CHAPTER 4 ~ Sunday Drama

A/N: To start with there's more drama and backstory ahead, with a bit of fluff at the end, so please hang with me.

XxX

Judy awoke with a start, in an absolute panic! 'Where am I, what happened?' she thought.

Then she remembered that she was in the bed provided to her by Nick above her new place of employment. The slow calm she had begun to get was quickly replaced by a sense of dread when she remembered the phone conversation with her mother. She glanced around in the dim light for her phone, only to realize once she found it that it wouldn't power up because the battery had gone dead. After looking around in the dim light, and finally finding a light switch Judy turned on the lights and looked around 'Well damn, this is all going well' she thought as she searched through her purse for her charger.

After hooking her charger to her phone Judy figured she might as well acquaint herself with ther new living arrangements.

As she began to work her way through what seemed like years of accumulated mess again, she found the usual stuff.

Old advertising, parts catalogues and junk mail were piled in one spot beside a couple of filing cabinets marked 'invoices', 'paid bills', 'taxes' and the like. Office furniture, mostly broken, was loosely piled in one corner of the room, but what she found next to the empty water cooler in an unmarked box stopped her short. It was an assortment of old 'girlie' magazines, which include pretty much any species she could think of. The most recent were of bunny does and fox vixens… 'Nick and Finnick's I'll bet, yeesh' thought Judy.

As Judy was moving the box to the pile of furniture that she was going to have Nick throw out, the bottom fell out of the box. There, to her surprise, was a small pile of magazines featuring male models in 'compromising' poses.

'What in the world is going on here?' she wondered. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Then she remembered that Nick had said something earlier about needing another model for the car shows. 'I certainly hope that that is the explanation for these' she thought. I'm going to have to ask about this...'

As Judy made it back around to the desk, she noticed that the phone had a sufficient charge to at least turn on and use. Much to her dismay there were 5 missed calls and an equal amount of missed texts, all from her parents.

Dreading where this was going to go, Judy dialed her parents. It was still early, 6:15, but she knew her parents would be up. The phone barely rang once as her dad picked up "Bon, it's Judy, she finally called" sounding relieved and in a mild panic at the same time.

"Give me that phone" said Bonnie to Stu. "What do you think you're doing not answering your phone? We were frantic wondering what could be happening to you, being there with a fox and all. You need to get your tail out of there and get back to the station, and I mean right now!"

The more Bonnie railed, the madder Judy got "You listen to me mom, I told you last night how I felt and nothing has happened to change my mind. To begin with, after crying myself to sleep after your rant last night, the battery on my phone went dead and I didn't get it charged enough to use until just now. Nick had already left by the time you called last night so you need to leave that alone. I told you that he's been nothing but kind to me since we met. Besides, IF I had wanted to do anything with him, it's my choice to make, not yours. It's my life and you don't get to run it anymore. I'm twenty four years old and my life is my own, regardless of what you think, I can handle myself quite well with or without your approval. In fact probably better. Don't forget it was you who hooked me up with that damned Johnny Whinters in the first place, so that disaster belongs to you, not to me. Why do you hate the thought that I want to do more with my life than to raise carrots or work in a gas station? What the hell is your problem with me anyway?"

"Judith Laverne Hopps, how dare you talk to me that way? Your father and I have done everything we could to raise you right, gave you everything you needed, and yet you have the nerve to act like this?"

"Bullshit" Judy yelled, tears of frustration rolling down her cheeks "you raised me to be like your other 275 other kits, which was to further the family business. You never gave a damn about what I truly wanted or needed. When did you ever support me? You didn't want me to be in the Carrot Days skit. You never supported my decision to go to college to get a Criminal Justice degree, I even had to pay for that with my own money. Money I earned doing part time jobs on and off campus. You never supported my decision to be a police officer. The only thing you actually gave me was the ambition to get the hell out. When will you learn that I don't want to be a farmer? I could care less about the farm, and I could care even less about the station."

As Judy listened to the stunned silence she continued "Remember what I told you last night about not bothering to call? Well I'm going one step better, starting now, I'm blocking you. If you need to communicate with me, you'll need to do it through Josh or Duane. This isn't farewell mother, it's GOODBYE!"

