhile and I'm starving!"

While they were waiting, Nick and Judy decided to talk to the couple in front of them. Judy tapped them on the shoulder. "Excuse me? Are you two getting married too?"

The couple turned around. It was a groundhog and a porcupine. "Why yes!" said the groundhog. "I'm Reggie and this is my boyfriend of ten years, David."

"Hello!" said the porcupine.

Judy was impressed. "Wow! Ten years?! Why are you getting married at this little dump?"

"Probably the same reason as you two. Our parents didn't approve. Our families didn't approve. Hell, some of our own friends didn't approve, so we're forced to go this route."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. People can be so ignorant. I guess me and Nick are a little bit more lucky than that. It took awhile, but our parents and family do approve. We even have a wedding ceremony at the end of the month. This was more on impulse because we separately have some foster children and want them to be a family together in case anything happens to us."

"So, a porcupine and a groundhog..." Nick mused. "How do you two...y'know?"

"VERY carefully." Reggie the groundhog replied.

"Yeah!" David the porcupine chuckled. "He gives me a little prick and I give him several dozen!"

They laughed together. Meanwhile, the "minister" (a wombat who has a legal license for marriage) was marrying a redneck couple up at the front. "Alright! Number 253. Your names?"

"Gunther Fluffbottom." the redneck rabbit in a BBQ sauce-stained tank top said.

"And your name?" the minister asked the bride.

"Agnes Fluffbottom."

"...Oh dear. I'm sorry, but we can't marry kin. That cost a ton extra!"

"We ain't kin!" Gunther argued.

"Yeah!" Agnes replied. "We is cousins!"

"...But cousins are still k-...Nevermind! Good enough!" The minister said. "You have your rings?"

"Ah ain't got the money fer those fancy rings yet." Gunther replied. "So we's got these here onion rings!"

"...SIGH! Whatever."

Moments later, the minister had married the hillbilly cousins and was onto the next couple. "Alright! Number two hundred and...what on earth is this?"

It was Yax...and a tree in a wagon. "Hey man! I'm like, totally against the deforestation plans going on in Cottonpine forest to make expansions on Zootopia! So I'm gonna marry this tree! That'll give it the legal rights so they can't cut it down and if they can't cut THIS one down, that may give way for protecting the rest of the forest man!"

"Ummmm...one question." said the minister. "How did you get this tree in here?!"

"It wasn't easy. Like, I couldn't uproot it so I had to cut the tree down and place it on this wagon and...OH NO! Dude! I killed it!"

"You certainly did!"

"Oh man! My plan like, totally backfired! I better go get another tree. Maybe Nanji can help me uproot one. So it stays alive."

A defeated Yax puled his cart along when he noticed Nick and Judy. "Hey officers!"

"Hey Yax!" Nick and Judy said together.

"Long time, no see! You two getting married?"

"Yup!" Judy replied.

"That's like, wonderful man! Huh-huh! Guess I'm not the only one into knots!"

Judy laughed. "HA! Good tree joke!"

"Tree joke? Anyway, I gotta get going. Nice to see you again!" Yax then left with his tree.

The gay couple were up next as Nick was realizing this was going faster than expected. "We better get the kids back. I want them to witness this."

Nick got on his cell phone. "Hey Spots? Better hurry on back. We're next to marry."

"Dammit! I just got our food!"

"Well, bring it with you!"

"SIGH! Alright! Be right there."

Nick and Judy watched as the Groundhog and Porcupine said their nuptials. The minister married them. The kids arrived with the food just as the gay couple hugged and kissed. "What's going on with those two men Daddy?" Petey asked.

"Well. That gay couple just got married. Their parents and friends were against it, but they fought through it and are now wed. Isn't that nice?"

"They're two different species!"

"So?"

Petey thought about it. "Oh. That's okay?"

"Of course! Me and Judy are two different species."

"Oh yeah!"

Nick then saw Spots eating some BBQ salmon. "Gimmie a bite of that!"

Spots didn't want to give it up. "No! It's mine!"

"Well I payed for it!" Nick bit a piece of her fish off and ate it.

Meanwhile, Michael tugged on Judy's shirt to get her attention. "Mommy! I ate a tiny piece of fish! I'm a carnival!"

