9: Tragedy And Triumph

A/N: ok, this was going to be a reallylong chapter, mainly because I wasn't really sure where to break it off, but I decided that over 13,000 words was just too much. I'll post the second part in a week or so, so please be patient…

XxX

"…in Bunnyburrow. Although there seems to be extensive damage to structures and equipment, there are no reported deaths. I repeat, there has been a tornado touch down in Bunnyburrow tonight, with extensive structure damage, there are reports of several injuries but no reported deaths. First responders from Podunk, Leapers Fork and as far away as Zootopia are reported to be headed to the scene to assist with any injured residents. This is Fabine Growley reporting."

"Nick, I need to borrow one of your cars and get to get to the burrow, I know I've had it out with my mom, but I have to go and help…"

"No."

"Wh…what the hell do you mean 'NO'?" shouts Judy with an absolutely furious look on her muzzle. Even Skye can't believe what she's hearing from Nick.

"If you two will just calm down for two seconds and let me finish… Judy, you are NOT going to the burrows alone. Absolutely not, and that's final. And before you get started, I already figured that your brothers would be going as well, but that's not what I was talking about at all. If you go, I'm going with you, and I doubt if I could keep Skye from going along, even if I wanted to.'
'To start with, it's going to be a hell of a mess and disorganized as all get out. If we just show up all of a sudden, especially in the middle of the night, all we'll do is get in the way of emergency crews and create more chaos. You two start packing for a three to five day stay and let me make a few phone calls to mammals that I know, to let them know we are ready, willing and able to help, ok?'
'Times like this are why I demand that all employees have a cell phone. I have everyone on a group emergency call list. I'm going to send a mass text to everyone who works at the shop and let them know that there's a mandatory emergency meeting at the shop in…" looking at his watch "about one hour from now."

With her mouth slightly agape, Judy asked "You would do this, knowing how my mother feels about foxes in general and you in particular?"

"Judy, this is what I'm all about. Helping broken mammals. All I can do is try, if your mom still feels the same after we're done, I can't help that, but I …we…have to try. When you're ready, we'll head to the shop so get moving."

As Nick, Judy and Skye arrive at the shop, there are already several members of the crew waiting inside including Laverne and Shirley, who brought coffee and some store-bought pastries.

"Judy" yells down Josh "we'll be down in a few minutes to update you all on how things ae going at the burrow."

As more of the shop's crew gradually filters in, Josh and Duane head down to the main floor of the shop. Heading straight for Nick and Judy, Duane begins "Ok, here's what we know for sure…like they said on tv a bit ago, there's a lot of property damage and some injuries, but thankfully no one was killed. According to Dianna, about a dozen or so kits were injured along with mom and dad. As far as the kits are concerned, it's mainly small cuts, a few small bruises and some major messing of their pants" which got nervous laughs from pretty much all of those listening.

"Dad has a broken arm along with a few cuts and bruises, but mom's in the hospital with a concussion, a broken arm, several broken ribs, strained muscles in both legs and a bent ear. Nothing life threatening, but still fairly serious.'
'As far as damage to the burrow, it's still too early to tell for sure, but the way Dianna tells it, the front of the burrow sustained a lot of damage, a couple of the equipment sheds are either badly damaged or gone completely, one of the tractors is completely destroyed and several others badly damaged. As far as the rest of the equipment, we'll just have to wait and find out tomorrow. It's still too dark to tell if any of the other storage sheds or crops were torn up, she'll let us know more when it gets light out enough to see.'
'There are emergency crews at the burrow right now, Dianna said if or when we come to hold off until it gets light so we won't get in their way. That give us enough time to get some sort of plan together so we can help but not be in the way. If we find out more between now and then we'll let you know…ok?"

Looking totally stunned, Judy could only nod.

"Ok everybody, listen up" shouts Nick "the family of some of our crew needs help so I expect everyone to pitch in as best they can. Skye, Mom and aunt Shirley, set up a table and get a list of everyone, who can do what, and prioritize needs versus what mammals can get or do. I know everyone has limitations, so just do the best you can given the circumstances. Judy and her brothers haven't been with us long, but they're still part of this family. Contact anyone who you think might be able to help. There'll be a lot of stuff that'll be needed at the Hopps farm…lumber, hardware, tools, clothing, emergency food and water and the like, so give your suggestions of who to contact to mom and aunt Shirley.'
'Those who don't have pressing commitments and are able to make the trip to Bunnyburrow please make the trip, we leave at first light. It will absolutely NOT be held against you if you can't or won't go, but remember…Judy and her brothers are part of this family now, and any help will be appreciated. Now get moving and contact ANYONE you think can help in any way, shape, form or fashion or with either goods, services or both…NOW MAMMALS…!"