With that, Judy terminated the call and proceeded to block her parent's number.

"My god, I hope the rest of the day goes better than it has so far." says Judy out loud.

Just then, Judy sensitive hearing picks up the sound of the side door open and close and the main lights to the shop area came on. As her eyes shot to the clock on her phone she realised that it was already nearly 7 am, and that had to be Nick stopping to pick her up for breakfast. "SHIT!"

Noticing that the lights were on upstairs Nick calls up "Judy, are you up and decent?" inquires Nick.

Judy opens the 'office' door and yells down "Yes, come on up. You could've called and let me know, just in case."

"I tried, but first I got a busy signal, then it kind of half rang once and I got a message that the number was no longer in service…are you having problem with your phone?"

"As if things couldn't get any worse" moaned Judy as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked dejectedly at the floor.

"Care to share?" asked Nick in a concerned voice.

"Ugh, where to start" began a dejected Judy "What the hell, here goes. Mmm let's see…after you left last night, I got a call from my parents, my mom mostly. She read me the usual riot act about taking off from the store and getting a different job without telling them. I guess that part is understandable. Then she went on to give me hell about being with a fox, mainly because of the fight I got into with one when I was a kit, the one I told you about last night. After I…umm fell asleep the battery died on the phone so I missed a bunch of calls and texts which didn't help matters. When I woke up I noticed the dead battery and put it on the charger while I started working with this" as she indicated the start she had gotten cleaning the office area to be more livable.
"When I decided to take a quick break and call them back, it just started all over and quickly got worse. My mom tried to tell me how great a job they did raising and supporting me, so I let her have it. I told her that the I thought that only reason they wanted me around was to help with the family business, how they had never actually supported anything I had tried to do when I was young. I told her that I didn't care about the farm or the station, and I told her that if she couldn't support me that she never needed to call again. Then I told her I was going to block her number and hung up….So I guess right after that she turned off my phone… now I've got no one, and no place to go…" With that Judy broke down and started crying.

"You know that's not true Carrots, you've got…"

Suddenly Judy stood and gave Nick a look of pure hatred in her eyes and on her muzzle "What did you call me Johnny? If you ever use that name again, I swear I'll-I'll….Oh my god, what did I just say?" Judy's paws flew to her face, stopping in the sudden realization and horror of the present situation.

As Nick recoiled in shock "I don't know who this Johnny is, but I can assure you it's NOT me!"

Judy gaped in horror "Oh Nick, I-I'm SO sorry. But that name, it-it's a name that I had hoped I'd never hear again…" there are just so many bad….." and she started crying again. I-I can't do this, I'll just gather my things and leave. I can still stay with my brothers for a while I guess a-and…."

"No" said Nick in a firm but nonthreatening voice, grasping Judy gently but firmly by the shoulders "you aren't going anywhere."

"Wha-what do you mean? I just went off on you, for something that you had no idea was upsetting for me. How can you even want me to stay? I-I…"

"Let me guess, you think you're broken, and there's no way to fix you, right?"

Looking dejectedly at the floor Judy softly replied "Y-you have no idea how broken I am. W-would you care to hear the sad story of Judy Hopps? And why I can't be fixed? I guess I owe you that much at least."

Nick gently sat Judy on the bed, pulled up the chair from the desk "Lay it on me. When you're finished, I'll share a bit with you. Deal?"

As she let out a long sigh Judy dejectedly began "It all began when my mom set me up with a date for a spring formal, about a month before my junior prom. The buck's name was Johnny Whinters."

'I've heard that name somewhere' thought Nick.

Tearfully Judy continued "Johnny Whinters was a star athlete at Bunnyburrow High, handsome, well liked, you know the story. I was the nerdy doe what wasn't really popular so I was thrilled to say the least. Sometime during the dance someone spiked the punch, which was actually expected, but Johnny added a little something 'extra' to my drink. I don't remember a lot of what happened to this day, but I do remember that I was brutally raped several times, then dumped off in front of my parent's burrow. 'You need to stick to carrot farming…Carrots!' was all he said as he drove off." Her tiny body shaking with sobs Judy continued "Mom and dad took me to the ER, even though they didn't really believe me, there they did a rape kit and a blood draw, then gave me one of those 'morning after' pills. I called the police to report the rape but guess what…no one believed me. You see Johnny was the son of the mayor, and the mayor's brother was the chief of the entire Tri-burrow area police departments."