"That's 'carnivore' honey. And rabbits are vegetarian!" She then scowled at Spots. "Spots! You know better than to give Michael meat! It can make him sick!"

"It was just a tiny bite. "She said.

"Well anyway, did you get me some kale chips?"

Spots fished them out of the bag. "Here you go."

"NEXT!" shouted the minister. "Number 256."

Judy handed the bag back. "Nevermind. That's us!" Judy replied. "Nick! Hurry up and chow down that fish."

"Fowwy!" Nick said with a mouthful of fish.

The two walked up to the minister. "Well, this is it!" Judy said.

"Not exactly my dream wedding." Nick replied.

"I thought only girls dreamed of weddings."

"Don't be so sexist Fluff."

The minister eyed Nick and Judy. "A fox and a rabbit?! Hey buddy, you're supposed to eat your food, not marry it."

"Ha-Ha." Nick said sarcastically. "Judy, are you sure you want to do it like this?"

"Nick, it doesn't matter HOW we're married, as long as we're legally married. I want our kids to all be one big, happy family. Which by the way, is only gonna get bigger."

"Sorry about the joke." The minister said. "I ain't one to judge. That's my Thursday job. So you two got rings?"

"On our fingers." Nick noted. "We've been engaged for a few days."

"Nice!" the minister replied. "But if you didn't, we also run a small jewelry store in the back just for these occasions. So without further ado, dear Lord, we are gathered here in the presence of...your name?"

"Nick Wilde."

"And his lovely bride to be, miss?"

"Judy Hopps."

"To be bonded together in holy matrimony. Yadda-yadda-yadda. You got anything to say to each other?"

Nick held Judy's paws. "Carrots...Judy, my dear. While I could think of much better venues to get married in. No offense father."

"None taken." said the minister. "This place is a dump. Good eatin', but a dump."

"I couldn't think of anyone else on this entire planet I'd rather marry than you. You've not only saved my life countless times, you've saved my soul and turned me into a much better person than I ever thought I could be. I don't just love you, because love is not strong enough a word. You are an irreplaceable part of me."

With a pool of tears in her eyes, Judy sniffled. "SNIFF! Thank you Nick. You saved me too! I thought I wasn't like my bigoted parents, but I was proven wrong. I never gave you a chance. But you gave me one. I trapped myself in walls of denial and you broke through those barriers and showed me what a fox can really do! You showed me calmness when I was angry, joy when I was sad. When I was at my lowest, you raised me back up. I can't think of a better fox, a better father for my children and a better husband I could have than you! I love you so much!" She started to cry a little.

"Touching." said the minister. "Alright, let's wrap this up! Normally, we do the 'With this ring, I thee wed' bit, but you already got them on so let's skip ahead. Is there anyone in this room who thinks this couple should not be wed. Speak now or forever hold their peace."

Cotton climbed up onto the pew and looked over at the others waiting in line. "Say anything and my big sister will kick your butts!"

Spots picked her up with one arm. "Calm down, pillow pants!"

The minister finished. "By the power invested in me by whatever fictional state we're in that's not even canon like the rest of this, I now pronounce you...mammal and wife! You may kiss the bunny."

The kids cheered as Nick bent down and kissed his bunny bride on the lips. The kiss lasted a good ten seconds. As he pulled his lips apart, Nick couldn't help but laugh."

"What's so funny?" Judy asked.

"You got barbecue sauce on your lips."

Judy licked the sauce off of her lips. "Why Mr. Wilde, your kisses are delicious!"

"Thank you!...Mrs. Wilde."

"What?! I thought you were gonna be 'Nick Hopps'?!"

"...Ummmm...what?"

Judy laughed. "Just kidding! I'm Judy Wilde now!"

"Are we gonna tell your parents?" Nick asked.

"In a month."

"We'll be doing the ceremony in less than a month."

"Exactly." she said with a smirk.

Spots set down the food and picked up her entire family into her arms, lifting off their feet. "YAAAY! We're a full family now! I love you guys so much!"

"Spots sweetie, you're crushing us!" Nick replied. "Also, dang are you strong!"

Michael looked a bit pale. "Mommy, you know what you said about eating fish?"

Judy, who was squished up next to Michael replied. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"WHAARRRRRFF!" Mike puked all over.