As Judy numbly watches the (semi) controlled chaos going on around her, she can't help but be amazed at the activity…the effort being put out by every mammal, especially those she had either barely met, or hadn't met yet. Now she began to understand the bond that Nick had with each and every mammal in the shop. They cared because HE genuinely cared for each and every one of them and their families. And now, she and her brothers were a part of that family. Nothing else could begin to explain the activity going on around her.

Within the hour, trucks began arriving at the shop from everywhere in Zootopia. Trucks with building supplies, power tools, generators, food and water donated by food chains all over the city, clothes from major clothing stores, even off-duty police and medical mammals heeded the call.

Judy was surprised to see officers Fangmeyer, Wolford and Delgado from ZPD among the volunteers.

"Hey there you guys" she begins as she approaches the trio of off duty officers.

"Well if it isn't Judy Hopps" greets Fangmeyer "you're bound and determined to be a pain in the butt no matter what ain't ya?"

"Trust me, I'd be a lot happier if it wasn't so serious a matter."

"So would we, yet here we are anyway. We got Bogo to grant us some emergency leave so we could make the trip. We kinda figured we could help with directing traffic and personnel if nothing else."

"Gee you guys, I don't know what to say except…thanks" as she hugs each in turn.

"Ok Squeak, stop harassing the nice officers" interrupts Nick.

"You know these guys?" asks Judy.

"I should, they're all customers of mine. Glad to see you could make it, are you three all that could come?"

"Yea, sorry" says Delgado "we're all Bogo could spare considering the circumstances."

"Hey, no problem I'm not complaining at all, any help is appreciated. Umm, are you in an official capacity or as helpful civilians, if I can ask."

"Any particular reason for asking?" asks Fangmeyer.

"…Well, another, shall we say, less reputable customer of mine has agreed to send some of his employees and I would hate to see any professional disagreements breakout in the middle of all of this."

"As long as we don't see anything illegal going on, you'll have no problems with us bothering anyone. So long as that's understood, I guess we're in an 'unofficial' status" remarks Fangmeyer.

"Great, since you're here, grab some coffee and donuts or whatever and help get things a bit more organized please, do your best with what we've got, ok? We're planning on leaving around sun-up which is about four or five hours from now and I'd like to se everything go as smoothly as possible. Questions?"

"Nope, give us about five or ten minutes and we'll start getting the convoy read for the trip. We'll rearrange things as more stuff comes in. Don't worry, you can count on us."

"Speak of the devil, here come Raymond and Kevin now. Let me go talk to them and let them know that everything is cool" says Nick.

"Raymond, Kevin, good to see ya" says Nick, noticing the pair eyeballing the three ZPD officers. "I've been assured by three of ZPD's finest that they're here in an UNOFFICIAL capacity only and have no interest in bothering anyone unless given just cause. Are you guys good with that?"

When the two large polar bears nod, Nick continues "There's coffee and donuts where mom and aunt Shirley are if you'd like some. When you're through with that, there are several large bundles of food and water that'll be headed for the burrows, if you'd help load them it would be appreciated. If there's anything else that needs to be moved, just ask the off-duty cops, they'll guide you. Look, I know you'll be uncomfortable working with cops, but maybe it'll help put you in their good graces somewhere on down the road, ok?"

As the preparations start to wind down, Nick gets everyone together for a short pep talk.

"Ok, everyone gather 'round for a minute please."

As the crowd of volunteers gathers Nick continues "I got a call from Chief Bogo a few minutes ago, he's going to provide one cruiser as a police escort to help clear the way so we can make it to Bunnyburrow with as little trouble as possible. Clawhauser should show up just before five thirty which is when I want to leave. The trip should take just under four hours with luck."

Looking at Judy he remarks, giving her a smirk and a quick wink "Judy, it looks like you finally get to meet the dispatcher whose life you made so miserable not that long ago" which brought a chorus of laughs from the crowd, especially the three off-duty cops.