After a short pause to wipe the tears a bit she went on "So I decided to take matters into my own paws. Two days later I decided to sneak out and caught Johnny in the gym and beat him up, really badly. I knocked out one of his incisors, bent an ear and broke three of his ribs. THEN the mayor wanted to press charges, on me no less. When we got the evidence of the rape kit and blood results, Ketamine was later found in my blood sample along with Johnny's DNA from the rape kit. So then they decided to just drop the entire matter. Nothing ever made its way to my official record so I thought I still had a legit chance of making the ZPD, which had been my lifelong dream. That is until I found out about the 'minimum height' rule. Good academics in school and a criminal justice degree from Zoo U were worth exactly nothing."

Looking for all the world like a totally defeated bunny she finished "So, here I am with another blown opportunity before I even get started. If you'll be kind enough to give me a lift to my brothers' place, it would be appreciated."

"Do you really think you're the only one who's broken?" Nick asked "Sit there for a minute and give a listen. When I was around nine, I had already lost my dad a year earlier, killed in a drive by shooting. Yea, I know real guns are illegal, but it doesn't mean they're not around. Anyways, I'd joined the Junior Ranger Scouts, glad to be accepted as the only predator in the pack. When the time came for initiation, the rest of the pack led by a beaver kit named Larry Forrest, decided to beat me up and muzzle me. They beat me until I lost consciousness, then carried me to within three blocks of my home and threw me naked into a dumpster. Naturally, when I finally I made it home, mom called the cops and they just laughed. The said that another fox just got what he deserved and then they just…left.'

'After a couple of years I just said screw it and left home, hooked up with Fin and hustled just to make a make ends meet, giving up hope of ever being able to earn an honest living. Then Mr. Bigg's limo broke down in front of Fin's van. When we managed to get it running, opportunity knocked. We grabbed it by the ass and never let go.'

'I'm going to let you in on the worst kept secret in Zootopia. Every member of this shop is or has been broken in some shape, form or fashion. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Physically, mentally or both, everyone workinghere so far has a history of being broken. The shop started out to be just a place to fix or restore cars and such, but it has turned into so much more. There are mammals here who've been homeless through no fault of their own. Mammals who were mentally or physically abused or both, vets with PTSD issues, you name it we've seen it. Maybe I saw something else in you from the get go, I don't know, but one thing is sure. You need to be here, Judy, I need you to be here. I don't know why, but Karma has brought you to this place, and I'm not going to let you walk out. This is the place that can help you heal."

Even though she knew there was a lot more to Nick than he was letting on, Judy sat in stunned silence, the two looked into each other's eyes. Nothing was said, no words were exchanged, but an instant understanding and a fragile bond was developed.

Sighing heavily, Judy made a decision, the only one that made sense. "Nick, can we go to breakfast now? All of this …this crap has gotten me hungry. I guess this means I'll staying, at least for the time being."

"Ok…umm… Judy let's go. I hafta tell ya though, we've GOT to get you a nickname. Everyone here has a nickname. Judy is too personal, Hopps is too formal, and I already know that the C-word is off limits, both of them come to think of it" which caused Judy to at least break a tiny smile. "Would something like Fluff work? I called you that yesterday and didn't get cussed out or beat up, so maybe that 'll work, at least for now?"

"Silly fox" Judy said with a tired smile "I guess it'll do. So what's you nickname" Now that I seem to have one, it's only fair to know yours."

"Well as you can imagine, I've been called a lot of things, some good, some not so much. But two that have seemed to hang with me are 'Slick', mainly because of my less than stellar past, and 'Red'."

Judy giggled "I'm guessing that 'Red' is due to your fur color?"

Nick smirked "Nope, not at all. It's actually because I have a tendency to use quips and quotes from an old comedian I used to admire as a kit. His name was Redd Foxx."

"Really? You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope, as you work through this mess you'll probably stumble on some old tapes, records or CDs with his stuff on them. Tell you what, while I put the GOAT in the finished projects part of the warehouse and find something else to drive, why don't you get a quick shower. I hate to tell you, but you look like you could use one."

As Judy looked in the mirror on the wall next to the bathroom door, she had to agree "Ok, just a quick one because I'm really hungry. I'll meet you downstairs when I'm ready."

As Judy showered, Nick rolled the GTO into the warehouse and parked it. As Nicked looked around, he tried to decide what to take Judy in for breakfast. Something nice but not too flashy….then a recently purchased lime green '68 Road Runner caught his eye. The car was bought as a shop project and was in good running shape, it just needed that something special. 'This should do nicely' he thought 'classy but not over the top.'

As Nick rolled the 'Runner to the overhead door, Judy was headed down the steps from her 'apartment'. Her outfit was simple, jeans and a pale blue tank top.

"My, don't you look stunning" said Nick in a cheery voice.

"Well, thank you kind sir. I take it I'm not underdressed?"

"Nope, not at all, that will do just fine" as Nick got out and walked around the car to open the door for Judy.

Judy was impressed "Aren't you quite the gentlemammal!"

"If my mother taught me nothing else, she made a point of making sure I was well mannered."

"Well, I must be sure to thank her….is that…umm…ok?"

Nick smiled as he slid behind the driver's seat "Yea, no worries, she usually visits the shop a couple of times a week. You two will get along quite well I'm sure."

Before Nick could put the car in gear, Judy leaned over and gave him another hug, this one tighter than yesterday's 'I could definitely get used to this, wait…what am I thinking? But then again…' thought Nick.

As a slightly tearful Judy sat back in her seat "I'm so glad we met yesterday. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come into my life. I'm still terribly sorry about snapping on you this morning and I still can't get over the fact that you still want me around, thank you."

"You're more than welcome, let's eat."

As our pair takes the short cruise towards breakfast, "It's a Beautiful Morning" by the Rascals comes over the radio.

"Are all of your radios tuned to the same station?" asks Judy curiously.

"All of the ones that work are" replied Nick "it helps remind everyone of the era that most of these cars are from, and sort of sets the mood at the shop. You don't approve?"

"No, it's not that, I've actually never heard most of it before. I kind of like the music, it's just unfamiliar is all."

As Nick pulls into a parking spot, Judy notices the sign 'Mel's Diner'. "I think I've heard of this place before. Didn't there used to be a TV show a long time ago by that name?"

With a toothy grin Nick replied "Actually, the name of the show was 'Alice'. But to answer your question, this is the actual diner. And the owner and one of the waitresses are the real mammals that the characters on the show were named after."

As Nick and Judy enter the diner, they are greeted by the owner, a male brown bear. "Hey Nick, what's going on here? You finally decide to start dating good lookers for a change?"

As Judy blushed and started to answer, Nick laughed and spoke up "Sorry to disappoint Mel, but this is my new mechanic and model Judy Hopps. Judy, this is Mel Sharples, the owner of this so called diner."

"Pleased ta' meet ya" replied Mel.

"You too good to say 'HI' to you mother's best friend now?" came a loud but playful remark from behind the counter.

"Never" remarked Nick "give me a break Alice. Alice, this is Judy Hopps, my newest addition to the Wilde bunch. Judy meet Alice Hyatt, one of the best waitresses to ever work a greasy spoon."

"What do you mean 'one of the best' Nick?" Alice, an older red fox vixen, scolded playfully.

"Well after all, mom used to work here, and she had you beat by a county mile."

"You'll never forget that will you Nickey?"

Judy couldn't help but smile while watching the interaction between Nick and everyone. 'It's no wonder his shop is successful if he's like this all of the time. It seems like he knows just about everybody.'

"If you don't mind, I'll order for us both, ok?" asked Nick as he looked first from Judy, then to Alice.

"I guess that'll be ok, you seem to know best."

"Two specials comin' up. Mel, move your ass, Nick and his lady friend need two specials."

"Quit bustin' my chops woman, they'll have 'em out there in a couple of minutes."

"Well kiss my grits Mel, you say that all the time and you're always wrong…"

As Nick and Judy laugh at the constant banter between the two, Nick remarks "I guess I might need to warn you ahead of time, it's pretty much just like this at the shop every day. Do you think you can handle it?"