"Shut up you" replied Judy, trying to hide behind her ears, slightly embarrassed but wearing a lopsided grin nonetheless.

"Mom, aunt Shirley, please load the coffee and stuff into the shop van and serve out of the back of it so we're not pushed for time when we're ready to leave in the morning. It should be gassed up and ready to go, if you don't mind driving it, it would be appreciated. Besides mom, I know you've been itching for an excuse to drive it anyway…"

To which he received a middle fingered salute from Laverne.

"Skye, if you want to ride with Squeak's brothers, help yourself, I know ya got the hots for at least one of them so now is not the time to be shy…"

"Damn it Nick…" started a totally embarrassed Skye, but as she looks around for the brothers, she notices both of them looking like kits that've been caught with their paws in the cookie jar (or in their case, looking at fur magazines). "Oh, what the hell…why not?"

"Judy, we'll take the black Fleetside, it's the most comfortable without taking something that isn't appropriate for where we're going. In the meantime, if you want you can go rest on the futon upstairs with your brothers and I'll just crash in the office down here."

"No way Nick" she says "where you go, I go. You can either lay with me upstairs or we can both crash in chairs in the office, your choice. You're not gonna to wimp out on me at this stage of the game. Make up your mind, I'm tired and we both need the rest. And NO funny business…"

With a soft smile, Nick gives in "Ok, you win, let's put the children to bed and go upstairs and get some sleep. I have the feeling it'll be in short supply for the next few days."

"Ok, everybody get some rest, we'll be heading out in about four hours and it's going to be a very long day tomorrow." Nick tells the multitude of animals in the shop.

Dawn arrives with the flashing red and blue lights of a ZPD cruiser.

As Judy slowly wakens, she is greeted with a smell that's familiar, but extra strong, which of course is Nick. But what causes her to go into a mild panic is the fact that she seems paralyzed…until she realizes that she is being held tightly in Nick's arms, with his fluffy tail covering her.

"Nick…NICK…it's time to get up."

"Just five more minutes mom, ok?…" Nick mumbles, nowhere near awake.

Turning slightly and lightly kissing his nose, Judy smiles "Sorry Nick but I gotta pee, plus we gotta go meet my parents…" which brings Nick from mostly asleep to almost wide awake in seconds.

"Oh crap, I was really hoping that that was just a bad drea…"

"Nope, sorry Slick" says Judy giggling "it's something we're both going to have to deal with soon. I'm hoping for the best, but I'm prepared to deal with whatever happens. Like you said, all we can do is try."

With a bit of a smirk, Nick says "Ok Squeak, let's go meet the infamous Clawhauser..."

With a slightly worried look Judy askes "Do I really have to?"

"No. not really, but I think you should meet the tough cop you've caused so much grief for."

"Well, ok…"

Walking out of the front door of the shop ten minutes later, Nick leads Judy to the lone squad car and the pudgy officer inside "Hey Spots, I've got someone who's been dying to meet you."

"Oh, hey Nick… so who's the cute bunny?" which of course didn't set well with Judy at all.

She stomps up to the lone officer "My name is Judy Hopps, Officer Clawhauser and DON'T CALL ME CUTE!"

"Y-you're Judy Hopps? THE Judy Hopps? I had no idea…and ummm, sorry about the cute thing?"

"Calm down Squeak, Spots probably didn't know about the 'C' word, I doubt if they get many bunnies at ZPD. Cut him a break this time ok? We need all the help we can get if we want to get to the burrows and get there asap. Please…"

Shooting Clawhauser a dirty look, Judy reluctantly agreed "Ok, just this once… let's get going before I change my mind."

"Ok mammals, load up, we leave in five minutes" shouts Nick.

As everyone gets ready to either head towards Bunnyburrow or to their respective homes, Nick walks towards a despondent looking Lefty. "Lefty, I know you're bummed because you're not going due to your health. But if you think you're up to it, I'd like to leave you in charge of the shop until the rest of us get back. There probably won't be much going on in the shop in relation to projects, but I need someone here I can trust to keep stuff organized. That and to act as liaison between me at Bunnyburrow and anyone that I might need to get in contact with in case we need something that we haven't anticipated, or if we run out of something, especially food or clothes. No one, and I mean no one, is never not useful in this shop… understand?"