Judy shot Nick a slightly dubious look "I'm not sure but I'll give it my best shot."

As they begin to eat, Nick replies "I'm sure you will. I usually give the group a little speech when we get a 'newbie' in the shop not to harass you too much or prank you for the first week or so, but I might need to give Snowflake a little extra reminder."

"WOW, this is great what is it? Umm, what is a 'newbie' and just who is Snowflake?"

"Ok, first, it's basically hash brown potatoes, mushroom soup, cheese and Mel's special added ingredient. Don't ask, because he won't tell anyone, not even me. Next, a 'newbie' is a new hire to the shop. Last but not least, Snowflake, whose real name is Skye Winter, is an Artic fox, a vixen. She's one of my best mechanics as well as my other …model. She's a real looker and can get jealous like you can't believe."

"So, I'm guessing that she's your latest 'ex' as well?"

Hehe… yea, you ummm caught that did you?"

"You said yourself you thought I was intelligent. Besides, we females catch on to stuff like that pretty quickly. Anyway, I was hoping that was the case when I moved that box of…fur mags I found in my room"

With a slightly taken aback look, which he quickly hid "I…umm…I wondered where those had gotten to. I was afraid that mom had found them and tossed them out."

"Well as long as they're out of my room, I don't care what you do with them" stated Judy with a mischievous look in her eyes.

As they finished their meal and were ready to head out, Mel yelled from the kitchen "Did you ever find that '55 Bel Air for me?"

"Not yet, but I've got a lead or two I'm going to check out as soon as I can. Don't worry, I'll find you a good one, I promise."

"You really seem to have this custom car thing pretty much locked up around here" stated Judy.

"Not really, there's lots of competition, I just try to stay on top by finding the right cars and by doing the best work. That's why I hire the best workers for the shop, pay the best wages and give them the best benefits."

"Sounds better all of the time. Ok, what's the plan now?"

"Well, I guess first we need to head to Walrus-mart to get some more furniture for your little world. Then off to Electronics World to get you a new phone, you have got to have a phone. Sometime in the next couple of weeks we'll need to get you some more fancy duds, so you can dress to impress at the car shows and auctions. Beautiful cars and gorgeous women are a lethal combination for staying ahead in this business."

Noticing the slightly concerned look on the bunny's muzzle Nick asked "What?"

"Nick, I can't possibly accept all of this stuff."

"Look, I think I understand you concern about all of this, but let me explain. First, you have to have a phone because emergencies happen, and I have always provided phones for my employees that need them. I get them at a fair price and the data and voice is all included on my business plan.'

'The furniture is needed and can be written off as a legitimate business expense, as well as the fancy clothes. Along with the shows, there are various dinners and other functions that require a certain, attitude that can only be accomplished with a beautiful woman on my arm. I also noticed that you don't seem to have a computer of your own. Even though there are laptops at every work station, I try to be sure everyone at least has their own laptop for personal use. If you wish to pay for that, I'll allow it, but only a little bit at a time so it doesn't cause you any financial hardship. Will that work so you don't feel like you're taking advantage of me, and that you're going to be deep in debt to me?"

"Yes, I guess so, since you put it all that way."

"Ok then, back to the shop to pick up the shop truck, then over the river and through the woods a shopping we will go..."

During the nearly half hour ride from the shop to Walrus-Mart, the radio on the beautiful jet black '64 Fleetside pick-up blared out "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly. Even though Judy had never heard the song, she was both amused and amazed as Nick would sing along with the song, actually being almost in key some of the time. She had to actually laugh as he would do imaginary guitar riffs when stopped at a red light.

"Are you always this crazy, or is this some sort of special day for you?" she asked, smiling.

"Yes, absolutely" was the only answer she got, as they pulled into the parking lot of the Walrus-Mart.

"Got your list?" asked Nick as they headed into the store.

"Yea, I think so, I'll try to make this as painless as I can for you."

"Absolutely not" insisted Nick "I've found through experience that it's actually cheaper in the long run to get something that's a bit more expensive and of better quality. That way you don't have to replace it nearly as often. Anything you like, within reason, is perfectly acceptable. Get what you want within reason. Shades and curtains for the windows, new pillows if you want and maybe a different bedspread, whatever, it doesn't matter. That also goes for personal stuff you may need as well until you can afford what you want on your own. Whatever you want to pick up for food we'll get at a little family market close to the shop. I like to support the local family independent businesses when I can.

As a more than slightly amazed Judy looks at her new boss while admiring his profile, she can't help but wonder why it took so long to finally meet a mammal like him. 'Wait, a mammal like him? Am I being to be attracted to him as more than just a boss? Surely not, but still…'

"You ok there Car..err, I mean Fluff?"

Judy gave Nick a knowing smile and a light punch on the arm "It's ok Nick, I know you meant no harm when you first called me that. You had no idea how it would hurt me, we're good."

A relived Nick steered Judy to the window covering isle, where she fussed over the right color and style of curtains while he found the perfect dresser that she agreed with. The blinds were no problem since Nick remembered what the dimensions of the windows. The next trip was to where the comforters and pillows were, so that took a bit of time. Then to the bathroom towels and things were, finally to the personal items that Judy would need.

After they got checked out and the stuff was loaded into the back of the pick-up they headed to Electronics World, a store owned by an interesting couple. When Nick and Judy entered the store they were greeted by a friendly young mammal of a species that Judy didn't recognize.

"Hey Nick" called the mammal behind the counter.

"Hey Junior, how business?"

"Slow as usual for a Sunday, but the folks like to stay open, just in case."

Noting the slightly confused look on Judy's muzzle, Nick did the introductions. "Judy Hopps, this is Dale Elkhart Junior. Junior, meet my newest employee Judy Hopps."

With a short laugh, Dale said "Pleased to meet you Judy, and to answer your unspoken question I happen to be a 'Deelk'. Dad is a deer and mom is an elk."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare" stammered Judy more than slightly embarrassed.

It's ok, I get it all the time" replied Junior "and since I know it wasn't being done in a mean way, so there's no problem. What can I help you with today Nick?"

"I need to get Judy here a good phone. You know the drill; put the phone and the plan on my business account. Then you need to set her up with a good laptop, the usual stuff on it, plus anything extra that Judy might want or need."

"Ok, will do. Judy, if you'll just step this way, the phones are on your left, and the laptops are on the right. The phones with the little red stickers in the corner are the ones that Nick has tied to his account, just pick any one you like. When you get done with that, just look over the laptops and we'll get you set up."

While Judy looked over the selection of phones and laptops, Nick asked Junior "So is your dad racing today? I see that he's not here, and since it's the last weekend of the month he must be at the track."

"Yea, he finally got the Monte Carlo tuned up and running the way he likes it, so he and mom left around six this morning to try to beat the crowd for tech inspection."

"Well tell him 'hey' for me when you talk to him, ok?"

"Will do. Looks like Judy had already picked out a phone, the usual I-Carrot, this one in Electric Blue of all colors, never would have figured that."

"Remind me about it sometime and I'll give you the lowdown, ok?"

"Looks like you've made up your mind on the phone already, that didn't take long" says Junior.

"Yep, the blue phone will do, and I think the Ikon 24/7 laptop will be just what I need. Do you have an advanced music editing program available? Also, I would like to have you add a good Photoshop suite if you happen to have a really good one in stock."

"Bit of a musician, are you?" asked Dale.

"I've been known to play an instrument or two in my days" answered Judy. "mostly guitar, piano and a little sax. Never got really good, but I enjoyed it as a stress relief from time to time."

At this, Nick's ears perked up. 'I wonder what she'll think when she finally finds my dad's old electric guitar amid the clutter while she cleans the apartment. Maybe I'll clue her in about the impromptu jam sessions we have from time to time at the shop.'

The last stop of the day was at Clawson's Market, a local grocery store owned by a cougar family. Judy was amazed that they catered to prey as well as predators.

After buying a few staples such as lettuce and other vegetables as well as a variety of fruits and fruit drinks they headed back to Nick's shop. Keeping in mind his little misstep calling her 'Carrots' earlier, Nick noticed that Judy purposely avoided buying anything related to carrots, of course except for her phone. He knew better than to mention it so he let it go.