A slightly teared up Lefty replies with the only answer that was needed "You can count on me boss, and…thanks."

"Thank me later, I'll need you here at all times until the rest of us get back, so use the apartment upstairs in the old office. Take your cell phone and laptop with you so if or when the need arises you can order anything and have it delivered directly to the shop or to Bunnyburrow. Order anything you want from Mel's and tell him to deliver it and put it on my tab, he'll understand ok?"

As the hastily assembled relief convoy heads towards Bunnyburrow with Clawhauser in the lead, lights and siren going, Judy can't help but be amazed at the response of her new family. Mammals she hardly knows, some she doesn't know at all and some mammals that seem to be on opposite sides of the law, all banding together to aid a family that none of them knew in the slightest. A family that includes her mother. A mother who had disowned her, just for being with the fox at her side. The fox leading the very aid to help salvage the very family farm that she had run away from. And yet the attitude of everyone headed to Bunnyburrow is one of caring. She knows that not everyone in Zootopia can be this caring, or there wouldn't be a need for a police force, but right now that doesn't seem to matter.

Looking at Nick, seeing the grim determination on his muzzle, she can't help but have a sense of pride. Pride in having the good fortune of meeting Nick. Of accepting his job offer, his friendship, and most of all of being his girlfriend. No matter how the trip turns out, whether her mother accepts Nick and his crew or not, whether she accepts Judy back into the fluffle or not, she knows she'll be happier being with Nick than she ever was at the burrow.

As Nick glances over at Judy he notices the thoughtful look on her muzzle "What…?"

"Just thinking, thinking that no matter how this turns out, I'm happy to be with you. I'm glad that you stopped by the station. I'm still working on the grabbing my tail thing though…" as she offers her bunny version of a smirk and gives him a quick wink.

"And I'm so glad that you and everyone are at least trying to do the right thing by helping my family."

"You aren't going to let me live that part down, are you?"

"Not a chance Slick."

"Not even after we're married and have kits of our own?"

"Wait…WHAT?"

"Relax Squeak, this NOT a proposal, I just needed to see what your reaction would be" says Nick, grinning from ear to ear.

"Damn it Nick…" as she punched his arm, half in frustration, half wondering if he actually meant it. No way, they hadn't even been going together a week yet. Still, it was something to think about. 'What would the future hold if they stayed together? Would he actually consider marrying her? Would she marry him? Could they actually even have kits of their own if they did get married? If they could, what would they look like? Shit.'

To take her mind off of that train of thought, she turned on the radio, and just stared as 'On the Road Again' by Willie Nelson came through the sound system.

"You really have the best timing Squeak" laughed Nick.

"Yea, well what can I say? When you've got it, flaunt it" she shot back.

Several hours later, as the convoy neared Bunnyburrow, Judy begins to notice signs that the twister had done a bit more damage that they were led to believe. There was evidence of uprooted trees, leaves and branches everywhere, along with pieces of farm equipment and broken lumber. With the high winds blowing down the antenna, the local radio station had been knocked out, and with the Zootopia radio channel being out of range, updated news was in short supply. None of her siblings had her new cell number so she hadn't gotten any calls from them, and her brothers were probably so busy trying to keep up on their phones that they hadn't had the time or forethought to call and update her.

As they got nearer to the burrow entrance, Judy gasped. The front of the burrow was almost completely gone. Two tractor sheds were totally destroyed while one was almost untouched. Farm equipment was scattered around the compound, as well as tools, tree branches and a lot of broken wood from the outbuildings

The really strange thing was the fact that almost none of the crops seemed to be damaged.

When the aid convoy pulled to a stop, Nick thanked Clawhauser "Thanks Spots, tell Buffalo Butt that I'm still trying to find the H1 Hummer he wants. I'll let him know as soon as I find one and fast track it to get it finished."

"Will do Nick, and please tell Judy I'm sorry for calling her cut…ummm, never mind, just tell her to take care, ok?"

"Ok, have a safe trip back to the Zoo crew."

As Nick looks around, the crew stars to assemble.

"Ok, everybody listen up. Fangmeyer, Wolford, Delgado…take Kevin and Raymond and set up a perimeter and keep the lookie-loos out of the area. If they don't live here, they don't need to be here, and that especially includes news crews. Josh, Duane, grab a few of your sibs and help the cops with crowd control. Nobody gets in that doesn't belong here.'
'Midnight, start getting the trucks unloaded and prioritize what needs to go where and what needs to get done first. A sort of battlefield triage if you will. Skye…you, mom and aunt Shirley get with some of Judy's sisters and get some fresh food and water to anyone who needs it, I'm sure there are still cooking facilities up and running in the burrow."

Seeing the question and concern in Judy's eyes and on her muzzle, he addresses her next. "Judy, I know you're concerned about your parents and the kits, so that's where we're going now. Your brothers told me that they're all at Burrow Medical Center, so you direct me and I'll drive. We don't need to get in an accident on the way there, you're stressed enough as it is, OK? If you want, I'll wait outside in the truck so I don't create anymore drama than need be."

"No, absolutely not" she replies firmly as she guides Nick to the hospital. "When I go in, you're coming with me. I want mom to see and meet the mammal that's behind all of this effort. If she can't accept who you are, then it's her loss. I only ask that you stay outside the door so I can introduce you to her properly. The rest is up to her…please!"

"If that's what you want, then that's what'll happen."

As she kisses Nick lightly on the cheek she adds "I only hope she can see the mammal I see…"

"Well, here we are, and the moment of truth has finally arrived" comments Nick as he pulls the truck into a parking spot.

Setting a stern look on her muzzle and with Nick's paw in hers, Judy leads Nick to the front desk.

"Renelda" gasps Judy in surprise addressing her sister. With ice blue eyes and dark grey fur accentuated by snow white ear tips, she is an almost negative copy of Judy. "I didn't know you were working here, I thought you were in Podunk!"

"I was, but I volunteered so I could keep an eye on mom, dad and the kits. So, this is the handsome fox that mom got so pissed about! I ummm, don't suppose he has any brothers?" giving Nick a seductive quick once over glance.

"Sorry, he's an only kit, and no you can't borrow him…"

"Pity…Oh well, mom's in room 213 and dad's sitting there with her. You know how superstitious mom is about anything with the number thirteen in it, so I put her there just to piss her off.' smirked Renelda.
'Do you want me to buzz the room, or do you just want to go up and surprise her?"

"Don't bother, we'll just go on up. Don't worry, I know the way. And if you hear an explosion, it's probably just mom blowing a gasket, so don't bother calling the cops, ok?"

"I'm sure you do, with all of the times you were here as a kit." which got Judy a curious look from Nick.

"Stories for another time Slick, let's go get this over with."

As they approach Bonnie's room Nick asks nervously "Are you sure about this?"

"Well, no, not entirely, but we're here, and it's something that needs to be done eventually, so…"

"Yea, I understand, I was just checking."

Judy takes a deep breath and enters the room "Mom, dad?"

Stu looks up and takes Judy into a tight (albeit one armed) hug.

"Jude, it's so good to see you, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too dad" she replies.

"Hey mom, how're you feeling?" all the while noticing the less than pleased look on her mother's muzzle.

"Don't tell me you've come back to the burrow just to gloat" Bonnie answers glibly.

"Mom, how could you even think that?" said Judy angrily, tears streaming down her face "I came back because I was concerned about you, dad, and the kits. There's an entire crew of mammals that came along to help rebuild the burrow and repair the equipment. We brought supplies, food water, clothes. Anything and everything we could think of to help make the burrow and the farm right again. And besides all of that, do you want know who organized all of that? Who wouldn't allow me to come here alone because he was concerned with MY wellbeing as well as yours, dads and the kits? It's Nick mom. It's that fox that you hate so much. He's the one behind all of the aid that's going into fixing the burrow, the equipment. He's the one responsible for feeding and clothing your kits, making sure they're safe and taken care of. And what wasn't donated by mammals that he knows, is all coming out of his own pocket. That fox is doing all for that for someone who disowned her own daughter and hates him. THAT'S the kind of mammal he is. And just so you know, I'm proud to call him my boyfriend now.'
'I want you to see the face of the mammal who's doing all of this for someone who seems to hate him, just because of something that happened to me fifteen years ago. Nick, will you come in here please?"

As Nick steps hesitantly into the room, Judy takes his paw and does an overly formal introduction "Nicholas Wilde, I would like you to meet my mother Bonnie and father Stuart Hopps.'
'Mother, father, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Nicholas Wilde."

"Mister and Missus Hopps" Nick says briefly.