When they got back to the shop and began to unload Judy's stuff, Nick began the conversation "Before I leave, I'll put the dresser together and put up the blinds and curtains while you unpack the rest of the stuff. Let me know when you get your computer set up and I'll give you the password to the shop's Wi-Fi. I have an unlimited plan, so don't worry about using too much data, ok?"

Somewhat timidly, Judy nodded "Ok."

"What is it Judy" asked Nick as he finished with the blinds and curtains.

"I-I guess I'm still a little uncomfortable with all of this" she stated somewhat shyly, gesturing around the room. "I've had to fight tooth and claw to get what little I already have, and all of this…it's a bit much to take in all at once. It's overwhelming to say the least."

Nick walks over and leaned down to look Judy straight in her captivating amethyst eyes 'wait, what, again?' "I've been perfectly honest with you all day Judy, I don't know what else to tell you. We fix cars here. And the mammals, well they sorta fix themselves, it kinda comes with the job as an unexpected benefit. I you want me to sign some sort of agreement that relieves you of any burden, financial or otherwise, I'll gladly do it, right here and right now. I have absolutely nothing to gain by doing all of this for you, except for having another great employee and possibly a wonderful friend."

As Nick finished, Judy could tell he was being completely honest, and the words held no animosity and no trace of anger, just simple spoken truth.

"Nick, I'm so sorry, it's just so…so…generous and unexpected. I've never been so happy in my life, thank you…"

With that, Nick was again treated to yet another unexpected hug, this one almost being bone crushing. As her tears soaked into his fur, he gently stroked the bunny's ears. 'Yes, I could definitely get used to this'.

"There, there, you bunny's, so emotional" Nick said, smoothing Judy's ears as he hugged her back "Everything will be ok, what say we just take everything one day at a time. Tomorrow is the start of another day, and I guess for you, the start of another chapter of your life. How about we start it on a positive note and leave the past behind, at least for now? I guess we'll need to postpone the 'grand tour' for tomorrow morning, you look like you could use the rest. Are you going to be ok?"

"I-I guess so, thanks for being so concerned." 'This feels sooo good…. damn, again?' thought Judy.

As Judy slowly let loose, Nick dried her tears and remarked "I remember that you told Junior that you played some guitar. Somewhere in all of this mess, there's an old Epiphone Dot guitar and amp. I'm sure it needs to be restrung and tuned, but there should be strings and a tuner in the case. You're more than welcome to use it anytime you wish. Every once in a while several of us get together and have a jam session after work down in the main bay. Just a casual get together, you know to drink some beer, swap some lies and play…you're welcome to join in if you want. No one plays in a band or a group of any kind. It's all in fun, and if someone need help playing or anything, it's always there, all you need to do is ask. With that, I'll leave you to set up housekeeping; we'll see you bright and early at eight for the Monday morning briefing and work assignments. Good night Judy."

"Good night Nick, I'm looking forward to meeting everyone, even Snowflake."

With a hearty laugh, Nick headed down the stairs and out of the building.

As Judy began to set up her laptop, her phone pinged. "Who in the world can that be?' she thought.

Then she recognized Nick's number from the business card he had given her earlier.

'Fluff, I forgot to give you the Wi-Fi password… WilDTimeS16'

'You silly fox' thought Judy with a rueful smile as she entered the password into her new computer.

As Judy opened her Muzzlebook page, she was startled to see a lot of PM entries, mostly from siblings offering support, especially from Josh and Duane. Of course there were a few entries, mainly from her mother basically demeaning her. But the last one was the most hurtful. Her mother had publicly disowned her and banned her from ever stepping paw in the family burrow ever again. As the tears began forming, she thought about Nick. How supportive he was of her, asking for nothing in return except for her to be a good employee.

'Well screw it' she thought 'I have new friends to make and a new family to meet, starting tomorrow.'

With that in mind, she took a long hot shower, washing herself of her previous troubles and dressing in a pair of loose shorts and an old worn out Zoo U sweat shirt, headed to bed.

XxX

A/N: I made a couple of small changes to the story, shout out to USA Patriot, I neglected to include Mel and Alice's species.