Stu steps forward with a genuine smile and shakes Nick's paw. "Pleased to meet you mister Wilde, call me Stu."

"Stu, if you don't mind, mister Wilde was my dad, Nick will do."

With a totally stunned look, Bonnie asks Nick "Mister Wilde, is everything my daughter telling us true?"

"Yes ma'am it is. There's an entire crew of mammals working to repair and rebuild your damaged home, outbuildings and equipment as we speak. Truckloads of food, water, clothing and other supplies are being distributed to your family My shop employees, my mother, aunt, several off-duty ZPD officers and other volunteers are included in the mix as well.'
'It is my intent to have your home back as close to normal as it was before the twister hit as we can make it before any of us leave."

Looking confused, Bonnie asked "But…why would you do that for us? You don't even know us!"

With a light smile on his muzzle, Nick answered honestly "Because regardless of everything else, you're still Judy's family, and we always take care of family. And because when it's all said and done, sometimes family is all we have."

As understanding slowly permeates Bonnie's mind, her perception of what was begins to morph into what is. Her expression changes from disbelief to amazement, then to sorrow and regret.

"Mister Wilde, it seems I've made a grave mistake in judging you on past experiences. I would like to genuinely apologize for my past actions and comments, and hope that you will take my apology to heart and try to forgive me. And please, call me Bonnie."

"As you wish Bonnie, and please call me Nick. If I may be so bold, I once told Judy not long after we first met, that everyone is broken in some way. If I may say so, it looks like you've already taken a huge step towards healing by dealing with the past. Now, if you all don't mind, I'd like to step out for a moment and check on how things are going at the burrow. Excuse me for a bit everyone."

As Nick exits the room, Bonnie gestures for Judy to step closer "Judy, I'm so sorry about earlier. I don't know if you'll ever be able to forgive me, but I truly hope you will. You've always been a bit of a rebel, and I guess your comment about us...and by that I mean mainly me, being so selfish hit too close to home for comfort. Nick truly seems to be a genuine, caring mammal. As long as he treats you well, and you're happy…then I'm happy for you. Now, you go be with him, your dad and I have a few things to talk over…we'll be fine, but please stop back and visit, both of you."

"We will mom, we'll be back tomorrow I promise, ok?"

Giving her mom and dad each a quick hug, Judy joins Nick in the hallway just as he's finishing a call.

"Ugh, I feel like such an idiot sometimes" says Nick sourly as they head towards the truck.

"Why, what's wrong?" noting a concerned/angry look on Nicks face.

"All of these mammals and all of the supplies and equipment we brought along… I never thought about where they're going to clean up and sleep for the next few days. I'm sure there aren't enough rooms in the burrow large enough to fit them. So I called Lefty to see if he could get ahold of the owner of 'Sarge's Surplus' just off of Sahara Square and see if they have some large tents, cots, blankets and maybe even some portable showers we can buy for the duration of our stay here. If so, I'm hoping to get them here and set up before dark. He's supposed to call and let me know as soon as possible."

"Nick, stop beating yourself up, you couldn't possibly think of everything. I'm sure that the crew can use the showers in the burrow until we can get something else worked out. They'll be kinda cramped, but at least they'll work in a pinch. In the meantime, let's go back to the burrow and see how things are going, I'm sure Lefty 'll figure something out."

As Judy drives back towards the burrow, Nick's phone rings "Yea, Lefty, whatcha got? Ok…ok…wait, say that again…you're kid'n me, right? NO mammal I believe you, it's just a bit much to grasp right now is all. Tell him ok, no hard feelings, and we really appreciate it. Thanks, bye."

Noticing Judy's questioning look, Nick begins "That, of course, was Lefty. It seems like Sarge has several military surplus tents, a bunch of cots, blankets, portable showers and the like but has no way to get them here. However, Fin, of all mammals has taken it upon himself to personally deliver whatever we need as soon as he can get it here. I guess the little shit has a heart after all."

"This has certainly brought together some strange allies" remarks Judy. "You and Fin, the cops and Mr. Bigg's 'employees' not to mention my mom and myself…"

"Don't ask me to explain it" says Nick "because there may never be a logical reason, we'll just have to go with it and make the best of a bad situation."

Getting closer to the burrow, Judy hardly recognizes the scene from the one presented barely two hours ago. A construction crew of several dozen beavers (no one knows for sure where they came from) has make significant progress on rebuilding the above ground part of the main burrow entrance. The tractor shed that was damaged was completely finished, only lacking a coat of paint, and the two sheds that were destroyed were already at least one-third rebuilt, while damaged equipment was in various stages of being repaired.

Kits of all ages were gathered around Skye as she sat telling stories to the young ones, while the slightly older kits were amazed by the vixen's snow-white coat and her fluffy tail. Older kits, those around Judy's age, were gathered around the back of the van helping Laverne and Shirley set up and distribute the freshly cooked food for everyone.

When kits started noticing Nick and Judy as they drove up, confused looks were exchanged.

As the pair exits the truck, they are surrounded by a sea of small kits and bombarded with questions.

"Why are you with a fox?" "You smell like him, is he your boyfriend?" "Does he bite?" were some of the questions that Judy was faced with.

"Why are you with my sister?" "Do you Love her?" "Are you going to marry Judy?" "Can I touch your tail?" were all questions that Nick had to deal with.

After dealing with several overly curious kits, Nick and Judy headed towards Midnight, who looked almost exhausted already.

"How ya holdin' up big guy?" asked Nick as they approached.

"With so much damage, it's been a challenge getting everything half-assed coordinated. The only upside is the fact that the majority of the damage seems to be concentrated in a relatively small area. Most of the mechanics are working on repairing equipment, while the rest are helping with putting the sheds up. I have no idea who the builders are or where they came from, but I wasn't about to turn them down. The only thing we seems to be missing is somewhere to clean up and to crash at the end of the day."

"Yea, umm…sorry about that. That seems to be the one thing I forgot about. However, believe it or not, we've got some tents, cots and portable showers on the way, and Fin is actually bringing them here."

"Really? After the throw down you two had, he's actually bringing that stuff here?"

"I know, I know, but that's the word I got from Lefty, so let's just hope for the best ok? If he's on schedule he should be here in about an hour and a half or so. In the meantime, make sure everyone gets breaks and gets fed. We don't need any casualties from exhaustion, ok? When Fin gets here with the tents, take enough of the crew and get everything set up and functional as quick as you can. Lefty told me that they are military surplus GP tents, so I'm sure you're familiar with setting them up, right?"

"Let's just say I saw more than my fair share while deployed and let it go at that, ok?"

"Good enough for me. We're going to see how the cops are doing, keep up the good work, I'll check back with you later."

"Hey guys, how's it going" which earns a dirty look from Fangmeyer. "Sorry Fangs, no disrespect intended."

"I'll just consider the source. If you need to be straightened out, I'll let the bunny take care of it" Fangmeyer says, smiling and winking at Judy.

Rolling his eyes, Nick continued, "Anyway, if things are under control, go ahead and rotate taking breaks. There are tents and showers on the way so everybody will have a place to clean up and sleep until we're through here."

Addressing Judy's brothers, Nick continues "It seems like we may have straightened things out with your mom, so another potential crisis has been avoided, at least temporarily. We'll just have to play things by ear, no pun intended, until we know for sure."

"If you don't mind" looking at Judy "how about a quick tour of the rest of the farm so we can figure out how much damage the rest of the place has gotten! That's one reason I wanted to bring the truck, it's much better suited to drive around the countryside than any of the cars."

"I'd love to show you the farm, it's just sad that it has to be under these circumstances."

Gazing into Judy's amethyst eyes Nick says "I'm sure there'll be better days ahead when we can spend time here and just enjoy the scenery, but for now, let's just concentrate on the task at hand. The way things are progressing, I have every reason to believe that by the time it's all said and done, things will be fine with you mom."

"You really believe that, don't you?"

"Yes, yes I do. The conflicting emotions I saw when we were at the hospital were true emotions, not fake. I believe that she has truly come around. Now, let's get that tour done so we can figure out how much damage the rest of the farm has. You're going to have to give me the rundown on the condition of everything, after all we city foxes aren't up on the local crop conditions ya know."

Giggling, Judy agreed, kissing Nick lightly on the cheek "Come on silly fox, let's go."

XxX

A/N: Again. Please be patient, part 2 will be posted in a week or when I put the finishing touches on it.
Kudos to USA Patriot and mhiggs678 for figuring out that Nick wasn't going to let Judy go anywhere alone.